Camp Lookout

August 7: Celebration Day

2011-08-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

Today is officially the last day of operations at Camp Lookout for the summer! We invite any and all friends to come out to camp this afternoon for free activities and hot dogs. The climbing wall and low ropes course will be open, as well as the pool and several other fun activities for visitors to do!

We have had an incredible summer this year at camp, and look forward to celebrating its conclusion with everyone. See you next year!

August 1-5: Celebration Camp

2011-08-02T16:00:00.000-04:00

This week, we have our last week of camp for the summer! It's always a bittersweet week, but made much sweeter by the joy of Celebration Week. Celebration Week is for exceptional older youth and adults, and we welcomed around 60 excited campers on Monday!

Today was our first full day of activities, which included a trip to the IMAX theater, archery, boating, crafts, noodle games, and low ropes. This afternoon the fun continues with swimming, a movie (Sleeping Beauty), crafts, and practicing for Thursday night's talent show.

July 25-29: Older Elementary, OHA

2011-07-28T17:03:00.000-04:00

Today was our last full day of activities for our older elementary group! We also welcomed back our OHA group from their river trip. Last night, we had a great time camping either under the stars or under the roof of the Emmaus Chapel.

Tonight, we will having communion and worship at the Maynard Worship Center, which is always a special and treasured time for all.

Tomorrow, pick up is at 2pm-- don't forget to bring $10 cash or check for your picture CD/DVD!

July 25-29: Older Elementary, OHA

2011-07-27T10:58:00.000-04:00

We're halfway through the week here at camp! This is the second day of activities for our older elementary campers, and we said goodbye to our OHA groups this morning when they left for their river trip! We won't see them again until Thursday night. We also said goodbye to our first Taste of Camp group this morning, and welcome another group in this afternoon.

Last night, we had a busy evening with tons of fun activities! Older Elementary campers participated in a fun adventure game before going to the chapel for dancing. Then, we went to the fire circle for s'mores and campfire songs! Tonight, we're having a campout where campers can choose to sleep in the upper field or in the Chapel.

July 25-29: Older Elementary, OHA

2011-07-25T14:37:00.000-04:00

We got started with another great week for CL this morning! We have a wide range of age groups joining us this week for camp. Older Elementary campers (including several horseback groups) are picking their activities for the week this morning, and two groups of OHA (Outdoor High Adventure) campers begin their activities this afternoon. We also have a Taste of Camp group that is here until Wednesday.

Watch this space for more updates as the week continues!

July 18-22: Younger Elementary, Day Camp, Taste of Camp, and Wrangler Camp

2011-07-18T17:37:00.000-04:00

We got off to another great week here at camp this morning! We welcomed Younger Elementary campers (including those in the horseback sampler group), Day Camp Adventurers, our first set of Taste of Campers (affectionately known as "Tastees") and Wrangler Campers (a high school aged group!).

Today, campers have signed up for their weekly activities and participated in group building activities.

July 11-15: Jr. High Week, Wednesday and Thursday

2011-07-15T10:47:00.000-04:00

Wednesday and Thursday were both great days for activities, although we did have some thunderstorms in the afternoon. Thursday's storms were enough to keep kids out of the pool for the afternoon!

On Thursday night, we had our traditional service of communion at the Maynard Worship Center, as the rain managed to hold off for just long enough. Our celebration afterwards was relocated indoors, however.

Today is the last day for your kids at camp! I hope that they come home full of good stories and excitement. Closing is at 2pm in the Chapel, and we will be selling a 2-CD/1-DVD set of pictures for the week for $10!

July 11-15: Jr. High Week, Tuesday

2011-07-13T07:25:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was an eventful day here at camp! We had our first activity sessions, including a river trip, horseback riding, and a caving trip. We also had our very first group try out the climbing wall! A great time was had by everyone.

Tuesday afternoon brought some thunder--but no storms-- which delayed a few of the activities. However, everything got started in time for some major fun!

Because of a power outage Monday night, we had to swap Team Night and Dancing in the Chapel. Tuesday night became our dancing night, and we did a lot of CL favorites, such as Arches and Oslow's Waltz.

This morning, we had a polar bear swim, where everyone at camp meets at the pool at 7am for a morning dip. You may not believe this, but this activity was added by camper request! We don't normally do a polar bear swim for this age group, but the kids were all really excited about adding it (even if they weren't so excited this morning).

Tonight, we look forward to a camp out in the upper field!

