Well, spring has officially ended at Frontier Lodge with the conclusion of the last of our group retreats and camps coming on last Saturday.  Summer then officially began for us on Monday with the beginning of staff training.  Monday was full of logistical information, much of which we had previous knowledge for.  It was primarily for the two new staff as well as a short review for us.

Tuesday started the fun stuff though.  We began by loading the canoes and going to the lower section of the North Saskatchewan River to do some whitewater canoeing and whitewater rescue training.  It was awesome.  There were eight boats and most made it down the 24 km without going over.  However, there was the select few that tipped.  The first were two of our female staff, Laura and Ari.  We were on a flat section of river and Laura was trying to do a headstand on the gunnels of the canoe, but she fell forward, kicking Ari in the back and out of the canoe causing it to tip.  It was quite the sight to see and the staff definitely enjoyed watching the two gasp after emerging from the coldness of the water (and the embarrassment).  The only other tip was with Jonas and Ben, who tipped after the bow paddler lost his paddle midway through the most technical rapid.  But all was good.  They both enjoyed a cold dip and kept going.  But the whole experience was fun.  I was able to learn a lot about reading whitewater, currents, and depths, and was able to put it into practice by paddling the stern for the day.  I must say, it is quite different than whitewater rafting, which allows for more error because of the boat design and width.  With canoeing, too much water intake through the waves spells disaster, somehow our boat stayed pretty dry (most by bailing after each successive set of rapids).

The next training exercise was a overnight hike and camp set up on Wednesday to Thursday.  It was a beautiful night and we got a great view from Mt. Coliseum of the surrounding area and even Fish Lake.  We learned skills such as proper hiking safety and communication, bear precautions, and group camping while leaving no trace.  But one of the main things about the overnight that was beneficial was the amazing time to be with the staff.  Upon the start of camps, staff bonding time will be at a minimum and it was good to be able to sleep under the stars with some of the guys before that happens.

Friday was simply a work day.  We cleaned a lot to get ready for the upcoming camps and made sure the cabins were in top shape.  When that was done, so was my week.  Since then it has been a lot of laying around with the occassional run or bouldering workout.  However, the intensity of the summer camping schedule is now in full force.  Even while writing this campers are arriving for our first of two camps, Senior High Wilderness Camp and Level 3 Downhill/Freeride Mountain Biking.  The staff is excited and we are ready for this!  The training week was nice and relaxed, but it is nice to see students coming again.  Seeing them green and not knowing what to expect will be humorous after tomorrow when they face the rappeling cliff or huge waves of the river.  But that is what we are here for, so we can teach them through those experiences.  That is what I most look forward to.

So, in closing please pray for these two camps.  I will not be working heavily with these ones, as much as the coming weeks, but I will get a few days in with them.  Please pray for the staff that they will know what to say to the questions and topics that ask or bring up and that there lives, perspectives, and eternities will be changed this week.  Thanks so much in advance and for reading the blog.  Check out the pictures if you get a chance!  They are on the links to the left.

To Christ within,
Craig

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