We Went to Camp on Spring Break

While we are a disaster response ministry, there are times when our mission, skills and capabilities can be put to beneficial use for God's glory even when a disaster has not precipitated our call to action.  This assignment was certainly one of those exceptional times! Some time back we were asked to be prepared at some point to assist in clearing trees at Camp Sumatanga in preparation for the installation of a zip line trail that would run across and down the northwest side of Chandler Mountain.  Well, Spring Break Week became the designated time for our work to be accomplished.  There were no severe storms projected that might otherwise find us being called away, and so long as the weather didn't completely curtail our activities right here at home, we agreed to come to Camp on Thursday and Friday, March 30 and 31, for this anticipated 2-day assignment.

The intrepid team members who converged in Gallant, AL at Camp at 8 am Thursday morning consisted of (l. to r., front row) Rev. Sam Williamson, Boyd Martin, Ray Miller, Henry Averyt, (l. to r., back row) Bob Thompson, Jim Pressler, Buddy Williams and Bob Suellentrop.

We had been told that our work would consist of hiking the proposed zip line trail - from the water tower located above Pool Camp, traveling northeast along the northwest face of Chandler Mountain, and descending as we trekked through the woods to Lake Sumatanga located at the northeast end of Camp - and felling some 62 trees that would be marked with red "X's" along the trail route.  There would be no need to remove the trees, just fell them and leave them where they fall, so long as the temporary course cable that had been strung between the 8 stations of the trail was not pinned under any fallen tree.  The trees would be between 4" and 16" in diameter for the most part with a few approaching 20" in diameter. At our planning meeting in the camp office before we headed to the woods, Camp executive director Rev. Lee Padgett shared this zip line trail map with us:

There will actually be two zip line trails installed.  The first, with the route shown by the red lines and designated for able-bodied riders, will be a canopy (above the trees?) trail.  It will traverse 8 stations from the water tower (the white dot at the upper right of the trail) and will end with the last leg coming off the mountain and across Lake Sumatanga to the 8th and final station.

The orange flag in this image marks the center of the Station 8 landing zone on the west side of Lake Sumatanga.  The zip line will come from Station 7 located up in the woods about 1/3 of the way up Chandler Mountain.

The second trail is one Camp is especially proud of.  It is shown by the two yellow lines and will be a completely handicapped-accessible dual-line trail.  In that way another person - a caregiver, a parent, a sibling, etc. - will be able to "ride along" and accompany the primary rider.  This trail will fly from a launch tower at the edge of the lake (near the "red-line" station 8) traveling southwest across the lake and terminate in an enclosed pavilion where the riders will be able to disengage from their suspension harnesses in privacy.

This is the view looking southwest from the launch zone of the handicapped-accessible zip line toward its landing zone across the lake (approximately where the existing pavilion can be seen).

The cost of the able-bodied course is estimated to be about $50,000.  The handicapped-accessible course will cost about $102,500.  Including the cost of training, certifications, harnesses, pulleys, belays, etc, the total zip line course costs will come to a little over $175,000.  Of that amount, $30,000 has been raised so far and it is hoped that some of the proceeds from a grant which Camp hopes to receive in June and will be designated for Camp's Outdoor Adventure Program (which covers many more activities at Camp than just the zip line trail), will be able to be earmarked for the zip line project. The zip lines will be installed by American Adventure Parks Systems out of Whitesburg, GA.  You can check them out at http://www.americanadventurepark.com/index.php/products-services/zip-line-canopy-tours/ as well as some of the other zip lines they've installed around the country at http://www.americanadventurepark.com/index.php/aaps-projects/. By the way - and Camp has NOT asked us to say this but we think it just might be something you'd like to be a part of - if you find this project to be one you'd like to contribute toward we're pretty sure your designated zip line gift mailed to Sumatanga Camp and Conference Center, 3616 Sumatanga Rd, Gallant, AL 35972 would be greatly appreciated and readily acknowledged.  For your additional reference, Camp Sumatanga's website is at http://www.sumatanga.org/. Well, back to our story. We divided up into two teams - one that would work from the water tower coming down the mountain and the other that would work from the lake and move up the mountain.  As it turns out our 62 trees had become 84 (!!!) trees by Thursday morning.

