The Switchback Trail consists of two nine-mile routes that intersect. With its hard-packed dirt surface, the down track is the easier southern route. This track takes you along Mauch Chunk Lake, through forests and at Mile 7 it ends abruptly on Lentz road. Cross the road, heading downhill toward Jim Thorpe and continue past the power plant entrance (just go around the gated drive), and pick up the trail again at the back of the power plant access road. From here you will continue on a peaceful wooded trail, riding on a bluff overlooking the community of Jim Thorpe below. The northern, back track is recommended only for mountain bikes. As this section of the trail winds down just outside of Jim Thorpe you’ll discover an optional small loop that takes you to a scenic overview. At the trail’s end, you will encounter a knee-breaking descent on a steep, slippery rock surface where keeping your footing while holding your bike will be a challenge. We will be looking for someone whom is willing to drive a private car to this activity. Additional charge: $47 for bike, helmet and shuttle/ $20 for just shuttle (must drive your own car if bringing your own bike). Distance from camp 60 Min (9am ~ 3pm) Youtube Video of going down the Switch Back Trail
The full loop of this trail is 7.2 miles of hiking (with 1000Ft elevation gain in the 4.5 miles) to see both the upper and lower sections. To see most of the waterfalls, a 3.2-mile loop can be taken by going on Highland Trail and the Glen Leigh and Ganoga Glen sides of the trail. The trails follow along 21 beautiful waterfalls ranging in heights from 11 feet to 94 feet. The scenery is well worth the effort, however, the terrain is rocky, can be slippery, and descends steeply on both the Ganoga and Glen Leigh sides. Hikers should take extra precautions with trail conditions, wear proper footwear, stay on the trail, and be in good physical condition. This activity will have an early departure time due to a full all day of hiking and distance from camp, highly recommend. Note: The Park is working on the dam above the falls this summer, but expects the falls to have enough water to still enjoy them. Limit of 9 people. Distance from camp 90 Min. (8am ~6pm)
Pics of Scouting Trip
This moderate hike has mild changes in elevation along a woods road, then a gravel road and then on a trail around a lake to a recreation area. You’ll be dropped off at the unassuming trail head on route 196 and follow a rocky woods trail (Yellow Trail). Be prepared to ‘rock hop’ and cross a few minor wet areas. You’ll turn onto a gravel path (Range Trail) for about a mile and then take the Lakeside Trail (flat path) around Tobyhanna Lake to its recreation area. There you can enjoy swimming, boating and a concession stand, as time permits, before the bus takes you back to camp. The Yellow Trail has rocks and is uneven. Good hiking boots are recommended for a pleasant and safe hike. The entire hike is about 9 miles. Distance from camp 20 Min (10:00am ~ 4:30 pm)
Located in Lackawanna County, the Dick & Nancy Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain provides sweeping views of Pennsylvania’s northeastern corner and represents one of the best locations in the northeastern U.S. for ridge-top heath barrens. Contrary to its name, the Moosic Mountain “barrens” comprise a healthy mosaic of stunted pine and oak forest dominated by huckleberry, blueberry, rhodora and other low-lying shrubs that attract a broad array of birds, butterflies and moths — including the globally rare sallow moth and barrens buck moth. You’ll see sweeping mountaintop views from one of the best and largest ridge-top heath barrens in Pennsylvania. Scrub oak and pitch pine forest. Globally rare sallow moth and barrens buck moth. Breeding birds that include prairie warbler, black-and-white warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, hermit thrush, northern harrier and broad-winged hawk. At around 4 ½ miles dip your feet in to a lake to cool off while taking a lunch break. This will be a 7 mile hike with 1150 Ft. Elevation gain overall. Distance from camp 25 Min (8:30am ~4:00pm)
If you came to the Poconos looking for a site to take postcard photos, Tobyhanna State Park should be at the top of your list. In fact, a few areas along the first 0.5 mile of this trail are as strikingly beautiful-with bushes and trees in the forefront and the lake as a backdrop-they appear to be landscaped. They're not.
Tobyhanna State Park on PA 423 outside the town of Tobyhanna is the site of this hike. The Lakeside Trail is a hardened path for hiking and bicycling in summer, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in winter. It circles Tobyhanna Lake, formed by the damming of Tobyhanna Creek. This 5 ½ mile hike is on a very easy trail to hike, and you can look around to see things; you don't have to keep looking at the ground, as you do on most trails. It has gentle rolling hills with very little elevation gain which passes through a magnificent forest of pine plantations and rhododendron patches as it loops around one of the prettiest lakes in the Poconos. Distance from camp 18 Min (10:00am ~ 3pm)
First stop on our adventure is to delve into the exquisite crystal at the Dorflinger Glass museum. This museum is home to the nation’s largest collection of brilliant Dorflinger glass crystal. It has almost 1,000 pieces of cut, engraved, etched, gilded and enameled crystal. Dorflinger glass was so highly desirable it graced the tables at the White House for several different presidents. This tour will take about 1 hour.
