Falling Creek Camp News

Colorado Crowd

2010-03-11T16:31:00.004-05:00

Yates was thrilled to show the Falling Creek movies in Denver to a large group of families interested in learning more about Falling Creek.

Angela and Peter Pak were wonderful hosts.

It was a perfect opportunity for Yates to break away from the National Camp Conference being held in Denver that week and meet everyone.

Haynes Chidsey, a long-time FCC camper originally from Sarasota, FL, works in Denver and works with Peter Pak. Haynes and Yates were campers at FCC at the same time back in the 70's and 80's.

Thanks again to the Pak's for all their support!

FCC Online for Parents

2010-03-04T09:23:00.007-05:00

The login page.

Our parent packet went into the mailbox this week. Camp families should be receiving one in a few days. It contains the Parent Handbook and a few forms. One of the inserts is about our new online system for parents.

Falling Creek's parents have the benefit of an expanded online system this summer. CampInTouch is designed to help you manage your family's camp experience and stay connected this summer. You can Log On to your family's account, using your e-mail address, and choose from a variety of helpful menu options.

Currently we're asking parents to fill out their son's Online Health Form. You can then check your most recent invoice and update your family's contact and billing information.

During the summer, you'll have access to hundreds of daily photos, the Yates' Yak Blog and will be able to send one-way e-mails to your son while he is at camp.

SFL Celebrity Chef

2010-02-27T12:08:00.007-05:00

The Lump Guy

Earlier in February, Steve Longenecker (a.k.a. SFL) was asked to visit Diamond Brand Outdoors, a local camping, kayaking, climbing and outdoor gear store, for an evening promotional program to be their "Celebrity Chef".

Here he is, cooking-away and wearing a tie-dyed apron made for him by Mel Ringler, the head of Blacksmithing at Falling Creek. Note the FFC beanie, too!

Read more about SFL, Mel, and our other summer staff on our 2010 staff page.

Download the original recipe for what he cooked that evening, "Longenecker Lumps", just as "SFL" has done for twenty-five years or so at Falling Creek!

SFL also teaches his WEMA medical program to hundreds of campers and school groups every year.

Snowy Scenes

2010-02-12T16:14:00.004-05:00

No matter where you are, I'm sure you have seen snow recently. Falling Creek is no exception. We have been blanketed in white for almost two months!

And it's snowing more as I type!

These are some photos from around camp when we had over a foot on the ground.

And... if you're anywhere near Denver next week, or at Copper Mountain on Wednesday (2/17), you might just see the Falling Creek Crew!

The Doggy Dog.

Sad News from Camp Greystone

2010-01-30T18:31:00.013-05:00

I am writing today with sad news of the passing of James F. Miller, III. "JimDaddy", as he is known to all, was the founder of Falling Creek Camp.

JimDaddy and Libby, are the senior Directors at Camp Greystone, which has been owned and directed by four generations of Libby's family since 1920.

Libby and JimDaddy Miller, Mrs. Virginia Hanna

He and Libby started Falling Creek Camp in the summer of 1969. JimDaddy always said that, in his opinion, the spiritual and moral values of a good summer camp are more important than the program.

Forty-two years later, Falling Creek follows the same mission and ideals originally modeled by the Millers when they envisioned starting a boys camp.

I was honored to have the opportunity recently to sit down with JimDaddy and listen to him tell the stories of the founding of Falling Creek Camp.

JimDaddy was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and leader who mentored and touched the hearts of many people. Our prayers and thoughts are with Libby and the Miller family.

- Yates

Skiing with Friends

2010-01-29T09:12:00.006-05:00

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.

Steve's Side

2010-01-24T19:21:00.011-05:00

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.

Congratulations Sam!

2010-01-20T08:48:00.008-05:00

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!

Dustin and the AT

2010-01-18T08:42:00.006-05:00

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.

Holiday Huck Reunion

2010-01-11T08:56:00.006-05:00

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.

Hiking on Holiday

2010-01-05T14:36:00.005-05:00

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.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T10:30:00.000-05:00

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!

Community and a Bike Ride

2009-12-21T11:15:00.008-05:00

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.

-Ben Williams

First Snow!

2009-12-18T10:33:00.008-05:00

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!

Thirty-Six Hours with Crom and JBone

2009-12-17T09:56:00.008-05:00

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!

