During the January 22nd-24th Project Adventure field trip to Raquette Lake, 28 students and 6 staff participated in a number of activities.
The trip started with a group walk across the ice road on Raquette Lake from Antlers Point to Pilot Knob on Friday and back again on Sunday. Some of the other activities included a walk to St. William’s Church in daylight and then again in the dark to conquer their solo night walk challenge. A night vision lesson was completed and life savers were seen sparkling in the darkness.
A group cross-country ski lesson was also completed. Following the lesson, the newly skilled skiers took to the trails and hills which stretch through the woods. Students and staff alike could be seen picking themselves up and dusting themselves off
throughout the trip. However, they eventually got the hang of it and much fun was had! Many looked like professionals by the time they were done.
Students participated in team activities as they played capture the flag and broomball. Star gazing from the ice road, snow-shoeing to Camp Kirby, touring the historical buildings and playing numerous games were
some of the other activities throughtout the weekend.
KP (Kitchen Patrol) duty and comical skits were performed by each group member
throughout the course of the weekend. Great food was eaten all weekend long as
the group sat down to meals served family style.
History of Camp Huntington at Raquette Lake
The Huntington Memorial Camp Outdoor Education Center is located in Raquette Lake, N.Y.
The facility is named for Collis P. Huntington, President of the Southern Pacific Railroad and owner of the camp in the late 1800’s. Huntington had purchased the camp from William West Durant in 1895 and resided there every summer until his death in 1900.
After his death, the site remained vacant until the Huntington family sold it in 1949 to the State Teachers College at Cortland for $1.00.
The site is now a National Historic Landmark and is part of the SUNY Cortland Outdoor Education Center. Many of the original buildings still stand, highlighting the start of Adirondack Architecture from that era.
The Raquette Lake facility is used by many SUNY and non-SUNY groups throughout the course of the year for numerous outdoor education programs.