July 11-15: Jr. High Week, Monday

2011-07-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

We are off to another great week at camp as we welcomed a group of junior high campers! We also welcomed Randy Pasqua, our Holston Conference Camping Exective Director, as our guest for the week. This morning, the climbing wall was perfected and a zip line was added to the top!

We also welcome our day campers!

Jr. Highs will sign up for activities this afternoon, and tonight's activity is dancing and mixers in the Chapel!

July 11-15: Jr. High Week

2011-07-10T20:48:00.000-04:00

We are excited for another week here at camp after a week off for 4th of July! This week, we welcome Jr. High age campers (around 50) and Day Campers (around 25). Campers will be participating in exciting activities such as horseback riding, whitewater rafting, low ropes/bouldering wall adventure, and mountain biking.

We are also excited to announce that the climbing wall is open for business once again! We will be perfecting it as the summer goes on, but it will be open this week for activities.

June 27-July 1: Older Elementary, Tuesday and Wednesday

2011-06-30T11:30:00.000-04:00

Tuesday brought a rainshower that lasted until the afternoon and postponed some of our activities, but counselors and campers alike did a great job of adapting to the weather! There was no thunder, so several groups got to complete their activity with rainjackets on.

Wednesday we continued with activities! We bid farewell to Kayak I campers as they departed for Gee Creek; they return to camp this evening. We also had a campout! There were close to 70 campers who stayed in the Upper Field, and around 15 who stayed in the Chapel. There were campfire stories, stargazing, and great fun had by all. If your children stayed in the Chapel, they saw the locations of such exotic locales as Tatooine, the Dagoba system, and Naboo along with the customary sighting of the Big Dipper.

Today is our last full day of camp activities, and tonight we will have communion at the Maynard Worship Center.

June 27-July 1: Older Elementary (Kayak I, Horseback Sampler, Horseback I, and Skateboard)

2011-06-27T09:11:00.000-04:00

This week is a big week for CL-- literally! We have 97 overnight campers with us this week, on top of our normal thirty-something staffers. Every bed is being used, all hands are on deck, and we are readying ourselves for the biggest week of the summer.

Campers began arriving last night for early check-in, and there is a steady flow coming in at the moment! Orientation will be at 10(ish) in the Chapel, followed by group initiatives with bible study groups. This afternoon, we will be signing up for activities and swimming until supper.

Our activities schedule is jam-packed this week, with eight or nine activities happening (both on and off site) every morning and afternoon!

It is supposed to rain this week-- but no worries! The CL staff is prepared for any and all inclement weather, and we will have loads of fun rain or shine.

June 20-24: Jr. High, Kayak Sampler, Horseback I Plus: Thursday and Friday

2011-06-24T16:01:00.000-04:00

Storms threatened on Thursday afternoon, but things cleared up in time for our time of worship on Thursday night! It was, as always, a moving and special time for campers and staff.

Today we said goodbye to this week's campers, and welcomed another stretch of storms!

Next week, we welcome a very large group of 5th and 6th grade campers!

June 20-24: Jr. High, Kayak Sampler, Horseback I Plus: Tuesday and Wednesday

2011-06-22T11:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the first full day of camp for this week, with campers doing fun activities such as caving, archery, and a river trip! Kayakers spent the day learning how to use and getting fitted for their equipment. We had (yet another) storm last night around dinner, which put a damper on the planned outdoor activity for the evening-- Team Night was relocated to the Chapel, however, and a good time was had by all!

Today, the kayakers headed to the river, while the rest of camp has more activities that include mountain biking, snorkeling, and rappelling! Tonight's activity is campfire (including delicious s'mores) followed by a campout in the lower field (weather permitting).

June 20-24: Jr. High, Kayak Sampler, Horseback I Plus

2011-06-20T11:36:00.000-04:00

It's the start of another great week here at CL! We welcomed Jr. High age groups this morning for Jr. High, Kayak Sampler, and Horseback 1 Plus, and they are in the midst of doing group initiatives with their bible study groups. Later today, they will sign up for activities, and after chicken patties for lunch there will be dancing in the Chapel!

This weekend we also hosted TWEY (Trekking With Exceptional Youth), a camp for youth with special needs. This camp was a great success, even with the storms that came Saturday evening as the campers were leaving!

On that note, we did have many trees and debris down from the storm on Saturday, including one on the back of the bathhouse (that did not cause any major damage!). Thankfully, no buildings were severely damaged in any way, and we are able to continue camp as normal this week. A huge thanks to the efforts of Marty and his team for making this possible!

