The Cliffs at Kispiox River

'Kispiox' means "the hiding place" and is a "first Nations", the Canadian term for Native American, word. It was used as a retreat for a warring tribe to regroup. It is a great place to hide and an easy place to get lost.

After waking up and showering Thursday morning, we went down to the camping area and set up tents. The boys will be sleeping outside for the rest of our time with Kyle and I alternating betyween the luxurious lodge and the dirt, bugs and nylon accomodations of the tents.And let me tell yoiu about bugs! They are everywhere, very are aggressive and they will eat you! I am convinced that the staff buys bug spray by the case. Mosquitos are constant even in the middle of the day.

After preparing breakfast over a wood fire, Sue, Gene and Joy's daughter, spent some time teaching the boys about setting up camp, poisonous plants, bear safety, and basic first aid. I am convinced that the women in Kispiox are the toughest around. The whole facility is run by Gene and Joy, with three of their grown children and family working here.

After a few minutes to pull ourselves together, we set off on a mile long hike upriver to a log jam. Aftyer leaving the confines of the facilities, we quickly found evidence of just how close the bears are. Less than 100 yards outside the gate, we began finding bear droppings along the trail, At the end of the hike upriver we came across the log jam. Tree-jam would be a more appropriate description. There were massive cottonwood trees along the path joined by aspen, fir, and pines. Those that had fallen into the river from upstream had piled up on a small island. The jam had grown to be about 15 feet tall and about 45 -60 feet wide. The trees were old and rotting, but still pla
plenty strong enough for us to climb on. After taking a few pictures, some of the boys and Sue braved the water to do some wading. The water is pure glacier water. There is no industry or cities north of our location to produce pollutants. The water is pure and COLD, about 45 degrees!

After hiking back to camp, we spent some time around the horse corral. Horses seem to be a vital part of life in Kispiox. Many of the people we talked to participated in some sort of rodeo events. Gene raises bucking horses for the rodeo. He contracts with major events around North America including the Calgary Stampede and the Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. There are a dozen or so horses and a stable near wher we are camping. After just a few minutes down by the horses, several of the boys ended up going for a brief ride.

At 5:00, we all gathered around the corral to watch Logan do some "horse whispering". He backed up the horse trailer to the corral to allow a 3 year old mare to emerge into the corral. The 1500 pound horse had been living in a herd in the mountains and had never been touched or ridden by people. Once in the corral, Logan worked to break the horse with his goal of getting the horse to eventually allow Logan to ride her. He began by tying an orange garbage bag to a tree limb and waving it to make noise. The horse quickly darted away from him. When the horse either looked at logan or allowed him to move closer, he would back off on the pressure. According to Gene, it is all about applyting and releasing psychological pressure on the horse. The horse must learn that the human is dominant. Logan was incredibly patient as the horse would make small increments of progress toward allowing him to approach. Eventually, Logan was able to approach and touch the horse. By the time we left, he wa riding on a saddle.

A short time later, we packed up for a swimming trip to the lake. We all piled in the van with two more of the female staff members and headed 7 miles away to Lake Elizabeth. We passed another one, but the girs said it had too many leeches! They also indicated that the water at the lake was "much warmer than the river". The boys quickly learned that warmer is a very relative term. After donning life jackets, the boys followed the Kispiox staff (one of which lives in Greer, SC for college) in jumping off the dock into the lake.. (One staff member of Glenn Springs Academy jumped in, one didn't). 65 degrees is not warm no matter what. It was getting later in the day so it was getting cool outside. The scene was beautiful as the 25 or so acre late was framed by tall aspen trees surrounding it and a huge mountain with snow covered peaks seem to grow out of nowhere in the background.

We returned to camp to make dinner. Tacos a la fireside. Dinner was good and the boys were hungry. The boys are fascinated by the Canadian lifestyle. They have a difficult time grasping that the people her are still connected to the world. They wear normal clothes, have seen most American movies and tv shows and know about most of the American music.

