Camp News
SFL Celebrity Chef
February 27, 2010
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.
0 CommentsSkiing with Friends
January 29, 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 CommentsHoliday Huck Reunion
January 11, 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.
Labels: dupont, huck, paddling, staff
0 CommentsCommunity and a Bike Ride
December 21, 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.
Labels: mountain biking, staff
0 CommentsThirty-Six Hours with Crom and JBone
December 17, 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!
Labels: dupont, mountain biking, staff
0 CommentsPerfect Paddling
December 16, 2009
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.
Labels: green river, paddling, staff
0 CommentsStaff Spotlights
November 30, 2009
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.
Labels: employment, staff
0 CommentsAwesome Asheville Attendance
November 20, 2009
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!
Labels: alumni, huck, movie show, staff
0 CommentsTexas, Connecticut, and New Jersey
November 17, 2009
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.
Labels: alumni, CIT, movie show, staff
0 CommentsAlabama, Florida, and South Carolina
November 16, 2009
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.
Labels: alumni, blacksmithing, employment, movie show, staff
0 CommentsThe Green River Race
November 11, 2009
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
Labels: alumni, huck, paddling, staff
0 CommentsSpectacular Staff Video
November 04, 2009
Our brand-spankin'-new staff video is now online! If you haven't witnessed it, you will definitely want to check it out. It might just win an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Short.
Jimmy Lewis, Watson Mulkey, John Bates and Jacob Newton.
If you are interested in working at camp this summer, or know someone who would be a good counselor, please point them to our website's summer employment section.
Labels: employment, staff
0 CommentsKentucky to Tennessee
November 02, 2009
Yates made his way south from Cincinnati to Lexington on Wednesday, where Amy and Darren Duzyk hosted the Falling Creek Camp movies for the first time. Their son Connor, who will be returning for his third summer. He was a big help to Yates in answering questions from the parents and boys interested in learning more about camp.
Lexington, KY
Taylor Ward, an FCC alumnus from the 80's brought his son to share his great camp memories. Clay Willet, a top Falling Creek staff member and long-time camper, came by also to offer his support. Clay is a senior psychology major at the University of Kentucky and grew up in near-by Louisville.
Continuing south, Yates met a number of new families in the Chattanooga area on Thursday. Beth and Alan Janney hosted the FCC movies for their first time.
Beth, however, is no stranger to the camping world. She was a long time camper and counselor at camp Merrie-Woode, having made "captain rank" as a camper and served as the sought after "leader of the docks" while on staff. Their son Cole will be coming to the June session for his first summer at Falling Creek Camp.
We want to thank the Duzyk's and the Janney's for their support in hosting Falling Creek movies in their homes.
Labels: alumni, chattanooga, lexington, movie show, staff
0 CommentsBig Boomin' Fun
October 29, 2009
Andrew Smith
Thanks to the wonderful fall weather patterns, the rivers and creeks of the southeast are flowing strong - and paddlers are reaping the benefits!
Andrew Smith, Cory Hopkins, and Ben Williams took the chance to make a splash as they ran Hooker Falls in DuPont State Forest several times with just the right amount of water.
Corey Hopkins
The slightly cooler temperature was a blessing, as they had the river to themselves.
Andrew was a staff member this summer, and is planning on returning to camp in 2010. He attends Valdosta State University.
Corey attends Furman University and is a veteran FCC staff member.
Ben Williams
On your next visit to Tuxedo, you may want to stop by and enjoy the wonders of DuPont State Forest. It is home to some amazing waterfalls.
Photo Credit: Dave Rogers, Lexington, SC
Labels: dupont, fall, paddling, staff, waterfalls
0 CommentsTennessee to Ohio
October 28, 2009
Yates traveled to Libby and Ross Cheek's home in Nashville on Sunday to show the camp movies. He was thrilled to catch up with a big group that included new families, veteran campers, staff and alumni.
Nashville, Tennessee
Jamie Kaplan, a seven-year camper and staff member at Falling Creek, came by to offer his support and insight to the new parents and boys who are thinking about coming to camp this summer. Jamie is a junior civil engineering major from Atlanta, who is enjoying his experience at Vanderbilt University.
Margaret Anderson, a veteran FCC nurse, is an instructor at the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Her son Gage is returning to camp for his fifth summer. We feel fortunate that Margaret is returning to serve as a camp nurse in June.
Will Weaver and Brendan Finucane were Falling Creek campers in the 80's. They are certainly pleased that their sons are getting to share in the same FCC experience they received. We are also excited that the Cheek's son William will be returning for his sixth summer and attending Main camp.
Louisville, Kentucky
Yates then made his way north on Monday to Louisville, to meet up with several families at Franklin and Hollis Stark's home. The photo includes a portion of those that attended. Franklin and August, who are cousins and campers at FCC, were a big help to Yates in answering questions from the families who are new to Falling Creek. We know the boys are excited to be returning to camp this summer, August for his fourth and Franklin for his sixth.
Cincinnati, Ohio
On Tuesday Yates was delighted to visit Chalky and Beth Thomas' home in Cincinnati to show the camp movies. Chalky, an FCC alumnus from the 70's is pleased that their son Blake will be returning to FCC for his fourth summer to attend Main Camp.
Chip Skidmore, who attended FCC in the 70's, brought his son Carson, who plans to return to June camp this summer. Carson's cousins will be attending June camp this summer for their first FCC experience. Their father, Jeff, attended Falling Creek in the 70's as well.
We want to thank the Cheek's, Stark's and Thomas' for graciously hosting the Falling Creek Camp movies in their homes and offering the chance for new families to learn more about FCC and allowing the returning campers, staff and alumni to reconnect.
Labels: alumni, cincinnati, louisville, movie show, nashville, staff
0 CommentsRichmond to Washington
October 13, 2009
On Wednesday Yates traveled to Richmond where Jay and Nancy Jordan hosted a large group of families to see the Falling Creek Camp movie. The new families, interested in a summer camp experience for their boys, had a chance to meet the returning campers and their families, ask questions, and learn more about FCC.
Richmond, VA
Jay, a long-time camper at Falling Creek, is originally from Atlanta. Yates was a camper with Jay for a number of years and actually in his cabin in 1981, during Main Camp.
Yates then made his way north on Thursday to Washington, D.C. where Maureen and David Freshour hosted another large group from the greater area of our nation's capital. Maureen is Marisa's sister and their sons, Max and Isaac are both Falling Creek campers.
Washington, D.C.
Robert Eshleman, one of our top counselors, drove up from Charlottesville. He is a Junior majoring in English at the University of Virginia. The boys joined in our excitement when Robert formally presented his 2010 contract to confirm his return to Falling Creek this coming summer. Robert will again serve as the Cherokee Tribal Leader.
We thank the Jordan's and the Freshour's for their organization of the camp movie show and their support of Falling Creek Camp.
Labels: movie show, staff
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