After the tour we will be looking for critters while exploring the miles of tranquil paths of the nearly 600 acre grounds of the Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary has preserved the natural beauty and wildlife of northeastern Pennsylvania.
Finally, sit back and take it easy while cruising on one of the patio lake tour boats. Enjoy a relaxing 50 minute cruise on beautiful Lake Wallenpaupack as your tour guide describes the area and the history behind this charming lake region.
To top off a perfect day, before heading back to camp, we will stop for Ice Cream and Wine Tasting.
Additional charge $35 (includes Admission to Museum, sanctuary, and Boat Tour.) The wine Tasting is 3 free samples then $1 for as many more as there is time and desire to taste. Ice cream is your own cost.
Total ROUND trip drive time 120 Min. (8:30am ~ 4:30pm)
Dorflinger Glass Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary Wallenpaupack Scenic Boat Tour Antler Ridge Winery
Steam locomotives excited the senses and Steamtown works to keep their stories alive!
You'd feel heat from the firebox, smell hot steam and oil; you'd hear the whistle, feel the ground vibrate, and watch as one-ton drive rods turned steel wheels. Remember the sound of "chuff-chuff" from the smokestack? Today, you can learn the history of steam railroad transportation, and the people who built, repaired and rode, as we work to preserve a special era in America's industrial history!
Steamtown National Historical Site is an industrial heritage site dedicated to the role that steam railroad transportation - and the people who made it happen - played within the Industrial Revolution.
Steamtown National Historic Site plans to host Railfest 2015 at the park on Saturday and Sunday, September 5th and 6th of Labor Day weekend. The National Park Service site works with numerous partners to present this annual end-of-summer event, which is a celebration of railroading that features visiting railroad equipment displays, special shop demonstrations and, of course, train rides on both days of the event.
$8 Additional Charge (Covers Admission to museum. Rides are extra). Distance from camp 40 Min (8:30am ~ 4:00pm)
Railfest 2015 Facebook Page
WNFP News Article of Railfest 2014
Rail Fest @ Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site. The day we will be there is their annual Rail Fest. You can see more info in the listing above. We will do a shortened tour of Steamtown and then move on to McDade Park to see other museums that Scranton, PA has to offer.
The Lackawanna Coal Mine is a museum and retired coal mine located in McDade Park in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Visitors board a mine car and descend the #190 slope into the Clark Vein of coal. At the foot of the shaft the visitors begin an hour-long guided tour through the main gangway of the mine and stop at various points to discuss different aspects of the anthracite mining industry. Visitors then leave the Clark Vein via a rock tunnel and stop in the Dunmore #1 Vein. Once in the Dunmore #1, transportation and mining in a fault room are discussed. As the tour continues down the rock tunnel the group stops at the peg shanty to meet the fire boss and discuss his role in mining operations. The tour then continues on to the Dunmore #2 Vein and discusses working in small veins of coal, air doors and their role in ventilation, door boys or nippers, second means of exit from the mine and company store. The tour concludes where the miners ended their final days within the mine in November 1966. Note: Temperatures within the mine are around a constant of 50-54 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum preserves the heritage of anthracite coal mining in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania and is located in McDade Park in Scranton. The museum is part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It features exhibits detailing the industrial history of northeastern Pennsylvania. The museum was featured on The Office episode "The Merger" in Michael and Dwight's parody of Lazy Sunday. See more info at Museum Website
$28 Additional charge. Distance from camp 45 Min (8:30am ~4:00pm)
9:30 - 11:30 Join us in the wooded lakeside Amphitheater for Sabbath morning services at camp. Included. [Beith Tefillah]
8:00am ~ 9:30am: Early Morning Spiritual Walk
Take a spiritual walk within camp with Gabe Goldman. This will be a one to two mile walk along camp trails that goes thru the woods crossing over a stream twice along the way. You will pass by waterfalls, moss and a lean-to. Gabe will take you back to nature with talk of the spirits. [Steps outside side of bath house of Eco-Village] 1:00pm ~ 2:30pm: Fox Walking - Awareness Skills
Gabe Goldman will show how to connect with nature by fox walking while exploring areas in and around camp. This is an ancient way to walk silently while greatly increasing personal awareness of what is around. Participants will learn this skill and play a variety of games as a way of perfecting it. [Gazebo by Front Cabins near Office]
3:30pm ~5:00pm: Making Nature Your Meditation Partner
Everyone meditates. Meditation is whatever process makes it possible to settle our minds, quiet the noise inside of us and bring balance among our intellectual, emotional and spiritual energies. Nature is the perfect meditation partner, able to soothe frazzled nerves, still fears, open hearts and souls. This hand-on session will be a lot of fun and filled with things you'll be able to do on your own when you return home. Learn how to find your "soul worm" -- feel the Earth's heartbeat -- find your Tree of Life -- and more. Absolutely no formal training in mediation is required. [Beith Tefillah]
10:00 - 12:00 The Art of Herbal Infusion. Herbs, flowers, leaves, root and bark were the first pharmaceuticals know to humankind. In this class we will learn to make herbal infusions with water and oil, using a variety of plant materials. Tea is one of the best ways of taking herbal medicines. This class will teach you the basics of herbal teas and we will focus on 4 tonifying teas: nettles, oat straw, dandelion and red clover. $10 Additional Charge [Crafts room on the side of Ulam]
1:30 - 3:30 The Art of the Herbal Tincture. Like the class above we will learn the basics of making and using tinctures to preserve the medicinal qualities of herbs. Alcohol and vinegar are great mediums for tincturing herbs. Not only do they best extract the medicinal constituents of the herbs, they are a superior way to preserve as well as administer herbal remedies. We will try to harvest some herbs locally growing (if possible) $10 Additional Charge [Crafts room on the side of Ulam]
Both classes lead by Elana Fine who has been studying nature, wild edible and herbal medicinals since 1997. At the heart of it, she loves to teach and share her knowledge about nature. Click here to check out her extensive background in this area.
