On the water side, we do a lot with swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and sailing. In the woods, we travel by foot, mountain bike, and horse. We also love to rock climb. These are the major activities with extensive wilderness tripping components. There's also tennis & pickleball, a nature program, fishing, boatbuilding & woodworking, and of course, arts & crafts. Note: age is not a requirement for any activity or trip. Each camper progresses at his own rate, participating in the activities that he finds most stimulating, and is not tied to a cabin or age group.
On Lake Summit (350-acre lake), Western North Carolina mountains; 800 acres of woodland shared with sister camp Green Cove; access to Pisgah National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Cabins
5 or 6 boys per cabin, all about the same age, from a wide geographic area. Counselor lives in the cabin like a big brother.
Ages
6–17
Activities
Waterfront
Swimming
Canoeing
Kayaking
Sailing
Fishing
Land Sports
Tennis
Archery
Arts & Creative
Dance
Woodworking
Outdoor Adventure
Rock climbing
Mountain biking
Clues to fit
First-timer — staff encouragement as new camper
"Our 12-year-old had very high expectations, which were met. He was very glad for all the help and encouragement the staff gave him as a new camper. In my experience as a counselor and teacher, this is the best thought-out philosophy for living I was exposed to, and I wanted our son to have this exposure."
First-timer experience — parent testimonial on nurturing environment
"The best thing about camp was that both boys came home feeling great about themselves. It was obviously a wonderfully nurturing environment, as well as being a place where new experiences were encouraged and thoroughly enjoyed. Your 'out-of-doors' classroom taught lessons of life which will never be forgotten, and which will always be treasured. We chose Mondamin because we thought it would be a truly unique experience – you didn't let us down, and in fact you surpassed our expectations!"
"Adventure is activity on one's personal frontiers." — Frank D. Bell, "Chief," founder of Camp Mondamin for boys and Camp Green Cove for girls. Adventure to an eight year old might be a first, carefully supervised riding lesson at a walk… or to a 15 year old, a five day canoeing trip down a fastwater river.
When a camper first gets here, he'll meet his counselor and his cabinmates. He'll have 5 or 6 other boys in the cabin, all about the same age, from a wide geographic area. The cabin counselor is like a big brother; he helps each camper work out his schedule, and get comfortable in the camp community.
Lasting impact — maturity and responsibility (parent testimonial)
"Greg learned many life-long skills. He matured and takes much more responsibility for himself than before camp. He shows much more initiative in his schoolwork."
Lasting impact — parent testimonial on self-esteem
"It was clear from the first that he had a wonderful time. What has become clear over time is just what a profound experience it was for him. His confidence and self-esteem are higher now than they have ever been. We're not sure exactly what you did, but you gave this child his life back."
As a camper, you have a lot of choice in what you do at Mondamin. You can choose canoeing over horseback riding, tennis over sailing, etc. We emphasize setting goals and working towards them — but you set the goals. You also set your own pace. In every activity, there are lessons as well as fun trips for even the most inexperienced young camper. Most campers set two or three major goals for their summer, and with a bit of determination it's quite possible to achieve them.
At camp, we have a regular daily routine that includes about 7 hours of activity time, divided into morning, afternoon, and evening periods. Meals are eaten family style, usually with your cabin group. There's an hour of rest time after lunch during which we return to cabins; you can read or write letters if you're not catching up on your zzzzz. When you're not on a trip, most days look like this: 7:45 Wake-up / 8:30 Breakfast / 9:00 Assembly / 9:30 Activities / 1:00 Lunch / 1:45 Rest Hour / 3:00 Activities / 6:30 Dinner / 7:30 Evening Program / 9:30 Junior Lights Out / 10:00 Lights Out.
