Camp News
Skiing with Friends
January 29th, 2010
Last Saturday, a group of Falling Creek staff decided to meet at Sugar Mountain and ski. Robert Kirby, Andrew Smith, Corey Hopkins and Nathan Newquist decided to take advantage of the good weather and recent snowfall.
Will, Ben, Kirby, James, Nathan, Andrew and Corey.
While the group was getting their boots and skis on, Nathan heard somebody call his name. It was Ben, an alumni camper, from Mount Airy, NC. He and his brothers James and Will, who are Falling Creek alumni, were at the resort with their family and church group for the weekend.
The group skied, some snowboarded, until the lifts closed for the day. It was a great Saturday that was made even better by meeting up with friends.
0 CommentsSteve's Side
January 24th, 2010
Steve Drewry, Watson Mulkey, Will Slater, and John “Boz” Boswell are in Cairns, Australia living, working, studying and traveling. This is a letter from Steve.
Australia, first report. Jan 14th – Jan 20th
I arrived at the Cairns airport, tired and excited, where Watson and Will were waiting, and so too was the sun, a mere 600 yards from your face in this part of the world. We grabbed a taxi from which I thoroughly enjoyed the view of left-handed traffic from a seat that, in the states, would be wont for steering wheel and pedals.
Immediately the differences started piling up. Foxtail palms and strange cars whizzed by, as did the rest of the tropical scenery that I hardly had the time to absorb from the seat of a taxi. The landscape was inundated with lush greenery that I’d seen before in pictures, but every tree and shrub was completely new. The street signs were somewhat familiar as well, but still different. For example, our YIELD sign is the same shape and color as it is in Australia, but in the spot where the word “yield” should be, it reads “Give Way”. Everything was like that: the same, but different. It’s as though I had gotten on a plane and traveled to the opposite side of the…Oh. right.
We stopped a short distance from the apartments at a small cluster of shops that might be likened to an American strip mall provided that you halve it, and then halve it again. Although it did have a KFC. We, however, stopped for lunch at “Seaside’s Takeaway”, a fried fish joint with a menu that sported items like “Red Emperor”, “Barramundi”, and “Coral Trout”. I exchanged a blue-ish, 10-dollar Australian bill for a Red Emperor and was handed in return only a handful of coins for the difference. I gave a puzzled look to the woman behind the counter, who answered it with an expression of her own that said “Are you new in town?” In fact, she had given me the correct change, but I was evidently unprepared for the Australians’ prevalent use of coins for anything under five dollars. For those miniscule expenses, they have their one- and two-dollar coins on top of the smaller denominations that I was expecting. Live and learn.
Anyway, we ate our fried fish outside where I soon wished far more urgently that I had changed out of my jeans while I was still in Sydney. The 200-yard walk to the apartment was a very sweaty one. I switched into some shorts , shoved my cotton pants into the darkest, most inaccessible region of my bags, and we embarked for the swimming pool in the courtyard. The “apartments”, I must say, look far more like hotel rooms than a place where people permanently reside. They have a very island-y, feel to them. Something like what you might find at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas. Even the pool looks like it was uprooted from a picture in a vacation brochure, with its tiki-heads and jovial plaster toads spurting water at the pool’s edge. The place is mostly filled with university students and…well, I haven’t quite figured out the demographics of the place, but the University is a five minute walk down the street. Boz (John Boswell ), another pre-existing acquaintance from the states, lent me an inflatable mattress and a pillow which I deposited later onto the floor of Watson’s and Will’s living room. Boz was leaving the next day for a week-long foray in New Zealand with his parents and we thought it better that I stay under the supervision of Cairns-savvy Watson and Will rather than squatting in his empty apartment for a week.
So there I was: in a pool, in Australia, full of fried fish, and under a stream of water spurting from a plaster toad. Now what? To the city, of course!
We took the bus into town. Taking the bus at night, I might add, in a town you are entirely unfamiliar with is a recipe for complete disorientation. I couldn’t see past the glare on the windows of the bus, so I may as well have been thrown into a washing machine for 12 minutes and spat out in front of a restaurant in some very hot and humid place. That restaurant happened to be called Blue Sky, complete with microbrewery and hotwings. The wings had an interesting hierarchy of hotness available: There were the usual levels of spiciness, ranging from “Look Out!” to “Mild”, with “BBQ” residing somewhere beside them all on its own. But just under the hottest was “Australia Hot” and below that was “USA/Canada Hot”. I ordered the USA/Canada hot. Now, if this bar speaks for the entire Australian pallet, then I have to say that they are sincerely off the mark. Allow me to crudely translate for American taste buds: Australia Hot=medium; USA/Canada Hot = mild; and BBQ=BBQ. I have no idea what the Mild wings on their menu would have been like. Probably something I could have used for the dry skin on my elbows.
