Anonymous wrote:Bump
14 year old going for first time? Would she enjoy? Art one or Catoctin which is better?

For my DD, the summer before 9th grade was her final year at Opequon. I think a 14 yo might be too old for Opequon, Shiloh, or Catoctin.

Bump
14 year old going for first time? Would she enjoy? Art one or Catoctin which is better?

Our two did Catoctin for the first time this past summer and loved it. Came home dirty, full of stories and begging to go back next year. We probably could have dialed it back on all the gear so if you are not sure how much they will love it try to find a used backpack. We will do it again next year for sure.

Thanks so much for this info!

PP here. I just noticed that there is an "archives" section on the right sidebar on the camp home page -- if you click on the dates in that section you can read some of the reports on activities during the past few summers at each camp; these reports give more info on the particular activities at each camp. http://bymcamps.org/

My two kids attended Shiloh for many years and then went on to Teen Adventure, which is a backpacking program for high school-aged kids from the 3 sister camps. Shiloh and Catoctin are a little more focused on backbacking; Opequon has a larger arts focus. All share the same overall philosophies and have campers that come back year after year. Like with many things, kids seem to feel fiercely supportive of their particular camp and traditions, but I have known kids to switch between camps from year to year based on schedules and availability. The facilities differ a bit from camp to camp as well; some of that you can see on the website along with information on the types of trips and art activities. Our family highly recommends these camps. http://bymcamps.org/

bump.

My DD is looking for a new sleep away camp experience for next year. I have heard great things about Catoctin, but hadn't really heard about Shilo and Opequon. Any input on these - how are the similar? How are they different? Thanks!