Monday morning once again brought the deadly combination of the Foxes and the Sparrows as they joined forces to tackle the challenges, the first of which was an obstacle course run with a twist. Competitors had to navigate obstacles, passing jugs of water along the line of players to get them to the end. What is the twist you ask? No hands allowed. ​

Tuesday’s girls showed us that they meant business. They came hungry to win, and they performed like true competitors. On top of this, there were no divisions on the team - they worked together and walked together there was no person left behind. ​

​For the afternoon, the Falcons also went for a hike down to the flats. Though it was a rocky start in the beginning, the team found their footing and got to walking, one step at a time. In one of the strongest performances this year, the team managed to get to the beach quicker than the other teams, while also scoring the most points from treasure found upon the shore. We celebrated some birthdays this week with some Birthday Bread and it was a massive hit. Happy Birthday (you know who you are :))!

Although Friday was a bit rainy, the Rangers did not let it stop them from having a good time! 
In the morning, they played a game which involved splitting into team (everyone against Mr. Paton), finding blocks, and tying each other up!

In the afternoon, the Rangers braved the cool weather and walked down to the Rollo Bay Flats, having to walk through mud, seaweed, and deep water on the way there!

After arriving at the beach, we got straight to work building a small fire with an 'oven' that they found along the way. Stove top stuffing, marshmallows, and birthday bread were all cooked and enjoyed. 

The Rangers finished off their day by swimming in the water at low tide and having fun searching for various different sea creatures. Great job this week!

Week 3 turned out to be a wild ride but it was super fun all the same. We can't wait to see everyone again for our next adventure!

Yours in adventure,
Nathan, Jesse, Brooklyn, Sophie, and Ashlyn

Then, they braved the climbing wall where they raced each other to the top once again. ​

On Tuesday, the Ravens did an awesome scavenger hunt! They had 12 different places that
they had to get to and snap a quick pic. Some of the objectives required more than a simple smile, however. The scavenger hunt asked them to climb crumbly cliffs, raise a flag, and venture through the dark and dreary tunnel. ​

Friday is our oldest, most experienced group. The Rangers! This group of girls are not to be
messed with. Given their expertise with fire, they whipped up a quick flame and cooked some tasty treats over the open fire. But what’s a Red Rock experience without some silly clothes to go along with it? Ella Francis suited up in a wonderful shining pink vest that really contrasted well against Parker’s rad leather jacket. Then the fun was swept off into our hanging net where the children chased, tagged, and wrestled each other down to the ground. Friday was an all around spectacular day; can’t wait to do it again next week! ​

​One of our final activities at the beach was a fire game in which the campers had to start a fire on one side of the beach, carry it across the water, and light another fire on the other side of the beach.

​Week 7 brought lots of challenges, trial and error, thrill, and as always adventure!

For our morning groups, we all met at Little Harbour Beach at 9:00 am for an early start to the day.
We of course started swimming out in the ocean and floating in the currents with blow up tubes which was lots of fun!

We then played an interesting game in which each team (2 players) had to find one thing on the beach of each colour in the rainbow (plus black and white), and whichever teams had the best haul and colours won the round! It of course got very silly and some teams even found strange things such as wooden speakers and fish tanks!

Next, everyone got to jump off a big rock into the water which was of course a great time and we got lots of action shots! ​

​At 1:00 pm, the groups met up with their afternoon counterparts (or in the Ravens and Coyotes cases, everyone arrived at 1:00) and we began our long hike to Basin Head.
​Beginning at Little Harbour Beach, the groups walked along the shoreline and rocks all the way to our destination at Basin Head.

While walking, some groups played games such as many games on a large sand dune including races, climbing competitions, and seeing who could run down the dune in the least amount of steps! ​

The whole walk took around 2 hours, and upon arriving at Basin Head, everyone got to have free time jumping off the bridge or swimming through the currents or even just out in the ocean! Overall it was a super fun day for everyone. ​

The Sparrows arrived at 9:00 am at the Red Rock Camp and got straight to playing in the treehouse/play area! Everyone did their own thing for a while including playing zombie hunters, doing each other’s makeup, and playing spiders and bugs in the big green net. 

Next, the Sparrows started a small campfire with the help of Jesse, and we all got to roast super yummy marshmallows! ​

​At 1:00, the afternoon Sparrows arrived and after another bit of playtime, we started a fun taste-testing game where each player was blindfolded and had to guess what it was they were eating! (Some stuff was really gross too!)

​After that, everyone walked down to the beaver pond to swim which we did until pick-up at 4:00.

All the Sparrows had lots of fun this week and Im sure they are excited for the coming week!
Week 7 was a great time for everyone involved and Week 8 is sure to be just as good.

​Yours in adventure,
Nathan, Jesse, Brooklyn, Ashlyn, Sophie, and Carrie

​The morning  Foxes, Falcons and Rangers met at Cow River Beach at 2pm and engaged in many activities such as building a dam to block the water in a small stream, creating a fire on the beach, catching frogs, and best of all, playing and swimming in the water!

We then walked the groups to the old Monticello School house where we met the afternoon groups at 5pm and began to cook. 

