It is great seeing everyone out enjoying nature this summer. Here at Camptown we have also been busy getting kids outdoors. So far this summer we have had 458 campers through our Natural Wonders Day Camps, led four week long backpacking trips, two other week long trips, a few overnight trips, and several CRUX and day hikes. I myself have not gotten out on as many of these trips as I used to but Zach, Trey, Bailey, and Ashleigh have done a great job making these programs purposeful and impactful for our kids. During the week of July 4th we do not run programs and give our staff some much needed time off. I call this the seventh inning stretch.
During my time off I joined my friend Tom in Michigan for a little fly fishing. While the weather and water was a little warm for trout, the fishing and comradery were good. I realized while wading in the river one day, that this was my adult
version of creek stomping. As a kid I lived maybe half a mile from a creek. During the summer you would find me walking the creek looking for crayfish, skipping rocks, fishing, or just getting wet and enjoying nature. I did not realize it then, but those times in the creek have led to a life-long love for nature. Fly fishing is my adult way to get out and walk the river and enjoy the peace and flow of nature. But, sometimes that peace and flow can get interrupted. During our days on the river we had several canoes, kayaks, and rafts float by. Most were respectful and friendly. However every now and then one would come down, radio or loud voices booming way ahead of them. The Saturday following my fishing trip, my wife Cynthia and I put in a canoe on the White River. It was a warm holiday weekend and there were several others out on the river. Again, most were friendly and respectful. We did run across what I called the “flotilla”, a large group of 12+ tubes floating down the river boom box going with no regard for others. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing people out enjoying the creation that draws me closer to our God. However, a little consideration for others goes a long way.
At Camptown we use the Leave No Trace seven principles to teach respect for nature to our kids. Leave No Trace Principle number 7 is Respect Other Visitors. We all visit our wilderness lands for different reasons, some for adventure, some for solitude, and some for escape. The reasons are as varied as the people we encounter. I am reminded of a time when we were unloading at the trail head for a two night backpacking trip at Charles Deam Wilderness in Southern Indiana. As we were unloading, I met a man in the parking lot. After talking with him a little I found he had already been out a couple of days and planned on spending a couple more days in the backcountry. I learned he had recently lost his dad to cancer and was getting away for a little peace and quiet. He was looking for the solitude, reflection, and the calming effect that nature can offer. With so many of us using the wilderness for so many different reasons, how can we respect other visitors? Here are a few simple things you can do.
Be courteous. Yield to other users on the trail.
Take breaks and camp away from trails and other visitors.
Keep your group small and/or visit during less busy times.
Let nature’s sounds prevail. Avoid loud voices and noises.
Dispose of your waste properly – take out anything you bring in.
Keep your pet on a lease and under your control.
Use existing fire rings and do not make new ones.
Use existing campsites.
I hope to see you on the trail soon, but please keep the boom box at home.
A blaze is a marker along the trail identifying the trail you are on. It is usually a shaped and color marker painted on a tree, rock, or post. On the Appalachian Trail the white rectangle is the blaze you want to follow. The North Country Trail primary blazes are light blue rectangles, the Pacific Crest Trail uses an emblem usually affixed to a post along the trail, and the John Muir Trail in the Big South Fork in Tennessee uses a blue silhouette of John Muir. Some trails like the Shining Rock Wilderness have no blazes or signage at all. In this wilderness area you are warned before entering to have a map and compass and the knowledge to use them. Blazes are typically spread apart far enough that you don’t see one blaze from the other. The actual distance will vary. Some areas are over blazed resulting in sign pollution. On the AT some blazes can be a mile apart. When you run across a double blaze it is a warning to pay attention. It may indicate a route change, an incoming side trail or other situation that requires you to be especially alert to changes in direction. Along the AT there are several marked and unmarked trails that cross the big trail and many times it is difficult to determine which trail is which. In a 4 mile section near Mt Rogers, you will cross an orange, blue, and red blazed trail, or even unmarked spur trails. If you are not paying attention it is not hard to find yourself on the wrong trail. If we think about it, life is a lot like following a trail. We can be merrily walking along and somehow we get distracted and find ourselves on the wrong trail. We may have made a bad decision or maybe we just were not paying attention and missed our double blaze. Maybe we were uninformed and did not know what blaze to follow in the first place. Sometimes we realize our mistake soon and get back on the right trail and sometimes we could wander down the wrong trail for years. It is like that for many of our youth today. They don’t have a positive adult role model in their life to show them the blazes, or they are pressured at school to ignore the double blaze and take the spur trail because it looks more exciting or maybe just because everyone else is taking it. It takes courage and a good support system to grow up today. I don’t envy today’s parents. Blazes of the past are no longer considered relevant or even passed down from parent to child. This is where Camptown helps youth to find the right path. Chris was one of our students from our Pathfinders program. Our Pathfinders program is our program for youth that have gotten themselves into the juvenile justice system. Our program focuses on first time offenders, status offenders, or CHINS (Children in Need of Services). The objective or our program is to keep them from returning to the justice system. Chris got into trouble by having alcohol at school. He was pressured by one of his “friends” into having a little fun. On our Pathfinders program we met with this group of 6 boys for 5 weeks before our trip. During this time we get to know them, get them ready for their adventure, and teach some specific life skills such as reaching a consensus and working together as a team. During our trip on the Appalachian Trail, Chris was our leader of the day. He was reluctant at first but seemed to enjoy the experience and the group responded well. After the trip, we invite the youth to join our Youth Leader Program. Chris jumped at the chance. We got to spend the next two years with Chris as a Youth Leader and he stayed away from the juvenile justice system. I ran into him a few years later and he told me he was going to college and studying law enforcement. Camptown was able to provide Chris with some direction in a time in his life he was having difficulty finding his way. It is stories like this that energize me. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to bring these programs to youth like Chris. Everyone can make a difference!
