"Heroes" written by campers

By Ben Palmer:
Everyday, people die, and millions of people come close to death. There is someone who keeps them from dying. He is not afraid to go into a burning building, race against the clock to save a life, or risk his own life to make sure everyone is safe. He does not wear a cape, but a fire retardant suit, a stethoscope, or a badge. He is a hero.

Elm street and 25th, shots fired. There is always danger around a police cruiser. America’s finest save millions of lives everyday. From traffic stops to shoot outs, the men and women of law enforcement just do their jobs. To the people whom they protect and serve, they are heroes.

Smoke turns the sky black. Orange flames dance in and out of windows. Heroes slide down a brass pole as bells ring. Yellow suits and helmets are the armor these heroes wear. A hose, their sword. Together, they douse the biting flames. Knights in soot covered gear. Firefighters put their lives on the line to do two things. Save the victims, and then kill the red and yellow dragon who attempts to burn everything to a crisp.

Our doctors and nurses have one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Hundreds of people walk into hospitals. Hundreds never walk out again. Being surrounded by death and illness is almost a form of torture. Though their lives are never in danger, every life they touch affects them. Doctors are among the greatest of heroes because their job is to maintain life, in a world filled with death.

Are you going to die tomorrow? There are people who will try to save you. They will put themselves in the line of fire, endure scorching heat, or, if you do slip through their fingers, bare the weight of your death forever. These people are Heroes.



By Elisse Rasmussen:
Someone once said “There is a hero inside all of us.” I think that is true. Heroes are all around us. Hey you may even be a hero. When you do things that are helpful, you are someone’s hero. Jobs people have can make them heroes. Then there is your family…the people you look up to…your own personal heroes. Heroes are on every corner. You need only to look.

Being helpful is something you don’t even realize. Just a feeling that you know is right, a simple task that makes you a hero. An old lady needs to carry in her groceries, and you help her. In your eyes you just did a simple thing, in her eyes you may just be her hero.
Just think about all the jobs that require brave people. Most will think of policemen, firemen, and doctors. I think of teachers. Picture this… a fight breaks out on school grounds. You see a younger girl running down the hall then into a classroom.

"Ms. C!” The little girl gasps, “Ms. C! Help! Please my brother! Fight.” The girl starts the water works now. Soon the teacher and the girl are outside by the fight.
“Stop this right now!” Ms. C yells pulling the guys off each other. The little girl grabs her injured brother. “Ms. C…you’re my hero.”

Family…What is family? A bunch of people you are stuck with your whole life no matter what you do? Or is family your own clan of heroes? The ones who know you the best. The ones who will love you always even if you really mess up. Family equals Hero. Now do heroes really live among us? No heroes…are us and can be seen in the simple things we do in life. What are you going to do today now that you’re a hero?



By Jaeger Hodge:
As I ran though the flaming, hot, hallways of my home, I screamed in fear of what would happen to me. All I could hear was the cracking of the burning walls of my top floor apartment building. I didn’t know how it started or why, but all I knew was I needed to find a way out of there. I looked up to see a big circle of fire right on top of me. I jumped out before the big blast of fire killed me. Charging down of the hallway and about to faint from lack of oxygen, I heard a big pounding sound. I stepped back waiting for whatever was on the other side of the wall to come out of its hiding spot. Right then the wall broke, a man quickly, grabbed me, and we jumped through the window together. Everything went black. I woke up two days later in a hospital room surrounded by my family and friends. Heroes are hard to recognize in today’s society. Even though they are difficult to find, I believe there are still heroes today. Lots of people think that heroes are not alive today, but I’m going to prove them wrong. A hero can be anyone; it could be your parents, friends, firemen, police officers, even the person who walks past you on the street. They can all be heroes if they choose.

Recently in Tokyo Japan there was an incident where someone fell on the track of the subway. A complete stranger jumped in and held the person as the train went right over their heads. That person is a hero because he risked his own life to save someone that he had never met before.
Heroes don’t always have to save humans. They can also save animals with animal CPR. Vets are everyday animal heroes. Vets don’t just help animals; they help the owners by not letting the animals die.

Of course firemen, police officers, and doctors are heroes, but who would have guessed that a book could be a hero too. Say someone is going through a hard time and they are too afraid to reach out to ask another person for help, out of desperation they pick up a book, grasping for help. That book might save their life. Yes books can inspire a person to try something new, think of other options, or simply know that someone else has gone through what they are going through. I think books are some of the most powerful objects we have on our planet.
As you can see anyone or anything can be a hero. You can’t force someone save another person, so do it yourself. You be the hero.



