Fathers and Sons Adventure Club in Leesburg, Virginia

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FATHERS & SONS ADVENTURE CLUB
103 Richwood Crt,
Stephens City, VA 22655
Tel: 703-727-7777
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Here below are pictures and details of many of our adventures so that you can see how much fun we have at the FATHERS & SONS ADVENTURE CLUBTM. Come back often as we update this page regularly. And this is a great page to show your friends to interest them in joining!

June 2009

Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah Fishing on the Shenandoah
   
Fishing on the Shenandoah  

This was the third year we held this adventure and it sure was fun! Special thanks goes to Mark Pearson who lets us use his property! We had four new families participate and they are just terrific people! The club keeps growing, and I hardly ever promote it, so we must be doing something right!

Although the river was 2 feet higher than normal, just about everyone caught a fish! My dad was there and it was his turn to be the one who didn’t catch a fish (last year it was my son Cameron’s turn). But at least he didn’t get a tick like he did last year!

The Toughest Kid Award (this is a designation we give to a kid after each adventure) goes to Joseph Bishop who pulled a hook out of his hand (yeesk) and he did it without crying! And the largest fish was either caught by Dave Adams or me…I believe both were very big Smallmouth Bass. Cameron Copeland was the first to jump in the water and swim instead of fish…. Jack Zamborsky, who can do 29 pull-ups and is very buff at age 14, hid his fear of being in the water best….as he had Cameron walk in front of him the whole time in case there was a hole… Benjamin Golden, who is perhaps 4, was perhaps the most persistent fisherman (fisherkid?). And Colin Fox, perhaps age 7, wins the award for floating down the river without a care in the world! And hopefully Alexander Baity will be able to find the shoe he lost in the muddy bank (yes, the bank is muddy but the bottom of the river is rocks so it’s not gross)!

All in all we had fantastic time on the river, and getting to know everyone was awesome! See the photos and enjoy!


April 2009

Kite Flying in DC on the Mall Kite Flying in DC on the Mall
   
Kite Flying in DC on the Mall Kite Flying in DC on the Mall
   
Kite Flying in DC on the Mall  

Bryan Bishop was in charge of this adventure since my family could not make it (to our own adventure?? very uncommon...) and Bryan told me that all had a wonderful time! Thank you Bryan! A new family attended and I was told the members made him and his son feel very welcomed. All enjoyed a picnic lunch together, and the weather was perfect for kite flying! And the first thing that Joseph Bishop did when he went to school the following Monday was regale the teacher with all of the details of the kite flying adventure! See, these adventures mean a lot to the kids! And while this adventure was not attended by as many people as usually attend the paintball adventure, for example, we will nonetheless make this a yearly adventure for the club! Enjoy the photos, and join the club if you are not a member!! With Washington DC as a backdrop, let us remember what Uncle Sam once said --- "We Want You!!"


January 2009

Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill
   
Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill Paw Paw Tunnel & Sliding Hill

The time we spent together at Sidling Hill and the Paw Paw Tunnel on January 24th was a total blast! Due to the weather, the turnout was low. However, we had two new members – Dirk Casson and his son Tyler, and David Golden and his son Benjamin – and they really had a great time with me and my son Zachary, along with Jeff Walters and his son Jake. Jeff and I openly talked about how we missed Bryan Bishop and his boys, because Bryan – while a lawyer – majored in geology in college and would have been invaluable explaining the geology of Sidling Hill... Regarding the adventure, we first we met at Sidling Hill in Western Maryland where there is a huge cut in the mountain exposing layers of rock and a great example of a geologic syncline. Jake Walters, who is in 5th grade, explained the three major types of Rocks – Metamorphic, Igneous, and Sedimentary. After watching a video about Sidling Hill, and then walking across the bridge over the highway (Interstate 68, which was FREEZING), we headed off to WV to the Paw Paw Tunnel. All families ate lunch in the car while driving, so we were all full by the time we arrived... The drive through the hills of WV was beautiful along Rt. 9 and we got to the Paw Paw Tunnel without any trouble. We walked about 3/4 a mile along the C&O Canal which borders the Potomac River to get to the actual Tunnel. When we got to the tunnel, Jake Walters and Zach Copeland read aloud the information provided by the park service about the tunnel...and then we turned on our flashlights and entered the still, quiet darkness of the tunnel. It had an eerie peacefulness about it, and the kids started talking about Gollum in the Mines of Moria (Lord of the Rings); and the Dark Seekers from the movie "I am Legend" and to tell you the truth I was a little creeped-out! You walk along the side of the tunnel on a path about 6 feet above the water of the canal, which is beside you. Fortunately there is a wooden rail along this path to insure you don't fall into the canal. When we finally made it through the mile-long tunnel (which was completed in 1850 after 14 years of construction), we were greeted by huge ice formations that occurred on the cliffs bordering the tunnel. I think the kids had the most fun breaking the ice and throwing the large chunks into the canal trying to break the ice there. Dads are just boys in bigger clothes as the dads naturally started doing the same things as the kids...throwing rocks at the hanging ice, smashing holes in the ice of the canal, etc.. Look at the photos...see what fun we had...and tell all of your friends about this club! Fathers and sons need to experience the thrill of these adventures, and I look forward to an increasing membership and greater participation! Again, look at the photos – wouldn't it have been great to be there with us? See ya in February!!!


July 2008

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
   
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club Potomac Appalachian Trail Club

I’m hooked! Cabin camping is awesome, especially in the cabins of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (see http://potomacappalachian.org/). If you like camping, you should join PATC (not to mention our adventure club FSAC)! I’m not a camping purist…I’m just a dad who likes the outdoors and for me cabin camping trumps tent camping by a mile! My father, Dale Copeland, and my two sons, Cameron & Zachary, and I (we’re the last remaining Copeland boys) really enjoyed the time we spent together cabin camping with the wonderful people in our adventure club who we call FSACers. The photos above speak volumes… Special thanks to Bryan Bishop for forcing, uh, recommending that we do this adventure. Without his guidance, this adventure would not have been possible. And before I conclude, let me mention Bryan’s young son, Joseph, who we voted as the toughest kid in FSAC for this adventure. He flew off a swing into the woods and got scratched-up; he fell while hiking and cut his shins; and his dad (Bryan) unfortunately shut his hand in the truck door. I’m guessing Joseph is age 6 or 7, and unfortunately he was a miniature version of “Mr. Bill” on this adventure. But you know what? None of this dampened his spirits! He pressed-on with a smile on his face, always giving plenty of hugs to everyone in sight! So Joseph – YOU were the toughest kid in the entire adventure club! Now enjoy reading what Dave Dorst (FSAC dad) has to say about this adventure below...!


