We
hope this page contains the answers to any other questions
that you may have. If not though, feel free to call us
toll free, 1(800)688-5789 or e-mail
us. We're here all year round getting ready for
next summer and would love to hear from you.
We
eat family style in the dining room. Usually, you eat with
your counselor and other campers in your cabin. We think
the variety of our menu is great. There's a salad bar at
lunch and dinner, and vegetarian options are available at
every meal. Fresh fruit is put out for snacking between meals.
If you have a birthday at camp, you'll get a cake!
.....Incidentally,
we cannot allow campers to keep any form of food (including
candy and gum) among their belongings. After meals there
are announcements about upcoming activities. After breakfast,
we go into the assembly room, for some music and announcements.

Mondamin
has consistently held a grade "A" rating from the North Carolina
State Board of Health. We have an infirmary on camp premises
with two registered nurses in residence; a doctor in residence
serves both Mondamin and our sister camp, Green Cove. There
is a hospital six miles away. Regular health checks are made
daily (showers, brushed teeth, etc.); parents receive weekly
letters from counselors and a telephone call in case of any
unusual problems.

In
each camp, there is an attempt to quietly foster a spiritual
atmosphere, and to encourage time for thought and reflection.
We have a simple, non-denominational service at camp on Sunday
mornings, which emphasizes ethics, morals, and friendship,
rather than formalized religion. It includes nothing ritualistic
or intrusive. Catholic campers may attend mass nearby.
Campfire
on Sunday evenings, pictured here, is also a time for thought
and reflection. We sing songs and tell stories... kids
report on trips they took the previous week, often inspiring
others to follow in their footsteps.

The
majority of parents prefer to drive their children to camp,
but as many as a third to a half of our campers come on commercial
flights. Here are a few tips.
For
those that choose to drive, we are about three hours northeast
of Atlanta, GA, two hours west of Charlotte, NC, seven hours
east of Nashville, TN, and eight hours southwest of Washington,
DC. There are some beautiful places to visit in the mountains
of North Carolina which may be an added incentive to making
the drive. Just call us for Information on where to stay
and what to do.
If
you are comfortable with your son flying here, we do a couple
things to make this a little easier for you. First, we have
a staff member and a driver meet all campers coming into
our two nearest airports at the gate. These airports are
Greenville / Spartanburg, South Carolina (GSP) and Asheville,
North Carolina (AVL). Asheville is a bit closer to us, but
either is fine. Second, U.S. Airways usually offers us a
5% to 15% discount (depending on the fare type) for camp
participants. Call us for details about this.

As
you may have noticed in the program section of this website,
we enjoy many outdoor activities here at camp, which of course
means exposure to the weather. Bringing the appropriate things
(and leaving the inappropriate things at home) is extremely
important to having a good experience.
All
specialty equipment needed for activities (such as lifejackets
for kayaking) is provided by camp, as is community camping
gear. Campers will need to bring comfortable and durable
clothing, a few personal items, and some basic personal equipment
for camping. We don't expect you to spend a lot of money
on elaborate gear, but there are a few items that one simply
cannot do without in the woods. Backpacks are available to
rent for the summer. You can download a detailed list of
the items that we recommend by clicking
here.

Visiting
is best done Sunday. We ask that campers not leave camp with
friends, relatives, etc. more than once during June Camp,
or twice during Main Camp, and not overnight. We host a "Father-Son" and
a "Mother-Daughter" backpacking trip at the end of each session.
Parents
who cannot visit may wish to telephone their camper. We ask
that you make mail (e- or snail-) your primary means of communication,
but a call in place of a visit works for us (maximum two
calls per session). We have found that phone calls can be
upsetting for a homesick child though… Please read
the page concerning homesickness.
Letters from home which reassure and give confidence are
wonderful.

A
good camping experience is very definitely a community experience.
We therefore do not break our camping sessions into shorter
periods. Cutting a term into two halves, neither of which
is complete, is a system we tried and abandoned years ago.
We have seen that a child who comes to camp or has to leave
camp half way through a session experiences a disruption
of skill progress, social continuity, and community stability
that is unacceptable. This scenario is especially disruptive
to the campers who stay, seeing their friends and cabin-mates
leave.
Occasionally,
a camper may be allowed to miss a few of days of camp in
the beginning or the end of a session, because of school
or an important family event. We would much prefer it if
this situation could be avoided, but if such would be the
case, please talk with us about this ahead of time. |