By Tristan Kunz:
As I roll up to a six foot loading dock in down town San Diego I started my ascent into my trick, nollie blindside, my footing was all wrong, and I shot out and hit the back of my head on the curb below me. I simply lay there embarrassed and in pain. All I heard was a voice from above me say, “That was rad, now walk it off and try again.” Those were the words that stuck in my head. The best thing about that day was the satisfaction of knowing one of my favorite skaters, Tommy Sandoval watched me land that nollie blindside. A hero doesn’t have to have a label; he or she can simply be a role model of any shape or size. There are many types of heroes such as, firemen, family, and just people you look up to. A hero from my point of view is someone who has accomplished something great.

Tommy Sandoval is one of my favorite skaters because he went from a high school drop out that skated around San Diego all day, to going on nationwide tours with the Zero Skateboard team. I look up to him the same way hundreds of other kids do, as a skater and as a person.
Fireman is another type of hero; everyday they put there lives on the line to save someone they don’t even know. I have much respect for these modern day heroes because they go though years of training just to hurl themselves into scorching hot flames. To some people being a fireman is just another job, but to others, it’s the raw act of a hero.
Family can be heroes as well, maybe a parent, sibling, or a relative, these are all great examples of different family member heroes. As an example, from my point of view, my brother would be a figure I look up to because he’s only twenty-two and is at the top of his company (San Diego Construction). He has been living on his own for three years now with little to no problems. When I see that, I think of a level of independence and maturity.

If you don’t believe heroes exist today, you may be walking around in a cloud. Open your eyes and start noticing the many acts of kindness around you. Take time to thank a fireman for risking his life, tell your family that you love them, and try to make a difference by doing nice things for people. All and all, there’s no limit as to who can be your hero. Who’s your, “hero?”

Check out camper blogs!

By Connor Bilgrave:
The day I went down Smelter I had so much fun. Tow of my friends flipped, and Smelter was a class three rapid. We practiced for four days. The kayaking group had one and a half weeks before they went down Smelter, and they were much older than us. When my dad comes, I want to do Smelter with him.


By Ashley Payne:
This summer was funner than any other summer I've had in my life. The boats that we raced were only cardbord and duct tape, also with spray paint. This summer I think is the most perfect summer , and I could cdefinitely ome back next year.


By Sasha Rothman:
This summer has been swell. I learned terminology for concepts that I am already using in reading and spelling. I worked on word relationships such as analogies, and I worked to improve sentence construction. Since the camp requires cursive, my tutor suggested I revisit my horrible fifth grade cursive, which my tutor actually said was gorgeous. All in all, I think this is the best camp that I have ever been to.

DMC Last Wee Update

HI Parents and Friends of Durango Mountain Camp,

It's Sunday afternoon and a series of fierce thundershowers is fading.We've had a typical moist airflow coming into the mountains this past few days causing the clouds to build, then rain to fall amidst thunder and lighting the past few days. Nice, but this does create challenges for our outdoor pursuits. Yesterday, a group of campers and staff travelled to Mountain Sneffels near Ouray to set up camp - today they climbed to within a mile of the 14,000 ft.summit before being chased back down the mountain by lighting and storms. Yesterday, we also had a great mountain bike ride from the top of Purgatory to Hermosa Creek, with an elevation loss of @ 3,000 feet. Almost the entire time, the dark clouds were grumbling making the ride that much more dramatic. A third group yesterday hiked from Haviland Lake down a steep little used trail to the Animas River for some cold water swimming and cliff jumping. All in all a very active and successful day had by all. Today is more relaxed, our planned boating day at Electra Lake was cancelled due to the weather so the campers here elected to enjoy the Rec. Center and see a movie out.

This is our last week at DMC and the staff is running flat out to continue the full normal pace and craft the reports that you'll receive soon after camp ends. After Wednesday, we shift our emphasis to end of camp activities including academic testing of each camper, a Luau on Thursday, the annual Talent Show on Friday, and Closing Ceremonies on Saturday. Campus will open on Saturday at 9 AM for you to collect your camper and belongings. Brunch at 10 will be followed by Closing Ceremonies at 11.These ceremonies usually last @ 2 hours. Please come and join us if you can. If you camper needs to be taken to the airport, email me the flight information and we'll provide that service. Also, if your camper needs to have a bike or belongings boxed up and shipped home - let me know and we'll take care of it. The last week of camp is always filled with an extra excitement as campers look forward to going home to see family and friends, but also realize the depth of friendships and significance of achievements they have made at DMC. Even with so few days left we expect to see even more breakthroughs both psychologically and academically. There have been quite a few blogs and photos posted this week to our blogsite - so check it out.