From Dave Dorst, FSAC Member

“I’ve always had good intentions of taking my boys hiking and camping, but it just never seems to happen. That’s a lot of the reason why I joined the Father-Son Adventure Club- to get those bonding times on the schedule and just do it! We had a great ride down to the cabins from Leesburg Friday late afternoon- stopping a couple times for pizza and ice cream, and eventually pulled up to the lawn in front of this great looking cabin (Mutton Top) with a wrap-around deck surrounded by acres of woods. We had a fun time that night getting to know Jeff and Jacob, who we shared the cabin with, as well as two other dads with their sons who ended up staying at Morris cabin. We set up our beds, played games, and then built a fire and cooked s’mores. My boys stayed up 2 hours past their usual bedtimes- they were loving it! The next morning after breakfast we hiked down to the Morris Cabin and made plans with the other families. We looked at the map and decided on what looked like a decent little hike down to the creek. As we took the trail down, though, the farther we got, the more we realized that it would be a pretty tough hike back uphill. But what a great hike! We hung out at the bottom by the bridge and talked to the caretaker about alternate routes back up. In the end, we went back the way we came, and other than carrying my son on our backs and having to take many breaks for the tired youngsters, the hike back up went fine. We inhaled a late lunch, pleased at our accomplishment of the morning. Wish we could have stayed over Saturday night, too, but I was needed back at church. I’m hoping to bring my whole family back for a weekend in the fall at one of the cabins, and I might even bring a group of teenage guys from my church, too. Thanks, Dan and Bryan, for setting this up!”


June 2008

Cunningham Falls Cunningham Falls
   
Cunningham Falls Cunningham Falls
   
Cunningham Falls Cunningham Falls
   
Cunningham Falls Cunningham Falls

We had a great trip to Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont, Maryland. Featured is a 50 acre lake where you can canoe and swim, and a 78 foot tall waterfall that you can hike to and climb. Because the waterfall is not vertical but cascades at a 45 degree angle, you can comfortably climb to the summit of the falls and then enjoy time sitting under the falls, slide down rocks in the water to the next plateau in the falls, etc. but it is quite slippery. This place is a really cool place to take your family. It is not crowded, the beach is white sand that was obviously imported, it is roped off, and the water is clear…. Swimming is fun there and everyone enjoyed it. The facilities are really clean, and there are two separate men’s and women’s facilities where you can change your clothes…. We started the day meeting in the parking lot, getting to know each other, and then we hiked to the waterfall. The only problem is that I led everyone down the wrong trail, and after about ½ a mile we ran into a park ranger who showed us a short-cut back to the trail that we really needed to be on. Fortunately I didn’t have to take too much ribbing! My son Cameron (age 13) just took off and the next thing you know he was at the top of the falls. My other son Zachary (age 8) and I ascended the falls together, and all the fathers and sons had a great time being together and climbing to the top of the falls. Ivan Adams (age 7) showed no fear or hesitation in climbing to some of the tougher rocks perched atop of the falls, and we helped each other back and forth across the rocks. Gabriel Bentensen (age 11) and Cameron were all over the falls having a blast together, and they found a large Newt. Dave Dorst, who took the photos above, hiked to the top of the falls even after his son Miles couldn’t because of a tender stomach and was great helping all the kids and taking photos. After we departed the falls, we hiked back to the lake and went swimming. I don’t think anyone canoed and everyone said the hike was enough adventure and with the lake beckoning, nobody wanted to officially go snake hunting ---- although Philip George and his son Grayson did find a snake, which I think from their description was a good-sized Gofer Snake. We had beautiful weather, the park is a stunning place to visit, and I encourage families to set aside time to visit this park. Our next adventure (we have two in June just to take advantage of the beautiful weather) is a freshwater fishing trip to the Shenandoah River on private property adjoining the river. This club is awesome, it changes lives, and I invite all fathers and sons to join us in creating a lifetime of memories!


May 2008

Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit Hawksbill Summit
   
Hawksbill Summit  

We hiked up Hawksbill Summit which is the highest point in the Shenandoah National Park and WOW was it worth it! I changed the adventure from fishing on the Shenandoah River the night before due to flooding conditions to the hike which is why I believe we had a low number…so low, guys, that it was only Bryan Bishop, me, and our respective boys.. On the way into the park, there was a mother bear and THREE cubs crossing the road. What a great way to begin an adventure! The hike was tough, and it was straight up hill for about a mile. By the time we got to the top, we were all a little tired but the spectacular views from the summit refreshed us. At the summit, there is a shelter named Byrds Nest. The three-sided structure was built with funds provided by former U.S. Senator and Virginia Governor Harry F. Byrd Sr., and is one of four such shelters in the park. The shelter is surrounded by red spruce, balsam fir, and mountain ash. Further to the right is the observation platform, and the highest point in the park. The views from the summit is commanding and panoramic. And if you’re lucky, you can see Peregrine Falcons speeding around the summit! But don’t confuse them with the gliding Turkey Vultures that catch the thermal updrafts and soar upwards looking for food…

Perhaps the most funny event of the day was when Bryan Bishop was admonishing his son Joseph for spilling fish oil on his shirt, all the while tilting his own can so fish oil was running into his backpack. The look on Bryan’s face when he saw what he was doing was priceless! (Who brings oiled, salted Herring on a hike? It’s a wonder 15 bears weren’t following him around!)

This is a hike we will most certainly do again! Be sure to catch our next adventures!


January 2008

Jan. 2008 Adventure Jan. 2008 Adventure
   
Vietnam Statue Vietnam Memorial
   
Lincoln Statue Dinosaur Bones

The adventure to the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History was really fun! We met at the Orange Line at the Vienna Metro station and took the train to the Smithsonian Institution train stop and exited on the Mall side. When the kids rode the escalator all the way to the top and out of the Metro station, they were greeted with views of the Washington Monument, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, and the museums lining Independence and Constitution avenues. My son Zachary was especially thrilled at all of this. When we entered the Museum of Natural History, which was just a short walk from the Metro, there’s a giant Elephant in the lobby and I remember seeing this elephant 39 years ago when I was just 4 years old and went there with my parents. While we looked at fossils, dinosaur bones, and even insects (some of the kids held insects). The mammal section was the most impressive to many of the kids. I purchased trinkets at the bookstore for my sons, and then proceeded to throw them away by accident with the trash from our lunch – so I had to go and buy the same stuff twice! My son Cameron had more fun eating lunch in the cafeteria with the other kids than he did looking at the exhibits! It’s funny what things kids liked the best. I think my son Zachary liked the train ride more than the museum. All in all, it was a very fun day and we’ll probably do it again.


