While there are many fine shelters in the forest now, I would have to hand the grand prize for shelter construction to Adventure Academy. They built an incredible Wiki-up similar to a teepee with leaves, pine needles and branches used for the construction. Later in the week, the camp sewed leather pouches and gathered precious items from the forest to fill these pouches around their necks.

campers and mentors enjoyed games, crafts and problem solving in the woods. Two elements dictated much of the camp experience this first week. Early in the week afternoon and evening thunderstorms blew through the region filling gorges, rivers, streams and creeks with...