Zane

What's inside the mysterious safe? From the writing class...

By Josie Carr:
In writing class, we are working on a story that deals with a safe, which nobody knows the code of. Our writing class wants to know what’s in the safe. So our writing teacher, Mrs. Ann, had us write a story about it and the guy that owns the building and the safe is going to come talk to us about the safe and how old it is. THE END


By Logan Tschinkel:
In writing, we are asking questions about the safe: like how old is it, where did it come from, who’s was it, and what’s inside. Some ideas would be that it would fall off a train when it was delivering the safe to a certain place. I am wondering who found the safe and what’s inside. I think Dan will tell us where it came from and who found it and if Mr. Pinkerton was involved with the safe and if he ever opened it and what made the safe famous.


By Colton Nosker:
Today in writing we are talking about the safe. The safe is near where Ann is writing with all of us kids. I think there is the head of the headless horseman in the safe, at least that’s what Dan tells me. Durango Rockey Mountain Camp is very cool. The campers that have to leave after lunch are missing out on all the fun, kind of. If you are a day camper then sometimes you get to go to wild Colorado if you got picked for that. In wild Colorado you get to do a lot of cool things like kayaking, tubing, and lots lots more. There is also some other stuff. There is rock climbing, mountain biking, horseback riding, kayaking, scuba, and wild Colorado I and II. Come check it out today!


By Madalen Meier:
This camp is really fun because we can learn how to read and get to meet different kids from all over the world. We can do lots of fun stuff like mountain biking, wild Colorado, and horseback riding. There are some half dayers and some overnighters and some all dayers. We’re going to have a boat race today. We also get to do writing and art. Our nickname for the camp is DMC. That stands for Durango Mountain Camp. In writing we are writing blogs and writing stories and learning how to do paragraphs. In art we have different art teachers every week. The first art teacher, Susan, made mobiles with us. The next week we had someone named Malcolm and we did clay with him. This week we are making cardboard boats for the boat race. I don’t know what we’re doing the last week.

Camper thoughts on camp and activities

By Quin Davis
Wake up time:

"Wake up, kids!" yells my counselor.
"5 more minutes," I moan tardily.
"No! Get up now!"
"But...fine." I slowly roll out of my covers and onto the floor. I stand up, grab my towel, and drag myself into the shower. I get out, dry off, and yell at my roommate to get out of bed. He moans and pulls his sleeping bag over his head. I sigh and change into my new clothes for the day. After a few minutes, my roommate sits himself up on the top bunk and lowers to the ground. Suddenly, I'm alone in my room. I pick up my covers, then hop back into bed. I close my eyes and rest. I hear the door open and my roommate saying, "Get out so I can change". I pull off my covers and tell him that he interrupted my beauty sleep. He shrugs and I close the door behind me.


By Jolius Boon

Durango Mountain Camp is a blast. You have the choice of scuba, rock climbing, kayaking, horseback riding, and wild Colorado for outdoor pursuits. My favorite is scuba; although all of them are fun. Before we got to activities, we have lunch. The food is great. In addition to good food and great activities, the counselors are fun.


By Jared Bridwell
Outdoor Pursuits:

All the outdoor pursuits are fun, but I like SCUBA the best because it is fun to breathe under water. Kayaking is fun too, for the two weeks we went down Smelter rapids. I did not go horseback riding or rock climbing. So I don't know how those are. They sound fun.


By Emily Robinson:

One of the activities that I've been involved with this summer is scuba. During the first week of scuba, we took a scuba class. We learned about maintaining buoyancy in the water, practiced swimming laps in the pool, and learned how to snorkel. We also had "pool sessions" during the first week. During the second week of scuba, we learned how to use the equipment including the oxygen tanks, respirators, and masks. We learned how to get water out of our masks and how to use our secondary respirators. We also learned how to use a free-flow regulator. Other important skills we practiced were how to do long stride entrances into the water as well as emergency exits. Once we became familiar with many of the scuba skills, we played games in the pool. This allowed us to practice some of the things we learned. I'm looking forward to becoming a certified scuba diver!