Perfect Paddling

2009-12-16T08:51:00.005-05:00

Doug paddling the Mini Gorge.

One of the many joys of living in the southern Appalachian Mountains is the year-round perfect paddling weather and the abundance of high-quality whitewater within a short drive of Falling Creek.

Recently, Ben Williams and Doug Koziol explored Big Hungry, one of the main tributaries of the famous Green River. Doug is a recent graduate of Western Carolina University and has provided excellent paddling instruction at Falling Creek during the past two summers.

Big Hungry drops into the Green River gorge over a series of slides and tight boulder garden rapids and provides paddlers with a wonderful burst of whitewater.

Ben paddling a slide on the Big Hungry.

The highlight of this run is the Mini Gorge that contains five rapids in quick succession. The river goes from 40 feet wide to roughly five feet wide and stays that way for a quarter mile, all while dropping 50-plus vertical feet. With the steep gradient and the prolonged narrowness, the river forms sticky holes and breaking waves that test the skill of paddlers.

After the Mini Gorge, paddlers arrive at the confluence of Big Hungry and the Green River, where smiles and whoops of joy are often heard as groups celebrate a successful descent with wonderful friends, amazing scenery, and rapids that test both the mental and physical skill of the paddlers.

Blackwood, Stec, FCC and the ACA

2009-12-11T10:45:00.001-05:00

Friendships formed at camp are lifelong.

FCC Alumni at the Green River in 1995.

Wade Blackwood and Christopher Stec worked together at the Yak Shack on the paddling staff at Falling Creek in the summer of 1995.

Fourteen years later the two FCC alumni have reunited as the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the American Canoe Association, the oldest non-profit paddle-sports organization in the country.

Wade was a camper in 1979 and staff member in 1995. Chris was a counselor from 1995 to 1999 and served as a director from 2000 to 2007.

Coincidentally, during their initial staff training, they both took an ACA Whitewater Canoe Instructor Certification Workshop (to find out how they did, email Jim Goodrum!)

Chris and his son, Andrew.

The relationship forged over those three summer months created a common bond that has culminated in a strong partnership dedicated to providing people of all abilities with the opportunity to paddle on America's waterways.

For more information about how Wade and Chris are making a positive impact on paddle-sports education, stewardship and recreation across the country, please visit the American Canoe Association's website.

Online Historical Archive

2009-12-07T08:45:00.001-05:00

1969 Green & Gold

There are only a handful of people who have seen this image. Now it, and many more, are available to everyone!

We are proud to announce the creation of the Falling Creek online Historical Archive.

Currently it contains the Green & Gold books from 1969 to the early 90s, and in a short while the complete 40-year collection will be available. We also plan to put the early brochures online and other historical photographs.

Check it out, and check it often! It will continually expand as more photos and items are digitized.

Staff Spotlights

2009-11-30T09:25:00.000-05:00

We've had a great response from last year's staff members, former campers, and others who plan to be on staff at Falling Creek next summer.

Read biographies and see their photos on our Meet Our 2010 Staff page.

And if you're interested in working at camp this summer, or know someone who would be a great role model, check out our summer employment section.

Cool Cloud Coverage

2009-11-25T15:16:00.003-05:00

The views from camp are excellent this time of year, and different from what you normally see during the summer.

Check out these photos of the low clouds covering the Green River Valley. Frank took the photos from the overlook.

We wish you safe travels and a very happy Thanksgiving!

Awesome Asheville Attendance

2009-11-20T10:54:00.008-05:00

On Sunday Frank and Elizabeth Tindall hosted the Falling Creek Camp movies at their home in Asheville. It was a great time to reconnect with the existing campers from the area, and the new families interested in camp had a chance to meet a large group of staff and alumni who came to support FCC.

Asheville, North Carolina

Gordon and Laurie Strayhorn directors and owners of Camp Illahee for girls in Brevard, showed their camp movie at the Tindall's right before our FCC movie show. Gordon and Laurie are alumni of Falling Creek. They met here in 1983 while Gordon was the program director and Laurie was on the paddling staff.

Other alumni included David Brown, who came with his son Joey, a veteran camper who will return for his fifth summer in 2010. David and his brother Bucky were the heads of the paddling program when Yates and Goody were campers in the late 70's and early 80's.

Joey has followed his father's and uncle's footsteps in becoming a great paddler, having the opportunity to experience the HUCK Paddling Adventure this past summer. Check out this incredible trip by watching the trip movie on our website.