June 13-17: Junior Staff, Younger Elementary, Horseback Sampler, and Taste of Camp: Wednesday & Thursday

2011-06-16T22:36:00.000-04:00

Wednesday startedout fairly normal, with breakfast at 8 and morning activities to follow! However, we were slightly waylaid when a thunderstorm made its way to camp right after flat time-- and managed to postpone our afternoon activities! Luckily, we were still able to have a Luau and hot dog cookout by the pool, and a good time was had by all.

This morning, the skies were clear and the last full day of activities were quickly underway! For lunch, we had delicious chicken strips, and for dinner, we had (the highly anticipated, at least by the staff) Taco Night. For those unfamiliar, Thursday night worship at CL is a special time-- we go up to the Maynard Worship Center for communion, and invite children who wish to respond to the love of God to do so accordingly. Tonight was full of the presence of God, and it was an honor to be present.

Our last day at camp starts tomorrow, and we are very excited! Reminder: you can purchase a CD/DVD set with all the photos from the week on it for $10 tomorrow when you pick up your child.

June 13-17: Junior Staff, Younger Elementary, Horseback Sampler, and Taste of Camp: Tuesday

2011-06-14T22:10:00.000-04:00

We finished up our first full day of camp with an awesome Carnival in front of the Chapel! There were many games, including "Soak the Sucker" (featuring your very own CL Staff), face painting, and balloon hats. Junior Staff helped the Support Staff set up and work this event.

Junior Staff spent the day in CPR/First Aid training, while Younger Elementary did two sessions of activities! We had horseback riding (for those in Horseback Sampler), creek walk, pool games, and archery, just to name a few.

Taste of Campers spend their last night at camp tonight, and had a special time of s'mores and Communion with Don and our MIR of the week, Ms. Melissa!

June 13-17: Junior Staff, Younger Elementary, Horseback Sampler, and Taste of Camp: Monday

2011-06-13T21:28:00.001-04:00

Today we welcomed campers of all the different camps starting at 9am! Registration went well, and we had group initiatives with our bible studies before a tasty lunch.

After lunch, Younger Elementary signed up for their activities, while Junior Staff did group initiatives and Taste of Campers did crafts and the (brand new!) low ropes course. Dinner was delicious, and after dinner, the junior staff went up to Flight Park to watch the sunset. Taste of Campers had an art night, while Younger Elementary had a bible study before going to mixers (all sorts of get-to-know-you games!) in the Chapel (followed by a talk from our MIR of the week, Ms. Melissa).

Tomorrow the fun really starts, with all our groups going to activities!

(In case you were wondering, Horseback Sampler is grouped in with Younger Elementary except for activities-- during activities, YE gets a choice of 6 activities while Horseback does 2 sessions of horseback and 4 electives).

June 13-17: Junior Staff, Younger Elementary, Horseback Sampler, and Taste of Camp

2011-06-12T22:22:00.000-04:00

This week we welcome campers for Junior Staff Camp, Younger Elementary (3rd and 4th graders), Horseback Sampler, and Taste of Camp (2nd and 3rd graders)! We are so excited to have campers here for our first "normal" week of camp. We have been working hard to make sure everything is ready for campers to arrive!

Campers will arrive between 9-10am tomorrow for registration, and will start their activities on Tuesday.

Jr. High Service Week and 1st Centenary Day Camp: Thursday & Friday

2011-06-10T10:51:00.000-04:00

The past two days have been exciting here at camp! Yesterday, the Jr. High Service Week groups finished up on their work sites, with five groups going off-site and one group staying on camp to work. We also had our final afternoon activities yesterday, followed by worship and communion. Thursday nights are always a special time here at camp-- we make the trek around the lake to the Maynard Worship Center to take communion. We had between 50-60 faith commitments last night, both first-time and renewed. It was a moving service for all!

Day camp also had an exciting day yesterday, with a scavenger hunt for two of the groups and a creek walk!

Jr. High Service Week left us around 10am this morning, and Day Camp is in the midst of their activities (including a caving trip)!

Jr. High Service Week and 1st Centenary Day Camp: Wednesday

2011-06-09T09:19:00.000-04:00

Apologies for this blog post coming a day late. Yesterday was a good day, with First Centenary campers enjoying activities such as swimming, archery, and creek walk, followed by chapel time.