By Liam Panero
Scuba:

Today we're going scuba diving in a lake for the first time. If we do this correctly, we get certified for open water diving. We don't know which lake we're going to, but the instructor said we're probably going to Lake Navajo. The reason why is because he said that the visibility there is better than most of the other options. For the last two weeks, PADI has been teaching us how to scuba dive and has been teaching us well. I'm feeling very good about diving today.

By David Blake-Cownie
Cardboard Boat Races:

At DMC, there are cardboard boat races. We go up to Haviland Lake and race. First you have to make the model of your boat. Then you build your actual cardboard boat. After that, you can paint it and add more. Then you're ready to race. So off to Haviland Lake! Last year, I sunk fast. This year, I will sink last!


By Nick Monnheimer

I have been having a good time in our outdoor activities. I really like kayaking! We learned all about how to wet exit, how to do a rescue, and how to catch an eddy. I really wish I could keep kayaking, but it is over now. I'm in climbing now, and that's fun too!


By Caleb Mesh
Evening Activities:

Evening activities here at DMC are incredibly fun. We do a variety of activities before we have dessert. One popular activity is soccer. There are some great soccer players here, and there are also those of us who have never played before. Therefore, we get a variety of outcomes. Sometimes for evening activities we have a "cool" thing called "River Play". This is when we go down to the river and build dams, swim in little pools, and we even hike jump the river a little bit and then float down. The Animas River is exceedingly refreshing.

On Thursdays, we have a special activity. It's called "Mountain Madness". We do the strangest things. We have obstacle courses and are timed. The winner gets a prize. One time, we sat in circles and different teams would try to get water balloons in our circle using huge slingshots! Another great activity is going to Baker's Bridge, which has big rocks under it. We jump off of these rocks into the river over and over again. It is so much fun. Now that's only a couple of the activities we do. I always look forward to it at the end of the day.

Academic Olympics-Round 2

By Mia Steffen and Emma Zellner:

Let's start off by saying that the girls (A.K.A the mathleats) blew everyone away! We were stylin' with our nerdy uniforms! They consisted of high pigtails on the top of our heads, high waters, and Mia with her one piece over skinny jeans with boxers on top. Mind you, this was not your average one piece. It was a classic thrift store bright yellow, with obnoxious ruffles in a v-neck form, one piece. That was not even half of it. We still had our oldest girl, Emily, wearing another original thrift store wonder. It was a long green dress with a farm scene embroidered all around it. Then there was Maddy with yet another thrift store classic: a brown 80's beach cover up. Next were Emma, Elisse, and Sasha wearing the famous sweat pants with string over their heads and shirts tucked in.

We were lookin' pretty good, but not half as good as our triumphant counselors Helga (A.K.A Anna) and Mathilda (A.K.A. Rachael). They sported their uni brows, big black beauty marks, and red lipstick smudged all over their lips. We definitely should say how beautiful they were! It looked like the work of a five year old. We arrived, of course, fashionably late. Throughout the game, it was a close run between us and the older boys, but in the end we came through beating them by a long shot. We screamed with victory as our big bowl of ice cream was brought to us. All in all, we had a good time and made even more memories with each other!

Camper thoughts on camp...

By Colton Nosker:
This camp is cool. You get to do a lot of stuff. It is not like regular school where you have to mostly stay in one class. Here you move from class to class. At the very end of the day, you get to go have fun in the wild!


By Alex Lee:
During camp, I learned how to do my whole lowercase alphabet in cursive. I have been working on suffixes, spelling, and sounds. I have read a good amount of books, and I've liked them


By Nick Monnheimer:
I really enjoy kayaking. I also have fun during our other afternoon activities and evening sports. I have really liked the fun things at camp, but I want to go home and sleep for a week!


By David Blake-Cownie:
DMC is a learning camp for dyslexic kids; academics is one of the top things they focus on. Tutoring is where a camper focuses on handwriting, spelling, reading, etc. Art class changes every week; it is exciting and fun! Academic Olympics is like a game show, and it challenges campers' knowledge. DMC is the place to go if your dyslexic.

By Malcolm Kelly:

My favorite part of camp is tutoring because Eran makes everything become like a game. I also enjoy doing art. It is fun to make stuff.