After writing in their journals, the boys made their way to bed. There is excitement for tomorrow as we plan to pick berries for jam, bake our own bread, maybe do some archery and who knows what else. The boys are also excited about the possibility of sleeping in the lodge again one night. There is just one catch...Joy said the boys can come in for a night if they help clean 40 salmon! I can't wait to see how that goes!

We woke up on Friday morning and made pancakes over the fire. We mixed them with bananas, a great source of energy. That should have been a clue about what was planned for the day, but I was a little slow on the uptake. After breakfast around the fire, we walked to one of the garages where we met Ally (the Chef) and our first assignment for the day, cleaning fresh salmon. As typical with anything we do, some of the boys were more into it than others. Lukie and Seth were all over it. Abram and David wanted nothing to do with fish guts... but they came around!

Ally demonstrated how to clean and filet the fish. Lukie and Seth jumped right in and pulled out their big sockeye salmon. After cutting open the belly and removing all of the nasty parts, they checked for roe (fish eggs) to use as fish bait. They then removed the head and fileted the fish. After some coercing, all of the boys took their turn cleaning and fileting a salmon. The salmon were our dinner over the campfire later that evening.

Soon after the boys finished cleaning fish guts off their arms, Gene and Joy called for us to meet with the staff and the other residents of the lodge, a family from Greenville and another lady who works for a travel agency affiliated with The Cliffs. We loaded up in the van and a pickup and headed off.

Joy described our upcoming hike as "easy". About 5 kilometers she said. Nothing in Kispiox is easy and these Americans have no concept of what a kilometer is (on this hike it traslated into 50 miles straight up I think). About 5 minutes into the trip, someone mentioned "Bowser". Bowser is a Carrillion (sp?) Bear Dog. He along with Mya, a border collie, live at the lodge and go just about everywhere with the staff. Their job is to warn of and chase away bears. They are surprisingly sweet dogs. We soon found Bowser laying in the very back of the van. Bowser was joining us on the trip.

Our first stop was at a bridge over a river. Joy parked the van at one side and directed us to walk across the single lane bridge. The bridge was made of steel and had a honeycomb type of deck on it. There wasn't any concrete so you could see right through it to the water and cliffs below; if you could see that far...The water was well over a hundred feet below. Some of the boys were a bit nervous as they walked the span with cars, trucks and RVs crossing at the same time.

After getting back in the vans we drove through one of the town. We passed what the locals refer to as "Seven Sisters". seven majestic mountain peaks in a row that rise up into the clouds. After a 30 minute drive we unloaded from the van and everybody including Bowser got into the truck. The truck bed was completely filled so I (Mike) sat on the tailgate. Mistake.

We started up the dirt road. The key word is up. It was all I could do to hold on as we went up the trail and over the rocks and ditches. I almost fell out several times. Bowser did, but he followed behind without any problem. As we got closer to the top we could hear the rush of water. Soon we had a rushing stream right next to us. There was a lot of water and it was moving very fast.

We stopped at the top of the trail to find several forestry fire control trucks. Bissie, our 19 year old camp coordinator, said her sister was a firefighter. I said before these women were tough. We got out and grabbed some water and a quick sandwich.

We started up the trail. Kyle said he didn't figure it would be too difficult. After all, we had a family with two young daughters with us and Joy said it was "easy". It was easy...if you were a world class athlete or if you live in Kispiox. The trail went up, up, up. 5 kilometers is a long way, especially if it is uphill on the side of a mountain, across waterfalls, and over rocks and boulders with swarms of flies that attacked you everytime you stopped.

The trail would go up through very dense forrest with little light showing through and emerge into a field of plants. The trails was little more than three feet wide at its widest and when going around the edge of the mountain, just wide enough to put your foot down. There was dense vegetation that you had to push your way through. Dense vegetation that included cow parsnip, the plant that Sue said if you break and get the plant juices on you if combined with sunlight could produce third degree chemical burns. And there was devil's club...the plant that has thorns like fish hooks. You have to cut them out or wait for the them to fester and work its own way out, neither sounded like a good option.