September 2007

sept adventure great falls
   
great falls 3 great falls 4
   
great falls snake  

This month we went on a combination adventure of bird and tree identification, snake finding (which we did J), wildlife scavenger hunt, and cliff climbing.  We went to Great Falls Park on the Virginia side and it was really a beautiful day.  Not many of the folks who came on this adventure had been to Great Falls Park (http://www.nps.gov/archive/gwmp/grfa/extend/index.htm).   We climbed some difficult cliffs, identified many trees (River Birch, Beech, Willow Oak, Red Bud, Sycamore, Spruce, Cedar, Hickory’s of all kinds, etc.), and we even saw a Brown Water snake (non-venomous) – see the picture of the snake above!  The water was abnormally low for this time of year, yet the falls themselves were still spectacular!  Some of the kids waved across the river to people in Maryland, who waved back… And we learned that George Washington was a visitor to Great Falls Park and played a part in having the locks built for boat transportation purposes.  Evidence of the locks is still pervasive throughout the park.  At the end, everyone was tired but not exhausted.  Philip George and his son Grayson, and me and my boys, ate lunch together in the parking lot at the far end of the park at a picnic table and enjoyed great conversation!  I personally liked this adventure, and I never tire of going to Great Falls Park on the Virginia side…


August 2007

This month we went on a 7 mile canoe trip down the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.  The heat index was over 100, but the river was beautiful and there was a breeze thankfully!  We arrived by 9:45am at the Front Royal Canoe Company and signed-in, paid, and completed the waivers.  We got together and talked about the adventure, and then we all loaded on a small buss with an accompanying trailer hauling our canoes and gear and proceed up river to the launching point.  There were 6 dads and 9 kids for a total of 15 of us!  I was disappointed that we didn’t have more people for this very fun adventure – but with vacations and school starting soon, it didn’t totally surprise me.  In any event, once we were on the river we encountered rapids – not the kind you see on TV but fun nonetheless – almost immediately and my sons Cameron and Zachary and I almost ran over an inner-tuber J 

At one point most of the men saw a bald eagle swoop down, glide along the river, and then perch in a tree.  We saw non-venomous brown water snakes, turtles, lots of fish, and Grey Heron’s.  One of the dad’s remarked to me that his son told him “This is the best day I’ve ever had.”  This, of course, makes all the hard work preparing the adventures worthwhile!  I was on cloud nine for hours after I heard this!

Now let me tell you – this was probably the most arduous adventure we’ve been on with possibly the June 2005 hike an exception.  Paddling 7 miles is tough.  You paddle and travel about 5 feet.  The current wasn’t very strong, so imagine doing this for 7 miles!  Like many of the dads, I was thrilled to see the bridge crossing the river because that meant we were only about ¾ of a mile from docking.

It turned out to be a great idea to load each canoe with Gatorade and water because we all drank everything we packed so at least we all remained properly hydrated!!!!

A huge thunderstorm hit about 30 minutes after all were off of the water, so we were blessed with excellent weather!  This was truly a spectacular day!  And the dads that took the time to take their kids will now have a lifetime memory!!!


June 2007

This was an adventure held on private property and made exclusive to our members only!  And what a great day we had!  The fishing and tubing along the North Fork of the Shenandoah River was an absolute blast!  Special thanks goes to Mark Pearson who allowed us to use his property for this adventure.  Mark is an awesome guy, and he set-up tables for us, horseshoes, started a fire that was fun, and mowed the entire field and weed-eated the banks of the river to make it nice for us.  Many people caught large mouth bass, small mouth bass, bluegill, and creek chubs.  Mark then packed his pick-up truck full of kids, loaded it with tubes that he provided to us, and drove us all up river where we launched our tubes into the river and floated down the river.  I passed a canoeist who said he saw a Grey Herron swoop down, grab a water snake, and gulp it whole!  I wish I could have seen this!  The water was clear, the deepest part was only waist deep and you could see your toes.  There was a decent current but it was not dangerous nor would it knock you down.  The day was sunny, the water was cool, the adventure was awesome!  Nothing like a day playing in the river!  We ate lunch together at the river.  This is the same spot where my two boys (Cameron and Zachary) were baptized in the Shenandoah River last summer, so it brought back a lot of memories for me….. Our adventure for July is hiking Stony Man Trail in the Shenandoah National Park along Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I’ve seen bear along this trail, and the view is probably the 1st or second best in the Park! So I’m looking forward to this in July!  Lastly, a note to men ---- when was the last time you just “played” in a clean river, catching fish, loving your sons, tubing, fellowshipping, and having a blast?  Join the club before you miss more of these wonderful adventure!

 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     

April 2007
Camping & Fishing & Canoe Racing on Cedar Creek (Virginia)

This was one of our most fun adventures of all time! We all met at the Lord Fairfax Community College and then caravanned over to the camping site, which was on private property in Middletown, Virginia, bordering Cedar Creek. John Rudolph led this adventure and it is with thanks to him that we could have such a great adventure! We parked our car in a cow pasture (and it was the first time many of the people were up-close and personal with cows!) And by the way, the kids even played football in the cow pasture and didn’t mind stepping in the….you know what! We parked there and John Rudolph took our equipment in his pick-up truck about ½ mile down a steep hill to the camping site, which was a mowed meadow right next to the creek. After we set-up the tents, which went really smoothly, we went fishing and wading in the cold waters of Cedar Creek. People caught Rainbow Trout, Creek Chubs, and even the occasional large mouth bass! My son Cameron tripped when he was carrying his only dry pair of shoes in his hand and landed hands-down in the creek! So much for dry shoes!

The weather was superb and a huge storm passed right over us (black clouds big-time) and we didn’t get a single rain drop! The Lord is good… Then John Rudolph organized a local hunting club who prepared the best BBQ chicken I have ever had with all the fixins and everyone gorged themselves on Saturday night. At night we built a fire and the dads relaxed while the kids ran around with glow-sticks (and destroyed poor Kurt Hallex’s tent) – but they had a blast!