Last month we hosted an Indiana Youth Institute lunch at our CRUX facility. We had 45 youth workers in attendance who were there to hear the speaker talk about the importance of Grit. What is grit the speaker asked? It is good old fashioned hard work and determination. His presentation was based on the book and research of Carol Dweck. The book is Mindset: Teaching a growth mindset. What Carol and her research team found was that grit had more to do with success than IQ, economic status, or education. While the research was mostly targeted at post-secondary education, it could be applied to any area of success. As I was listening to the presentation, I was thinking to myself this is what Camptown does! We help develop grit in our participants. Things like Confidence, Teamwork, Leadership, and Respect. These are the key impacts of what our participants walk away with at Camptown. For example last year 93% of our participants reported growth in their leadership skills, 97% reported improved teamwork skills, 95% reported improved confidence, and 95% reported a better respect for their peers. In addition, 75% reported that they had been moderately or greatly physically challenged during their Camptown adventure. This grit development also comes through the testimonials our students write; I learned I am a leader, I can do more than I thought, I can do anything I put my mind to, I learned to be more confident in myself, I learned I can be very helpful, this trip is really hard, I learned to be more patient, One thing I would do different is my attitude, I learned I control my actions better. So how does Camptown develop grit into our participants? We use the outdoors as our classroom. Here students are taken out of their comfort zone, away from the pressures of home and school, and outside their norm in an unfamiliar surrounding and environment. Ideas and attitudes formed through these direct experiences are a greater influence on choices and behaviors in the future than those formed through indirect experiences. The intensity of a wilderness experience creates an ideal environment to influence attitude formation and to teach these skills. All of these skills are essential for learning how to thrive with life no matter what the circumstance. Last year Camptown served 2,953 unduplicated youth, of those 71% came from impoverished homes, 85% came from urban Marion County and Camptown provided financial assistance to 88% of our participants. Imagine a world where our children grow up confident, respectful, cooperative, and willing to step up and take a leadership role. That is what we at Camptown are striving for. We appreciate all of your support. Thank you for joining us in our mission to lead youth to a better path. 
I was watching a NetFlix documentary on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. At 2,717 feet it is the tallest building in the world. At rental rates up to $4,000 a square foot it is also the most expense. The exterior is covered with 1,870,000 sq. ft. of anti-glare glass to help shield the desert sun. The building is so tall that the exterior temperature at the top of the building is 11° cooler than at its base. The building is comprised of the Armani Hotel, residential and corporate suites, restaurants, and a sky observation deck. There are 57 elevators and 8 escalators in the building with the fastest elevator rising and descending at up to 33 ft./sec. As I marveled at this engineering wonder, I thought of all that would go into the design and construction of such a wonder. I am amazed at the skill and expertise that went into its creation. Everything from the architects, engineers, steel workers, and laborers. Then I got to thinking of how this wonder of man is nothing compared to the wonders created by God. Wonders like the Grand Canyon, the mud pots, and geysers of Yellowstone, the hoodoos in Bryce Canon, Crater Lake, Half Dome in Yellowstone, the giant Sequoias and Redwoods, Niagara falls, Mammoth Cave, the Blue Ridge Mountains and I could go on. The wilderness is where I feel closest to God. I think it is because I am amidst His creation. Not a second or third generation, but directly from his hands. “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” Colossians 1:16 It is this direct connection with God that makes the wilderness so powerful. You cannot go anywhere else and find this connection. You cannot go into the wilderness without coming out changed. In a recent post on one of the group sites I am a member of, a young women posted that she took her first solo camping trip in the wilderness. In her comments she wrote of a peace she has never felt before. That peace is being in the midst of our creator. This is what makes the wilderness such a great environment for what we do. To change, you have to look at things differently. Taking inner city teens into the wilderness is certainly giving them the opportunity to see things differently. Away from the pressures of home, noise and familiarity of the city, they start to experience the wonder of the wilderness. They are more open to new ideas and ways of looking at things. They rely on one another and begin to appreciate each other. This year we have several wilderness adventures already planned.