The group quickly broke apart depending on the speed you wanted to go. James, Lukie, and David were in the front pack. Chris, Seth, Bissie and I were in the middle. Kyle, Thomas, Abram and Joy were at the rear. As we navigated around the trail, I couldn't help but thinking of the hike up Table Rock. That hike was like riding the moving sidewalks at the airports compared to this. It was tough.

About midway through the hike we began passing firefighters. They were carrying axes and chainsaws. They had been working to clear the path to the top. We soon passed Bissie's sister, carrying a backpack and ax on her way back down the trail. They said it wasn't much farther. They lied.

We finally came around the side of the mountain to see the first of two glacial lakes. The large lake is formed by melting snow from the mountain peaks. The water was a bright turquoise. It sat several hundred feet below us, but Bissie promised we would come to a second lake that we could swim in. A while later we met up with the first group. They had been to the second lake and were turning back because they were concerned we weren't going to make it. We did though and they joined us in the hike to the lake.

The trail eventually ended at the second lake. The sight was breathtaking. We waded into the water. It was beautiful as you could see the lake's source, snow convered mountain peaks that surrounded the lake. There were numerous streams of water flowing down the mountainside. Thw water was cystal clear and incredibly COLD. Wading felt great on our tired feet. Bissie advised us we could drink the water, so we dipped our water bottles into the stream. I am not sure anything has ever tasted so good.

After 30 minutes or so at the lake, the final group showed up. I was incredibly proud of Thomas and Kyle. Thomas is not what people would call athletically proportioned. Kyle was in the hospital with double pneumonia a couple of months ago. Kyle said Thomas never even mentioned turning back short of the end. We took some pictures and challenged David, Chris and Seth to go for a swim. Chris waded in about knee deep becaus he had jeans on. David and Seth went in all the way. Underwater. I did some crazy things when I was a kid too.

While at the lake I confronted Joy about "easy". She said it was compared to other trails. Other trails are not as well cleared and not as wide. I explained to Joy that in the US, trails that are more narrow and less cleared than the one we were on are not called trails. They are just woods where you make your own way. She laughed at us.

The hike back was downhill, but I learned that walking consistently uphill or downhill is no fun. After about an hour of hiking with Chris Seth and Kyle we finally emerged from the trail. We figured out along the way that the orange markers on trees had numbers that indicated your distance from the trailhead in kilometers. We came out to an applause from the first group that was already back. Never in my life have my knees and calf muscles hurt so bad. It was worth it, but I don't plan on doing it again anytime soon.

We got back to the lodge about 8:30. Dinner ws just about ready so we went down to the campsite to eat fresh grilled salmon with rice and salad. It was wonderful.

As a reward for Thomas completing the hike, Joy told all the boys they could sleep in the lodge tonight. The boys were very thankful and quickly hit the showers before going to bed. We plan to go to Hyder Alaska on Saturday. Fresh Alaskan seafood and an opportunity to watch the grizzlies fish in the river for salmon awaits. As tired as I am, I am equally excited. I just hope there aren"t any "easy" trails

Bears, glaciers, eagles and a trip to Alaska were on the menu for Saturday. After a good rest and breakfast in the lodge, we loaded up the van for a trip to Hyder, Alaska, USA.

The trip was about three hours due to a bridge being out. It may have been the most beautiful 3 hour trip I have ever taken. About an hour and a half into the trip we stopped at a store, or should I say thee store because it was the only one for miles. We took our picture in front of the "North to Alaska" sign and even played the old song, "North to Alaska", albeit on an IPod.

A while later we entered into a huge mountain range and came upon our first glacier. Though we were told it wasn't as large as it once was, the ice was massive and characterized by a deep blue hue. There was water running out from under the ice that emptied into a huge lake. Words can not do it justice.

