Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Outdoor skills and fun at Galena Lodge

Kids Camp full of adventure


By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

Everyone loves Galena Lodge for its cross-country ski trails and snowshoeing loops in the winter. But what about summer activities? Turns out, Galena's beloved for that too—especially for its youth camps.

The Galena Lodge Youth Adventure Camp is a weekly summer outdoor discovery and adventure program for youth ages 8-12. Campers make new friends and do fun things like mountain biking, rafting, rock climbing and swimming. They develop skills like wilderness first aid and map reading.

Besides full-day camps, Galena Lodge now offers two weeks of half-day camps for ages 6-8. They are from June 13-17 and June 20-24.

Headquartered at Galena Lodge, 23 miles north of Ketchum, the action-based camp emphasizes fun, safety and respect for the outdoors.

Campers travel to places like Pettit Lake and Easley Hot Springs. They explore Senate and Gladiator Meadows near the lodge. Kids will be taught about how to use the outdoors without damaging it, as well as how to make an incredible s'more!

Round-trip transportation is provided daily from Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum. So all parents need to do is drop their kids off, generally by 9 a.m., with pickup at 4 p.m. Lunch and snacks are provided in the cost.

Eight weekly camp sessions ($395 per person per week) are offered. They fill up quickly.

In general, Mondays are for rock climbing and horseback riding, Tuesdays are for whitewater rafting, Wednesdays for mountain biking and orienteering, and Thursdays for Pettit Lake trips. There is one sleepover Thursday.

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Fridays feature breakfast at the lodge, stream ecology at Gladiator, trips to Easley Hot Springs and awards before the final trip home.

The full-day camp dates for ages 8-12 are June 27-July 1, July 4-8, July 11-17, July 18-22, July 25-29, Aug. 2-6, Aug. 9-13 and Aug. 16-20.

Galena Lodge is offering two one-week programs for kids ages 6-8. They are June 13-17 and June 20-24 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each day. Cost is $250 for the week, including lunch and transportation from Hemingway.

During the program, the kids will use the climbing wall, hike and explore the Galena area. It's a way to introduce the younger kids to the Galena Youth Adventure Camp.

Call 726-4010 for an information packet or visit www.galenalodge.com to download the camp brochure.

Youth Scholarship Fund

Continuing in 2011 is the Galena Lodge Youth Scholarship Fund, in its fifth year. Generous donors have in the past enabled five kids to attend camp on full scholarships and three on partial scholarships annually.

Potential donors are asked to sponsor a child with a $395 gift, with 100 percent of contributions going into the scholarship fund through the Blaine County Recreation District.

"Our goal is to reserve two spaces every week for these children, focusing our efforts on encouraging and recruiting youth who have never been able to consider the Galena Camp," wrote Galena Lodge proprietors Don Shepler and Erin Zell in a fundraising letter. "We will ask school social workers and other community members to recommend eligible families."




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