By Jo Boon:

My favorite part of camp is the outdoor activities, of course. I also like the art class. They are both fun and relate to what I like to do. Overall, the outdoor activities are the best.

A Fun Day in the Snow

By Nathan Shorb:

Hi Alex! Alex is my dog. Alex is a black miniature Schnauzer. Alex and I are going sledding. Alex jumped up. As soon as my mom gets home, we will pack up the car. On the drive, Alex stuck his head out the window. Alex wagged his tail. When we got there Alex and I ran to the ski lift. Alex was scared on the ride there. It was time to go, and we did. When the day was over Alex and I fell asleep in the car!

Monday's Outdoor Activity

By Connor Bilgrave:

Yesterday we went down to the river, but first we went into the tall grass to catch grasshoppers. Then we tried to make a small fire. Then we made a big fire. We cooked steak, bread, and eggs. Although we had fun, I hope we get to go on the ladders next time!

Cascade Creek

By Brent Eastin (counselor):

On Sunday afternoon, we took some campers to Cascade Creek, which is a series waterfall that have to be jumped with the largest jump being 15 feet. The group was full of newcomers as well as oldcomers. All in all, the group was fantastic and finished with a great time since the water was frigid cold.

DMC Update

HI Parents and Friends of DMC,

Last Wednesday we had a "hump day" celebration to mark the 1/2 point of camp, we only have 2 1/2 weeks left and only 2 weekends.The last half of the camp always goes faster, and in many ways we are sorely disappointed to see the camp end as most of the camper's progress is made in the last 2 weeks. So you'll be seeing your camper relatively soon, but in the meantime here's what's been happening this past week at DMC. The academics and tutoring seem to be going well and the camp is quietly humming in the morning hours with individualized instruction. You will get a tutor's report and testing results at the end of camp portraying your child's progress this summer. On the outside half of camp, we continue to have perfect summer weather.June is typically hot and dry, and July tends to frequent thunderstorms and cooler temperatures. This past June was the wettest in my experience with rain just about every day, while July has been dry and conducive for outdoor pursuits. This week the campers have been participating on their second week of Climbing, Horses, Wild Colorado, and Kayaking. Yesterday was somewhat of accumulating experience as the kayakers swam and challenged the rapids of Smelter, the Climbers rappelled the 90 foot cliffs at Cascade, the horse group rode through the National Forest from Haviland Lake back to the arena,and Wild Colorado jumped the waterfalls at Cascade Creek. Good, good fun and not a single broken bone

Today, we changed the pace and the camp is venturing south to the warmer waters of Navajo Lake for some swimming, cliff jumping, and a dinner over campfire. Last weekend was full to brimming as the entire crew camped in the forest at Lemon Lake for both Saturday and Sunday. The highlight of the weekend was a day spent boating and tubing on Vallecito Lake. Hopefully we got lots of photos and videos to put into our end of the year DVD. Tomorrow we'll take the camp over the passes to the mining ghost town of Animas Forks, then venture to Silverton to check out the shops and sample Silverton's famous funnel cakes. Of course, everyday bring some challenges - and our biggest challenge this week is motivating some of the older campers to enjoy their day. It always amazes me when a young adult says something like, "I don't like climbing very much and rappelling is boring". So we deal with the daily challenges,and try to make each day a great day, and perhaps some of the youngsters will make pivotal breakthrough academically or attitudinally. The blog site is getting more active with event accounts and photos - so check it out. Above is a photo of the staff and campers from this morning.

Zane

Outdoor adventures

By Connor Bilgrave:

Last Saturday I went boating, and Erica pushed Anna off the boat. Then Tom pushed Erica off the boat. We played football on the lake. Then I went tubing, and I went 25 mph. Pete went tubing got ten feet of air. He went 50 mph. Cousin Zane untied the rope to one of the tubes and left one kid behind. The he tried to flip the other kid. Mom and dad, don't go on the pontoon boat; go on the speed boat!