We continued on crossing from Stewart, British Columbia into Hyder, Alaska, population 64. Hyder is now a ghost town due to the loss of mining and timber industries. Think a town the size of well...I don't know of any place that small. It was made up of dirt roads and a few small tourist shops. We did stop and eat lunch at "The Bus".

The Bus is really an old school bus that houses the kitchen for the restaurant. They serve fresh Alaskan seafood and it was great. Most of the kids ate halibut and french fries and we splurged on an order of Alaskan King Crab for the group to share.

After leaving the bus, we drove to a bear viewing area. The eagle soaring in the drafts above us was a special sideshow. Within minutes of arriving we were watching huge Grizzly bears fish in the river. The onlookers stood on a platform about 5 meters (that's about 15 feet to you and I) above the river and surrounding underbrush. It was awesome to watch the big bears fish for salmon and then move onto the bank to devour their meal. We saw at least four different bears before loading up for the trip back to the lodge,

As we drove out of the area we came upon a mother Black Bear and two cubs emerging from the roadside bushes. That is the one photo that I regret not getting so far. One of the boys did snap a shot of the cubs.

After crossing back over the border, passports in hand, we returned to the lodge about 11:00 pm. We were tired from the trip and only a few of the boys wanted to eat. The boys quickly made their way to their rooms to rest up for swift water rescue training , horseback riding and maybe some fishing on Sunday.

As our time here has progressed, I have seen an interesting change in the boys. At the Academy, we are very busy, but often busy doing things that in the grand scheme of things are of no significance. This has truly been one of those "stop and smell the roses" moments. The boys, Kyle and I are still busy here, but we are busy doing things that bring great rewards that will be remembered for a lifetime.. in time we'll forget about the bugs and flies. For each day here all of us continue to be ever thankful to the two men whose generosity made this trip possible and to the various other folks who helped us overcome all of the logistical and regulatory obstacles associated with bringing the boys from the Academy to The Cliffs at Kispiox River.

We are having a blast!

Sunday began as most mornings do anywhere...a bear in the garden being chased away by the dogs. Seth and Bissy were driving around the property on the Kubota and were stopped in their tracks by the big black bear in the garden. It took only a short time before Bowser was chasing the bear up a tree.

We headed over to the horse barn for the morning. Like most things here, it was built from the natural resources surrounding the lodge. Abram, Thomas, Lukie and James were the first to ride. They spent an hour working with the horses in the morning. They had to brush them and clean their shoes. Soon after the boys climbed up on the horses. Two of the boys had a difficult time getting on, but made it with the help of a stump.

While some of the boys rode horses, the rest of us actually had some down time. We were able to hang out and play pool and cards. I was thrilled to actually be able to watch part of the NASCAR race. Satellite TV is wonderful.

After lunch, it was time to head to the river. For the first time, we met Chris, Jim and Luke. All are very experienced with the river and a great source of knowledge that helped reassure the boys. Our first step was putting on wetsuits and preparing for the big plunge into the river. Chris, a sure Hugh Jackman look-alike, demonstrated the proper technique for entering the river; we decided it closely resembled a belly flop, he looked better doing it that most of us.

We took turns jumping into the river and swimming across the current. The river is very strong and capable of pushing even the strongest of swimmers. I was impressed with the willingness of all the boys to go in the very cold water. Everyone successfully entered the water and swam across.

Our next task was learning to throw the rescue rope (throw bag). The rope is kept in a bag and is used to pull people out of the river. Each one of the guys took turns throwing the rope and reeling it in. Once again, Chris Luke and Jim were great instructors.

Our final task for our water rescue instruction was to successfully walk across the river. It sounds easy until you consider the water was about waist deep, very cold, and moving very rapidly. We formed lines of three to four people and using a stick, waded across, being careful to step slowly and continually face upriver. Once we made it to the other side, we found a large tree trunk. It obviously had floated down river and was rid of all of it's branches. Kaleigh, Bissy and Morgan quickly decided that they would roll the 10 foot log into the river and use it as a raft. They didn't last long on it before the current dumped them over.

