Not Dead, just camp

Joezilla

Joezilla

Moderator- Wilderness and Survival Skills
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Jul 22, 2005
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I am the only councelor for a summer camp, ages 4-12 for this week and next week. Along with that, internet is only available half the time the place where I am at, up here in the mountains! I promise after this week and next week things will go back to normal. I'll try and upload pics of life the past few weeks when I can!

Joe
 
Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, Joe. Enjoy camp, and don't do anything we wouldn't do. ;)

All the best,

- Mike
 
Oh yeah, what length machetes do you reccommend for the 4 year-olds?
 
funny thing about the machetes. There is about 6 acres of brambles and old growth high above it. They were against me arming the kids with machetes instead of finding a bush hog...imagine that!

I had to go with a non-stabby knife as the knife of choice to whip out around the kids though, so I went with opinel. I'll try and snap some pictures later. yesterday we made paint stick boomerangs and giant bubbles. Tomorrows we have blowguns and debris huts...yay!
 
Teach them how to dig tiger traps, make dead falls, and how to string wire snares!
 
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Look at those deadly night warriors.
 
Good luck with all those kids, Joe. I once was in a situation where I was surrounded by about 14 kids from an ex-girlfriends kindergarten class, and I've never been the same since. I still tremble at the thought of the horror. It might have been the scariest 15 minutes of my life. You might want to consider Thorazine.

Actually, I like kids. You'll have a great time.
 
Joezilla said:
I am the only councelor for a summer camp, ages 4-12 for this week and next week. Along with that, internet is only available half the time the place where I am at, up here in the mountains! I promise after this week and next week things will go back to normal. I'll try and upload pics of life the past few weeks when I can!

Joe
Click to expand...

This sounds like it should be really interesting.
 
Dude, gotta love it, my camp is a bit more urban, but I'm the go-to guy when someone needs a blade. 117 overnight kids, and 50 some day onlys. best yet, I'm finally the medic! I've wanted to be the medic since I started going to camp when I was wee little. hard to believe I'm one of the "old" guys at 24. and for those who are worried, yes it is a christian camp, but we feed them well, and keep the indoctrination to merely trying to be the best people we can be. besides, most of the kids want to be here to power-tube and make crafts with duct tape than sing hymns. and we had to get a SPL meter to make sure the band wasn't too loud. not the camp most folks remember, no Kumbiyah here!
 
Gadget, I may need to get some tips from you! It sounds like you've ran the gauntlet! wow!


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For those interested, here is a great picture that sums up life right now. Bees and Bamboo for camp, Two person Kayak/ everything else just to move up to the mountains. I've been moving stuff so much back and forth, that I took the evil mud tires off of the jeep and put these little guys on. I'm in Raleigh now for oh, about 2 more hours and then taking up another load... Camp starts again tomorrow morning.

No rest for the wicked.
 
The only adult counselor with a number of 4-12 year olds???

Now that's a scary-ass survival situation if I've ever heard one. You got more guts than me, brother. I go crazy on a two-hour drive with my two young uns.
 
I worked at a camp for years as an archery instructor...whenever I'd have some of the littler guys with attention issues and a yen for sugary sodas things got...interesting to say the least! :eek: Never had a single injury on my watch, but damn is that a job that keeps you on your toes! Have a great time, man! Wish I was there. :D
 
the camp I work at is as far as I know one of the, if not the only sub-urban camp in canada, so we get lots of kids who mom won't let get too far away from an ambulance house, and lots of others who's social workers can only drive so far. But its piles of fun, and there is nothing like turning a kids life around, when they go from tiny terror to little gentleman. it takes a while, but it is very cool to help some of these kids get straightened out, especially when the parents can't and school won't. we also try to keep to 5-1 kids to leaders.

To anyone else, find your local kids camp and see if you have a skill they can make use of. most of these places are run by kids not out of highschool yet, and need some guidance, or even just someone to come mow a lawn or two. if you don't want to have anything to do with religion, thats fair, but there are a great many summer care programs that are in need as well.

and as far as the gauntlet, I've got a flush toilet and hot water. I kinda feel like I'm wimping out! not even any work for my Rats besides steak night. have to change that...

take it easy man, and thanks for helping set some more little ones on a good path.
 
round 2 is done, so that means....

CAMP IS OVER! I had angels this time, so it was a bit less stressful. However, now I can breathe again! woohoo!

Since I had such good kids, we worked on spark based fire making this time! They did fabulous, the best one was the five year old. Ah...there is something refreshing about teaching five year olds how to build fires.
 
Joezilla said:
Gadget, I may need to get some tips from you! It sounds like you've ran the gauntlet! wow!


P1016173.jpg


For those interested, here is a great picture that sums up life right now. Bees and Bamboo for camp, Two person Kayak/ everything else just to move up to the mountains. I've been moving stuff so much back and forth, that I took the evil mud tires off of the jeep and put these little guys on. I'm in Raleigh now for oh, about 2 more hours and then taking up another load... Camp starts again tomorrow morning.

No rest for the wicked.
Click to expand...

Hey Joe, That's Great your Working with the Yougun's like that teaching the "Way's Of The Wood's !" I see the Bee Box on the Floor In the Back Seat, Bee's are a Great Hobby and Honey Is Umm Good ! I worked as a Migratory Beekeeper for a few year's we would take Bee's from Nebraska to Eastern Texas and Back & Forth when different Crop's were coming In to Bloom, I took care of 500 Hive's to start with and by spliting up Hive's and adding Queen Cell's we would turn 500 Hive's In to 1500 Hive's, That was an Interesting Job, I also kept Bee's as a Hobby for 10 Year's, How long have you been Keeping Bee's ? Dont work to hard on your move to the Mountain's, You aint by chance close to the Blacksmith that you meant at the North Carolina State Fair are ya, Did you ever get anything made by him, I liked his Work that you showed In the Topic you Posted on Him, I'd like to get some Work done by Him, I' still have his contact Info., I'm gonna give him a call and see about getting a couple of Axe's made, Enjoy your New Mountain Home ! :thumbup:
 
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