A Christian adventure camp that not only accommodates church groups, but mens/womens retreats,…read morehomeschooled kids, and families of any faith.
When leaving for camp, don't leave in the afternoon like our group. Due to an accident on the road, we were stuck in traffic for HOURS and had to set-up our tents in the dark. Bring a headlamp.
Canyoneering - Although I recommend this activity, here are caveats:
no bathrooms available and travel time is an hour each way. Emergency bathrooms are in the bushes. During our return, I saw a reservoir that the bus should stop at for bathrooms before and after. Know your group's limitations. Because we didn't know any better, our high school group went on the 6 hour LadyBug trail which I liken to Navy Seal training or somewhat like a heartier version of the Kalalau Trail in Kauai. Included in the hike are about 10 jumps into the very cold water and an optional high jump 10+ feet high, and lots of slippery rocks to navigate which is where many people fall. Do not do the LadyBug trail unless physically fit. With teens/kids of varying fitness levels, I highly recommend a short time of canyoneering and more water play. Canyoneering becomes no fun after hour 3. Perhaps the Evergreen trail is best for students of varying fitness levels as it has some canyoneering and lots of waterplay which our students couldn't get enough of. A couple of people in our crew fell off the trail due to soil erosion. Wear clothes that dry fast. Slow drying clothes mean your clothes remain wet and you become cold. High performance clothing is best. If you sun burn easily, wear long spf 50+ pants, a long sleeve shirt, and fast drying socks with shoes that you can hike AND swim in. Also, if your face burns, consider wearing a fishing face mask. Having a laundry line for clothes to dry on was useful to me. I wore Keen Uneek sandals which worked out well. If balance is poor or you do not do regular cardio/strength work, I don't recommend canyoneering. Beware: Lots of Poison Oak. If prone, bring Calamine lotion or vinegar and baking soda for relief.
White Water Rafting - Guides are all about safety and provide not only a safety lesson on land before you get in the boat, but a safety lesson in the boat. Even with a class 3 rapid, several students and a chaperone fell out of the boat which may be scary to some, but you do get a lesson in "if you fall out of the boat". While experienced, our guide was thrown forward into me on one of the rapids. No need to wear any socks with your shoes, but good water shoes/sandals are recommended.
For adults/chaperones, there's coffee and tea, and electrical outlets which was helpful to me as I needed to re-charge my battery that powers my CPAP machine. Having a solar powered fan was useful to me in the evenings when the air was warm and still.
Providing food that is good and healthy must be one of the values of the camp as they do not allow junk food. Additionally, the camp will try to meet dietary needs like gluten-free. Dismissing tables is random and not fun when you're constantly picked last. I'm guessing the food tends to be saltier to prevent dehydration? For the in between times, apples and oranges and water are located in the kitchen. Lunch is provided on the hikes. For White Water Rafting, lunch timing is logistically poor because you start at 11:50am, then you have to hurry to the boats by 12:05pm. I don't like the rush to wait method of timing.
Although the camp has a canopy for "sleeping under the stars", most of us brought tents which helped keep the dust out of everything. Camp is super dusty.
If you do a 3 night trip, there's not a lot of down time, but when there is a couple hours, you'll want to be able to rest in your tent instead of the open. Moreover, there's a swing and a volleyball net,
After dinner, there is an evening devotion centered on the Bible and don't forget the mosquito repellant AND a relief ointment.
There's only 4 showers and four faucets in a trough sink for the whole camp so plan according.