And although most of them were 4"-16" in diameter with an occasional 20-incher, we did take down a few trees that measured up to 25" in diameter, one of which this writer had the privilege of felling.  Here's a picture of Jim Pressler standing beside the tree for perspective both before and after it came down.

All in all this deployment was a great opportunity for us to practice, hone or in some cases even relearn our felling skills and we successfully maintained our 100% safety record since the inception of our mission in 2012.  In the end we probably really felled closer to 100 trees and we know we'll be asked to return at some time in the future to perhaps widen the trails a bit or trim down some of the smaller trees that will still be in the course trails once the permanent zip line cables are erected.  Our estimate, based upon (1.) the number and sizes of the trees we cut down, (2.) the fact that we had to hike up and down the mountain (twice!) following the guide cables (but actually blazing our own trails as we ascended and descended) all the while carrying our chainsaws, wedges, sledge hammers and mauls, extra gasoline and bar oil containers, and (3.) the "irregular terrain" we traversed included at least 4 or 5 ravines we had to climb into and out of and a similar number of little streams we stepped crossed, we probably saved Camp some $15,000-$20,000 by being able to undertake this assignment. And best of all, we finished the job in its totality by 4 pm on Thursday, getting the whole job in before the rain started and not having to come back the second day at all! We want to especially thank the camp cooking and kitchen staff who prepared a wonderful lunch - actually a full-course dinner - for us consisting of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, and tomato casserole pie. Dessert was layered chocolate and vanilla pudding with Vanilla wafers; and ice tea flowed abundantly.  They've never fed us a bad meal in all the years we've been helping out at Camp.  The truth be told, once the glory is given to God, it's probably the food that next keeps us coming back to Camp project after project! So it was a great day of service.  And, indeed, it was ALL for the glory of God.  We can hardly wait to see the joy on the faces of those who ride these zip line trails as they experience, from a totally new perspective, the sky above them and the earth below them and the marvel of all He has created for us!

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In His Service, Bob Bob Thompson Cutters for Christ Disaster Response Ministry Deployment/Team Coordinator _________________________________________________________ Email: bobthompson.cfc@gmail.com

"Abel"-bodies!

We had been home from Harrisburg for only 10 days when Buddy was able to assess a neighbor-in-need project for us in Remlap, Alabama, northeast of Birmingham up Highway 75 in Blount County.  Buddy determined that we could and should help the homeowner, Sara Baker (who was at work the day we arrived to clean the debris so sadly we have no picture of her) given her circumstances and our capabilities.  As the large white oak tree (that had been decaying and had been located perilously close to her home) had been felled by others and left on the ground in fireplace lengths, Buddy felt that it would be a job mostly for our "12th man" Abel - Asbury UMC's skid steer.  The debris - the bucked (cut up) logs and several piles of somewhat smaller twigs and branches - simply needed to be moved up the hill behind Sarah's house into the woods away from her home.  But even though most of the work would be Abel's to perform, 9 cutters and pickers volunteered to travel to the site on Tuesday, February 28 and be available to help out however needed and in any capacity.

Our volunteer team pictured below consisted of Abel plus (left to right) Ken Clements, John Fillebaum, Bob Suellentrop, Tim Smith, Bob Thompson, Bob Nabors, Buddy Williams, Jim Pressler, house guest Cheryl Johnson and Boyd Martin.

Some before and after images:

We always love to have Abel with us.  We remember the days of pushing individual logs in wheelbarrows up and down hills to debris collection piles before Abel joined us.  What a blessing it is to have him work with us, doing the work of 10 volunteers all by himself!

While our volunteers scurried about to help stack and align the bucked logs into positions where Abel could grab them in his grapple jaws, Abel then took everything up into the woods and left them there to decompose over time in that natural setting.  In the meantime the debris pile will probably serve as a habitat/shelter for various forest creatures.

All in all, it was a 5-hour job from portal-to-portal.  Not a bad half-days work.  And Sarah sent us this note the next day expressing her thanks: "I just wanted to express my deepest gratitude to all of you who cleaned up my yard, February 28th, 2017.  Please tell everyone how much of a Blessing that was for me and how much I appreciate everyone’s hard work.  May God continue to work through you in all of your endeavors in the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  My yard looks AWESOME and again, I thank you so much." Another successful achievement and accomplishment in Jesus' name and for the glory of the kingdom!

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In His Service, Bob Bob Thompson Cutters for Christ Disaster Response Ministry Deployment/Team Coordinator