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Calleva Blog

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5 Wishes for Girls at Camp

UPDATED Nov 2022 At Calleva every day, campers experience programming designed to help them realize their individual power and be able to reach their highest potential. Below are my five wishes for all the girls at camp this summer. My five wishes for girls at camp: Let loose. Unlike school, there are no ‘popular tables’ in the lunchroom.  Unlike school, it’s cool to be weird. So unleash your inner weirdo. Sing loudly, dance like a penguin, and laugh so hard you snort. Find a female role model.  Outdoor recreation is no longer a male-dominated field. Find one of the many strong, capable female outdoor leaders and get to know her. See her change a tire, carry a raft, catch a fish, and ride up the steepest hill. Get dirty. I mean really stinky. And better yet, don’t care about it. Appreciate your body for what it can do.  Our bodies…

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more adventures & updates…

Unlocking the River in the new Jackson Antix 3 

The Jackson Antix 3 medium is a fantastic new half slice. It builds upon the high level of performance shown by the previous iterations of the Antix. This boat makes the river more exciting and fun with its aggressive edges, playboat hull, spicy stern, and rockered bow. For those who are looking to put away their old family sedan and get into the latest dynamic sports car, the Antix 3 will make your half slice dreams come true and put a smile on your face time and time again! I moved the seat all the way back as soon as I got the boat, which is something I always do with half slices. If you’re gonna go to the party, you should go all in for a full night bender! The boat comes with a thick foam pad on the seat that lifts you about a half inch up. I…

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Calleva Cultivates Kindness

At Calleva, kindness is viewed as the most important leadership quality, surpassing traditional traits like confidence. Kind leaders foster trust, belonging, and psychological safety, encouraging children to take risks and grow. By demonstrating kindness in everyday interactions, staff nurture future leaders who understand that true strength lies in compassion and empathy.

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Top 5 Reasons Teachers Love Calleva Experiential Field Trips

Discover Calleva’s Outdoor School – where education meets rejuvenation! From farm-to-table to camaraderie, our programs redefine learning. Join us for a stress-free day outdoors, led by expert facilitators. Uncover five unique reasons why Calleva’s blend of education and adventure is a game-changer. It’s your time for a break – load up the bus and explore nature’s classroom!

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Cheat Training 2021: Year of Perpetual Stoke

Happy New Year! The greatest season of the year is upon us! On Monday January 4th 6:00pm we will have our Cheat Training registration live! In 2020 Covid forced us to make changes to the program  and some of those changes have carried over into 2021. Our goal with these changes is that we will stay Covid compliant given the regulations we had to adhere to last spring. Please read thoroughly so that you understand fully what we will be doing this year. When it is cold and snow is blowing up your eyelids in the Cheat Canyon please follow this outline. Guide to Perpetual stoke: Be Stoked Be Stoked because you are stoked in an endless feedback cycle. Realize that you control how much stoke you derive from any external input, so get really stoked in the future. Get stoked knowing you’ll be stoked in the future. In a…

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The Value of a Gap Year with Calleva

Many of our Calleva alumni started their adult life with a Calleva-style “gap” experience. Whether they were with Calleva after college or at some point during their college experience (or all of the above!), these bright individuals will tell you that Calleva was a hugely influential in their earlly adult life. Our alumni have gone on to build careers in outdoor education, the health care professions, sales, finance, or engineering, and many say their Calleva experience helped prepare them for success. Dave “Brokeback” Harding … Calleva Director I started my journey with Calleva back in 2007 and have spent my time here in an unending evolution, building new skills and facing fun new challenges every year. My initial Calleva Gap Year turned into a career of its own, giving me the opportunity to grow and develop into the person I am today. From basic construction to outdoor guiding to staff…

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Farmnado

“We are not in Kansas anymore” at least that is what I told my mid-western wife when I brought her to Maryland! Normally it is not hard to get motivated to go into work on Friday mornings because we all go skiing every afternoon with the Calleva Snow Club, but last Friday was a bit different. At 7:45, a tornado touched down on the Calleva Farm landing in the woods behind our amazing kitchen that brings you the Dirty Dinners and then cutting across fields to our Indoor Riding Arena where our CHAPS (calleva horse adventure programs) calls home. For 15 minutes, this 95+MPH winds took down 100+ trees, numerous horse sheds, lighthouse, bleachers, windmill, the Enchanted Forest and whatever happened to be in in the path of a decapitated or uprooted tree! Several of these structures were built by students that came to the farm for a senior project…

