The Machon Adventure program is one of Camp Coleman’s three leadership development and staff-in-training programs for rising 12th graders. It begins with an out-of-camp adventure week designed to help Machon participants explore their personal potential through various outdoor activities while developing skills they’ll carry into their future roles as Coleman staff members.
This year’s Machon Adventurers were led by Jayme Lenton, Nate Yaeger, and Todd Gordon. Together, Machon Adventure ’25 spent four nights at Cloudland Canyon State Park (CCSP) and two nights at Tallulah Gorge State Park (TGSP). Their week in the great outdoors provided the perfect setting to build essential outdoor living skills, learn how to live and work as a team, and step outside their comfort zones—all while having a ton of fun.
Participants took full responsibility for setting up and taking down their tents and played a key role in preparing, cooking, and cleaning up meals. From kabobs and chicken with rice to breakfast scrambles, shakshuka, and quesadillas—not to mention our traditional July 4th (celebrated on the 5th) cookout—everyone contributed, and no one went hungry.
Outdoor adventures were plentiful and included geocaching, exploring Sitton’s Cave (a wild, undeveloped cave filled with rock scrambles and mud crawls), and several hikes such as the Backcountry Loop, West Rim, and Cherokee Falls trails at CCSP. The group also explored the Tallulah Gorge floor and its famous sliding rock—one of only 100 gorge floor permits issued daily! We hiked to and swam below Turtletown Creek Falls in Farner, TN, earned Wilderness First Aid training and certification, ziplined, cooked over campfires and camp stoves, and went whitewater rafting on the Chattooga River. On July 4th, we summited Black Rock Mountain State Park, Georgia’s highest state park, just in time to witness firework displays lighting up the Appalachian Mountain horizon for miles.
Evenings were filled with classic campfire moments: s’mores, song sessions, paracord crafts, and a surprise tie-dye activity. We were also joined by naturalist and caving guide Jerry Wallace, who led our cave expedition and later jammed with the group on his recorder and didgeridoo.
Over the course of the week, our Machon Adventurers challenged themselves, discovered new skills, and explored unfamiliar terrain. We pushed our boundaries both physically and emotionally—and it was truly incredible.
