This summer at Camp Wakonda, there were two new activities that captured the attention of our campers: mountain biking and escape room.
The plans had been laid out a couple of years ago for mountain biking. For the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee, Pastor Zack was told that they buy a bunch of bikes for the activities that week and then sell them at half price. So he put in dibs on six really nice bikes, and after the International Camporee was over, he hauled them back from Gillette, Wyoming, to Camp Wakonda. They’ve been at the camp since last summer, but this was the first year we got to try them out at Summer Camp.
Jacob Manly was chosen to be the first staff member to teach the mountain biking class at Camp Wakonda, and he really took ownership of it. The camp has nearly 240 acres, much of which is heavily wooded—so there was the idea to cut new trails specifically for mountain biking. But we wondered if we would get it done before Summer Camp 2025 began. Pastor Zack told him that if he couldn’t get it all done, this first summer they could just ride on roads around the camp, because there’s enough space and elevation change that it could still be fun for a pilot season. However, Jacob had bigger dreams. After looking at and talking over some possible new trail spots, Jacob decided to come to camp early with Levi Baines and cut the trails. They made amazing time, and some beautiful new trails came to life before Summer Camp.
All ages enjoyed the mountain biking class: from Cub Campers (ages 7–9) all the way to the adults at Family Camp. We received many comments from campers that it was a fun new addition, that they liked taking the class from Jacob (and Wayde Minett, who helped when he wasn’t driving the boat), and that the trails were not just sufficient, but actually a lot of fun. It’s not every day you get to see Camp Wakonda from a brand-new angle, but new trails in the woods, on nearly brand-new mountain bikes—that really was a fun new thrill at camp. Not to mention that in the class, our campers learn how to take care of and responsibly use their bikes as well, so the life skills element is also present.
The escape room was an idea Pastor Zack had after he and his family enjoyed a family day at a camp up in Crivitz. There was an escape room there that was really fun, and the staff said that they just came up with it themselves. By contrast, it can cost hundreds of dollars to buy an escape room program, as well as all the necessary props. But seeing how simple and easy—and fun—doing it yourself could be gave Pastor Zack some ideas.
A few months later, we heard about a camper who was on the fence: he had never been to Summer Camp before and was a little nervous. He wanted to meet someone from the camp and also wanted to know what kind of activities there were. Pastor Zack and Ally went up to his church one Sabbath along with Boys Director Cameron Krawczyk and Ceramics Staff Alexandra Blanaru. Meeting the young man, it became apparent that he loved figuring out puzzles, and that’s when it clicked with Pastor Zack: “We’re going to have an escape room this year at camp,” he told the young man.
Having met the staff and having heard about the escape room, the young man was convinced: he was going to go to camp. Now Pastor Zack was on the hook, because he hadn’t actually come up with the game yet. Earlier that summer, he and Caden Minett (along with help from various other staff along the way) remodeled the Pathfinder Museum into the Wakonda Cabin. There was already a treasure trove of cool, historical items in the building, and it had drawn a lot of new attention during Camp Meeting. So Pastor Zack decided to turn the Wakonda Cabin into the new escape room.
After a couple of days of writing the program and buying props from Family Dollar, the escape room was ready. From the younger kids to Family Campers, dozens of groups enjoyed the escape room over the summer. Of course, there will have to be a new escape room game by next summer (since everyone knows all of the secrets by now). But we learned that it was easy to do, and that not every fun new activity needs to be a big-budget item. Sometimes all it takes is some creativity.
Have you tried these new activities at Camp Wakonda’s Summer Camp? If you haven’t, we’d love to see you at camp next summer. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this report and the accompanying pictures.
Pastor Zack,
Youth Director