​For our main course, everyone worked hard to make a delicious chili, including beans, tomatoes, onions, meat, garlic, and spices!

While some were busy with the chili, others got to making bacon, macaroni, and homemade lemonade/fruit punch!  I thought the chili was amazing and I’m sure everyone would agree with me, it was just the right amount of spicy and was a perfect temperature!

After everyone finished their dinner, we got straight to work on making a delicious dessert. Of course we roasted marshmallows and made cookies, but we also let everyone in on how to make a secret Red Rock dessert which is absolutely delectable! ​

​To finish out the night, our groups all played little games and did lots of fun activities around the schoolhouse, such as one game involving wearing and switching lots of funny clothes, and having to wear a super silly outfit in order to win! We all went home happy and full.

Our Sparrows kept the same 9-4 schedule at the Red Rock camp this week, and engaged in lots of fun activities! In the morning, we played in the new big green net, pretending to be spiders and bugs, and catching each other. 

​After everyone had their fill of this, the Sparrows picked lots of yummy raspberries in the field and of course got to taste test!
To finish off the morning, each camper got to paint recycled bottles to make their very own boats, each shining with their individual personalities! 

 
​After lunch, the Sparrows took their boats down to the stream and had races with them to see whose custom boat was the fastest! Next, we split into teams and hid marbles in the water for the other team to try to find them. 

​To finish off the day, we splashed around in the water and had lots of fun playing and swimming.

Overall, week 6 was a great time and we all had lots of fun.

See you next week!
Yours in adventure,
Nathan, Jesse, Brooklyn, Ashlyn, Sophie, and Carrie 

​Before getting slimed, our morning campers did a bit of everything. The Sparrows enjoyed making their way across the infamous rope bridge at the Henrock stream, and picking some delicious raspberries from a field near the Lodge. ​

​
​The morning Falcons tried their hand at making a slip and slide (or slip and slime as we called it!), and even found lots of cool snakes along the way.

Survival instincts kicked in for the morning Rangers as they engaged in a survival activity and foraged for their own food, and after finding it all, cooked it into some delicious jam! ​

When the afternoon rolled around, we all knew it was time to get dirty. The groups were led down to the pit where they attempted many slimy activities such as climbing up the slip and slime (with an egg in their hand!) and all the while being pelted with slime by the staff members.

Some brave souls decided to climb up the steepest dirt hill with nothing but a rope to hold onto, and again having slime rain down on their heads from above! It is safe to say that by the time the first hour came to its end, everyone was positively coated in slime. ​

​Next, we moved on to the dunk tank. This was a giant tank filled with water, eggs, pickles, marbles, leaves, fruit punch, and really anything you could think of! The objective of this game was to climb in the tank with an opponent, and blindly search for the eggs in the tank and crack them onto their opposing camper to win. As I’m sure you can imagine, this got extremely messy!

To end off the day for our older adventures, the groups found themselves being led down to the Beaver Pond to splash around and try to wash off all the slime. While we were here, some campers even attempted (and succeeded) to make fires with anything they could find around the pond, and some even made it into a competition. ​

You may be asking yourself, what were our lovely Sparrows doing while all this was going down? I would argue that they got to have one of the most fun afternoons this week (without getting extremely messy!) They were led down to the house of Nathan’s mother, where we split into teams and made 3 batches of homemade Play Doh. ​

Each team got to choose what colour they wanted for their creations, and they all worked together to compromise on a colour that every team member would like. ​

​With almost everyone wet, slimy, dirty, and tired, Slime week came to a close, and let me say that this was personally one of my favorite weeks so far.

Cant wait to see you at Week 6!
Yours in adventure,
​Nathan, Jesse, Brooklyn, Ashlyn, Sophie, and Carrie

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​The Rangers even took their morning as an opportunity to get wet and splash around in the water!

​When the afternoon crew arrived, we got straight to work heading down to the Henrock Bridge to start our first challenge of the afternoon. This included walking across a rope bridge, strung across two trees and stretching the length of the river. While attempting to walk across without touching the ground, each team of two campers had to keep a lit flame in their hand all the way across and touch the tree on the other side to succeed.

A​fter every team completed this, they had their shoes tied together with zip ties and raced up to the cabin for their next challenge. For this, they had to eat a whole raw onion, whole raw potato, whole lemon (with peel) and whole banana (with peel) as a team. Each camper had to participate, eating a piece of each fruit/vegetable to earn their reward- the key to a treasure box. While this was probably the least-liked activity of the day, it was lots of fun to watch their friends struggle to get through everything!

The adventurers were led down to The Ruins where they located a mysterious treasure box strung up high in the trees. By using the key they earned from the previous activity, they were able to unlock the chest and bring it down to see what treasures hid inside. ​

​When looking inside, the adventurers discovered a mysterious note directing them back up to the lodge where they would win their prize- freezies! While the older kids did this, the Sparrows were taken on a quest through the woods to find many different and weird items that were needed for them to create a magic potion. They all did very well and made great potions that are sure to make their wishes come true!

