​Hello World! My name is Daniel Moore. I had the wonderful opportunity of serving as Worship Coordinator this summer. I’ve been at Alta Mons for four years – I was a counselor for two years and was supposed to be the Worship Coordinator in 2020 but was not able to due to the pandemic. I’m so glad I could come back to camp and lead worship this summer. It has been such an amazing, life-giving opportunity. Music is something I am passionate about and I loved sharing God’s love through music.

Along with nightly worship services, I got to participate with campers during Song Time and
Chaplain Time. During Song Time, I sang many different songs with campers: worship songs,
pop songs, dining hall songs. I also taught campers silly songs like “Bagel Bag” and “Mac n’
Cheese.” Some of my fondest memories of this summer was when campers would make up their
own song for their unit. Songs like “Corntry Roads” and “Open the Eyes of Unit 2” are what
make music at Alta Mons so unique and fun. I loved hearing units sing these songs around camp
– it really displayed the spirit of each unit.

This summer, I’ve seen how camp is a place where people from many different backgrounds
come together and help each other grow. During Chaplain Time, campers asked the week’s
chaplain questions about God, faith, and life. Through this, the chaplain and campers were able
to share their unique perspectives about God. Having the opportunity to ask questions and hear
different perspectives was great for me and allowed campers to further develop their own faith.

​Alta Mons is a delightful place where people can share their unique stories and talents. It is a
place where everyone is included and loved. I am grateful for the summers I’ve spent here and
the friends I’ve made along the way.

​Hello all! My name is Hannah Josephine and this summer I served as the first ever
official Nature Coordinator. My role as Nature Coordinator entailed providing quality nature
programming and just being available for all the nature questions and concerns that staff and campers had about Alta Mons. In addition to this, I conducted a personal study on the health and well-being of Purgatory creek and will contribute my data to a national stream health survey later this fall. I have always been super interested in ecology and how the natural world works, and Alta Mons over the years has played a big role in developing that passion. As a camper here, I remember being in awe of the absolute beauty this place has to offer and the incredible diversity it displays. As a CIT, counselor, and coordinator, this interest has grown indefinitely and I am now a junior in college majoring in environmental science, with a double minor in biology and museum, field, and community education.
​
As I sit here about to leave camp, I’m thinking about how incredible this summer was
and how much I learned about life and my place in it. While I did a lot of what I’ve done this
summer last summer, this summer is really special in that I got to really focus on what I love and
share my passion for the environment with staff and campers. Whether it was hiking in the creek
catching mayflies and crawdads or trying not to laugh while campers derailed night nature with
their ponderings on alien lifeforms, these past seven weeks were chock full of love and sharing
in the best way possible. I can never forget all that I’ve learned and experienced. Gosh, this is
getting really quite sappy, so I better end it here before I write a whole novel! A huge thank you
to Meredith and Erin, our program team, for pouring so much into this summer and showing so
much love and grace to our staff and campers!

Hi, my name is Paige Dinneny. My pronouns are they/them. I had the privilege of being the Cookout Coordinator this summer! As the Cookout Coordinator I both oversee and deliver all meals that are not eaten in the dining hall. This includes things like sack lunches for hikes, breakfast, and dinner at the hogans, accommodating meals for creative camping, and Home in the Woods. The kitchen staff and I work together to make sure all the campers have enough to eat, that all needed supplies are sent out, and to find solutions for dietary restrictions and allergies. Having enough food to eat and being able to participate in fun snacks is a vital part of the camp experience.
 
Home in the Woods is a super exciting group of activities that starts on Wednesday night each week at camp. The counselors choose sites for their campers to cook food over the fire, spend time together as a group, and spend the night outside. This was both the most challenging and rewarding part of my job! They make silver turtles, roast s’mores, enjoy a wagon ride complete with stories and spend the night under the stars.
 
Food has an awesome way of bringing people together and people have been eating together around the fire for millennia. We cooked and ate dinner, shared snacks, asked silly questions, told stories, and enjoyed each other’s company.
 
Creative Camping is something we celebrate at Camp Alta Mons. We know that creating novel and interesting experiences can bring people together. This can include things like sleeping outside for other nights during the week at different places, like the pirate ship, the gaga ball court, the Pearman House, or one of the shelters. This also includes eating meals in different places besides the hogans or the dining hall. Sometimes these things are fun (like sleeping at the pirate ship) and sometimes these things help to overcome challenges (like avoiding a bees’ nest at the hogan cabins). I do everything I can to accommodate these changes so that meals can still be on time and a constant in the experience.
 
I didn’t go to summer camp as a child, and I had never been to or worked at Camp Alta Mons until this summer. I met Meredith at church. I really loved and cherished my experience here. I really love how Alta Mons is driven by their values and has an important why behind their decisions. Alta Mons is a place where people can grow closer to nature, each other, and ultimately, to God. 

Dear Reader,
I’m not exactly sure why I took this job. Prior to camp I had never built a fire, hiked to a waterfall, slept in a hammock, or done most of the other ‘outdoorsy’ things that the other coordinators had basically grown up with. I was the ‘wildcard’ this summer—the coordinator without any connection to this awesome place. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.