Ellison Smith, who served as a camp doctor, brought his son Matt who will be returning to camp this summer. Matt has signed up to be a part of the 2010 HUCK Adventure, as well.

Phil and Jessica Hoffmann drove over from Brevard where they own and operate Looking Glass Outfitters. Phil is a former FCC camper, staff member and director.

There was a banner group of top Falling Creek staff (Staff Bios) in attendance including the entire Pharr family, Jim Goodrum, Nathan Newquist, Ben Williams, Robert Kirby, Natasha Johnson, Jim and Nancy Kurtts and Steve Longenecker. Jim is returning to FCC for his 41st summer and Steve for his 32nd summer. Courtney Long helped SFL present Lil Red the Screech Owl, who is the newest addition to the FCC Birds Of Prey Family, for the families to meet. Jim, Mary Ellen and Sydney Parham, drove an hour and a half to be at the show!

What an amazing way to finish our Falling Creek Camp Movies Fall tour. We are so thankful that we had a chance to visit almost 40 cities where we were able to reconnect with many of the current campers, staff and alumni and introduce our awesome camp community to the new families who came to learn more about camp. We want to especially thank all of our family representatives for serving as such wonderful ambassadors of Falling Creek and opening their doors to host these fun camp gatherings.

Please keep in touch with our regular news updates and visits to your area when we are interviewing staff.

Know of an awesome young man in your neighborhood or church who is in college now and would be a super role model on our staff? Please let us know how we can meet him.

Our Falling Creek crew sends Happy Thanksgiving wishes to you all!

Texas, Connecticut, and New Jersey

2009-11-17T08:44:00.007-05:00

On Sunday, November 8, Yates traveled to Hal and Paula Mentz's home in Houston to reconnect with current Falling Creek families and alumni as well as meet new families interested in learning about camp. All three Mentz boys will return to camp this summer and Henry is planning to be a Counselor in Training.

Houston, Texas

Laffy Herring, whose son is returning to camp this summer, brought his family. Laffy was a camper in the 70s and 80s with Yates. A special thanks to all of the veteran campers who attended as they were a big help in answering questions about FCC.

Yates then drove north to Dallas where Julie and Andres Diaz hosted the movies for the families in the area on Tuesday. Their son Peter will return to camp this summer.

Dallas, Texas

In addition to the large group of new and returning families, Tyler Vaughan, one of our top first year staff in 2009, took time out of his busy schedule at SMU to come see us. Tyler is a sophomore from Birmingham majoring in engineering. Tyler plans to return to camp to be on staff this summer.

Rick and Emily Broad brought their three boys over from Richardson to the show. Their two oldest boys will return this summer. Rick and Emily were on FCC staff with Marisa and Yates in the late 1980's. Rick was the program director in the early 90s. They now own and operate a physical therapy business in Wylie, Texas.

On Wednesday, Yates traveled to Julie and Clarke Futch's home in Greenwich, where he connected with a large group of families from the area. Their son Hayden is planning to return to camp this summer.

Greenwich, Connecticut

Yates then made his way south to Princeton on Thursday to Tasha and Mark Gajewski's home where he met a number of both returning and new families interested in Falling Creek. Dana's younger brother Reid will be joining him this summer at camp.

Parker Vaughey, a five-year main camper from '78-'82 from Jackson, brought his son Aidan who plans to return this summer.

Princeton, New Jersey

Robert and Thomas Naylor get the award for the longest drive to the movie as they traveled from Pennsylvania (more than 1.5 hours) to learn more about camp. Thomas is excited to be going to the Main session for his first time at Falling Creek.

We would like to thank the Mentz, Diaz, Futch and Gajewski families for their support by hosting and providing awesome venues for reconnecting and learning more about Falling Creek Camp.

Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina

2009-11-16T09:00:00.008-05:00

Montgomery, Alabama

On Sunday, November 1, Yates traveled to Montgomery to show the camp movies at David and Leslie Little's home. Their sons, Mason and Tucker, have been going to FCC for several years.

Joining the group of boys who came to reconnect and learn more about Falling Creek were alumni, Brooke Lawson and Walton Vaughan. Both were campers in the 70's and 80's. What a thrill it is for their sons to now have the chance to go to FCC like they did.

Yates met up with a large group in Jacksonville on Tuesday at Cindy and John Glover's home. Their boys, Patrick and Christian are veteran FCC campers.