5pm - 6pm To Catch a Thief
What does an odd tale about a newspaper thief have to do with revenge, rebuke, and forgiveness? Come and find out! Join Ellen Flax in a participatory study session that will help you ready for the upcoming High Holidays. Ellen Flax enjoys sharing her love of Jewish texts with others, and regularly teaches at Limmud conferences both here in the United States and in the U.K. At home in NYC she directs a Jewish women's foundation that supports programs in the United States and in Israel.
Note: While we are planning to offer High Ropes it is dependent on the camp finding the correct staffing of these activities. At this time they have not done so, but expect to have an answer by end of June.
9am -10:30am Climbing Wall: Try your strength on a 40 foot climbing wall. Like Moses, you will climb this mountain, and you will do it alone. As you climb up, you will be able to look down and see the mixed multitudes of your people standing at the foot of Sinai, watching you ascend. When you reach the top of the mountain, you will make a joyful noise, and ring the 5 cowbells on your side of the mountain (there are 10 bells on the top of Sinai, for the 10 commandments that Moses received).
11am – 12:30pm Jacob’s Ladder (Giant’s Ladder): On this element, you and your hevruta, your partner, will rely on each other to get up this ladder together. Your objective is to climb to top rung at 35 feet above the ground. There are four rungs space at varying heights from three feet to six feet apart. Think about Jacob and Esau’s sibling rivalry, and strive to be able to work together better than they did.
1:30pm – 3:00pm High Ropes with four Elements (Jungle Walk, Catwalk, Floppy Two Line & Horizontal Ladder all about 50 feet in the air:
Tzitzit (Jungle Walk): On this element, you will climb the tree, and step onto the cable. You will use the ropes to help you cross to the other side. Who can tell me why we call this element tzitzit? (“Because there are strings on it like on the tallit!”) In the same way, those white ropes hanging from the wire will remind you of your own safety and security, and the role you play in this endeavor.
Etz Hayyim Hi (Catwalk): In the Torah service, we say etz hayyim hi, “it is a tree of life.” There are etzim, the wooden rods we roll the Torah on. This etz, like a living tree, bends in the wind (or, really, swings). Like the ones that the Torah scroll is wrapped around, it provides support for a way of life.
Bar’chu (Floppy 2 Line): On this element, you will walk across the cable while holding on to the rope at your waist/chest. Sounds simple, right? But, wait! As you walk out, the rope will be looser, and you’ll start to lean one way or the other. You’ll need to trust your belay team and equipment to get across.
Gesher Tzar Me’od (Horizontal Ladder): Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (famous Hasidic rabbi in 18th century Ukraine) said “The whole world is a very narrow bridge, and the key is not to be afraid.” When you step onto that bridge, it’s going to wobble, and you’re going to be afraid of losing your balance. But knowing that it’s safe, and that you are being protected by your belay team, you will conquer your fear and cross safely to the other side.
3:30pm – 5:00pm Nachshon (Zipline) - SOLD OUT: After climbing to the zipping platform and getting clipped into the zipline, you’ll take a leap of faith, pass 200ft over the camp's lake, and make it safely to the other side. And you won’t even have to get your feet wet. You are harnessed in the entire time. At the bottom of the zip line a staff member will catch you (you will have a rope tail dangling behind you). There is a staircase that the zipper will climb up and the staff member will assist the zipper in getting off the line.
The waterfront will be open all day today for boating of all types (canoeing, paddle-boats and Sit on top Kayaks)
We will schedule times to play Volleyball in the sand, Tennis or Softball. Bring your gloves or rackets.
The pool will be open all day today for swimming, sunbathing, and just hanging out with a good book.