Another day, after a little job scouting and shopping for a cell phone, Watson and I walked up to Trinity beach, about two miles north of the apartment. Initially our destination was for Wallaby spotting-grounds, but as that was completed en-route, we proceeded to the beach. Wallabies are everywhere and have very, VERY good hearing. If you manage to sneak to within 50 yards of one, it’s probably dead. The beach was a sight. Lined with a mix of cottages, one large hotel, and rental properties that I would describe as “modest-Malibu”, it looked wonderful. No skateboarders. No roller-bladers. No bicyclists. No swimmers. No surfers….wait a minute, where is everyone? This beach is dead. And nearby was a sign that explained it all, listing specifically all those things people are not to do. I guess the rules are pretty well-followed around here. And for good reason, for next to that sign was another, enumerating the dangers that no doubt begat the first sign: sharks, box-jellyfish, Irukandji jellyfish, crocodiles, rip-currents. At the bottom of the sign was written “No Swimming Nov-May”. These natural dangers are in addition to the ones that Boz informed me of the other day. Trees, ants, toads, spiders…the “paralysis tick”…ugh. Jumanji was a safer environment. Don’t. Touch. Anything.
So Watson and I clambered up some rocks to get a better view of the ocean, paying close attention not to touch any of the vegetation, no matter how innocuous it looked. It was a little cloudy, but still a gorgeous view. Jungle-covered, mountainous coastline accented with a few perfectly sized islands on which stood one or two houses. We scowled at them from afar and then headed for the bus stop.
We had an hour to kill before the next bus came, so we stopped by a burger joint and got a couple cool drinks. Watson ordered a “small chips” which, I’ve found out, is a bit of a misnomer. If you order a “small chips”, you will be handed a human infant-sized package of very stout french-fries. It was a handful, but for three dollars AUS, who can complain?
On the bus, the whole affair is rather unrushed and pleasant. The bus driver expresses no urgency as you tell him your destination. Swap a five-dollar bill for bus fare and he happily and deliberately counts your change to hand back. Off you go. It’s perfectly understandable when you find out that minimum wage is just about 20 dollars an hour.
Getting off the bus, which was air-conditioned and very clean, two teenagers were stepping on, hailed politely by the bus driver, “And where are you two blokes off to?” We couldn’t help but laugh, not at him, but at how ridiculously quaint and cute the vernacular is here. Breakfast is brekky, Christmas is Chrissy, and mailmen are posties. It’s all very pleasant.
0 CommentsCongratulations Sam!
January 20th, 2010
Sam, a long-time camper from Georgia, entered an essay contest sponsored by McDonald’s and won! The prize: a trip to this year’s Winter Olympics.
His essay was selected out of over 800 entries. Sam wrote about achieving excellence through friendship, earning respect and achieving success. Sam was presented as the winner by Ronald McDonald at a surprise school assembly.
Sam heads to Vancouver to attend the Opening Ceremonies and several Olympic events in February. View the Florida Times-Union Article and the First Coast News video. Congratulations Sam!
0 CommentsDustin and the AT
January 18th, 2010
Dustin Sharp, staff member and former camper, is home for the holidays after hiking the Appalachian Trail.
He completed the journey in a little under five months. Dustin said the hike was great, but trialing at times.
He is already planning another adventure, and might stop by camp this summer. Dustin’s future plans include joining the US Coast Guard.
0 CommentsHoliday Huck Reunion
January 11th, 2010
During the summer of 2009 Falling Creek ran a high adventure paddling program called HUCK. (HUCK means running a waterfall). With the recent break from school several members of HUCK got together to paddle, tell tales, and relive the trip from this past summer.
This mini reunion consisted of Ben Williams and Doug Koziol representing the staff, and Will and Joey who were both Falling Creek campers and HUCK paddlers.
The crew met in the parking lot of Hooker Falls in DuPont State Forest and suited up for a wonderful day of paddling on a great section of river. The adventure was focused more on staying warm and dry than paddling hard whitewater, as 6 inches of snow covered the forest. Once suited up we looked more like space explorers than kayakers, and the looks from the parking lot confirmed it!
