Fly Fishing Central PA

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day on the waters of Central Pennsylvania. Sure, the heavy rain we got yesterday made the water a tad on the murky side, but we still fished hard! Most of the targeted areas were ambush points where the trout could stay out of swifter currents and still have an opportunity to feed on any unsuspecting insects. The varieties of flies that we used were terrestrials which are a popular meal throughout the summer months.

Both of our fisherman did a phenomenal job getting to know the basics of assembling a rod, fly casting, line control amongst a lot of other information! That combined with unwavering persistence and dedication in trying to fool a trout, both of our fisherman successfully had a fish on or got a fish to feed. They understood that this wasn't an easy thing to do as they heard me speak to other fly fisherman who weren't so lucky this morning.

Kudos to both of you and I look forward to getting out on the stream tomorrow and Thursday!

Enjoy!

 

Rothrock Exploration!

Day Three, Week One:

Huge congrats to all of our mountain bikers today and those who joined us throughout the entire week! Today was the most challenging of the three days and everyone did a great job working through some extremely technical terrain, rubbing some dirt on scrapes and tip toeing past a rattlesnake and a snapping turtle. Well done!

Everyone gathered and listened to the game plan for the session.  We split into two groups and half of us rode up Bear Meadows Road to Corner Road, up Camp, to Beer Tap and across the Ridge to Kettle Trail descent.  The half of the group pedaled up Laurel Run Road, to Three Bridges, to Longberger and back!

All in all, it was an outstanding week and we look forward to seeing everyone back for another one of our camps later this summer! Please contact us if you have not already to save a spot while they are still available!

10 - 13 yrs.              (10:00am - 1:00pm)

$150 PER CAMP

M, R: 7/10 & 7/13 ($100)

M, W, F: 8/7, 8/9 & 8/11

Below are some photographs from today's session, enjoy!!

Can you spot the rattlesnake?

Day Two is in the Books!

DAY TWO, WEEK 1:

The second day of camp was another rippin' day on the trails as we are now up to 342 miles biked during camp in 2017! As soon as the bikers got to the lot, they shook out their legs by tearing around the warm up loop and got ready for a big day of biking.

Once everyone arrived we took a decent journey to some more technical riding and trails filled with roots, rocks and log obstacles. It's always fun to see the natural progression of how the bikers gain confidence and their ability to read a trail and see the "correct" line to travel. Everyone did a great job conquering obstacles, facing fears, and surpassing nearly 800 feet of elevation gain on our 8.6 mile journey.

We look forward to picking it up another level and tackling a variety of additional challenges tomorrow in Rothrock! See everyone at 10AM at the Galbraith Gap Parking Lot!

Enjoy the photos and awesome drone footage put together by our very own, Owen Hildebrand!

Bob and Kirk

The Balance Challenge Final!

Mountain Biking: Season 3 Kickoff!

Today marked the third year of camps for us at Sticks and Stones! As the mountain bikers gathered at the parking lot, we felt the excitement growing and it made us thankful of how great the campers are that sign up for our sessions! It's an awesome setting to have the opportunity to share and pass down our passion for the sport of mountain biking.

We started off with a quick warm up loop around the single track trails from Patton Woods and it was evident that the skill level of this camp is strong.  Following our warm up, we had a balancing challenge to make the riders focus on keeping their weight evenly distributed. The riders lined up in heats of four to see who could travel 15 yards the slowest without dabbing their foot to the ground. They really got into this challenge and I'm positive this won't be the last time we see this challenge at our camps this summer.

After this, we went back out onto the trails and visited a few of our hill challenges as we arrived to one of the requested loops that we had the riders complete during one of last years camps.  All in all it was a successful day and we look forward to meeting again tomorrow at Circleville Park parking lot!

Below are a few photos from our first hill challenge from today! I tried to get a decent photo of everyone but a few of them weren't worthy of posting. We will make up for that tomorrow!

Enjoy!

Bob and Kirk     

Sticks and Stones (Week One)

Welcome to Year 3 of Sticks and Stones!

