Whittington Center Photo Gallery

When you hear “New Mexico,” you might think “desert.” Although there are parts of the Whittington Center that are semi-arid, the higher elevations are forested.
The last few days of Adventure Camp take place in Coal Canyon—time to load up the bus and head into the wilderness! This is where campers put to use all the skills they’ve learned in the past week.
They must dig their own cooking pits...
... cook their own meals...
…and raise their own sleeping tents.
Now it’s time for the “walk-through,” which is a live-fire hunting-skills test that takes place in the rugged country. Here, campers wait their turn to head out to the hills, two by two.
Campers must correctly identify their targets and take only ethical shots.
Counselors conceal themselves along the trail, ready to serve as game wardens if the campers make a mistake.
The path they must follow is marked by tape, but otherwise pretty rugged—just as with a real hunting situation.
The campers consult their “game license,” to determine if they’re allowed to take a shot on the target they’ve spotted.
Is this an ethical shot? What would you do if you were the camper?
The end of the trail, and the news is good: Both campers passed the test, and will be receiving their Hunter Education certificates!
Now it’s time to head out on the Practical Rifle walk, for a tutorial in ballistics. First, however, they have to use a GPS to find the shooting stations.
Here, campers slog through wet lowland to reach their destination.
The first shooting station, a 300-yard target, allows campers to shoot from the prone position.
It’s still a pretty intimidating shot. The target isn’t really visible without a shooting scope! By the way, see that mountain in the background?
Yeah, that one. They’re going to climb it now.
And then they’re going to shoot straight down, to learn how ballistics works from that angle.
Want to go on an adventure of your own? Applications for 2011 are being accepted now on a first-come, first-serve basis. Go to www.nrawc.org or call (800) 494-4853 for more information or to get an application.