Putting on allowed us to test our snow kayaking skills as it involved sliding on the snow before hitting the water at mach 3! Doug shows us how it is done in the photo above!
After entering the water, the river offered up some great rapids like Diagonal Slide, Many Different Ways, and the infamous Hooker Falls. Each of these rapids requires different paddling skills. Joey and Will showed theirs by expertly navigating each challenge with grace and poise.
Hooker Falls is the keystone rapid of this run with its striking backdrop and 15-foot plunge into Cascade Lake, it makes for amazing pictures and paddling.
0 CommentsHiking on Holiday
January 5th, 2010
During New Years break, the Pharr’s went hiking in South Carolina with the Dockendorf family, who own and operate Adventure Treks. It was a beautiful day when they hiked up the Table Rock trail.
They were excited to run into veteran FCC counselor Corey Hopkins. He was out on the trail for the day with friends from Furman University where he is a senior. Corey teaches music at camp and is a Cherokee counselor. We hope he will be able to return to camp for his third summer in 2010.
0 CommentsMerry Christmas!
December 23rd, 2009
The FCC crew invaded the kitchen, baked cookies and poured some milk… but snack time is just not the same without all of you!
Yates, Patrick, Frank, Goody, Jerry, Simon, Claudia, Susan, Ben, Nathan and Marisa.
We look forward to seeing you this summer and we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
0 CommentsCommunity and a Bike Ride
December 21st, 2009
When reading or watching anything about Falling Creek, the idea of community is represented in several different ways; in the cabin, in an activity, on a trip or around a campfire. An often overlooked part of community building takes place outside of the summer season.
Johnathan Bain, Kevin Burnett, Ben Williams, Laura Garrett and Annie Pharr.
A few weekends ago, I experienced the power of community firsthand. With a few phone calls and a random meeting at the local Target Superstore, the makings of a wonderful adventure were in the works. The power of this experience was centered around sharing time with family, friends, co-workers, and mentors – all while enjoying the wild wonders of Western North Carolina via a mountain bike.
Yates and Annie
Every member of the bike ride was a part of the Falling Creek community, whether as a camper, staff member, as a carrier of the flame or as a member of a Falling Creek family.
During our ride we cheered for each other going up hills, spotted for each other, laughed and enjoyed every minute. It was a day that represented the joys of the FCC community and the power of shared experiences.
I am truly grateful to be part of such a community.
0 CommentsFirst Snow!
December 18th, 2009
It’s not really camp’s first snow this winter… I’m talking about the puppy in the photo!
This is Doggy’s first time seeing snow.
Doggy Dog is Nathan’s puppy. She is a six-month-old black Labrador. He got her at the beginning of Junior Camp last summer.
She’s become good friends with Lulu (Frank’s dog), Bogey (Goody’s dog), and Jiggs (the Pharr’s dog). Doggy and Saturday (SFL’s dog) met for the first time yesterday.
If it snows as much as the weather reports predict, I’ll snap some photos around camp for everyone to see camp in a blanket of white. Until then, enjoy these photos of Doggy playing in the snow!
0 CommentsThirty-Six Hours with Crom and JBone
December 17th, 2009
After a busy fall semester of classes and leading various on-campus organizations at the University of Knoxville, 2009 staff members Crom Carey and Jonathan Grayson (a.k.a. JBone) decided to start their Christmas break with trip to Tuxedo.
Jonathan and Crom
While in the area, the pair devised a plan to incorporate as many different activities into a 36-hour visit as possible.
The first phase of the mission included a visit to a local Mex-Cali restaurant to see who would step up to the challenge of the “mucho mexicano,” which combines several different traditional Mexican delights into one dish. Crom accepted the challenge and walked away with the knowledge that he had earned his spot on the list of folks who have finished the “mucho mexicano.” After dinner the group at the table enjoyed hearing camp stories from Robert Kirby, who is a master story teller and long time Falling Creek Counselor.
Crom in DuPont
The second phase of their plan was to ride mountain bikes at DuPont State Forest and discuss trip ideas for the shocktaw for next summer.
It was a wonderful plan, but the temperature dropped overnight to a chilly 28-degrees. Crom, JBone, and Ben Williams made sure they had all of the warmest gear they could carry and set off for the DuPont-Two parking lot to ride eastern slickrock at it finest.
JBone in DuPont
The trio rode several trails, fixed a flat tire, practiced catching air, and enjoyed the day fully!
The final phase of their plan was to return to Knoxville for a 7:00 p.m. play! It was great to see you guys!
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