I recently traveled to Albuquerque to attend the Wilderness Risk Management Conference, which was excellent and gave me multiple opportunities to reflect on the importance of outdoor recreation and on what we do at Camp Regis Applejack (CRAJ) to keep campers safe. There are multiple layers to unpack here, but I will start with the topic of risk itself. The president of the American Camp Association shared an article with...
Camp Regis Applejack is excited to announce the appointment of Emily Yancey Humes as their Associate Director. Miss. Yancey Humes is posed to be the third generation of Humes to own and run the children’s summer camp. The camp was founded in 1945 by Earl and Pauline Humes and was one of the first non-denominational institutions, it has since been run by their son Michael Humes. “I am so excited...
Once my daughter turned 11, I knew it was time for her to have the experience of her life at summer camp! We live in Mexico City, with all the hustle and bustle of a large complicated metropolis. Unfortunately, Mexico City is not the safest city to live in, which means our daily lives are limited to enclosed spaces. Life is comprised of home, school, and the mall. As a...
Campers working on an ant village Let the Kids Surf (or Canoe, Hike, Swim, Paint, and Sing) In his book, Let My People Go Surfing, Yvonne Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, refers to himself as an “80 percenter.” Here he is in his own words: “I’ve always thought of myself as an 80 percenter. I like to throw myself passionately into a sport or activity until I reach about an...
We had a great summer in 2019! There were just over 70 campers in total over the six week season. We obtained our permit from the NY Department of Health in June and welcomed our first group of campers on June 30. We admitted a roughly equal mix of local day campers, and overnight campers. Some of the highlights in the first 3 weeks were climbing St. Regis, fireworks in...
Watching my phone fall from my pocket and sink into the Alpine Lake deep in the Adirondack Mountains – bounce, bounce, plunk – seemed like a perfect way to end camp this year. Why is that? First, one of the main things I love about summer camp, and something I spend a lot of time thinking about is disconnection from devices. This is one of the ways the world –...
This past fall Associate Director Emily Yancey went on the American Camping Associations (ACA) Resident Camp Tours in Maine. This program was created and hosted by the ACA offices of New York, New Jersey, Maine, and New England. “The tour began Sept. 10 at girls’ camp Fernwood Cove in Harrison. The next day the group began at Camp Micah in Bridgton, followed by a tour and lunch at girls’ Camp...
I love chopping wood. I had a wood-burning stove installed in my fireplace a few years ago and it is really efficient at heating the house in the winter, but the delightful, cozy, “Hygge” feeling of a wood fire in the winter is only a small part of what I like about chopping wood. The whole process is satisfying across all the senses. As you can see from the pictures...
The Happy Start The plan was to hike a long stretch of the Fremont River in Southern Utah from where it intersected with Rte. 12, until the next access point, which was the visitor center at Capitol Reef National Park. This was in the pre-GPS era. We had a simple topo map and a compass and estimated the hike at 12-14 miles. It was mid March and there was still...
As a parent, educator and camp leader, one of the topics I find most compelling is the importance of outdoor play to a child’s development and the strong negative impact that smart phones and technology have had in that area. Of course, technology plays an important role in our lives in 2019, but there are some flashing warning signs we would do well to pay attention to as parents and...
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