To end off the day we all enjoyed freezies and free time before getting picked up. 

Week 4 was lots of fun and we cannot wait for Week 5 to arrive!
​Yours in adventure,
Nathan, Jesse, Brooklyn, Ashlyn, Sophie, and Carrie

Overall, Week 3 was wet, sandy, muddy, and dirty, but most of all it was fun.
We are looking forward to Week 4, and can’t wait to see you there!

Yours in adventure,
Nathan, Brooklyn, Ashlyn, Carrie, Sophie and Jesse ​

After all the marbles had been earned, we all gathered in front of the lodge for a marble auction. The prizes? Eggs of course! Each player or team had to be careful not to get "ripped off", and to get a good price for their eggs. The team with the most eggs at the end would have the bigger advantage, so it was  VERY intense ordeal.

Once every egg had been purchased, it was time to put them in danger. Each team was equipped with enough black PVC pipes for each team member, socks, and a milkcrate. With these strange objects, each team had to connect their pipes in such a way that their eggs could travel through them and land in a milkcrate filled with socks to break the egg's landing. Only the person dropping the eggs into the pipes could touch the eggs. If an egg broke, you immediately were slimed with the yolky innards! This lead to some very careful travel for the  precious cargo.

After all their eggs were in the crate, they took them (and the socks) and raced down to Charley's Bridge where their next surprise awaited them. They had been given a jug of flour, paint, and molasses in order to make slime. They poured everything into a large bucket, added some water, and voila! Slime! This was to be used to create flourhawks, which are just socks filled with flour-slime. So, we all filled as many socks as we could with the gooey mixture in order to prepare for our upcoming battle.

Once each sock was filled, we all trekked through the woods until we reached the back of the potato field. This is where our egg-scramble battle would take place. Each team would have to decide how many eggs they wanted to wager. Then, they placed them and all of the flourhawks in the middle of the playing field. Once they were back behind their starting lines, we all had to wait for the "go" and then everyone raced to the middle to fight for the eggs. Once you got an egg, you could either smash it on an opponent or take it back to your side for a point. Also, you could use the flourhawks to hit and slime the other players. The only catch? We were only allowed to crawl! This + the slime and the eggs caused some pretty messy campers. No one was afraid of getting slimed, and everyone competed fiercely. 

Looking forward to Week 3, and we can’t wait to see you there!

Yours in adventure,

Nathan, Brooklyn, Ashlyn, Carrie, Sophie and Jesse 

Once all the clues were found, it was obstacle course time. The Ravens were split into two teams to compete against each other, while the Falcons, Coyotes, and Rangers were aiming for speed. Each team then explored the woods in order to find somewhere to fill their milk jugs up with water. No one was afraid to get wet, and some even jumped right in the stream in order to fill them up. 
When all the jugs were filled, each person picked a obstacle in the course that they wanted to tackle. Then, like a game of telephone, the water-filled milk jugs were passed along person to person as they completed their obstacle. On Wednesday, the Falcons opted for speed, while the Coyotes on Thursday focused on not spilling any water from their jugs. Each team went through the course like pros and used great teamwork the entire time.

Next was the climbing wall. The rules were simple; touch the top first and you get to paint a kitty-cat face on the loser's face. Two at a time, the racers started at the bottom of the rope wall, waiting for the signal to start. The competition was fierce, and before you knew it, nearly everyone had whiskers and a nose painted on their face. In the Falcons group, Tenly dominated and remained undefeated. Kennedy of the Ravens had the opposite fate, and was running out of places on her face to paint. The battles were so close that the Coyotes even had a photo finish one round!

After that, the groups were each given a clue to head down the West Wood path towards Beaver Creek. Everyone zigged and zagged throughout the woods in search of the right path. They crossed Charley's bridge, ran through the meadow and slid down muddy hills until they finally reached their destination. Once at the creek, the next challenge began. The objective was to get as many people from one side of the water to the other without getting them wet. The Ravens tried using rope to carry someone across, while the Falcons tried the piggy-back approach. No matter what they tried however, everyone was full of mud. No one was afraid to get down and dirty, and even after their attempt to get across the water clean had failed, they would stay and splash around in the muck. The Ravens set the bar high at the start of the week for most points, leaving the rest of the groups to play catch up. 

Once everyone was sufficiently muddy, the final clue, "Follow The Stream", was given. Each team then had to locate the stream and follow it to their end destination. They waded through grass that was taller than them, and leaped over rocks on the way there. Finally they arrived at the swimming hole where one last challenge awaited them. Each member had to get in the water and unearth buckets that were buried deep down in the mud. Once the buckets were located, they drug them to the shore where they could open them to see the treasure inside. It was t-shirts! Each adventurer got a brand new camp shirt that is perfect for getting dirty and having fun. After the shirts were found, the Falcons and Coyotes each had a biggest splash competition. Lots of cannon balls and belly-flops were made and some record-setting splashes also occurred.

Looking forward to Week 2, and we can’t wait to see you there!

Yours in adventure,

Nathan, Brooklyn, Ashlyn, Carrie, Sophie and Jesse