DMC Update

Hi Parents and Friends of DMC,

I hope you are all well and have some good emails, letters, or calls fromyour youngster. The days are very full and I've been wanting to send you an update for thelast several days but DMC logistics and activities always seem to comefirst. We've had a perfect week of weather with sunny days, cool nights, and norain. This helps with our outdoor pursuits as we are able to run all thescheduled activities. This week the campers are involved with scuba,horses, climbing, mountain biking, and Wild Colorado 2. The evenings have been particularly energetic this year as the majority ofcampers are loving playing soccer, ultimate Frisbee, and dodge ball on thefield by the river. Tonight is "Mountain Madness" where the staff getscreative - We'll be doing a relay in groups of 5 - with a balloon launch,egg toss, race around the court with a pedal and bouncy apparatus, andballoon shoot with the BB guns. Last weekend was packed with a full day driving across the mountains toenjoy the hot springs and town of Ouray. On the way back we watched anincredible fireworks display in Silverton. Sunday was a more relaxed pacewith Joyce talking to the youngsters about being dyslexic in today's world.In the afternoon the cabin groups split off to pursue local activities thatwere of interest. Tomorrow we pack up the entire camp for a weekend of camping at the northend of Lemon Lake. The highlight will be boating and tubing at VallecitoLake on Saturday. The blog site is getting more active with photos and comments. Check it outwww.durangomountaincampblogspot.com - to view pictures, scroll to the bottomof the page and click the photos link. Camp is humming!

Zane BilgravDurango Mountain Camp
office 970-385-4449
cell 970-749-5640 (cell)
zane@frontier.net

Kayaking

By Connor Bilgrave:

Yesterday I went kayaking. Our leader was Josh. Tom flipped by ducky, and I fell out. Then he tried to flip Colten's ducky, but Colten jumped into Tom's ducky. Then Tom's ducky accidentally flipped. Bye bye Wild Colorado, and hello kayaking!

A Most Wonderful Holiday Weekend

We here know you amazing parents out there eagerly await news on the goings on here at DMC, and we really want to share it with you. However, amid the soccer games, tutoring sessions, out door pursuits, and delicious meals, we can be a little slow to post up.

With this in mind, we appreciate your patience with us.

Our Fourth of July weekend was fabulous! It began with a drive north on the amazingly beautiful Million Dollar Highway. The view is terrific, if not terrifying, from the sharp mountain road. We stopped for lunch in the majestic mountains just a few miles outside of Silverton, then continued on to Ouray.

Nestled in the mountains Ouray seems to have escaped the grasp of time. The old mining town is served up as a big slice of Americana. There we enjoyed the hot springs, skate parks, and a few hours out on the town.

Back into the vans we loaded, and took off for Silverton for a breathtaking fireworks display. It is something special to share a blanket with friends and watch the dazzleing pyrotechtic display and the booming reports echo down the mountain walls into oblivian.

After the show the loaded our precious cargo of sleepy eyed campers back into the van and returned to our camp.

A good time was had by all.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

The Better Narrative Writing Blurps from Campers!

By Sasha Rothman:
On June 26th, my parents drove me to Durango Mountain Camp. We arrived at 12:30 P.M. and strolled into the check-in counter. I signed myself in, and we hopped back into the car. I jumped out of the car, and my parents unpacked my suitcase. After, I ran back down to the check-in office. I panted and watched to see more student/campers check in. Finally, I hugged my parents goodbye, and they slowly walked back to the car and rode onto the highway. I knew that I would see them after five weeks passed.

By Jaeger Hodge:
I sprung out of my bed when my mom woke me up at four in the morning. She explained to me that I had to go to camp. As my mom and I walked slowly to the car I saw a tree wiggle. I looked up and there was a raccoon to my surprise. It glared down on us. As my mom drove, I slept in the car waiting to get out at LAX. When we got there, we checked my bags in and I got on my plane and left to go to Denver. When I got there I watched a movie in the unaccompanied minor room. When the lady yelled Jaeger, Jaeger Hodge, I stood up and stretched. I walked with another lady and she took me to my plane coming here. When I got to Durango, I met Tracy at the airport. She is a new tutor this year. Exhausted, I checked in and then found my cabin and then slept. When I got up I had to listen to the most boring speech. That took about two hours. When I got back to my cabin I met my cabin mates and then slept again.

By Tristan Kunz:
The first academic day at camp was a very long and confusing day. I was full of suspense and I had no idea where to go. Thankfully all the staff and kids were vary helpful and made me feel welcome. First, in the morning, we were all woken up by the sound of Tom's booming voice. Secondly, we were all sleepy and excited at the same time. And lastly, although the classes were great, it was still hard to concentrate. Despite the minor problems, the day went well and I was ready to take on the next five weeks of camp.