Sleeping was another matter. My dad, Dale Copeland, got ZERO sleep. My two sons had to go to the bathroom several times outside in the middle of the night. And it was FREEZING COLD! I do believe I was the one who complained more than everyone else. My son Zachary slept all night (except for the bathroom breaks) and was totally refreshed the next morning. I was envious! Then once we were awake on Sunday morning, we built a fire and John prepared his famous sausage gravy, eggs, and biscuit breakfast! Wow, was this ever great! Then I led a church service so that nobody would miss church on a Sunday morning and just about everyone attended. It was a great place to hold a church service – right along Cedar Creek in the mountains!

John Rudolph then hauled all of our stuff back up the hill to the parking lot and we all packed-up and said our good-byes. I was sad to leave, but glad to know I would be sleeping in bed that night! What a blessed time it was for all of us…

 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     

March 2007 – Adventure cancelled due to a blizzard.


February 2007
W&OD Trail Hike in the Snow

This was a great adventure! The W&OD trail is over 66 miles long and essentially stretches from Washington, DC to Purcellville, VA. The stretch we hiked was in Vienna, between Rt. 123 to the East, and Hunter Mill Road to the West and it’s about a 3 mile long stretch. Along the way we found a path to slide down on our backs in the snow and it ended at Difficult Run Creek. There, we found deer tracks and possibly fox tracks. We hiked parallel to the W&OD trail in the woods and came upon an old stone bridge built in the Civil War time. The water was running low and we walked through the bridge to the other side. It was really cool! Then we got back onto the W&OD trail, hiked about a mile, and trekked through the woods to find fur, feathers, and blood (of all things). It was probably a fox that killed a bird – but there was also fur so that freaked out the kids a little! We also identified a good number of evergreens and deciduous trees although those were a bit more difficult to identify because we had to do so by looking at the bark and overall structure of the trees.

One of the more fun things of the day was an ice covered hill where the fathers and sons all held hands and slid down, with most everyone falling and laughing! It’s amazing that little things like this can bring out the boy in the man! Bryan Bishop receives the award for falling the most!!!!

These woods are alive with wildlife all year around, and it was a great reminder to the dads that you can have fun outside in February without freezing to death; and that the trail is there – in the midst of the population and development – just to go and enjoy conveniently anytime!


January 2007

Mountain Survival Scenario

This was an awesome adventure – the first one I had to miss because I was sick – but we organized it superbly beforehand, and the fathers and sons really jumped-in and “ran” the adventure great, with special thanks in this regard going to BRYAN BISHOP and MIKE PRICE.

 What was the adventure about?  Here is how it was set-up ----- On Saturday, January 27th, we’ll be engaging in a SURVIVAL SCENARIO on top of a mountain in the woods.  The scenario is that our plane has crashed and we all survived J.  We’ve hiked 10 miles and it’s getting late and we have to prepare for a cold night outdoors.  But that’s not all.  Lost in the rugged mountains is an Indian tribe that has been following us and we’ll be under attack from the west.  We must build our shelters, build our fortress and/or “dig-in”, fashion our weapons, find water, and prepare a rescue site.  So what do we have to do to prepare for this?  Here goes:

1.       Identify our spot for the night
2.       Fortify our position from the west
3.       Make spears & weapons
4.       Make 3 Lean-To’s each big enough to hold 4 people
5.       Make a fire pit so we can stay warm during the night
6.       Set-up a rescue site in an open area so we can be spotted by
          search & rescue planes.  Then we have to set logs in place that
          read S.O.S.
7.       Find water

And here is what happened, from the pen of BRYAN BISHOP who reported on this after the event….
 

Hi Dan -

Mike Price served (literally ) splendidly and generously / even opened his camper for anyone needing the comforts of a commode / even led the teenagers (3 or 4 of them - they stuck together and had a good time - hope this news may attract my Wesley back) to the neighborhood of the spring on his property, so they could accomplish the "find water" item on your survival checklist

Dave Dorst, the Pastor from northern Virginia, not only brought two newcomers and their kids but he also provided several bursts of energy, enthusiasm, and can-do that restored momentum now and again.

Robert Goodman, Evan's dad, won the weapon-wright award.  His split-shaft stone-tipped spears (also one excellent ax) confirmed his handiness.  (I am remembering how he took the lead to build that corner-turning handicapped ramp at the Last Chance Church in Winchester @ DEC'05.)  Never mind that much blue duct-tape secured stone to shaft - the duct tape, the several large shovels, and the matches (used by Mark Libera to achieve ignition at the fire pit) were the last things we grabbed from the wreckage before the fire consumed it.

Roger Maduro won the lean-to design award.  He re-engineered my lame plan about 30 minutes into construction, such that instead of a lean-to for two we had one for twelve.  (You'll see the twelve smallest sons all sheltered beneath it in Mike's footage.)  So we achieved your checklist capacity with one lean-to rather than three (and that is all we had time for).

Mark Libera led the fire pit efforts, wisely building a fire ring rather than digging a pit (because, under a thin layer of soil, all was rock).  Several of the kids warmed by the fire (my Grayson and Joseph included).

Rick Zamborsky had a great time with his son Jack - both of whom you know from coaching Cameron's soccer team – and Rick did a super job of fortifying our position from the west, filling up the 20'x5' rectangular area between two fallen trees with lots of brush and pointed sticks.  He really enjoyed himself, and so did Jack.  Like Dave, he brought a lot of enthusiasm.

As for identifying our spot for the night, Mike led us to the only somewhat flat stretch on his acreage, and I shrewdly declared that "this looks like it!"  Several others confirmed, and we split into four workgroups (to accomplish points 2>5 on the survival checklist - see above).  Twice, after 30-40 minutes, anyone who wished to switched to another workgroup.  And the teenagers found water as described above.

