
Nice catch by Jackson!
We just wrapped up our first two weeks of FOR Summer Camp and all I can say is WOW! What a fun time and what a great bunch of campers. This is my first summer as a FOR camp counselor, so it was a crazy–but also rewarding–two weeks of learning and growing for everyone involved.
First, a little background on FOR Summer Camp. It is a weeklong day camp that runs Monday thru Friday during the summer. Campers participate in a variety of crafts, games, and water activities which take place primarily at our Fredericksburg nature preserve along with occasional field trips. The kids learn about science and nature while practicing water safety and learning how to be confident in unfamiliar situations. Summer camps are broken down into three age groups: River Rats (rising 6th-8th graders), River Rangers (rising 3rd-5th) and Junior River Rangers (1st and 2nd, water activity limited).

Brooke and Adeline take on the rapids
This year, our Week 1 Rangers group got the summer started off with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Highlights from the week included a fun day at the Quarry and fishing on the Rappahannock. The campers managed to pullin over 10 fish from four different species. The campers also loved the games and crafts and they especially enjoyed making their own walking sticks. Go Rangers!
Our Week 2 Rats took on some tougher challenges. The kids had a blast on their whitewater tubing trip and a mile-long kayak paddle on the tidal Rappahannock at Hopyard Landing.
Now that I’m two weeks into being a camp counselor, I can confidently say two things: Number one, these kids are a TON of fun, and number two, being a camp counselor wears me out. I gotta get some sleep. Juniors, we’ll see you next week!
Adam
Camp Counselor
For more info on our summer camp programs, check out https://riverfriends.org/camp/