What do you get when you combine fun, soaring mountains, fresh air, and a lot of love? Mountain High Camp, where Pate staff and patients headed recently to escape the Texas heat, reconnect with old friends and make new ones.
Located in the gorgeous mountains of New Mexico, Mountain High is a five day camp for people with brain injuries. It’s a place to find other people who deal with the same challenges, a caring community and it’s all wrapped up in an inspirational setting.
Mountain High Camp offers our long term resident patients an annual vacation getaway that’s relaxing and safe yet offers a lot of action, too. There are fishing expeditions, horse carriage rides, picnics, hoe-downs, dancing, games, even a talent show. It’s a time for campers to explore their capabilities and try new things, even push boundaries on the way to finding out how much is possible.
For staff, camp is a chance to connect in a deep way with patients and renew their own spirits. Pate therapists and several program managers made the trip this year. For five days, everyone eats, plays and worships together and the experience is unforgettable.
Mountain High Camp is so special it’s led to several spin-off camps in Texas. Maybe part of its magic is that outside of a clinical setting, staff and patients are no longer confined to roles like caregiver or person with a brain injury. They’re just people.
The Tyrolean-style setting amid the aspens and pine trees is a beautiful place to recharge, give hugs and encouragement, and soak up the serenity of nature. Worship services with some seriously awesome music tended the spirit and underscored the preciousness of time together as a community. And of course, Pate staff served up some excellent entertainment with their dancing skills.
Everyone had a great time and can’t wait to do it again next year. Pate staff will battle it out to see who’s lucky enough to go in 2017!
But that’s not all the camp for the year. There’s another one slated for autumn right here in Texas. We’ll see you there.