We all spent the next hour or so trying to stand on the trunk and trying our hand on Chris's inflatable kayak. Despite the water being brutally cold, we still had fun.

After drying off, the second group took to the horses while the rest of us packed up the campsite. We will be rafting for two days beginning Monday. Once again, the boys all worked together to quickly pack up enough tents, sleeping pads and sleeping bags for 15 people. The second horseback riding group soon returned.

We tried to get the boys in bed early, but they stayed up to help make bread and pizza for the trip. It is entertaining to watch the exchange of culture between the boys and staff. James and Lukie are hooked into rap music while they are taught how to make homemade bread.

As the evening closed, I thought about my family and how I missed them. My thoughts shifted to the boys and wondered if they were homesick at all. It is kind of an interesting thought to consider if it is even possible. My hope is that the Academy staff and I will continue to improve and focus on our mission of being "a home where boys can find a childhood" and one day, they will consider it home enough to be homesick.

We packed up Monday morning to head to the river for a two day trip. We planned to start on the Culdho River which joins the Skeena River, the boys were told that they were the first group of kids down that upper section of river with Seth being the youngest in at least 75 years. We got out at the confluence of the Skeena and Kispiox Rivers after traveling over 70 km (about 50 miles). We loaded up all of the boys in the van along with Kaleigh, Bissy and Jim from the lodge and Andrew and Luke who would share raft guide duties with Jim. Chris, who taught our swift water rescue class also joined us in his "Duckie", an inflatable canoe. We drove for over an hour to the spot where we would unload. Everyone except Thomas put on their wetsuit. Thomas was self conscious after wearing it the day before, although that didn't stop some of us, and refused to wear it even though he was warned about how cold the water was. He would come to regret it.

As we sat on the bank loading up the three rafts with dry bags and coolers, Kaleigh found a snail on a rock. After challenging her to eat it, she only agreed to put it on her tongue for a picture. I have said numerous times, girls here are different. She was offered some money to chew it up and eat it, but refused again. After hearing the sum rise to $30, Thomas took up the bet. He put the inch long slimy, quite alive, snail in his mouth and started to chew. He even opened his mouth for a picture before swallowing the snail. Everyone was quite impressed, not to metion, grossed out!

Also while waiting, Lukie was fishing and soon brought up a nice big salmon. Jim quickly cleaned the fish with James taking pride in carrying around the fish heart and showing it to everyone.

We boarded the rafts after a quick safety review. Everyone (well, not everyone looked funny, some wore it well) looked quite funny in their wetsuit, lifejacket, and helmet attire except for the group from Kispiuox. Most had given up their own wetsuits so that the boys, Kyle and I would be warm.

As we started on our trip, the water was fairly slow, but still moving the raft 3-4 miles an hour. We quickly joined the Skeena and found plenty of white water. We made it through the first set of rapids fairly easily with only Abram falling out of the boat (this would become a habit for Abram). We were able to use the techniques we learned to quickly pull him back in. It shook Abram up a little bit, but he was fine. He wouldn't be the last to go over.

The rest of the day was pretty wet as storms moved into the area, according to Jim, it was rain like they haven't had all season. There is nothing like wearing a wetsuit on a trip in 50 or so degree water being pelted by cold rain and wind. It was cold water coming down and cold water coming up in every direction. Everyone got cold so we would often paddle just to stay warm. It did clear up a little around lunchtime so we made it to the bank and quickly put together a blazing fire from driftwood. It felt great. All of the folks up here are very adept at life outdoors. The staff and some of the boys had made pizza the night before so we pulled it out of the cooler and either ate it cold or warmed it over the fire. Never before have I had hot chocolate in August, but it sure hit the spot at the time.