Kirk and I wanted to send a reminder with locations / clarifications for next week's MTB camp.  With the change in schedule due to SCASD school changes we openly know that all initial registrants may not be able to make all 3 of the days .. so pick and choose what works .... and pay accordingly.

Most on this list are past participants so please excuse the redundancy in terms of needs (and message, text, or email any other other questions).   Our week progresses with skills and locations .... but know that there will always be a 'sweeper' in terms of not letting anyone fall behind.  I am too going to encourage the carrying of cell phones due to the size and eventual nature of the trails (Rothrock on Friday!).  No worries if they don't have one or prefer not to bring it along.

I will make a text / call list on the first day of camp to ensure the safest environment for the kids.  We will have gatorades and snacks for the riders but also strongly suggest a water bottle or two (a few riders prefer hydration packs as well).   Rider wants/ needs for equipment vary  ... but the obvious necessities are a bike and a helmet.   Beyond that ... some prefer gloves, longer socks for scratches / ticks, athletic shorts and shirt (sweat wicking possibly instead of cotton), and athletic shoes.  It is possible a rider or two may have even progressed at this age to clip in shoes / pedals ... not a mandate for sure though.

Here is the schedule for the week as well as our cell phone #'s for contact before and during the camp (easier now than on arrival for camps .... we of course would like yours as well but can get whenever most convenient).   thanks for your interest and support of Sticks and Stones Youth Camps ... we are really looking forward to the fun!

Wednesday (6/14)  Scotia Woods / Patton Woods

-  Ideally would like to meet at the Circleville Park lot but I know youth basketball will be occurring so let's attempt to drop off in the gravel lot (Patton Woods wooden sign) across the street.  Each day we will have a large blue tent set up to use as a home base.

Thursday (6/15)  Scotia Woods / 'Accuweather' trails

-  Let's meet in the Circleville Park lot ... near pavillions, soccer fields, etc..   Today we will have room to spread out.

Friday (6/16)  Tussey Mt. / Rothrock

-  Meet at the back lot of Rothrock ... just past Tussey Mountain ski area.

Thank you!

Bob and Kirk

*UPDATED 2017 SUMMER SCHEDULE*

Due to Mother Nature's recent Winter Storm Stella, the last day of school for State College Area School District is now Wednesday June 14th, 2017.  The last day of school will be a half day so the week one mountain biking camp has changed to Wednesday (6/14) from 3:30PM - 6:30PM, Thursday (10:00AM - 1:00PM) and Friday (10:00AM - 1:00PM).  

If you are unable to attend one or more of those days, please let us know at rfurmanek@yahoo.com. 

Thank you, 

Bob and Kirk 

OFFICIAL 2017 SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE

The Sticks and Stones 2017 camp schedule is official and we are extremely excited to begin our third season! As most of you are aware these camps fill up extremely fast! The spots will go even faster this year because we are only running four weeks of camps.  There will be three 10 - 13 year old mountain biking camps and three 7 - 9 year old biking camps.  Another new camp offering that we are pumped up about holding is a two day, one night overnight mountain biking experience.  If you are interested in signing up for one of the mountain biking excursions please contact Bob Furmanek at rfurmanek@yahoo.com.  

 

Along with mountain biking, we will be offering two fly fishing camps with an additional opportunity to have your very own private fly fishing lessons.  Please contact Kirk Hoover at kah935@gmail.com if you are interested in signing up for one of the camps or if you are interested in private lessons.  

How to register for a Sticks and Stones camp: 

1) Contact the appropriate contact for the desired camp to see if spots are still available.

• Mountain Biking Contact: rfurmanek@yahoo.com
• Fly Fishing Contact: kah935@gmail.com

2) Deposit $50.00 cash/check written out to Sticks and Stones and addressed to: 

• Bob Furmanek: 528 East Hamilton Avenue, State College, PA 16801
• Kirk Hoover: 125 Clemson Court, State College, PA 16803

3) Read over the equipment list for the specific camp you are signing up for, if you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask the appropriate contact. 

As always, thank you so much for your continued support of Sticks and Stones outdoor experiences! 

Sincerely, 

Bob and Kirk