Missouri River Adventure Camp Reflection 2024
The Definition of Adventure...
"The definition of adventure is 'an unusual and exciting experience,' something camp organizer Kristen Schulte was determined to prove." This quote from a Columbia Missourian article captures the essence of Missouri River Adventure Camp. Throughout the week of July 8th-12th, 44 campers, all aged between 9 and 13 years, got the chance to safely experience the true meaning of adventure.
Campers explored the Missouri River, along with parks and conservation areas that make up its watershed. Each morning, campers gathered at Waters-Moss Memorial Wildlife Area before boarding onto a bus and heading out for the day's adventure. These field trips included hiking in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, catfishing with expert anglers, birding out of Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, experiencing the Missouri River by motorboat and so much more.
Check out our Adventure Camp photo album on Flickr!
Monday: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Day one saw our campers hiking through Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and learning about the inhabitants of their local watershed--including each other!
Campers worked together to complete the "Pipeline Challenge," their first team-building exercise. Then, we set off to explore Devil's Ice Box cave and interview our local stream creatures.
They were also able to meet some native spiders on a spider hike! Campers learned about the differences in web structure and how spiders use these webs to hunt.
Tuesday: Boating and Solving Mysteries Along the Missouri River
On Tuesday, campers traveled to the Missouri River Center for a boat ride in one of Missouri River Relief's motorboats on the Big Muddy. Unfortunately, the rain had other plans! We got creative and still managed to use the boats as outdoor classrooms parked along the banks of the River. Campers sported ponchos and enjoyed a floodplain hike along the Katy Trail.
Campers also tracked down a painting from local artist Jane Mudd that went missing during the Great Flood of '93...in our outdoor "breakout room" activity! Campers worked together to solve puzzles and complete challenges in order to collect the clues they needed to "breakout" Jane's painting from its lock box.
Wednesday: Becoming Anglers and Birders
Missouri River Adventure campers and staff were lucky to be joined by experts in the fields of fishing and birding to make this an incredible day at camp! Tessa Poolman from Missouri River Bird Observatory provided binoculars and led campers on an unforgettable hike to observe and learn about the birds that call the Missouri River ecosystem home.
On the river, campers fished with Missouri River Relief's own catfishing instructors, as well as expert anglers from Twisted Cat Outdoors. The catfish were definitely biting...and six lucky campers got to reel in one of their own!
Thursday: Creek Cleanup and Honeysuckle Removal at Flat Branch Park
Campers joined the Missouri Conservation Corps to learn all about invasive bush honeysuckle. Working alongside volunteers, campers got to work removing the plants so that other native species could thrive.
After lunch, campers set out in teams to tackle trash and catch crayfish in Flat Branch Creek. Upon returning to Flat Branch Park with their finds of shopping carts, phones, and plastic bottles, campers cooled off in the splash pad!
Friday: Creative Art Project & Venture Out
Missouri River Adventure Camp culminated in a Creative Art Project. Local artist and teacher, Sholanda Akiode, really brought the magic of camp to life by guiding campers through the process of collage making. Campers incorporated feelings, experiences, and friendships from the week into their art.
Families and friends were invited to attend a gathering held at the end of the day where their campers could present their Creative Art Projects to their loved ones.
In the afternoon, we visited MU Venture Out's low ropes course for a final team building activity.
For more photos from our week of camp, follow this link to our Flickr album.
Camp in the News
Check out this fantastic story from the Columbia Missourian:
Join Us Next Year!
Register your camper for next year's Missouri River Adventure Camp by visiting our Summer Camp page. Registration will open during Spring of 2025 with financial aid opportunities for those who qualify.
Thank You to Our Partners
We would like to extend a Big Muddy thank you to our partners who help make running the Missouri River Adventure Camp possible.
