RA Campout and Hike

November 19-20, 1999

This is our standard photo spot at the top of Buckskull Court, just down the driveway from the house. We had spent the night camping at the campground and had come up to the house for breakfast. Johnny Huffman and Rod Nave are in the photo above. I don't have a record of all the boys' names. Devin Powell is just to the right of Johnny, and Arturo Hatten is to the right of Rod. Center front is Clint Collier.

Rod took this photo, so Ray Collier, Jr is in the back.

We had driven up and reached the campground about dark. The boys were enjoying a hotdog supper with the help of Ray Collier, Jr.

After supper, Johnny and Ray play cards with a couple of the boys while the rest of them chase around the campground with their flashlights.

This brings us back to the beginning of our hike the next morning after breakfast.

The boys must have gotten some sleep - they seem to be wide awake and ready to hike up the mountain!

We followed our usual path of hiking up Chestnut Cove Trail to its intersection with Thunderstruck, then right up the hill to the end of the road at the top of Thunderstruck. There we took a break before heading up the side of Big Stump Mountain.

Now things get a lot steeper as we climb the ridge up the side of Big Stump Mountain.

Devin and friend about half-way up the ridge where we traditionally stopped for a water break.

It's quite a steep climb to here, especially after the uphill hike on Chestnut Cove and Thunderstruck. So the water break was welcomed.

About two-thirds of the way up there is an interesting rock ridge that breaks the smooth contour of the mountainside. We take another short break there.

We made it to the top of Big Stump Mt. at about 3000 ft and explored a bit. This driveway is on the way down to the logging road for our return, and gives a view of Lake Tamarack below at about 1500ft.

We headed down the mountain on the old steep logging road, which gets steeper and steeper as we go. It gives the excuse to use our standard description of the hike: " It's 45 minutes up and 15 minutes down, unless you slip, and then it's 5 minutes down!" This shows the steep slope right behind our house, with the VW camper van and another vehicle on the parking pad. We marvel that these active boys are no trouble at all when you have them out in the woods with something active to do. We look back on these times of hiking with the boys as a great privilege and pray that they had a positive impact on the boys' lives.