Camp Mountaineer 2015 maxed out!
...FIND OUT WHY
2015’s Camp Mountaineer maxed out as 40 participants and staff lived out an engrossing adventure that sprang from the pages of the Hobbit into real life!
Throughout the eight-day camp, what began as a simple tournament to win the precious gem of the dwarves, the Archenstone, quickly became a tale of suspicion and desperate battle to recover it once it was unexpectedly stolen by orcs – and some of our own leaders!
Throughout the eight-day camp, what began as a simple tournament to win the precious gem of the dwarves, the Archenstone, quickly became a tale of suspicion and desperate battle to recover it once it was unexpectedly stolen by orcs – and some of our own leaders!
Winning points through acts of virtue, excellence in games, order, punctuality, cleanliness, and charity, the boys were able to “purchase” their armor, cloaks, throwing weapons, swords and shields to gain advantages in battle. Our battle rules were adapted from the international Dagorhir association for maximum enjoyment and safety. The weapons were high-quality foam LARP weapons produced by the Calimacil company in Canada. Costumes were all hand sewn specifically for camp. And beyond the realism of costumes and weapons and the challenge of battle, a complex system of upgrade cards layered an even deeper strategic element into this Hobbit-themed camp.
The annual Camp Mountaineer not only provided a fun and safe atmosphere, but also equipped those young men for life. The staff carefully tailored meaningful and memorable experiences to form deep seated convictions which will guide their future decisions toward Christ. The theory behind the theme is complete immersion into a story, engaging their strategic minds, physical abilities, imagination, creativity, and enthusiasm, so that the imbedded values can naturally take root through real experiences. And since the Hobbit is a story of the greed and destruction of the Dragon and the peace that arrives when the dwarves finally decide to share their wealth, generosity was a natural focus for this year’s camp. But beyond storyline, Camp Mountaineer reinforced generosity in an unexpected way.
“That’s unfair!” was the response. “Everyone should have some.” Even the winning team wanted everyone to at least receive something. But then the true test came.
The boys were told that yes, it would be unfair for one team to take it all. But they were challenged to think of all the people who couldn’t go to a summer camp, who didn’t have a week as fun as ours, who have hardly enough to get by. Why is it fair for us to have so much and for them to receive so little? What about the kids our age who are bed ridden in the hospital? What about expecting mothers who have so little and feel so unsupported that they are considering an abortion? So they decided to give their prizes to those less fortunate.
All of their prizes.
All of their prizes.
Along with fun and formation, a third cornerstone of Camp Mountaineer is the spirituality. When the boys were asked to describe the camp to their parents during the closing ceremony, one commented: “The sword fighting was awesome, and the Holy Hour was fun.” Camp centers around Christ and the sacraments. The boys pray daily morning prayers, rosary, gospel reflection, night prayers and Mass. Confession is constantly available. Special events, like the Holy Hour, left a special impression on the kids.
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The dates for next year’s camp are already in, and we are looking forward to another exciting week of fun, formation, and Christ. But above and beyond this year’s camp, we are moving to a new venue! Stay tuned to see for yourself how much more Camp Mountaineer 2016 has to offer.
Camp Mountaineer thanks all those who contributed to this year’s camp, especially:
To those who participated in our toy drive for the Children’s Hospital and the Crisis Pregnancy Center
To the kitchen staff who went out of their way, even preparing a medieval turkey leg meal!
To Michael of Calimacil for his partnership and generous support
To Everest Academy and International Boarding Program for hosting us
To Deb Martin and Rose Lannen for their help with the costumes
To the ECyD missionaries who made a special guest appearance during camp
To the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi who helped design several activities
To our counselors: Andrew Stafford, Max Engle, Alex Czarnecki, Ethan Dexter, Brendan Smith, and David Lannen, who went above and beyond in the preparation, execution, and clean up of camp
To Br Nathaniel Gregor who came all the way from Connecticut to help out
To Danilo Campos for his excellent work as Assistant Director
To Fr Benjamin, recently ordained priest who served as chaplain and delivered excellent talks, spiritual activities, and sacraments throughout camp
To God, who blessed us in so many ways, from the initial inspiration for camp, through its preparation and execution, and beyond in the lives of each of the young men touched by our experiences together
To the kitchen staff who went out of their way, even preparing a medieval turkey leg meal!
To Michael of Calimacil for his partnership and generous support
To Everest Academy and International Boarding Program for hosting us
To Deb Martin and Rose Lannen for their help with the costumes
To the ECyD missionaries who made a special guest appearance during camp
To the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi who helped design several activities
To our counselors: Andrew Stafford, Max Engle, Alex Czarnecki, Ethan Dexter, Brendan Smith, and David Lannen, who went above and beyond in the preparation, execution, and clean up of camp
To Br Nathaniel Gregor who came all the way from Connecticut to help out
To Danilo Campos for his excellent work as Assistant Director
To Fr Benjamin, recently ordained priest who served as chaplain and delivered excellent talks, spiritual activities, and sacraments throughout camp
To God, who blessed us in so many ways, from the initial inspiration for camp, through its preparation and execution, and beyond in the lives of each of the young men touched by our experiences together
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Check it out!Take a look at some of the images this year's camp... We purchased a line of realistic looking foam swords from a Canadian company called Calimacil, and all our costumes were handmade.
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This Catholic camp affiliates with the ConQuest youth ministry program, which this summer was the largest summer camp provider in North America. We are also powered by the ECYD method, where mentors carefully tailor meaningful and memorable experiences to form deep seated convictions which will guide their future decisions toward Christ. The great key to success of the ECyD method is the personal attention given to each teen. All of this is a response of the Regnum Christi Movement to the needs of youth today.