After lunch we returned to finish the lean-to.  That done, I was all for moving into the clearing of the neighbor's property (Mike had obtained his permission) to build the SOS - when Roger pulls me aside to suggest that a couple of us slip away with the several teenagers to stage the Indian attack!  Well, such initiative - especially from a first-timer - can only be answered with "Yes, of course!"  So we did that (with a few whispered words to the dads that stayed with the younger kids to tell them sternly "Don't a-c-t-u-a-l-l-y run these poor savages through" at the proper time).  Well, we surprised no one with the attack - but they surprised us by (get this) coming out from behind their "concertina" and rushing upon us, the Indians!  This (and all the war whoops) put them beyond the earshot of the "Don't actually ... " instruction, and, with everyone's blood thus up, a few blows were landed (notably by Joseph to my ribcage) and way too many pointed objects came way too near way too many eyeballs - but (as was always true in my childhood, despite the desperate warnings of various mothers in the neighborhood upon many occasions) no blindness resulted.  And all of us Indians quickly did the necessary thing - die - because it was clear that none of the younger sons had any intention of doing so!  My son Joseph played with his "Robert's original" spear around the house all day today.  (Robert graciously let Joseph carry it away from the battlefield, as a spoil to the valiant.  Joseph told me at least three times that he didn't want to hide behind the defenses - he wanted to "expose my body" and go get those Indians!).

After the battle, we all split into three groups - around three dads who each volunteered to oversee the construction of one letter - and made short work of the SOS.  When it was done, Mike asked me to speak a closing word to the camera (as he'd done at the top of the opening of the adventure) and I got the inspiration to draw-out the others (especially the kids) as to what we'd learned.  When I began with the query, "Well, why are we here?  What's this club all about? " young Jack (as I recall) piped-up beautifully to say "It's about giving sons a way to spend more quality time with their dads."  Be sure to tell Mike make sure that answer makes the final cut!  And the others called-out several survival lessons learned, and the whole group spoke a hello to you and thanks to Mike.  Then we counted heads (28 not counting Mike - down from 30 because one dad and his son had had to leave early at about 1300), loaded-up, and returned to the parking lot by the Shawneeland gate.

Dan – this was a great adventure and I look forward to the next one!!!!!!

Bryan Bishop
   
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

December 2006

We did two adventures in December to make up for the one we never held in November (this was planned).  The first adventure we did was to perform a service project for a family who adopted 20 SPECIAL NEEDS children (Sam & Linda LeMay), and who over the years were foster parents to more than 200 young people, many of them pregnant teens that nobody wanted.  Our club came through brilliantly as we built a retaining wall along their long driveway to keep their cars from sliding down the hill onto the highway.  We unfortunately don’t have any photos of this event, but trust that it was AWESOME seeing that large, long wall built with railroad ties and 100lb nails along the driveway edges.

The next December adventure we did was a hybrid adventure – basically two adventures wrapped into one.  And what an incredibly fun time it was – see the photos!  First, we sent to Sideling Hill to see an incredible geologic syncline (sound boring? Not when you have Bryan Bishop, both an attorney and a geologist, with you explaining everything!)!  Plus we watched a movie on the making of Sideling Hill with geologic explanations aplenty!  And no offense to Bryan, but perhaps the kids liked walking over the bridge flanked by a chain link fence and watching the cars zoom beneath us.  And although this was very educational, perhaps the most fun part of the day was walking the mile-long Paw Paw tunnel – check out the photos.  I had a few of the small boys convinced that Golum from The Lord of the Rings lived in the tunnel and whenever I walked over to the edge of the path, in the complete darkness, I’d kick some dirt into the canal water and the kids thought it was Golum following us, so that was hilarious for me J  (Do I need counseling?)  The weather for the tunnel walk was incredibly peaceful, almost hard to describe.  It was very still, with the rippling of the nearby Potomac River echoing in our ears, and the sun was masked by a light layer of clouds giving almost an animation appearance to the sky.  It was just a precious day….Okay, except for the incredibly twisty ride from Sideling Hill to the Paw Paw Tunnel – that was unbelievable --- can anyone say “car sick?”  …And once my group of scared kids exited the Paw Paw Tunnel (which by the way was built in 1859 with roughly 7 million bricks) we ran forward out of sight from the others and pulled a successful ambush on those exiting the tunnel later than us…

Geology and a nearly one-mile underground tunnel walk – all in one day.  Where else can you get this but our adventure club?  And once again, many kudos to Brian Bishop for the hours of geologic explanations he provided to me and my kids as we drove with him on the adventure…which only enhanced our strong friendship.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 


October 2006 - Identifying Rocks Trees & Animals of Virginia


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
   

September 2006 - Surf Fishing
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


August 2006 - Fossil Clinic
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Thoughts from Founder Dan: The fossil expedition we had on August 27th was just incredible! We collectively gathered nearly 200 sharks teeth, and we found a few fossils – one being a neck vertebrae. Most of the sharks teeth were from Tiger Sharks and Sand Sharks, with a few Mako and Nurse Sharks thrown in! To my knowledge, nobody found a Great White tooth – I guess we’ll have to wait until next year… I led a band of kids about 75 yards out into the Chesapeake Bay during low tied, and we all managed to get stung by Jellyfish multiple times – all except for Matthew D’Orso who amazingly avoided any stings! None of the kids cried as the stings were not that bad. The neat part of it was once we got out there and turned around, we had an incredible view of the shoreline and the magnificent Calvert Cliffs! This was at Brownies Beach, and most of the sharks teeth were found at Breezy Point – a place my grandparents frequented many times in the 1940’s. And based on the comments I received from the fathers, they were very prepared for this expedition and felt very comfortable in knowing what to look for and how to unearth the fossils. This adventure, along with our September surf fishing expedition, are our two most complex and logistically challenging adventures and we travel the greatest distance on these two events. Once the dads get these two adventures under their belts, they’re really ready to roll for our other adventures! I hope anyone reading this who is not a member will seriously consider joining this wonderful club! Fathers – we are truly raising modern-day Knights! Our boys deserve our best, and joining this club will help you cement a lifetime of incredible memories! Blessings to you all!!!


 

July 2006 - Tubing the Shenandoah
 

 

 

 


June 2006 - Hiking
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts from Founder Dan: Saturday’s hike was phenomenal! Nobody got hurt – yippee!! We hiked 3.5 miles on Stony Man Mountain (located in Skyland Resort) at Mile Post 41.7 along Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. The weather was perfect, and at 4,000 feet it was sunny, about 80 degrees, and breezy. It was a perfect day for a hike. It was also very cool seeing a bear! As my boys and I left Big Meadows in our Jeep Rubicon after lunch, we saw a black bear on the side of the road foraging for food. The bear was young and weighed about 200 lbs. As it casually strode along the hillside, it seemed totally unconcerned about us. I hope other FSAC members saw the bear too!

