AAVE Trip BLOG » Boot Saddle Paddle
July 11, 2008
Hello Abbott and hello to our families from the American Southwest!
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We are having a fun time in the hot sun! The trip has been fantastic. The kids are great and the activities are incredible. The community service project on the Navajo reservation was eye opening. The work was hard, but super rewarding. the highlight of the project was making fry bread with “Grandma,” an older lady who we worked with. The fry bread was delicious and her stories were incredible! What a woman.
Everyone’s highlight of the trip at this point has been Havasu Canyon on the Grand Canyon. The canyon hike was challenging, but we all managed to have a great time. The waterfalls were AWESOME! We did a magnificent sunrise hike and a magical moonlight night hike. The swimming near the fall was super fun and we found many rocks to jump off of and other fun ways have fun. The campers took TONS of photos to wow you with when they get home. Havasu is the home of the Supai Native American tribe and we all have interesting stories to tell about their home. The cool water was a welcome respite from the warm temperatures. Swimming around the waterfall was a fun challenge that we all tried many times. The hike out of the canyon was hard, but everyone did a great job.
And now we are in town doing laundry and taking showers! If feels lovely to have clean bodies and clean clothes.
Overall, we are having a great time learning, growing, laughing, challenging, cooking, hiking, camping, loving the AAVE lifestyle!
July 1, 2008
BSP 1B
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Hey! Hey!
We are lovin’ the Fry Bread!!!! yumm!
Check back with us soon as we tell you more about our journeys through the deep west. So far, we are enjoying one another after we all arrived safely and already made some new friends while working on our service project on the Navajo Reservation - so great to gain insight into Navajo Culture. Can’t wait to share more with you very soon!
BSP 1A
Posted by Chris in : Boot Saddle Paddle , add a comment
Hello Everyone!
We have all arrived safely and have been enjoying the vast beauty that is the high desert of Arizona. We had a late night last night but enjoyed some great food. The group is older, varied and international. Everyone is getting along just great and we’re looking forward to seeing the cliffs of Mesa Verde! Weather has been good so far and Samantha and I enjoy introducing your campers to the great wide west! Check back with us soon!
January 26, 2008
The Ultimate Big West Adventure Camp!
Posted by AAVE Camper in : Boot Saddle Paddle, General AAVE Trip BLOG , add a comment
I acheived all the goals that i made at the beggining of this trip. I made sooo many new friends, and experianced many new things that I had never encountered before. I loved this trip, and I have to say that its been, I think, the best summer of my life.
-Camper, Eliza DeHass, BSP
Our daughter rated the trip a “12″ on a scale of 1 to 10. That pretty much says it all!
-Parent, Jim Nagel, BSP
My trip was fantastic. Everything was successful, they were nice, we did cool things and we were safe too. Awesomeness!
-Camper, Ryan Becker, BSP
Good group and good leaders resulted in noticable personal growth in self confidence, social and leadership skills!
-Parent, Melinda Kinnard, BSP
I liked everything! It was fun and the places where we went were great (havasu falls ect.)!
-Camper, Joe Tyan, BSP
Michael had a wonderful experience. I think it was very helpful for him to be on his own and to be able to work as a team to help everyone suceed. I had only wished that he was one of the groups that had a blog or two within in their travels, however I realize they were not always able to get to a computer. Thanks for everything!
-Parent, Nancy McErlean, BSP
My daughter came back so enthusiastic that she wants to join you again every year,try to work for you in the future and get the American citizenship! Three weeks are not enough!
-Parent, Sabina Pianon, BSP
Everything was great!!!!! Great people, great places, great things!!!!
-Camper, Ludovica Pianon, BSP
It was the best 3 weeks ever and I was really sad to come home!!
-Camper, Marcie Pisciotta, BSP
Marcie had a wonderful, wonderful time, lots of fun with her new friends (who she misses terribly), and loved being free of “authority figures”. I think she handled her independence well (from what she has told us) and she wished the trip was longer. Thanks for a great experience for our daughter!
-Parent, Marion Pisciotta, BSP
August 9, 2007
Boot Saddle Paddle #2 - Yee Haw!
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Hello BSP2 Families!
Hey its the Boot, Saddle, Paddle trip! So far the trip is going awesome, all the kids are getting along and having a blast.
We just returned from a sweet horseback riding trip. Don’t be suprised if you hear a few ‘yee-haw’s’ when your son or daughter returns! Here is a quick overview of our amazing campers:
We’ve been playing some sneaky Capture the Flag games, with Pierre, Stefano and Joseph, all from Lebanon, rocking it on the winning team. Tony is one of the best salad chefs ever, bon appetit! Eli is a laugh-a-holic, when a giant moth flew in the van after him he almost died! He’s doing well after a lengthy recovery. Eliza has a new nickname, ‘Smeagol’, and she’s always with the girls! Marcie is indespensible, everybody loves her, especially Smeagol, who always loses her stuff. Thanks Marcie!!! Sonya is an adventure athlete in the making. She was super brave on the rafting, and the fastest backpacker in the group! Jacob is a rock star, super-singer who loves the ‘Beautiful Girl’ song, which we are pleased to hear every day! Catherine is an angel, always positive and ready to help out. Andi loves to talk, she has perpetual enthusiasm, a real gem. Marion is a photo wiz, she’ll have some great shots from this journey. Kelly is sweetheart, mature and always has a great conversation waiting.