By Sammi Batal:
The first activity I did was kayaking. We all learned how to wet exit. It was scary watching other people doing it, but once I did it, it wasn’t that frightening. It was really fun. When the time was up I realized that it was fun, and I also realized that I was soaking wet. Before I knew it the day was over.

By Elisse Rasmussen:
I sat picking at the food that lay on the table in front of me. Still poking my lunch, as I waited to hear Pete’s announcement about kayaking. I walked up to the cabin, in a daze, to prepare for the afternoon. Running down the road, we were off like a herd of turtles. Although the van ride was a tad long, it was still fun. When we arrived, the instructors handed us some wetsuits. Putting on the gross smelling suit, I was ready to hit the river.

By Alex Lee:
Even before I arrived at camp, I had been thinking about the outdoor pursuits. My first pick was Wild Colorado. The first day of Wild Colorado, we made shelters out of dead trees, other wood, and pine needles we found on the ground. Our leaders Pete, Tom, and Brent said that they would judge the shelters after the two teams finished. We quickly found our location and began building. Our shelter was made to fit three people. The other group's shelter could only fit one. Standing back, I think ours was better, but the leaders said it was a tie. As I wait for tomorrow, I had fun!

By Ben Palmer:
On the first day of Outdoor Pursuits, I was filled with excitement to rock climb. My friends Tristan and Spain were with me, so I knew I would have fun. We went to X-rock to meet Bill, the guide. Since I remembered him from last year, I knew he was mellow. When we got there, we unloaded the gear. I said, "Sup Bill". Then he was all like, "Sup".

Waking Up

By Liam Panero

The only thing I do not like about camp is the wake up time on week days. For example, my counselor Brent wakes me up on weekdays at 6:40am, even though breakfast starts at 7:30. He thinks all that time should be used for getting ready and cleaning, but it only takes me twenty minutes to clean and get ready. Also, Brent is used to waking up early, and today he "accidentally" woke us up at 5:55!

Fun Times and Photos to Prove It!

Can you believe a week has almost passed? Yet as long as a week is, we've done a lot more than you'd expect in the six days we've been at camp. Between academics, outdoor pursuits, evening activities, making new friends, and exploring Durango we've been super busy.

Now, we here at DMC love our parents almost as much as we love our campers, and we know you want pictures. The good news is we've posted some, the bad news is that we haven't posted many. As much as we want to show you the awesome time we're all having it's hard to take a camera down the river in a kayak with you, or off a cliff face while rock climbing.

With this in mind, we'll be posting up as often as possible, and try to get pictures of all our campers. For now head on down to the photos link at the bottom of the page and see what we're been up to.

And if you don't see any photos of you camper please don't fret, we're working on it and should have some up shortly.

See ya soon.

It's Show Time!

It been very busy here at DMC the past few days, so please forgive how long it took us to get this post out.

We all had a lovely time meeting all our campers and parents on Friday. After the parents left we played some ice breaker games and gave our campers a chance to move into their new cabins. Part of the moving process included a cabin meeting to help the campers get to know their roomies and counselors. Then it was lights out at 10:00pm.

Saturday brought on testing, as it is hard to judge progress if you have not starting point for reference. While some of our campers tested, other took a bit of a hike up to one of our favorite spots in the San Juans: Potato Lake. The lake was breathtakingly beatiful. That evening we had a bit of a campfire down by the river. Stories were told, and a good time was had by all.

Sunday gave us some thrills and chills as we rafted down the mighty Animas river. Over the course of a couple hours we traversed many a rapid, including the famous 'Smelter', a class four rapid. While there's no place quite like home, Durango sure is beautiful. That evening we gave the campers a chance to visit Wal*Mart or historic downtown Durango to shop and check out their summer stomping grounds.

Monday started our standard camp routines. After a morning of some intence tutoring our campers enjoyed an afternoon of outdoor pursuits, including kayaking, equine sports, rock climbing, and Wild Colorado. (More on those later)

We've already had enough fun to fill one summer, and we haven't even been here a week yet! It's going to be a great summer.

~Tom

Welcome to Camp!

It's 2009, and its going to be a great summer!

While eagerly awaiting the arrival of our campers, the DMC staff has been hard at work cleaning, planning, training, and preparing our campus.

Among the staff we have quite a few familiar faces, and a few new ones as well, all of whom are fired up and ready for the adventures awaiting us in the beautiful San Juan National Forrest.

Be sure to bookmark this page and check back for frequent updates, and don't forget to check out our photos on flickr!