We left the parking lot at 10:31am and walked downhill to the playground at Skyland and started our hike from there. The beginning of the walk was very cool, moist, and there was lots of moss. As we gained elevation, there was less moisture in the air and less vegetation. We stopped at the base of Little Stony Man Cliffs where I told the story of how a friend of mine and I climbed the cliffs without ropes (dumb dumb dumb…). We then hiked to the top of these cliffs and rested for a few minutes. We also found a beautiful overlook facing West and we had to lay down and crawl to the crest of the rocks/edge of the cliff. The view was spectacular, and from here we could see the top of Stony Man Mountain – some of the guys said “Is THAT where we’re going?” Yes – and we made it to the top and rested for lunch. This is about 4,000 feet elevation, is the second highest point in the park, and offers some of the most spectacular views of the Shenandoah National Park.

After we had our fill, we left and hiked a short-cut back to the parking lot. Everyone made it with NO complaining! Amazing! Everyone was a “good” tired. From here, we went to Big Meadows for lunch and to buy gift shop items. We had great food and great conversation! Then on the way out we saw the bear. What a great ending to a great day!

Comments to a few members: Jim Czerwinski – where were you? Eating burgers without you and Michael isn’t the same! Thomas Brownell – from now on, don’t get HURT the night before an event. I won’t tell anyone you tripped on your flip-flops! Richard P. – you avoided “the ROCK”!! Luke Nestor – you avoided the “face stick”!!!!


May 2006 - Fishing
 

 

 


 


 

 

 

 


April 2006 - Kite Flying
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


March 2006 - Wildlife Animals
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


January 2006 - Geocaching
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts from Founder Dan: Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is just awesome! It's modern-day treasure hunting using hand-held GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) devices to track Geocaches that people have hidden and logged on the website www.geocaching.com . Geocaches are waterproof containers such as Tupperware or old Ammo boxes, and people insert things like action figures, notepad & pen, disposable cameras, and other trinkets. When you find a Geocache, you can take out treasure and keep it, as long as you replace it with other similar items. These Geocaches are located nearly worldwide and an entire subculture exists of people who spend a great deal of time looking for them.  For more information and specifics on Geocaching, please go to www.geocaching.com.

We at the FATHERS & SONS ADVENTURE CLUB decided to go to Sugarloaf Mountain in Dickerson, Maryland, to find our Geocaches. Sugarloaf mountain is beautiful with incredible views and cliffs to climb with well-marked trails.  If you live in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area, I would suggest going there. Prior to departing for Sugarloaf Mountain, we met in the parking lot of the Potomac Station Clubhouse in Leesburg and actually made two Geocaches there in the parking lot. We arrived at Sugarloaf Mountain at approximately 10:30am, divided into two teams (Reston Chapter versus Leesburg Chapter) and headed into the woods to find the Geocaches using hand-held GPS units that some of the fathers owned. This was exciting, and at 11:43am the Reston chapter found a Geocache. As it turns out, the Leesburg chapter said they found theirs at 11:42am, so I declared it a "tie." Nobody complained. The fathers and sons were really "into" this, and we decided to search for another Geocache instead of hiding the ones we made. We dug around in caves, climbed rock cliffs, etc. and it took nearly another 1.5 hours to locate the Geocache. By this time, everyone was hungry and a little tired, so we convened in the parking lot and ate our lunches.
All of the kids decided to attack one of our fathers, Brian Bishop, and all I could see of Brian at one point were his arms and legs sticking out from underneath a pile of kids. We tossed a football around in the parking lot, ate lunch, rested, and just had a marvelous time! And special thanks to Spencer Riddile (sounds like a spy, doesn't it?) for not only teaching us about Geocaching, but also for going on the adventure to make sure things ran smoothly. Spencer is a GPS expert and his warm and accepting personality combined with his knowledge made him a welcomed addition to our adventure! (Hey Spencer, when are you going to get married and have some kids of your own???) If you're reading this and don't belong to our club, you're really missing out!!!! We'd love to have you - just call me at
703.727.7777 to discuss joining.


December 2005 - Christmas Service Project for Needy
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts from Founder Dan: I am extremely proud of the work accomplished by the grandfathers, fathers and sons of our club for our December adventure.  On December 17th, about 30 of our members descended upon Another Chance Church with truckloads and cars filled with tools and supplies – and lots of know-how – to help Another Chance Church refurbish their building to better assist and serve both their congregation and the homeless and destitute of Winchester, Virginia. 

We built a wheelchair ramp (wow that was hard – special thanks to Robert Goodman, Tim DeCamp, Andrew & Phil Lindsey, Wesley Bishop, age 16, and Jim Kerr!) and huge wooden shelves (special thanks to Pete Brownell, Scott Nester, and Jim Czerwinski).  We painted a room (special thanks to all of the young kids, and David Dodd and Steven Barbosa).  We patched holes in the walls (special thanks to my dad, Dale Copeland).  And thanks to Brian Bishop, all of the kids learned about tools and how to use a power drill – under very close supervision!  (That part was for the moms…) 

When the kids got restless, Pastor John Manning taught the kids how to play drums – see some of the photos below.  And thanks, Pastor John – like we needed the extra noise!!!!! 

And if I’m missing anyone, please email me ASAP so I can be sure to include you.  Everyone was so very much appreciated! 

It’s a testament to the quality of our members that 90% of the supplies were purchased by our club.  Many of our members who were unable to attend sent in their contributions to our effort.  Your generosity was overwhelming! 

This was not a typical adventure.  Instead of hiking, canoeing, fishing, fossil hunting, etc. we used this as a time to give back to the community and to teach our children that giving is more blessed than receiving.  Rather than just preaching to our kids that it is better to give than receive, we demonstrated it!  And even more amazing was the grace we received from those whom we helped!  One example is although we all brought our own lunches, we were nonetheless fed a great home-made lunch by the Pastors and a few members of the congregation. 

And although our focus is for fathers and sons to bond with each other, I noticed that many of the fathers who worked together on the various projects really bonded and formed some wonderful friendships! 


November 2005 - Flag Football Clinic & Game

Enjoy these photos of former Washington Redskins greats!  Reggie Evans is in the orange/red shorts and white tee-shirt.  Ricky Ervins is in the Redskins cap and blue sweat suit.  Ken Harvey is outside playing in the football game in jeans and a blue sweat jacket!
 
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Thoughts from Founder Dan: Playing flag-football with your sons is a lifetime memory, no doubt about it! We packed two football fields, with the younger kids and dads playing on one field, and the older kids and dads playing on the other. Ken Harvey, former Washington Redskins great (4-time pro-bowler, frequent sack leader, and voted one of the 70 greatest Redskins of all time) actually played in the football game with the older kids, and his two boys played too. He was terrific with the kids, and made sure everyone was involved. After one game, he lined everyone up and had them do linebacker drills. I was thinking, man, if Ken were to really run up and tackle me, I’d be in the hospital!