Jr. High Service Week had a second day of working at sights both on and off property. On-site groups worked on moving mulch and downed trees, while off-site groups went to help local tornado relief, a local homeless shelter in Chattanooga, Widow's Harvest, and a local organic co-op.

Dancing night, always a favorite, was held in the chapel last night for Jr. High as well! Tonight, we look forward to communion and worship.

Jr. High Service Week and 1st Centenary Day Camp: Tuesday

2011-06-07T17:18:00.000-04:00

We made it to day 2! The day started early for our Jr. High with breakfast at 8 before they split into their work groups. 3 groups went off site and 3 groups stayed at camp to do work. The groups at camp had lunch at 12, and everyone gathered together at 2pm to start activities. Today's activities included: archery, creek walk, a trip to Cloudland Canyon, lake paddling, mountain biking, and bouldering/ tension traverse.

1st Centenary had an exciting day as well, with activities in the morning, and Chapel Time, swimming, and dancing in the afternoon.

Be watching the blog for of this week to come soon!

Jr. High Service Week and 1st Centenary Day Camp: Monday

2011-06-06T17:11:00.000-04:00

This morning we officially welcomed our first batch of campers! There are around 110 people here for Jr. High Service Week and around 30 from 1st Centenary!

1st Centenary did activities this morning, and retired to the pool for the remainder of their afternoon.

Jr. High Service divided into their bible study/work groups and did fun group initiatives and get-to-know you games! We start working and activities tomorrow.

We hope everyone is staying cool in this heat-- we're making sure campers stay hydrated!

June 6- 10: Junior High Service Week and 1st Centenary UMC Day Camp

2011-06-05T19:27:00.000-04:00

Our first "official" week of camp starts tomorrow morning! We will have groups of Jr. High campers coming for Junior High Service Week (around 105) and a group coming for day camp from 1st Centenary UMC in Chattanooga.

This means we will have two separate schedules of activities running simultaneously-- we are working hard this evening to make sure things run smoothy starting tomorrow morning.

Some activities the campers will enjoy this week include: archery, swimming, crafts, bouldering wall, and caving!

After 2 weeks of training, the CL staff is SO excited to have camp finally get underway!

Staff Training Update, prt2

2011-06-03T16:03:00.000-04:00

Hello again! We're reaching the end of staff training week-- today was spend readying camp and counselors for Children's Day this Saturday. We are super excited to have our first group of kids! We are staying busy, and trying to stay out of this wicked heat.

Here are some pictures from this week's trip to Flight Park atop Lookout Mountain.

Staff Training Update

2011-06-02T13:58:00.000-04:00

The past two weeks at camp, we have been busy preparing our staff for the start of summer!

We started last week with Holston Conference Training at Camp Wesley Woods, then finished up the week at Camp Lookout. At Wesley Woods, all staff members received at least basic first aid and CPR training from the Red Cross; many staffers also completed lifeguard training, WFA (Wilderness First Aid), and WFR (Wilderness First Responder) courses. The last half the of the week at Camp Lookout was spent reviewing standards from the Conference, as well as fun group initiatives and games!

This week started on Tuesday at Camp Lookout, and we've been busy reviewing standards, going over weekly schedules for when campers arrive, and orienting staff to the various activities we have for campers! We are so excited for summer camp to start!

We also took a brief break to look at scenic views atop Lookout Mountain.

How to Use This Blog

2011-05-31T14:16:00.000-04:00

Hello again!

This blog was set up in hopes that parents, friends, and former campers can keep in contact with current information about Camp Lookout's Summer 2011 programming. New posts will be added here to keep you updated, along with some special tools designed to help you!

You can subscribe by email to this blog by using the form on your left ("Follow by Email"). Type in your email address and follow the instructions
You can record your reactions to blog posts by clicking on the boxes at the bottom of each post labeled "helpful," "funny," etc
Use the label sphere on your right to find posts tagged with the appropriate labels. For example, if you were looking for the first post on this blog, you would look for the label "first post." If you were looking for just posts with pictures, you would click the label "pictures"

Hopefully this will be a useful tool as the summer progresses!

Here's a picture of most of our summer staff at Camp Wesley Woods at the end of Holston Conference Staff Training!

Boom, boom boom--

2011-05-27T12:21:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Camp Lookout blog, where you can watch for new information regarding camp activities, pictures, and general updates about Camp!

We're winding down from the first week of staff training right now, cleaning up camp to get ready for a group coming in this weekend!

Watch this space for more information regarding staff members and upcoming camp activities!