Bikes, Boating, & Climbing Beta!
Dear Parents & Friends,
We had a great day on the Tuck today with Riverside. Leaving camp this morning it had started to rain a bit but there was patchy sun throughout the day except for lunch. Our day on the Tuck was the same and it only started to rain once we got off the river. Everyone learned a lot today and the water level on the river was perfect. They are headed back to the same section tomorrow to beef up the skills they learned today. We’re expecting more rain tomorrow but one does not notice it while you’re on the river surrounded by water. I think most of the group saw a Bald Eagle today just above Railroad Rapid. I missed the sighting because I had gone ahead to set up for some video shots as they came through the rapid. The Eagle sighting location is also just a few steps away from where an old Harrison Ford movie was shot called “The Fugitive”. There’s a train collision scene where he escapes and the train still sits there today.
We had lunch on the river at the bottom of Railroad Rapid on a huge rock that sits in the middle of the river. Just below Railroad is 1st Hole, 2nd Hole, Moonshot, Double Drop, Snicker’s Challenge, Sling Shot, Surprise Hole, and Sharkstooth. The Tuck has a lot of action and it’s certainly not boring. Only two boats went over today. One at Snicker’s and pillow in the river just jumped up near the end of the day. Wish I could go tomorrow because I’m sure everyone will hone their skills even more. We also got to partake of Jump Rock which is about a 15-foot jump from a rock into the river. It’s very deep and we always stop there for the experience.
Bikers in Main Camp also went out today utilizing the trails of Dupont State Forest. They started at Fawn Lake biked a big loop around that end of the Forest. Over 100 miles of single track is designated there. It’s a great place to ride and also another site where several movies were filmed; “The Hunger Games” and “Last of the Mohicans”. Everyone did well according to Zach and staff with lots of up and down to balance things out.
Main Camp Climbers walked to the base of Looking Glass today and got in several climbs before being run off by rain. Looking Glass is a giant granite plug that has eroded away over the to expose some smooth rock with eyebrows or horizontal cracks that etch its surface. Some are small with only room for fingers and toes and others are much larger. It looks as though smooth lava ran down the surface to form them. The view from the Glass is terrific and once campers climb above the trees the heavens and miles in many directions just open up.
These trips out of camp really build confidence and take on us amazing journey’s that are so different from our city lives. We get to experience wilderness in its rawness and ever-changing beauty. Understanding the power of the river and the ways to harness it comes slowly but creates a respect that is lifelong. The size of the rock and its massive expanse is intimidating and warm to touch on a sunny day. We explore its grainy, grooved features to find just the slightest edge to place our feet and grasp with our hands as we inchworm up its side. And biking is a balance, shifting gears and our weight over the bike to carry us over rocks, roots and uneven ground that we only thought was possible by foot. With peddles in the “attack” position, speed is not always your friend but quick judgment and scanning 15 feet out to where the track is best suited for the next revolution of the tire.
Campers come back from these trips changed and you can see it in their eyes. It’s always good to come home, have a hot meal and be a part of getting ready for the next adventure. Stay tuned!
