Lilly’s graduation is complete and now she is off on a summer adventure! She’s on the Teens’ Camping Tour of the West, which was started in 1967 by C. Peter Cole to mobilize his dream to take teenagers to see the wonders of the West and use the adventure of travel to guide young people down the path of self-discovery. The first trips West were in 1967 and since have included participants from all over the world, but most are from Virginia and the Carolinas. They camp every night in sleeping bags on tarps and the kids rotate as chefs, charged with selecting the preparing the food with minimal cooking and a tight budget. Excellent training for dorm life, Lilly!
A major component of this trip that was not a factor in 1967, but is huge today: The participants, primarily rising high school juniors, seniors, and college freshmen, do not have their phones, computers, or access to WIFI throughout the three and a half week trip! That is surely the eighth wonder of the world! They can call home occasionally on “burner phones” which are just simple phones without video or text. You never know when they might call, so unknown numbers to my cell phone are a top priority during these weeks. The irony of this is that we stay in touch with them through prolific posts on social media. There are Instagram Stories and Posts daily as well as content on Facebook! What a universe – extra social media for parents and none for the kids! From the look of the photos, I’d make that trade any day!