All is Quiet on the Eastern Side of Pikes Peak
It is much too quiet around camp since second term campers left on August 14. The fields, hills, and lodges are filled with great memories from the summer of 2011, and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to spend this time with so many outstanding campers and staff.
One of our tasks during the weeks following camp is to collect and distribute all the lost and found items. We have mailed every major article from High Trails which has a name to the owner. Big Spring items have been mailed more recently so they may still be in the mail. We still have some jackets, boots, and other items of clothing which do not have names. Please let us know if your camper is missing something and we will do everything we can to track it down and send it to you.
Our outdoor education program staff arrives today and we will begin welcoming sixth graders to High Trails Outdoor Education Center on September 13. Among the staff who will be returning to teach during this program are wranglers Jenny Hartman and Lacey Ellingson, High Trails ridge leaders Stacey Robinson and Lela Payne and Camp Trip Leader/Photographer Jessie Spehar. Big Spring staff from the summer of 2011 include Ian Stafford, Zach Schoenfelt, Kevin Robinson, Jackson Blackburn, Falcon Craft and Adam Beard. Andrew Jones will return from the summer of 2010. Chris Tholl, Carlotta Avery and Chris “BC” Miller McLemore direct the program; they are assisted by camp leaders Elizabeth Rundle and Ryan and Ashley McGowan.
We have several exciting events this Fall in addition to our traditional schedule. On September 9, September 18-19 and October 6-8 we will be providing leadership training for students from several different area high schools. We have developed this outstanding program over the past few years and are always excited to work with these motivated teens. On September 10-11, we will be partnering with the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument as part of the National Park Foundation’s America’s Best Idea to provide a fun nature-based experience for the families of soldiers who are serving abroad. And on September 24, we will again join with the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument to celebrate “No Child Left Inside Day” by hosting an open house. We will be offering a program of nature-based activities and hikes for families who would like to get their children outdoors for the day. There is no cost for the event.
On October 13-16, we are excited to host a Reunion for camp alums. We’ll be hiking, riding, climbing mountains, biking, rock climbing, relaxing and reconnecting. This Reunion is also special because we’ll be celebrating the successful conclusion of our Sanborn 60 Capital Campaign.
We are already thinking about next summer and have established our dates. The first term at Big Spring and High Trails will be Sunday, June 10 – Tuesday, July 10, 2012. The second term will be Friday, July 13 – Sunday, August 12. The four terms of Sanborn Junior will be June 10 – June 24, June 26– July 10, July 13 – July 27, and July 29 – August 12. We have sent this information to current camp families and will send additional information in October to camp families, former camp families, and prospective camp families. If you would like to receive our catalog and DVD or know someone who would, we will be happy to mail them at any time.
Each month we will post news from camp and photos from the summer of 2011 on the website, so keep checking it out! Right now, a few gold leaves are showing on the Aspen, and the sky is incredibly blue. A large herd of elk is hanging out at Potts Spring and the horses are wondering why no one comes each day to ride them. We wish all of our camp friends a great beginning to the school year and hope that everyone will keep in touch.