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At Calleva, Everyone has a Good Time

Calleva staff are passionate about the outdoors & committed to fostering a love of the outdoors for our campers. This summer, we’ll be giving you snapshots of our 2019 camp leadership team so that you can get a feel for the stellar team we’ve got leading your kids for the season.   Pod leader: AKA “Staff Chief” – a veteran Calleva staff that helps manage a group of counselors, helping with day-to-day camp leadership, including questions or concerns Instructor: Experienced facilitator for one specific activity who teaches that activity all week (i.e. rafting, mountain biking, kayaking, climbing, etc.) Director: Leads one section of camp (Cubs, EXP, EXPX, Adventure Camp, etc.), responsible for managing instructors, activities, logistics, and other matters. This week’s featured staff: Alice Cook, Horseback Riding Instructor Where are you from? Gaithersburg, MD (although I go to school in Grinnell, Iowa) What area of camp you are involved in? Horseback Riding…

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Island Day Camp = Freedom to be a Kid

Calleva staff are passionate about the outdoors & committed to fostering a love of the outdoors for our campers. This summer, we’ll be giving you snapshots of our 2019 camp leadership team so that you can get a feel for the stellar team we’ve got leading your kids for the season.   Pod leader: AKA “Staff Chief” – a veteran Calleva staff that helps manage a group of counselors, helping with day-to-day camp leadership, including questions or concerns Instructor: Experienced facilitator for one specific activity who teaches that activity all week (i.e. rafting, mountain biking, kayaking, climbing, etc.) Director: Leads one section of camp (Cubs, EXP, EXPX, Adventure Camp, etc.), responsible for managing instructors, activities, logistics, and other matters. Today’s Featured Staff:  Elie Katz, Director, Island Day Camp Where are you from?  I was born in Florida but I’ve grown up lived most of my life in Rockville, MD. (With short stints…

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EXP — LOR — ERS — the BEST!

Baldy (a.k.a Andrew Pratt), our illustrious Explorers Director, shares his perspective on what it takes to make Calleva’s Explorers program the best way to introduce younger kids to adventuring in the outdoors. It will be hard for some people to believe, but I started with Calleva in the late 1990s – yes, I am THAT OLD. Now entering my 15th year as the director of Explorers (and as father to three little people), I can honestly say that I love working with Calleva’s youngest campers! When I came back to Calleva after college in 2005, we initiated Explorers with the goal of meeting the short attention span of a typical 6-9 year old. We already knew that since most younger kids have not yet begun to identify what kinds of play they don’t love, most of them are open to try a little bit of everything if they can count…

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What Is LIT All About?

What Is LIT All About? We’ve designed the Leaders in Training (LIT) course specifically for teens, ages 13-16. The purpose of the LIT is to help teenagers build their self-confidence and resilience! We do this by sharing with them positive/empowerment psychology principles and tools so they can start taking charge of their beliefs and thoughts. We do this in an outdoor nature environment that is fast-paced and experiential… and exciting and fun. Teens are guided to become aware of their fears and limiting beliefs and then negotiate challenges to push through them. All of this is done in a supportive, safe, and encouraging environment.  Calleva’s commitment to leading teens to become their best selves is why I’m here. After a long career in the Army, and years of studying the science of the mind,  I’ve been directing Calleva’s LIT program for the past 16 years. This summer we will have…

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Calleva Farm Store Sneak Peek

Last week we had the incredible opportunity of opening the doors of our new office and farm store to the public during our Farm Store Sneak Peek! Thank you so much to everyone that came out to show your support, as well as supporting the Manna Food Center with your donations. We had the authors of the Bread & Beauty cookbook onsite signing copies of their amazing book, as well as Waredaca Brewing Company and Rocklands Farm Winery serving up some drinks from behind the bar. We’ll officially be opening the doors to our store on May 7th, so make sure to come by and visit and pick up some local honey, farm fresh produce, hand dipped candles, and more! Until then, enjoy these wonderful photos from the talented Chris Knowles Photography.

