Shipps Baptist Camps Out

What a great group we had up at the camp this weekend -- and what a great weather weekend for them. Johnny Gurley and a few other guys from Shipps, came up early Thursday and eventually they all arrived by dark.

Of course they had fun in "The Secret Creek"; this has become the favorite go-to place in the camp.

Johnny and company made quick work of a tree we had across Beech Bottom Trail and we are very thankful for that. There was hiking, and corn hole and several fishing trips.

One of the guys caught 5 or 6 bass and others caught a few bluegill. 

The trip started out on an interesting note when Angela Gurley discovered a live possum in an empty garbage can that was trapped. I was not anywhere close when she found it, but I'm sure there was a scream or two let out.

I noticed there were several plumbers in the group one of which advised me the way to go on a future project. The pastor Sam Gulley came up for a bite to eat and hung around for a bit Friday night. We look forward to having them back in the near future!

Cub Scout Pack 391

It may have been a return visit for the boys of Pack 391, but they found ways to experience a couple of 'firsts' on their visit!  They came in on Friday afternoon and got settled in.  The campground is always at its best with the happy sounds of kids having fun and the smell of campfire smoke in the air!

They got off to a slow start Saturday morning, sleeping in a bit, but by early afternoon, they were ready for a guided hike down Beech Bottom Trail.  This particular group had never seen the Secret Creek before, so they were ready to go.  Once we got down to the creek, their eyes went wide . . . and shoes and sock came off in a flash -- especially when their tour guide went right on in!

They splashed and played and had a marvelous afternoon in the creek waters.  They even tried their hands (literally) at catching crawdads, but no one was quiet brave fast enough! We relayed the story of some of the youth guys who visited the camp weeks prior, who caught several crawdads and grilled and ate them!  That certainly sparked interest from the younger boys!

Soon the guys were traveling across, up and down the creek -- shirts were off and they were soaked from head to toe -- but everyone was having a marvelous time.  

The tour guides needed to head back, but the guys opted to stay down at the water and continue to play!  Truthfully, there isn't a better place to be on a warm summer afternoon.

The next morning, as we headed out to church, we were amused to see that the boys had once again headed down to the creek for some water play!  One of their leaders informed us that not only did they go back down, but they also caught their own crawdads and then cooked and ate them -- hmmm, we wonder if that counts toward a survival training badge?

So the Secret Creek is no longer a secret to Pack 391 -- we hope they'll be back soon to enjoy it all over again!

Wears Chapel Baptist Fish Fry

Sunday afternoon was a little rainy, but it cleared up just in time for our Wears Chapel group to come in and enjoy some fellowship.  When they got there, most of the crew headed straight down to Secret Creek and splashed their way up and down the water!

The group stayed down there until the fish were ready.  It was a fun afternoon of splish-splashing and chit-chatting!

Life of Christ Fellowship Family Camping

We had a last minute cancellation for Memorial Day weekend which worked out perfect for Life of Christ Fellowship.  Their original plans fell through and left them looking for a campground and Camp MACOBA was it.

They started coming in early Friday afternoon and put up their tents.  About ten families and lots of children, which means it wasn't long before the camp was filled with the happy sounds of laughter and shouting and fun!

They quickly had a campfire going and it looked like a pretty nifty camp setup!

Not long after getting all set up, they found their way down to Secret Creek and I think they may have spent the majority of their time in what we like to consider the BEST spot in the whole camp!

They had a great time and we're so happy we were able to accommodate them!  We hope they'll be back again soon!

Family Camping Party

This group, mostly families from Farley Community Church, had the right idea!  They started pulling in on Friday, and by Saturday afternoon, they had the campground looking like a filled campground!  

A couple families stayed in pop-up campers, one pulled a (new) trailer camper, and one had a 5th wheel camper.  The rest of the families had tents all over the place . . .

We walked up during dinner time on Saturday evening (of course!) and there was all kinds of cooking going on -- folks using Dutch ovens for all kinds of foods and even grilling steaks.  We had to laugh -- even

with all that cooking and eating going on, one of the ladies was already looking forward to cinnamon rolls in the Dutch oven on Sunday morning!

There was even some sort of spit rigged over the fire and we wondered if they were going to have a pig roast!  But alas, it was just for drying boots.

Lots of happy kids road their bikes and hiked and played.  The families spent most of the day Saturday and Sunday playing in the creek, splashing and having fun.  They even brought and setup a volleyball net out in the upper field . . .

And then donated it to the camp -- we're very grateful for that addition!

This little fellow may not be the youngest camper we've ever had up here, but at six months old, he's got to be close!

We were very happy to have this gang up here for Memorial Day weekend -- they are welcome any time!

Farley Men's Group

This past weekend we had a great group come in from Farley Baptist Church for a men's camp out. We were glad the rain had come and gone and the forecast for the rest of the weekend was dry. The guys came in ready for some real primitive camping. 

 They didn't just pitch tents, they hauled their gear down to the Hidden Creek and really roughed it!

Originally they had planned to leave early Saturday morning for a canoe trip -- but due to flooding, they had to cancel.  So instead, they spent the day down at the creek, splashing and having a great time!  I've no doubt they'll be back in the near future.