Weekly Update: June 16th, 2024
Last week, individual campers overcame their fear of heights on the high ropes course; puzzled out “problems” while rock climbing; navigated frustration when their fishing line got stuck in a bush; felt safe enough on their overnights to eschew sleeping in a tent and, instead, slept side-by-side in fields under a blanket of stars; reminded their horses (repeatedly) not to eat grass; learned how to support friends and tried SO MANY new things at camp. Will these experiences make campers more intelligent? Possibly. They will certainly help them understand that going long hike carrying a heavy backpack, or hopping back onto a horse after they have fallen off, or working through tough emotions in order to give a friend an authentic apology makes the sunset more stunning, the pita pizzas more delicious, the inside jokes more long-lasting and their camp experience more enriching.
Tomorrow, 27 trips will leave the main camp area. Many will head out into the backcountry of the central Collegiate and Mosquito Peak ranges to climb mountains: Huron, Antero, Princeton, Quandary; others will backpack on the Wheeler or Colorado Trail; some will explore nearby 11 Mile Reservoir by canoe and paddleboard; still more will saddle up their trusty steeds and ride out into the Ponderosa pine forests and dappled Aspen groves, quickly leaving camp property and venturing onto the nearby (but expansive) public lands; many will provide hundreds of hours of service by building trails for other hikers to enjoy; and even more will deepen their backcountry camping skills while expanding their imaginations and drawing on their creativity on themed trips like the Harry Potter, Artsy, NASA and Nature Ninja Warrior overnights. Yet all of them will experience a sense of accomplishment…the “I did that” moment…and those are the moments that help define us.
Last week, David Brooks wrote a compelling article, What Happens to Gifted Children? that piqued our interest in a variety of ways. To a degree, he makes a case for providing kids with opportunities to develop their WHOLE selves as standard “intelligence” is not the only thing that counts towards becoming a successful and unique individual. He writes:
A person’s intelligence is embedded in and interacting with all that person’s other qualities — whether she is self-confident, conscientious, resilient or open to new experiences, whether she has experienced unconditional love, deep friendships, rich intellectual conversations. Just because some traits are easier to measure doesn’t mean we can isolate them and not see everything that goes into this precious and never-to-be-repeated person.
We are a community of individuals–a super cool group of “never-to-be-repeated” people who are aligned with the mission “to live together in the outdoors, building a sense of self, a sense of community, a sense of the earth and a sense of wonder through fun and adventure.” Living, working and playing with people who have different lived experiences opens us up to seeing the myriad intelligences and traits that help develop great, impactful and successful individuals. Plus, pushing ourselves, staff and campers to “do hard things” also elevates the importance of consistent, hard work to achieve our goals. As Brooks posits, “the people who change the world may be brilliant or not, but they almost all work their rear ends off.” That ethic isn’t part of intelligence, it is a learned, practiced skill and value.
Brooks also writes, “Great accomplishment is the marriage of ability and interest” and every day this week the Sanborn campers will discover new interests, expand their capabilities, deepen their connection to the outdoors and others and, hopefully, alight and stoke the “inner fire” of drive and determination.
The week will truly be (as the kids say) “fire.”
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