It is hard to believe
that the 2016 CC High Altitude Camp was underway two weeks ago. I just want to
thank everyone who supported our fundraising efforts once again. The camp was a
huge success! Our kids represented New Lexington City Schools with flying colors!
Coach Vermillion and I were swamped with compliments on their behavior and
manners. Here is a brief summary of our daily itinerary:
Monday, 6/27 - Travel
day and altitude adjustment hike on top of Roan Mountain, TN.
Tuesday, 6/28 - We
put in 8-10 miles on top of Roan in the morning. In the afternoon we had a
ranger led education program covering stream ecology. We then did a community
service project with the ranger. She was blown away at how engaged and eager
the kids were. Our one-hour of community service saved her and her crew a day
and a half of work.
Wednesday, 6/29 -
Another morning and another 8 - 10 miles on top of Roan. We then drove to Mt.
Mitchell State Park, NC. This is the highest peak in North America east of the
Mississippi River (6,684'). We did another community service project, carrying
5-gallon buckets of gravel to help restore a trail. We worked on this for three
hours and after carrying a ton of gravel (literally) we only covered 200m of a
trail. The ranger assured me that he was shocked that we got that much done. He
was really happy with the work. There were numerous hiking groups there that
day and they were very grateful for the time we volunteered. One guy even gave
us $50 to buy the kids ice cream! The ranger did a forest ecology program with
us after the community service. We then did a 2-mile round trip hike out to Mt.
Craig (the second tallest peak in North America east of the Mississippi River).
We ended the day with a night hike on the Appalachian Trail to Round Bald to do
some stargazing.
Both state parks have
asked us to come back next year.
Thursday, 6/30 -
We did a 14.85 mile section hike on the Appalachian Trail. This was an all day
affair (6 hours, 52 minutes, and 48 seconds to be exact). The team really
pulled together and supported each other through the whole thing. We traversed
over nine peaks on the Roan Highlands and climbed a total of 3,000+ feet in
elevation.
Friday, 7/1 - This
was our first down day. We went to Lees-McRae College and met with the CC coach
and admissions specialists. The CC coach discussed what he looks for in a
potential athlete (performance, academics, character, etc.). It was a real eye
opener for our kids. The majority of them have performance marks that would
allow them to run on a D2 college team. The admissions office gave them a tour
of the campus via a photo scavenger hunt (boys versus girls). During the scavenger
hunt, they discussed what they look for in potential students (academics,
character, ACT / SAT scores, etc.). The girls won the scavenger hunt and got
t-shirts. The boys got beanies.
I received an email
from my contact at LMC and once again we are invited to return next year.
Saturday, 7/2 - Light
run on top of Roan. Spent the remainder of the day at Watauga Lake. Had the
camp wrap up that evening. Quite a few of us were in tears and one senior lady
shut herself in a walk-in closet and bawled. No one was ready to head back.
Sunday, 7/3 - I like
to pack in as much bang for our buck as possible. On the way home we stopped at
Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. The Appalachian Trail runs through
here and there are wild ponies scattered throughout the park. The two
highlights were Newborn ponies and Boulder climbing.
Again, thanks for all
the support. The 2017 camp is already in the planning process!
Coach Tre' Stratton