We wrapped up session two of APEX this past week and what a blast we had! Thanks to all of you who came along. My favourite quote came from Austin when he said, "Mr Griffin, this isn't like camp at all. I usually hate summer camps but this just feels like I'm hanging out with all my friends and doing cool stuff in the mountains!"
On tuesday, we loaded up the bikes and hit the trail. We were joined by two Brevard locals who Nick and I race downhill with, JT and Trey. We 
staged and impromtu wheelie/manual contest on the pumptrack at dupont that was pretty impressive. One of our campers, Michael Kane from Langston Charter Middle School in Greenville SC, used his motocross background to show everyone there how it was done! He was the most naturally talented mountain biker we've had come through the camp! He was throwing moto whips on the pumptrack with his mountain bike. Very impressive Michael! I'm still waiting for someone to successfully climb the "Milkshake Challenge" hillclimb to win their free milkshake but we had some close attempts! After an exciting ride through the Dupont State Forest, we took a dip in Hooker falls to cool down.
On monday we took the silver bullet van up into the black balsam knob area as APEX Staffer, Nick Gragtmans, continued his search for his elusive black bear. Unfortunately, w
e saw no black bears but the view from Sam Knob was GOING OFF! We saw a great big bird way up high that I believe we have identified as a young bald eagle. It has a distictly white head but was somewhat smaller and had a different wing pattern than a typical adult bald eagle. (Nick did some googling for us when he got home to come up with the facts. We doubled back around and did the flat laurel creek trail and a few of the crew got their first taste of cold mountain water after jumping (or falling) into Flat Laurel Creek itself. We then took a walk up my favourite mountain in North Carolina, Black Balsam Knob. Black balsam offers 360 degree views all across the blue ridge.
e saw no black bears but the view from Sam Knob was GOING OFF! We saw a great big bird way up high that I believe we have identified as a young bald eagle. It has a distictly white head but was somewhat smaller and had a different wing pattern than a typical adult bald eagle. (Nick did some googling for us when he got home to come up with the facts. We doubled back around and did the flat laurel creek trail and a few of the crew got their first taste of cold mountain water after jumping (or falling) into Flat Laurel Creek itself. We then took a walk up my favourite mountain in North Carolina, Black Balsam Knob. Black balsam offers 360 degree views all across the blue ridge.
On tuesday, we loaded up the bikes and hit the trail. We were joined by two Brevard locals who Nick and I race downhill with, JT and Trey. We 
staged and impromtu wheelie/manual contest on the pumptrack at dupont that was pretty impressive. One of our campers, Michael Kane from Langston Charter Middle School in Greenville SC, used his motocross background to show everyone there how it was done! He was the most naturally talented mountain biker we've had come through the camp! He was throwing moto whips on the pumptrack with his mountain bike. Very impressive Michael! I'm still waiting for someone to successfully climb the "Milkshake Challenge" hillclimb to win their free milkshake but we had some close attempts! After an exciting ride through the Dupont State Forest, we took a dip in Hooker falls to cool down.On Wednesday, we headed towards the John Rock where we visited the fish hatchery, toured the visitor's center, very nearly got kicked out of the visitor's center, before hitti
ng the hiking trails. We climbed the John Rock trail, topped out, and spent some time enjoying the view and identifying the mountains we saw in the distance using our topographical map. The campers all agreed that John Rock was their favourite hike of APEX. We headed back down and then hiked over toward some really nice, remote water falls where we found a sliding rock, a cave, and a nice deep pool at the bottom of a really tall waterfall. We took a final stop at the famous "Looking Glass Falls". Some of the kids braved the water and proved themselves by standing under the powerful falls in order to experience it to the fullest. I stood on the rocks and shivered! 
ng the hiking trails. We climbed the John Rock trail, topped out, and spent some time enjoying the view and identifying the mountains we saw in the distance using our topographical map. The campers all agreed that John Rock was their favourite hike of APEX. We headed back down and then hiked over toward some really nice, remote water falls where we found a sliding rock, a cave, and a nice deep pool at the bottom of a really tall waterfall. We took a final stop at the famous "Looking Glass Falls". Some of the kids braved the water and proved themselves by standing under the powerful falls in order to experience it to the fullest. I stood on the rocks and shivered! 
Whitewater day, a favourite to many, did not disappoint. The highlight was picnic table rock, a 10 foot rock jump into the icy water of the Nantahala River. Ellie Bradbury lost one of her river shoes in her frantic attempt to swim her way out of the cold waters. She put out an All-Points-Bulletin to every passing boater to keep and eye out for her lost shoe. I must say, I was extremely surprised when, later on down the river, a duo of paddlers approached us with the missing shoe! Needless to say, Ellie was elated to be reunited with her footwear.
Thanks again to all the participants for coming along and thanks to all the parents who let us hang out with your kids for the week! We had a lot of fun and I can't wait until next week.
