When Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization’s regular three-week summer camps end, it is often the case that Plast scouts head to camps with specialized themes. This year in addition to Morskyi Tabir (Sea Scouting Camp), which took place at Kellys Island, Ohio, on Lake Erie, there was a first-of-its-kind Rock Climbing Camp at Seneca Rocks, W. Va.
Campers hailing from California to New York City, and points in between, descended on West Virginia’s Rock Climbing mecca – Seneca Rocks. Most of the campers knew each other, having camped together at various Plast campgrounds over the past few years.
Rock Climbing Tabir 2016 was the brainchild of Dartsia and Marko Jakubowycz, who have climbed extensively in the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. Seneca Rocks is part of the Monongahela National Forest and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Orest Pencak
Pavlo Pencak learns rock climbing.
Rock climbing in Seneca Rocks started in about the 1920s. Seneca Rocks was also the training site for the 10th Mountain Division during World War II. It is here that thousands of soldiers trained in mountain assault tactics.
Now, in addition to this rich history, Seneca Rocks holds a part of Plast history, having become the site of the first Plast camp where climbers scaled the 300-foot face of Seneca Rocks.
Fourteen campers, two counselors and a few senior members of Plast participated in the camp, which began on August 7. The camp participants climbed four days. The instruction was provided by Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides. These guides – all are certified and very experienced – made certain that all of the instruction and climbing was safe and enjoyable.
Orest Pencak
Opening ceremonies of Plast’s Rock Climbing Camp with Seneca Rocks as the backdrop.
One of the highlights of the camp was when the guides from Seneca Rock Mountain Guides led our camp to the summit of Seneca Rocks at an elevation of 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Tom Cecil, the owner of Seneca Rocks Mountain guides, provided aerial photography using a drone.
In the evenings, the campers worked on the two rock climbing merit badges, watched films about epic climbs and sang songs around the campfire. This was a wonderful camp that Plast hopes to repeat sometime in the future.
For additional photographs and video of this unique Plast experience readers may visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuC1SBLMLgc or
http://www.pysanyjkamin.org/1047108510801084 10821080.html
Pavlo Pencak, 14, is a member of the Newark N.J., branch of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization. He is a freshman at Morris Knolls High School in Denville, N.J.