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Bring Your Boof To Mexico

It would go down as an epic trip in Valles. How can one begin the day by disappearing behind an 80 ft. high curtain of falling water, and then a little later drop over an unsee-able ledge, hoping only that you choose the right spot to land on the water disappearing below?The next day you get to scout a rapid with a hole called NEMO, and if you miss boofing off the edge of that hole you get forcibly back-endered and shoved momentarily underwater. And then you get to fly high off ILLUMINOSO, a 24 ft. falls, landing into the boiling, churning chaos of water if you miss your aim even by just a little bit.Another day, you spend your entire time on the totally untrammelled GALLINAS river, with nothing around but mountains and no end to curves and drops until a misty cloud warns you to take out before…

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Spring Happenings at Calleva

Are you dreaming of summer?  I know I am. I love winter, but by mid-March I am ready for some warmer weather & sunshine. If this is you too, I’ve got some great news:  Spring has Sprung at Calleva!! There is literally something for everyone at Calleva this Spring. Our Liquid Adventures Kayaking School (LAKS) office at Riley’s Lock is getting a facelift as the team prepares for spring paddling classes & excursions. “The Lab,” our main office on Fisher Avenue in downtown Poolesville, is bustling with activity around spring paddling, equestrian, and Farm & Forest school registrations PLUS a full schedule of farm workshops. The brand new Calleva Farm Store opens soon in Poolesville! We’re hosting a “Sneak Peek” Happy Hour on March 29 where you can meet the authors of Bread & Beauty, a cookbook that features stories from the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve and support Manna Food…

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The Gift of Calleva

I first came to Calleva in 2007 as a person who had never before experienced camp. An educator by profession, it was incredible to enter an organization where people with little or no formal (university) training in education could do such an incredible job connecting with kids and creating a dynamic learning environment. I couldn’t believe I’d found a place where everyone was invested in kids building confidence and skills in the outdoors.  To me, Calleva was a kind of miraculous place.  My first three weeks with Calleva gave me a glimpse of everything I would come to love: Week 1 on Adventure Island was like going back to childhood. It re-ignited that sense of freedom in nature and fun with friends that generates a sense of wonder and possibility. Week 2 was my first High Adventure, and I absolutely loved being in the wilderness for five days straight. The…

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Council – My Favorite Part Of Camp

Council. It begins and ends each day of camp. It’s what brings us all together, and it’s where the most shenanigans ensue. Also it is my favorite part of camp. Every single morning of camp, we make the most of being outside and try to get nice and dirty to start our day off right, whether that means having gross eating competitions, obscure obstacles courses, or general tomfoolery. Afternoon council is a great time for stories, songs to help debrief of the day and set the tone for tomorrow. No matter what, council gets all campers, from across activities, involved and excited for the day ahead. Join me for a visual excursion through councils past! Our “pre-council-council” often gets all of our campers running around while we wait for of the buses to arrive. Full court press rock, paper, scissors gets everyone’s blood flowing for an awesome day of camp.  CalleVA…

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Sendy Sunday In Mexico – Risk vs. Reward

I arrived to Aventurec late Friday night with a crew of hard charging boys from D.C. and Texas. We were ready to send some of the best whitewater in the Americas. Saturday started off with the 12th Alseseca Race. The race was full of good lines, competitive spirits, and ended with a beautiful ceremony in the Centro of Tlapacoyan, my Mexico home. When I went to bed Saturday night I was not expecting to participate in what would be called Sendy Sunday.  The day started out taking the Markoff family down my favorite section of river known as the Big Banana. I have been wanting to get these crew there since I had first ran it, and was stoked it was finally happening.  It starts off with a 20-minute carry down a steep “road” and through a cow field with some big bulls. The cow field leads to the first…

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Find Your Leader Within With LIT

When I was in the eighth grade, I was like most middle schoolers: angsty, tired, and annoyed with anything that presented itself as a challenge. However, this dull version of myself had a wake-up call in the summer of 2015.  My mom had decided to surprise me by signing me up for LIT, Calleva’s “leaders in training” program. At first, I was against the idea, but this viewpoint changed after one short week. LIT was definitely one of the hardest adventures of my life, but it was also a chance I will never regret taking. The first few days of LIT were nothing short of interesting. I was surrounded by strangers, but we all were looking for the same thing; we were looking for peace within ourselves. The counselors and campers alike shared their insecurities, fears, and memories. Never in my life had I felt so connected to such a…