Jacksonville, Florida

Patrick's shop.

In a combination of inspiration from Patrick's great uncle, a famous artisan blacksmith, and his experiences blacksmithing at Falling Creek, Patrick has created his own shop at his home and is busy working on projects. He hopes to launch a website soon. Congratulations Patrick.

Ormond Beach, Florida

The next stop was on Wednesday, where Yates visited Ormond Beach. Fred Share, whose three oldest boys went to Falling Creek in the early 2000s, is happy that his youngest son, Kevin and several of his friends will be going this summer for their first time.

Yates then drove up to Columbia on Thursday, where Robert and Shana Adams hosted the Falling Creek movies. Young Robert and Joel will be returning for another summer at FCC.

Robert was a camper at Camp Deerwood with Frank Tindall and also served as program director there for a few summers.

Columbia, South Carolina

Billy Cantey, an FCC camper in the 80's was happy to introduce his family to everyone who attended. His oldest son will be going to Falling Creek for his first time this summer.

Will Adams (no relation), who was a top Falling Creek counselor this summer, took time out of his busy college schedule to come visit. Will is a senior at the University of South Carolina, and congratulations are in order as he recently announced that his engagement with plans set for June.

Horses, Hay and Headway

2009-11-12T11:09:00.008-05:00

The grass is always greener...

The recent warm sunny days have allowed Simon and Ben to accomplish some much needed work benefiting Falling Creek's horse herd.

In the winter, the barn is a pretty quiet place because our horses get a much deserved rest. They live in the fields at Thunderhead and the Green River pastures. The horses enjoy wonderful mountain views, constant comforting sounds of the Green River, and grass as far as the eye can see. And, as you would expect, the horses still seem to think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

Tractor raising the water containers.

Did you know that a horse can drink eight or more gallons of water a day? I will let you do the math!

Because of this, Simon and Ben needed to figure out how to transport, store, and maintain a water supply for the herd of over twenty horses. As you can see in the photos, they answered the puzzle. Huge tanks of water are filled, raised with the tractor, and connected to troughs for the horses to drink.

Hundreds of gallons.

Simon and Ben have also been talking about a possible new building for the Green River Pastures that will allow FCC to store large round bales of hay in the winter, and make for one super-cool new overnight site in the summer.

Check out our herd on our Camp Horses Page.

The Green River Race

2009-11-11T14:21:00.011-05:00

In football you have the Super Bowl, in baseball you have the World Series, and in Hockey you have the Stanley Cup. In the world of whitewater paddling, you have the Green Race.

The uniqueness of the Green Race lays in history of the event. It was started by friends and it has continued to be run by friends and supported by volunteers. For the racers it is a chance to showcase the river that they love so much, and for a chance to win the small handmade glass trophy.

Andrew Holcombe

Sporting events create their own feel and excitement, and for some the event seems to start weeks ahead of time. For me the changing of the leaves, the cool mornings, and the line of eleven-foot-plus kayaks on top of car roof racks driving on I-26 between Saluda, NC, and Hendersonville, NC, means it is once again time for the annual Green River Narrows Race.

Andrew Holcombe

The Narrows of the Green is a world class stretch of whitewater tucked away on the Henderson and Polk County line. With Falling Creek's proximity to the Green river, it seems that each year several campers, counselors, and alumni show up to watch the race... and a few brave souls that compete.

Along the banks of the Green River on Saturday, I ran into Mel Ringler (counselor), Asa Walker (camper), Corey Hopkins (counselor), Andrew Smith (counselor), James Boyd (camper and counselor), Adam Secrest (counselor), Polk Deters and his son Scout (camper and counselor), Michael Welch (camper), Steve McGrady (camper), Brent Denys and his father (camper), Sean Thompson(camper), Charles Jordan (counselor), Annie Martin (counselor), and Andrew Holcombe (Huck counselor).

The Gorilla Rapid

The race is roughly a mile long and the winning time this year was 4:18 which was set by Andrew Holcombe and is the current course record. The course is made up of several class IV and V rapids, with Gorilla being the marquee rapid of the event.

Gorilla is a five-foot-wide flume that drops 18 vertical feet, truly a remarkable sight. Standing and watching paddlers come through the notch and soar off the horizon line of Gorilla every minute for well over three hours, can take one's breath away.

- Ben Williams