We kept score and all of the games were close! The weather was terrific although a bit cold! I’m glad I bought hot-chocolate! One of my greatest memories will be watching my dad and my two sons, Cameron and Zachary, play together. We had the 4 remaining Copeland boys together on one field playing football – and I ended the game by throwing
a TD to Greg Byre, who was guarded by my dad! All of the men played as if they were in their early 20’s! Although I must say my skills have eroded considerably and I really felt my ripe old age of 40. However, some of the dads were really great out there!  Jim Kerr is the master of pulling off flags!  (Note to Jim – You should now know ALL of the kids since you pulled ALL of their flags off J )  And Larry Lauffer – judging by the way you played, you must be faking your gray hair!  And Jim Czerwinski – don’t worry, we’ll do one event where you don’t get mauled.  And Brian Bishop, thanks for always taking charge!  And to Pete Brownell, for playing football on the sidelines with my 5 year old Zachary EVEN THOUGH YOU HAD A HUGE BANDAGE ON YOUR FINGER AFTER THE LAWN MOWER INCIDENT (cringe……).  I’m not sure even Ken Harvey could have done that J

The other former Redskins who helped us prepare for the game by meeting with us during our Reston and Leesburg Tuesday night events, Reggie Evans and Ricky Ervins, could not make the game but are featured in some of the photos above.

If you are reading this and are not a member, what’s keeping you from joining? Look at all of these wonderful photos of all of our adventures! Look at the fun and fellowship these fathers and sons are enjoying! So what’s keeping you? Call us, we’d love to have you!

Check back next month for information on our NEXT FUN FATHERS & SONS ADVENTURE!


October 2005- Father & Son Wildlife Scavenger Hunt! 

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Guest Expert:  Michael Sottosanti, President and Founder Primitive Technology (www.primitivetek.com). Michael Sottosanti, who has lead National Geographic expeditions, is a combination of Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) & MacGyver. When Michael was 16, he moved into the woods to live off of the land. Michael, who loves kids and conducts camps for them every year, showed us how to start a fire with two sticks, and he made a fire in about 30 seconds. A real fire! He showed us how to make humane animal traps, and he made one in about 2 minutes. He made a blow-dart out of flowers that can kill a rat and can shoot about 40 feet and stick into a tree! Michael, you’re amazing and the kids loved you!

Thoughts from Founder Dan: I want to thank those fathers and sons who participated in our October adventure--a Father/Son Wildlife Scavenger Hunt!  In addition to stumbling upon an old, abandoned farmhouse, we were able to find and collect Osage oranges, Black Walnuts, Box Turtles, Salamanders, Shale, Granite, Limestone, and more! 
 
It was a fabulous, albeit rainy, great time of learning and exploring together!  It makes you appreciate the things Michael Sottosanti showed us all the more. A few notes to the members – Pete Brownell, a phone with an attached chord does not qualify as wildlife; Cameron Copeland, you can’t ambush and bomb the other kids with Osage Oranges; Aaron Dodd, you don’t have to keep asking if your dad is “okay” – he’s fine!; Tim “Pathfinder” DeCamp, Osage Oranges are not for bowling; note to self – great story about the Osage Orange trees…too bad I was pointing to a black walnut tree…). 
 
Nowhere else in the country can you find a club like ours that equips fathers and sons to do these excellent  adventures --and all for such a low price!

Testimonial:" My boys already have 'Fathers&SonsAdventureClub' in their vocabulary as a big adjective to modify nice nouns like 'adventure' and 'event" and 'fun' and 'activity'. As good as the events and adventures have been, our time together on the road to and from same has been even better -- long talks, a couple chapters of a book-on-tape, pitstops for ice cream, happy naps for tired kids, and - for me, while they nap - very pleasant feelings of quality time with my sons and of thanks to the Club for making our participation so easy."  Bryan R. Bishop Reston Member


September 2005- Surf Fishing in Bethany Beach, DE!

   
Surf Fishing

Guest Expert: I served as the surf fishing expert, as I’ve been surf fishing since I was 9 and every year my two boys and I go away to the Outer Banks for a Copeland Boys Outer Banks Surf Fishing Expedition!

Thoughts from Founder Dan: We were super prepared for our surf fishing adventure at Bethany Beach, Delaware. The ride was uneventful – barely 3 hours with no traffic on the way – and we arrived around 10:30am at the Oyster Bay Bait & Tackle shop to load-up. I’d like to personally thank Oyster Bay Bait & Tackle (http://www.oysterbaytackle.com/) for supplying fishing rods, reels, and sand spikes with a cost of only $6 per set! And thanks for the discount on bait & tackle. Once everyone had their equipment, we set-off for the beach. We arrived at the beach about 15 minutes later, where we parked next to the wonderful bed & breakfast The Addy Sea (www.addysea.com). It took about 45 minutes from the time we got there until our rigs were in the water – not bad given the following conditions… Now this was perhaps the funniest adventure I’ve ever lead. Picture this - when we got there, the wind was blowing a steady 20-25 knots from the east (towards the shore), and the waves were from 4-6ft, which doesn’t make for the best fishing conditions. There was a lot of sea foam blowing onto the beach, and the tide was high, so it made it exciting. But everyone was totally gung-ho, despite the conditions. Most of the fathers have never been surf fishing. I told one of the fathers to run after the wave as it is receding and cast immediately before another wave comes. This way you get the most distance on your cast, and in these winds, distance was important. One of the fathers, to remain nameless, had his pole ready and was ready to cast. He saw the wave receding, chased after it, and then looked back to see how his bait was hanging. The problem was he kept moving forward towards the water, forgot to watch for the next incoming wave, and…well you can imagine what happened. Next thing I know, I see this father being engulfed by a wave and unceremoniously being scooped up and dumped back onto the beach – pole and all! His reaction? He stood-up, checked his bait, and tried it all over again with much success! (Note to self – if only I could have cast it as far in these conditions as I did at the surf fishing clinic in Reston when I cast it into a nearby church window.) We fought the conditions and equipment more than we fought any fish. So this gave me an idea. Once we were essentially done fishing, I gathered all of the kids together and told them to go get their bait, which were fresh and whole mullet. The kids came back with tons of mullet, and we had a mullet throwing contest. Of course when the fathers saw how much fun their kids were having, THEY TOO got into the act. Notice the photo at the very top – look closely, and you can actually see the mullet in the air! (Note to my son, Zachary – Don’t throw the mullet at the rear ends of elderly women walking along the beach.)