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GearBags for DirtBags

“Oh NO, my kids have an overnight tomorrow, where is our camping gear!?!” Whatever the season, I know I am not alone. Every week I see campers showing up with gear that still have the tags on it, and I feel for those parents like me that have procrastinated and will pay the price! Oh the joys of raising kids…. Two weeks ago ski season started and the mad scurry to find gloves, make sure the helmets fit, and looking and calling friends with kids that may or may not have outgrown skis or any other gear. Regardless of what I could piecemeal together, a trip to REI, Sun & Ski, & LL Bean and hundreds of dollars later… we were finally ready to ski! Here I am entrenched in multiple outdoor activities for my kids and I still seem to wait until the last minute to get their gear…

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5 Wishes for Girls at Camp

UPDATED Nov 2022 At Calleva every day, campers experience programming designed to help them realize their individual power and be able to reach their highest potential. Below are my five wishes for all the girls at camp this summer. My five wishes for girls at camp: Let loose. Unlike school, there are no ‘popular tables’ in the lunchroom.  Unlike school, it’s cool to be weird. So unleash your inner weirdo. Sing loudly, dance like a penguin, and laugh so hard you snort. Find a female role model.  Outdoor recreation is no longer a male-dominated field. Find one of the many strong, capable female outdoor leaders and get to know her. See her change a tire, carry a raft, catch a fish, and ride up the steepest hill. Get dirty. I mean really stinky. And better yet, don’t care about it. Appreciate your body for what it can do.  Our bodies…

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CalleVA’s First Summer

Last summer Calleva had the opportunity to start something new. With a small team of experienced staff and some amazing campers we embarked on our first year of Calleva Virginia! Going into the summer we were already incredibly excited about the program. With 300+ acres of riverfront property with a challenge course, natural rock faces for climbing, easy access to whitewater, and a beautiful pond with cliff jumping, what else could we ask for?! What we didn’t know is how much our new campers and staff would help our program evolve over our first 10 weeks.  Here are a few highlights from CalleVA’s first summer! Highlight #1: CalleVA gets its own song! I love camp songs, from Princess Pat to the Milk Song, I’m all about being as loud and out of tune as possible. As a new camp in a new location, we needed a song of our own!…

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Winter on the Calleva Farm

It’s winter time around Calleva, which means a little peace and quiet after our Spring/Fall school programs and busy Summer Camp season. Even though we might be trying to take our long winters nap, things on the farm are still busy as ever! While we celebrate the holidays, folks are still out to care for the animals and working on projects to get ready for our 2019 season. I am reminded of years ago when my wife and I cared for the horses around the Calleva farm. On Christmas morning before the stockings were opened, or gifts unwrapped, we headed out across the snowy fields to make sure everyone got their Christmas breakfast. Even my mother and brother joined in with the chores. The horses, cows, and other animals don’t take a day off, so neither did we. While this Christmas I got the sleep in and didn’t have to…

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Environmental Programs at Calleva

REPOST 1/19/23 — I don’t remember much of anything about third grade.  I don’t remember what I learned in math, nor do I remember the topic of a single classroom project. Heck, I don’t even remember my teacher’s name. But what I DO remember was the day I received my pet caterpillar.  I remember designing a complete personality and backstory for him, and adoringly naming him “Plumpy”.  I remember staring at Plumpy’s small jar which sat on the windowsill of the classroom, watching in amazement as Plumpy hung upside down and spun himself a silky cocoon.  I remember a week later when our class walked to a nearby park and simultaneously released our metamorphosed butterflies into the world (at this point, I realized that the name I had given my chubby caterpillar was no longer appropriate).  I remember exactly where I was standing as I watched my butterfly float into…

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Celebrating the Holidays in Poolesville

We are so glad that Poolesville is our home town! The annual holiday lighting ceremony definitely brings out the best in us, and Calleva was so glad to join the party on Friday night, providing wagon rides for the 5th year in a row. This year, we also got to show off our new office space on Fisher Avenue. So many friends – new and old — came out in force, to welcome us to the neighborhood and enjoy hot cocoa, cookies, and warm conversation. We loved hearing peoples’ memories about growing up in Poolesville and the many stories about the history of our building. It’s amazing how this town has changed over the years while still holding on to the best of small town life. It’s good to be settling in to this warm community. ~ Julie Clendenin 

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Virginia Bound!

