The Compass

The National Park Service announced their 2020 park usage numbers in February and reported over 237 million visitors to the National Parks in 2020.  While this number represents a 28% decrease from 2019, they attribute the drop due to temporary park closures and...

One of our staff favorites.  You will find several versions of Goda Goda. It can be made in a pot or skillet, at a front country campsite or even at home. This version is our boil and bag backpacking recipe. A spicy peanut butter sauce makes this a light ramen...

Statistics from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service show that although people of color make up nearly 40 percent of the total U.S. population, they make up less than 30% of the people visiting our national parks and national...

As we began returning to work and running programs in June, like everyone, I had to ask, “What does this look like for Camptown?” Many of our program partners had cancelled their summer plans and others had reduced their numbers...

What a difference a month can make. In early March we were working with our program partners on spring and summer programs. We were also short a staff member and wondering how we were going to get everything done. We knew God would provide us a new staff member and...

In the US, 2019 was a good year economically speaking. The Dow showed a positive return of 22.2% (CNN Money) and unemployment was the lowest since 1969 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). It was also the first year we all filed under the new tax laws signed in 2017....

When backpacking, how you pack your pack is almost as important as what you pack. An off balance pack can become very uncomfortable down the trail. During our pre-trip training classes, we teach the ABC’s of packing your pack: Accessibility, Balance, Compaction. You...

This is a three part series of stories from students from one of our backpacking trips this year.  As the title implies these are their own words.  I hope you enjoy reading of the impact of each of these students’ wilderness experience My story is kinda like...

Top 10 Adventure Books -While in the midst of winter, if you are like me, the cold weather has you inside more than warmer weather.  At Camptown, we still have groups going out, but not like the other seasons. While you are inside during this season, why not throw...