Our group is Amazing! They all get along famously! Most nights, when it’s not raining, we all sleep out on a big blue tarp under a myriad of celestial stars! We have good food, especially salad, and always eat our vegetables. (We always eat dessert too!) We have rafted down the Colorado River where everyone paddled as a team. We had water fights in the boats and on land, too. The group is positive and fun. WE LOVE YOUR KIDS! Send them back to us next year!
Well, we gotta run, we’re going out for ice cream! And tomorrow we begin our service project and cultural exchange on the Navajo Reservation to help paint a community center.
Boot, Saddle-sore, Paddlers!!
We Love You!
Taylor, Jessie and the BSP crew
August 1, 2007
From Parent of BSP#2A
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I just got the first text message from Andi since she initiated her camping trip. I quote her, ” I am having the time of my life.”
I would like to take this opportunity to express to the leaders and all who have made this experience possible for Andrea, my deepest gratitude for your hard work and dedication.
Your team certainly has made huge contributions to lifelong experiences and lessons for Andrea that I, as a loving parent, could never have provided. For your positive impact and life learning lessons in my child’s life, I will forever be grateful to all of you!!!
Muchas, muchas, muchas gracias,
Marcela
(mother of BSP#2A camper)
March 21, 2007
The Most Spectacular Summer EVER!!
Posted by Annemarie in : Boot Saddle Paddle, General AAVE Trip BLOG , add a comment
This summer was abslutely the most heart-stirring, breathtaking, and spectacular summer I’ve ever had in my entire life. I loved every magical and challenging moment of it all. From the beautiful sights to the extremely difficult hike in the Grand Canyon I thought this trip was incredible.
Throughtout my trip I kept reminding myself how unique I was to have had such an opportunity to experience something so amazing. The first seven days of my trip were the hardest, most beautiful and exciting days of my entire life.
The Havasu hike was the most difficult part of the whole trip but it was totally worthwhile because when I hiked down to Havasu Falls, my heart stopped from the beautiful breath taking view. I know that from the entire trip that moment will be the one I cherish for my entire life. My trip was exciting, challenging, and life changing in millions of positive ways. The accomplishment I felt when I completed the hike at the Grand Canyon, the metamorphism I saw occur within myself, and the mysteriously never ending waterfall I heard when I reached the bottom of Mooney Falls were all things that not many people experience in their entire lives.
My group had a special bond that most people spend their entire lives trying to create. My group was there for each other, we could talk to each other about anything and everything, expecially about our dreams, fears, and problems back home. It was a group effort to make sure no one became an outcast, and to make sure there was no tension between anyone. Something I’ve learned on this trip is that you can get along with absolutely anyone in this world. I realized that ingnorance will get you no where in life, but that patience and tolerance will allow you to achieve your goals.
I’ve found my self-confidence, I’ve reached self-awareness, and I’ve been able to open up the bottle of feelings I’ve kept closed for so many years.
Jessica Ramalho, BSP 2006
November 7, 2006
Utah, Colorado, & Arizona Summer Camp Sees All!
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“Adam came back so much more mature and worldly. It was a wonderful experience and he loved the outdoors and all of the new experiences. I would recommend it to any family for their child. What a wonderful trip!”
-The Gross Family
November 6, 2006
Wild-West Summer Camp Adventure!
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“My daughter had a phenomenal experience and enjoyed it tremendously. She learned that she could cope with the challenges and learned from the experience that she could rise to the physical challenges and meet them. She came home with the realization–which is only achieved through facing physical challenge and meeting that–that she can do whatever is in from of her. This is what I wanted for her and your program HAS MET AND EXCEEDED THE EXPECTATIONS I HAD FOR HER. She also had the opportunity to experience the West with other pope from different countries and backgrounds which was an added benefit. She made good friends as a result and broadened her experiences in general. Thank you for giving this to her. It has made her a better person and she will carry with her this experience for the rest of her life!
-Kim Narol, parent
Summer Camp in the Rocky Mountains!
Posted by Chris in : Boot Saddle Paddle, General AAVE Trip BLOG , add a comment
“I gained many friends and confidence in a mental, emotional and physical aspect. I feel more independent. I appreciate nature and modern conveniences more and I feel I have a greater responsibility to take care of myself, other people and my environment.”
-Alex Shugart, camper