Virginia Bound By Duncan Olsen Calleva. Is. Coming. To. VIRGINIA!!!! Let those words sink in for a bit. No, this isn’t a prank concocted by Calleva’s loyal Virginia staff and campers (although that would have been awesome). It’s a great new opportunity for Calleva to share our love for outdoor adventure with a whole new community. Our new location “Calleva Virginia” (Or CalleVA for those in the know) resides on the beautiful Madeira School campus in Great Falls, VA. With this new space, comes our new summer camp for 8-14 year olds called “Potomac Adventures”. With Potomac Adventures, our goal is to mix the best adventures, with the best staff, in order to create the best summer memories. The Best Adventures Imagine being able to whitewater raft, rock climb, stand up paddleboard, zip-line, canoe, and orienteer all in one week! In Potomac Adventures, that’s our goal. Our new 250+ acre,…

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The Countdown Begins…

On January 17th Calleva will be opening registration for our 25th season… I can’t believe we are that old! That’s why I am including some photos of the early years: Open House, Staff Meetings, and early council shenanigans.  It seems like only yesterday we were stuffing envelopes in our parents basement; relabeling incorrect information, and calling everyone we knew to get the word out about “Calleva”.  These last 25 years serving campers and creating unique adventures has really set the course for us. Camp is were our hearts are. It is this enthusiasm that we carry into our School Programs, our Farm to Table Dinners, our Kayaking Classes, and yes even our Haunted Forest. It is that Camp spirit that has been so contagious all of these years, and has filled our camps. With all the pressures of making sure the correct information is up, there is also a great sense…

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What Is Cheat Training?

What Is Cheat Training By Steven “Steveo” Mckone Often, I get asked the question of “What is Cheat Training?”, and most of the time I just stare blankly while pondering what it really is. The short answer is that Cheat Training is a program designed to get you in shape for paddling the Cheat Canyon Race the first weekend of May, but it is so much more than that. When folks sign up, I am not sure they truly understand what they are getting themselves into. It will snow, and we will paddle. While this sounds miserable, it is, but you are miserable with 40 of your friends out there. We take the saying “misery enjoys company” to a different level. The truth is that it really isn’t that bad. It’s endearing, really. You push yourself to a different place and come out the other side stronger and more confident. Those…

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Changing of the Season

It’s that time of year again —-  back-to-school advertisements, anxious kids picking out their first-day-of-school outfit, teachers reporting to work to start setting up their classrooms… it’s the time of year when summer camps all over the country say ‘goodbye’ to their campers and wind down for the season. But not Calleva!  Instead of winding down, we are gearing up for what will surely be another amazing fall season.  Throughout September and October, we will work with over 50 schools and organizations throughout the DC area to provide an outdoor education experience that will help students create and foster relationships, build strong teams, and have fun outdoors! We’ll have a 2nd grade class learn about sustainable farming, interact with our farm animals, and pick their own vegetables to take home.  We’ll take a sophmore class out whitewater rafting– and learn firsthand how important teamwork is.  We’ll have a group of…

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Enjoying the Eclipse

On Monday, August 21st, camp will go on as usual, and each group may have the ability to view the solar eclipse during their normal camp day. We would like all campers and families to know that we are excited for this opportunity and taking the necessary precautions to provide a safe and memorable day. At our staff meeting this Friday, all Calleva staff will be briefed about the precautions to take while viewing the eclipse, and they will be reminded of these precautions on Monday morning. We encourage all guardians and parents of campers to review precautions with their children before sending them to camp on Monday. For helpful reminders that increase the knowledge and safety in preparation for the eclipse, please visit the NASA website. Calleva will be providing a few eclipse glasses to each group, but we suggest you send your camper(s) with solar eclipse glasses of their…

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