We loaded back up in the rafts and got back on our way only to find another downpour. They boys did exceptionally well with their paddling on command from our guides. Several of the boys also took turns in the Duckie with Chris and Lukie being in there the most. The guides all commented on how well they did in the rapids.

We camped out on a gravel bar Monday evening. Everyone pitched in to set up tents and the "kitchen" and even a shelter with a tarp held up by oars and secured with lines from the boats. We learned the meaning of a "Groover". We cooked fish for dinner. Fresh salmon is awesome. Everyone ate and cleaned up before spending several hours around the fire talking and recounting the day. James and Lukie engaged in a game of Tonk and Spades with Kaleigh and Bissy.

The way that the staff up here work together is amazing. They are so kind to each other and always willing to help. I couldn't help but think that we all need to strive to be better. The staff's concern was first and foremost for the boys in all situations. They were concerned not only for their safety, but for their comfort. They continually cheered the boys on as they have challenged themselves with new activities from horseback riding, to cleaning salmon, to shooting class 3 and 4 rapids in a rubber raft. I am very impressed with their demeanor and thankful for their kindness and compassion for the boys. Mr. Anthony should be very proud of his staff.

After dinner, the staff decided to make a birthday cake in the Dutch oven. Thomas would turn 16 on Tuesday. Luke, the guide from my boat, made up the batter and then dug a hole to set the oven in. He covered it with coals and we waited not knowing how it would turn out. A while later, it was cake for all, minus any icing or candles. We sang to Thomas and I am quite sure it will be a birthday he will never forget.

After a short education on using the bathroom (the Groover) where there isn't one and the importance of taking "Roxanne", a paddle the equivalent of a bathroom pass, with you so there are no surprises, we headed to bed.

The next morning we woke up to clearing skies and the beautiful view of the mountains. After waking up to help Luke make a fire, I did a little bit of exploring. I rounded one corner to find three bald eagles sitting on the gravel bed about 100 yards away. The sight of seeing them was only surpassed by the image of the three soaring into the air with their wings spread.

Soon everyone was up and pancakes and eggs were on the grill. Several of the staff mixed salmon from the night before with their eggs yet they looked at me funny when I described shrimp and grits!

Everyone greeted Thomas with a Happy Birthday. We soon packed up our tents, loaded the rafts and climbed back into our wonderfully cold and wet wetsuits. After nearly freezing the day before, Thomas put his vanity behind his common sense. Before taking off, we were informed that there would be much more white water on this leg of the trip. They were not joking as throughout the day we traversed class 3 and 4 rapids in our boats. The guides continually commented on how impressed they were with Chris and Lukie as they went through the rapids on the duckie.

Anytime there was slower water, a war ensued between the rafts. There were numerous "boarding parties" and by the end of the day, everyone had been thrown overboard at least once except me. I guess my underwater adventure was sufficient. As we approached one rapid, I was straddling the right front side of the boat. A wave came up over my head and knocked me in the water. I quickly popped up and made my way to the side of the boat. As instructed, I turned my back to the side of the boat so that Abram could grab me by the lifejacket and haul me in. The idea is to push the person you are hauling in, slightly down so that the buoyancy of the life jacket will help shoot him back up and help pulling the person into the boat. Abram missed the slightly part and pushed me all the way back under the water. He slipped on the raft and quickly found himself in the water. I tried to come up only to hit my head under the raft. I didn't panic, but the combination of the cold water, the unexpected dunking and the sight of the white underside of the raft was quite unsettling. I felt the raft and worked my way along it. I finally made it to the rear of the raft and emerged. I had been thrown in the water at the very front of the raft and come out at the very back. Luke hauled me in. I didn't straddle the raft through any more rapids.

At lunch we stopped at another gravel bar. We spent a couple hours eating and swimming in a pond made by the river. Anytime we were thirsty, we would walk down to the river and fill up a jug of water. I don't know of anywhere in South Carolina you can do that. Some of the boys fished while others swam. Most importantly, the sun was shining.