​Camp Alta Mons is easily the hardest job I have ever had. There have been many back-to-back nights
with less than 6 hours of sleep and walking like a zombie to breakfast. Cooking over a fire for Unit 1 while they bombard you with questions about life. There have been many dead camera batteries, blurry photos, and I may or may not have tripped a time or two with all of my camera equipment.
When I first arrived Meredith gave me a printed job description and asked me to read over it this summer and to let her know if it was accurate or if anything needed changed. To work at Alta Mons, you need to say “Yes” to whatever comes your way:

The pool tiles need scrubbing with a brush? Sure.
Someone needs to be the test subject for the new Ropes Coordinator to zip-line at night? Why not?
Can you carry a pee soaked sleeping to the Camp Post at 6am? You’ve got it!
Jumping in the New River to get a kid's paddle that is floating away? Yes!
Hey Ryan, can you put down the camera and be a counselor for a few days? Absolutely.

None of these things are in the job description of the Media Coordinator. But do you know what else isn’t in the job description?

Watching a camper who cried when their parents dropped them off make new friends.
Listening to the chatter of campers as they all guess what a silver turtle is.
The face of the camper who has been scared all week to get on the zipline scooting off of the platform and screaming in excitement.
Sitting in the back of a wagon ride and looking up at the stars and realizing why we do all of this—for the kids.
As I leave this summer, I am leaving with the biggest smile on my face and in my heart. How lucky am I to have Googled “Summer Camps in Virginia” and wound up having the best summer of my life.
​
Hidy Tidy,
Ryan Vaughan
Media Coordinator
Summer ‘22

Hello! My name is Jarrod Vetzel, and this summer I had the pleasure of being the Trips Coordinator for Camp Alta Mons. Ordinarily, the Trips Coordinator is responsible for ferrying staff too and from camp property for weekend activities as well as transporting and accompanying the tri-challenge unit for their off-site trip during summer camp. This being Alta Mons’ first in-person summer camp since 2019 due to the recent pandemic, my job only consisted of the former of these two responsibilities this year. This was much to the amusement of my colleagues but also a great relief to me, as this summer represented not only my first time working with Camp Alta Mons, but also my first time taking professional responsibility for children. In place of facilitating the tri-challenge camp activities, I mainly worked on site to assist the Ropes Coordinator and ensure the activities and the pole course and zip line went smoothly.

Fear of heights, while not universal, is a force that bars many participants from participating in activities such as roller coasters, rock climbing, and even chores as necessary as cleaning gutters and fixing shingles. I was only able to become comfortable at height thanks to continued coaching and practice in rock climbing, and even then only with constant moral support on the ground. Understanding what it feels like to be uncertain of one’s next move in a high place is something that I feel helped me greatly in my facilitation of the zip line, swing shot, catwalk, and two-line bridge. 

Frequently kids would get scared during their initial ascent. Their climb from ground to ladder, from ladder to pole staples (or tree staples), and from staples to ropes element is the most physically strenuous part of the challenge. Children instinctually doubt that the pulley system will be able to support them during a fall, despite the numerous “I’ve got you!” affirmations from the ground. Learning to guide children smoothly but clearly enough to assuage their discomforts and get them to the start of the ropes element was by far my favorite part of camp, as it seemed to be a direct pipeline for the campers to experience personal growth. Scared middle schoolers halfway up a ladder claimed they had no business being up so high but moved to a state of relative comfort once they put their feet on the wire and leaned against the rope attached to me at the ground, exhibiting bravery, trust, and of course great physical composure. It never ceases to impress me how the children on the ground during their friends’ sessions seem instinctively to know which kids are okay to be teased a bit over the course of the obstacle and which ones need and receive all the moral support they can muster.

Camp Alta Mons, and more importantly the children whom we serve, has taught me to keep going. No matter how scared you feel climbing up the rungs and staples, and no matter how unsure you are in the harness and ropes that support you, eventually you find yourself screaming down the zip line wondering what you were ever worried about.

​Hello! My name is Sierra Etheridge! I’m beyond blessed that I was given the opportunity to be the Cookout Coordinator this summer. Being able to serve and give back to the campers has truly made my summer.
With my title, Cookout Coordinator, I was responsible for delivering food and making sure every camper had something to eat. (This includes all of the extra Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches that were made.) I helped the kitchen staff prepare each meal and then I delivered
each unit their food.

I was also responsible for the Home-in the-Woods dinner. Each unit picks a place to camp for the night and I bring them ingredients to make our famous Silver Turtles! I
enjoy this night more than any other. I love hearing the campers comments of how good their silver turtles were and they never thought they would have tried turtle (Shhh.. It’s not turtle meat, it's just hamburger.) At the end of the dinner they all have s'mores and smiles.

On the other nights, after worship I bring snacks to everyone! I enjoyed making campers answer silly
questions before getting and eating their snack. Another favorite part about my job was driving
up to the shelters to deliver meals and hearing the campers shout “Food” or “Sierra!” I may have
not had much one-on-one time with these kiddos, but the small moments I did make up for my
summer!

This is my first year of being a coordinator and this was honestly my favorite position.
I’ve been here for a total of 6 years, 2 years as a Camper, 2 as a CIT, 1 year as a Counselor
and 1 year of being a Coordinator. I came to Alta Mons in 2014 and automatically fell in love
with this area. I call it my “Home away from Home.” Everyone is always full of love and joy,
there’s never a dull moment at camp between the campers and staff members.

What I enjoy most is the memories that are always made. From the small hugs to everyone singing worship songs in the Back 400. Since this was my first time as a coordinator I knew I wasn’t going to
have my own unit, but having this ‘fancy’ title showed me I could have large responsibilities and
still do activities with other units. I really enjoyed the summer with the campers and all the staff
members. This will always be my second home and family. The friends and family that come
together and worship God will always have a place in my heart.