Camp Ondessonk

Category: Challenge

  • Bringing Back the Adventure – Challenge Course Repairs at Camp Ondessonk

    Bringing Back the Adventure – Challenge Course Repairs at Camp Ondessonk

    One of the very first sights that greets you as you travel down the Camp Road is our Challenge Course, one of many places where courage takes flight and confidence is built one climb, leap, or swing at a time.

    Two of the Challenge Course’s signature experiences, the dual zip line and flying squirrel, need critical maintenance before they can safely welcome campers again. Following a professional inspection and detailed estimate from Experiential Systems, we’ve identified several essential repairs required to have these elements ready for the 2026 season.

    The work includes:

    • Replacement of 552 feet of ½-inch galvanized wire rope and related components for the dual zip line;
    • Repair of woodpecker damage on the flying squirrel pole;
    • Installation of updated climbing access and safety anchoring points; and
    • Replacement of a 28-inch tree bolt and a section of guy cable.

    The total cost of these repairs exceeds $9,000, but thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we’re already on our way to raising $7,500 to complete this project while protecting our program budget for other essential needs.

    Lee Smith, Betsy Smith-Stierwalt, and Kate Perek have generously matched the first $2,000 in contributions, giving this effort an exciting and meaningful start. Because of their generosity and the support of people like you, we are building real momentum toward our goal.

    Challenge Course experiences are about so much more than fun. They build trust, resilience, leadership, and community. For many campers, the moment they step off the platform or take flight in the flying squirrel becomes a defining chapter in their Ondessonk story.

    With your help, we can restore these transformational experiences for the next generation. Visit ondessonk.com/giving today or send your gift via USPS with “Challenge Course” in the memo.

    Thank you for helping us keep adventure alive at the Challenge Course. Together, we make a difference by ensuring the Challenge Course continues to inspire, empower, and uplift campers for years to come.

  • Exciting Developments for Future Campers

    Exciting Developments for Future Campers

    By Amanda Bailey

    From Challenge to Council and East Side to West Side, Camp Ondessonk is developing and improving activity areas for future campers. Below are 3 additions to Camp’s programming that upgrade camper and visitor experiences starting this summer and continuing during the school year.

    The High Jungle
    While participants are harnessed and clipped the entire time, they begin the course by climbing up the rockwall and transition to the first, out of three, new elements.

    1. Zigzag Crossing: 
    Walking sideways on the cable, participants lean in and out from the ropes to reach the next element.      
    zigzag

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    2. X-Bridge:
    Exactly as it sounds. Participants walk to each x-shaped step until they reach the next platform.      x-bridge

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    3. Postman Walk:
    The last element of The High Jungle challenges participants to walk on the bottom cable, lean forward and shuffle across to reach the zip-line.
    postmanswalk

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Upon completing each element, challengers are rewarded with a speedy exit down the zip-line.

    Council
    Council has been moved from the Gazebo to its own location near the unit of Tekakwitha, along Lake Echon. Session 5 introduces rock, wood entry way and benches. The Council Coordinator this summer, Sean Walsh, mentions, “It had to be in the woods. Why be in the Main Area where there are buildings and distractions for campers? We can go to a place where they can admire the nature that they can’t at home.”

    Council benches built by Session 5 volunteers Adam Armstrong, Maggie Simpson and Ken Haas.
    Council benches built by Session 5 volunteers Adam Armstrong, Maggie Simpson and Ken Haas.

    Rock
    Council in progress this week, located on the edge of Lake Echon, near the unit of Tekakwitha.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Walsh adds, “I tell my staff, people go to the Barn for the horses, Aquatics for the water, Challenge for the rock wall, but they come to Council for us. And now we can appreciate the nature while learning the lessons taught at Council.”

    Ondessonk Trails
    Ondessonk’s staff and volunteers are revamping hiking trails in order to submerge campers and visitors deeper into the woods during hikes and all day explorations. The finished trail from Morgan’s Field to Pakentuck allows campers and visitors to never walk on camp roads during their explorations until it’s    time to return for dinner. Joe (435)

    “These Camp trails allow access to beautiful nature that features large groves of trees and sandstone bluff lines. You walk through many different ecosystems in our woods and see the succession before your eyes. It creates a unique Camp Ondessonk experience for all variety of ages.”
    — Ryan Kiefer, Nature Director

     

    “We love to improve our programs to make Ondessonk a unique tradition of fun for campers, visitors and families that visit throughout the summer and year round.”
    –Nolan Hurst, Program Coordinator

    Heepwah!

Translate »