During the trip we saw lots of wildlife. Salmon would occasionally stir the water. We passed two beavers swimming and a short time later, a couple of otters playing in the water. But eagles were EVERYWHERE. We probably saw 30 different eagles flying along the river. Sometimes they would stay slightly in front of us and soar from tree to tree along the steep rock riverbank, other times they would majestically watch us pass from atop a riverside tree. All the while we could see snow capped mountains in the background. Luke told us that the white stuff occasionally floating in the air was eagle's down. Tradition says that if you catch it you get your wish because you are the first thing ever to touch besides the eagle. I caught the first piece that floated down, but figured after being blessed with the experiences of this trip, wishing would be overindulgent, Seth also caught a piece of down on the trip.

The trip ended at the joining of the Kispiox and Skeena Rivers. We were tired, cold, and wet. We worked together to load the boats and return to the lodge. Hot showers were in high demand. After cleaning up, everyone gathered for dinner. There were over 30 people including the boys and all of the lodge staff and their families that we met during our trip. After dinner, Joy brought out a cake with candles and icing for Thomas. They also gave him a present including Canadian money and a Cliff's shirt. We also took some time to share our best experience from the trip and what we liked about Thomas.

Everyone was in bed by 11:00, and thankful for a great two day trip!

It rained Wednesday morning. It rained Wednesday around lunch time. It rained Wednesday afternoon. It even rained Wednesday evening, but ...well it did even rain Wednesday night. The amazing thing was that despite being inside the majority of the day, the boys still managed to have a good time. After making waffles for breakfast, the boys spent the morning making raspberry jam and homemade donuts with Sue. They had a good time and really got into it.

After lunch, some of the boys and Bissy decided to brave the precipitation and go for a horseback ride. The boys are so unpredictable. The ones you figure will want to do something won't, and vice versa. There are rarely dull moments when working with kids.

We spent the afternoon playing cards, watching the Olympics, and playing pool. The downstairs area of the lodge is the typical man's dream complete with a surround sound system, flat panel TV, wet bar, pool table, foosball table, and even an indoor hot tub. All of this is framed by natural wood walls and a slate floor. And you can't forget the wall to wall glass at the rear that reveals the river, spruce and aspen trees, mountains and occaisional black bear in the background. It is awesome.

During the afternoon, several of the staff members got together to pool all of our pictures from the trip. We all laughed as we recounted some of the more entertaining moments of the trip. Sadly, we are unable to show the faces of the boys and thus many of the pictures from the trip. Confidentiality is a priority for us, but it certainly has its drawbacks.

Kyle spent most of the afternoon putting together a video of the trip for the Academy's Board of Directors. I found my way back to the room to try and recover from sunburn and just plain being tired (Mike napped). The boys didn't slow down at all.

After a dinner of nachos, hot wings and french fries, we all made our way up to the loft over the dining area to watch pictures of our trip and preview Kyle's video. Kyle and I discussed earlier in the day how to handle our departure. To say that the boys have become attached and would love to stay is an understatement. I am confident, that the staff at the lodge has become quite fond of the boys as well. Despite all of the impressive natural resources and wildlife around the Kispiox River Valley, the one aspect that really made this trip was the staff. It wasn't like we were guests at a hotel. We felt like part of the family with hospitality as warm as anything in the South. The feeling was contagious as it allowed all of the boys to take down a few bricks in the wall that typically hides their innocence and vulnerability. I am incredibly thankful to the Allens and all of the staff who treated Kyle, the boys and me so well.

After watching the video, everyone went downstairs to cozy up under blankets in a dark room to watch a creepy movie. For the time we were here, the boys got to be boys. No phone calls, no treatment plans, and no counseling sessions. Just seven boys, the outdoors, and a group of people who genuinely care about both.

A home where boys can find a childhood