Hi Parents and Friends of DMC!
The
dust and mud-splatter has settled as “Extreme Weekend” has wrapped up.
One group drove over myriad primitive mountain passes to camp out at
11,000 feet. On Saturday,
the group summited 14,000 ft. Handies Peak, and on Sunday several of the
campers and staff summited 14,000 Red Cloud Peak, and claimed a total
of 28,000 ft. of summit. Two peaks in two days! That is the first time
that has happened.
Another
group of intrepid climbers, ventured to Telluride to experience some
“local only” types of climbs on Saturday, then camped out on Saturday
night. On Sunday
they traversed the multi-hour climb across 400-500 cliffs on the
European styled Via Ferrada.
A
third group Zipped lined, played king of the float on the Bar X Lake,
River Surfed, jumped the cliffs at Bakers Bridge, devoured DQ blizzards
and camped by the river
on the DMC campus.
This
was our best Extreme Weekend ever and quite a few of the campers said
that this was the best weekend they’ve ever had in their lives. They
will certainly have
many great adventure tales to relate to their family and friends back
home.
Last
Friday, 16 campers went scuba diving at Vallecito Lake and earned
either a PADI Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver, or Adventures in Diving
certification. After and
early dinner, the camp went to Fiesta Days rodeo. This was the first
time that quite a few of the campers have been introduced to this aspect
of western culture, and we all agree that rough riding cowboys are
crazy. (Note – my daughter Kira is marrying a
cowboy in October, but fortunately he concentrates on roping, while she
is a barrel racer).
So
the campers are beat, but happy as we start our last 5 days of regular
camp. Tomorrow and Wednesday are testing days and we expect to see many
important gains,
and more solidifying of academic foundations. We know that many of your
campers will be significantly changed, and will have a greater feeling
of self-worth and self-confidence.
Now a heads up on this week:
Along
with Testing on Tues/Wed we have our final Academic Olympics on Tuesday
evening, cabin cleanup and packing on Thursday afternoon, the
camper-staff Luau on Friday
afternoon and evening, and brunch and Closing Ceremonies on Saturday.
The
Luau is a special time for the campers and staff to say their goodbyes
and wrap up the summer – so is not open to parents and friends. I know
that quite a few
of you will be here on Friday afternoon and of course will be anxious to
see your child. You are welcome to stop by and briefly say hello.
Saturday
is for the parents. We will talk about some of the the triumphs of
each camper and they will be thrilled to have you a part of this day.
Campus opens at
9 AM for you to collect your camper and pack up. Brunch will be at 10 –
Closing ceremonies will start at 11 AM and probably wrap up at @
12:30-1. If you would like, you will have a limited time to check in
with the academic staff or counselors, but a full
academic report will be sent to you later next week.
If
you haven’t done so already, let me know if will join us for brunch and
how many you will have – if you need a bike packed and shipped, or a
camper dropped off
at the airport.
Also we have lots of photos and blogs that are accessed through www.durangomountaincamp.com,
then click on Current DMC Blogs or Current DMC Photos.
That’s it for now.
It’s a great summer!
Zane Bilgrav
970-385-4449
zane@durangomountaincamp.com
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