Camp Echo Lake Outdoors
Written by Matt “Jacko” Jackowitz
The Adirondacks are simply beautiful, and at Camp Echo Lake, we take full advantage of our surroundings. The outdoor component of the program at Echo Lake is vast, impressive and exhibited in our everyday life at camp. From the beautiful setting that we get to call home, to fantastic campfires lead by Laurie Rinke, to key activities, there is something memorable for every camper to experience with our Outdoor Adventures.
Our Trek Program was one of the first of its kind when it started, and continues to be one of the most popular programs at camp. Campers have the opportunity to go on day trips in areas such as biking, caving, climbing, hiking and kayaking.
Trek offers terrific programming options including: nature walks down to the Hudson River, gardening, orienteering, fire building and Bioquest. All of our Main Village Groups have overnights down at Trek. At the end of each summer, Trek runs overnight trips that serve as awesome culminating events for campers who have spent a lot of time there over the summer.
Another tremendous component of our outdoor program is “Jason’s Jungle,” which is what we call our ropes course. We were one of the first camps in the entire country to have our very own ropes course when we introduced it in the early 80s. We have 10-12 high elements operating during the summer, as well as a large collection of low elements, and of course, our very own zipline! The jungle is a great place for groups to work together as a team, and also for individual campers to challenge themselves with the support of their co-campers. Truly great moments happen in our Jungle! This summer, we are excited to unveil “The Rock.” We know that it will create terrific (and challenging) on-camp climbing opportunities for all campers.
There is no shortage of great outdoor opportunities at Echo Lake. Our campers are encouraged to take full advantage of these opportunities to help make 2015 the best summer yet!