Testimonial:  “I wanted to send you a letter expressing my appreciation for all that you did for us last Saturday, while surf fishing.  I hope that I didn't give you the impression that we were not happy with the expedition; quite the contrary. I was disappointed that we couldn't spend more time on the beach with everyone else. On the way home, my son reached up from his seat in the back and asked to hold my hand so that he could tell me that he loved me and "thank you papa" for taking him to the beach.  That was priceless!  Sometimes the perfect trips are not the ones with the perfect weather or the picture perfect backgrounds.  They are the ones where little things, like being together with your son, matter most as quality time.  Thank you Dan!  We look forward to the next adventure.”  Richard P., Leesburg Member 


August 2005- Fossil Expedition on the Chesapeake Bay!

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Fossil Expedition

Guest Expert: The Smithsonian Institution (www.mnh.si.edu/education/naturalistcenter.htm )(http://www.si.edu)
A special thanks to Suzanne Hiller and Mark Edmunds of the Naturalist Center of the Smithsonian Institution for lending their time and talents, for helping us understand fossils, for bringing your fossil collections and wonderful handouts, and for just loving the kids.

Thoughts from Founder Dan: You may know that I scout all of the adventures beforehand, and this is one time when I’m glad I did. All of the places recommended in the books as places to find fossils were actually devoid of them. One of the places had a detour of an extra 2 miles, so the hike just to get to the fossils would have been an adventure and the kids would have been worn out. So I did some personal scouting, and found two locations for us to go to – and go we did! The day we left, it was pouring down rain and everyone thought I was nuts for not canceling the event. My thought was there would be a hole in the clouds over us long enough for us to find fossils without getting too wet – and that’s exactly what happened. So we drove to the Chesapeake Bay in the pouring rain. Once there, it quit raining and everyone had a blast! We collectively found more than 150 sharks teeth and fossils, and the day was a success. Thanks to the great materials provided by the fossil experts from the Smithsonian Institution’s Naturalist Center, we actually could identify many of the fossils we found. We brought our food (note to Jim Czerwinski – you were able to find burgers, right?), ate together, looked over our fossils, and had a great time. (Note to Kyle DeCamp – next year don’t climb quite so high on the cliffs, okay?)


July 2005- Snake Hunt and Water Fun Day at Cunningham Falls State Park in MD! 

Guest Experts:  A special thanks to Steve McNamara, Canoe Kayak & Paddle Company, LLC (www.canoeinstructor.net) and Greg Mallet Provost, Antietam Creek Canoe (www.antietamcreek.com) who brought in 8-10 different canoes and kayaks, tons of gear, and lots of knowledge and smiles for the kids!

Thoughts from Founder Dan: This adventure was a combination of adventures all rolled nicely into a day.  We went to Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont Maryland, about 42 miles from Leesburg.  The weather was just superb, not too hot for hiking, not too cool for swimming.  First, we went snake finding.  Unlike some of the fathers, none of the kids were scared J  We went into perfect habitat with lots of underbrush and rocks for shelter, and a stream nearby for water.  We located just about everything a snake could eat - Chipmunks, Crickets, Salamanders, and Mice.  We even found shed snake skin.  But we didn’t find any snakes.  (Note to Richard – stay away from the right-hand side of that large boulder – and keep Layth away too…). We then hiked-up a 78ft tall beautiful waterfall where we rested and replenished ourselves.  (Note to Thomas Brownell, age 10 – don’t stand over top of the underground beehive – you’re lucky buddy.)  After hiking the waterfall, we went canoeing and kayaking on the scenic mountain lake where we all utilized the skills that we learned from Steve and Greg.  Watching the members employ these skills was tremendous!  (Note to self – don’t paddle the front end of the canoe under dense brush hanging over the water as my sons Cameron and Zachary didn’t appreciate the dozen spiders that dropped-off into the boat.)  After canoeing and kayaking, we put on our bathing suits, grabbed the nerf football, and had a blast playing against the kids in the lake, which as white, sandy beaches.  The only way this adventure could have been any better is if it didn’t take the concession stand an hour to cook a hotdog.  In the future, we’ll bring our own food!

Testimonial: “First, let me say Dan has a genuine passion for this club.  He made this adventure experience fun through his personality, energy, humility and confidence.  My boys enjoyed the day’s activities, time with me, and time they spent with other boys in the club.  They both give it their thumbs up!  I agree and am giving it serious consideration for our family.”  Charlton Lentz, Guest Visitor from a Private Organization.
[We received this organization’s endorsement as a result of this high endorsement.]


June 2005- Hiking in the Shenandoah Mountains! 

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Thoughts from Founder Dan: For those of you who were unable to come on this past Saturday, you missed an EXCELLENT adventure!  The weather was perfect, and the mountains were beautiful.  The commute was easy, and there was no traffic!

We hiked approximately 4 miles (note to Jim Czerwinski – okay, it was 11 miles) and although we had a couple of falls on the trail, none of the kids got hurt!  The view from the top at 4,000 feet was spectacular!  The 80ft cliffs at “Little Stony Man” was scary but thrilling nonetheless.  We saw deer, ravens, chipmunks, blooming mountain laurel and wild flowers, salamanders (I felt a little like a wimpy Steve Irwin pulling that salamander out of the log!), centipedes and millipedes, the remnants of the old copper mining, and we also discussed the history of the park!  The best part for some was the hamburger and fries we got at Big Meadows (sorry, guys, that I ordered a vegetable burger…). 

Testimonial: "We had an absolutely fabulous time on this cool adventure!  I brought two of my three sons with me on this outing and they both are still raving about how ”awesome” the hike was.  It could not have been simpler – we just collected what we needed from the list that Dan provided us and showed up at the agreed meeting place.  The only effort I had to make was to get everyone out of the house to have a good time.  I have nothing but praise for this wonderful outing and we all look forward to many more."
David Foulke, Leesburg Member- Fathers & Sons Adventure Club


If you’d like to know more about our club and/or how to join, please do call me at 703.727.7777 or email me at dcopeland@fathersandsonsadventure.com

Check back next month for information on our NEXT FUN FATHERS & SONS ADVENTURE!

 

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