Cristin Hall Pond
Suffolk, VA
Participant 2000
Staff 2005, 2006, 2007 and hopefully again one day
Articulating this organization is quite a daunting task, but here I go… Teen’s Camping Tour of the West is so much more than a trip across America. It is an opportunity of a lifetime, not just in the places that you will see with your eyes but in the things you will learn with your heart and feel in your soul. It is an amazing opportunity to create a foundation for a life of adventure, responsibility, compassion and independence. TCTW opens a door to a lifelong love of travel, self-awareness, exploration, friendship and love for natural beauty and mankind. I have been involved with TCTW for over 11 years, and I am still calling upon lessons that I learned on my first trip out west.The ability to communicate and share your feelings in a group, express yourself like an adult, explore a big city, hike a canyon, conquer a fear, hold a friend, share a laugh, share a pillow, (share almost everything for that matter), manage a budget for the first time, face the consequences of my actions, look inside myself for an answer, are all things I learned on a van somewhere between here and the west coast when I was 17 and I draw from these experiences every day. TCTW provided me with the sweetest of memories and the confidence of an unlimited future.
Suffolk, VA
Participant 2000
Staff 2005, 2006, 2007 and hopefully again one day
Articulating this organization is quite a daunting task, but here I go… Teen’s Camping Tour of the West is so much more than a trip across America. It is an opportunity of a lifetime, not just in the places that you will see with your eyes but in the things you will learn with your heart and feel in your soul. It is an amazing opportunity to create a foundation for a life of adventure, responsibility, compassion and independence. TCTW opens a door to a lifelong love of travel, self-awareness, exploration, friendship and love for natural beauty and mankind. I have been involved with TCTW for over 11 years, and I am still calling upon lessons that I learned on my first trip out west.The ability to communicate and share your feelings in a group, express yourself like an adult, explore a big city, hike a canyon, conquer a fear, hold a friend, share a laugh, share a pillow, (share almost everything for that matter), manage a budget for the first time, face the consequences of my actions, look inside myself for an answer, are all things I learned on a van somewhere between here and the west coast when I was 17 and I draw from these experiences every day. TCTW provided me with the sweetest of memories and the confidence of an unlimited future.Andrew Bennett
Statesville, NC 2006
The fear of the unknown is the best fear and is the root of all adventures. Teens Camping Tour of the West was the first time I was able to experience something completely new.
Statesville, NC 2006
The fear of the unknown is the best fear and is the root of all adventures. Teens Camping Tour of the West was the first time I was able to experience something completely new.
I went on the trip in 2006. Before that I had traveled across the country, backpacked through Alaska, and attended every sports/summer camp whose brochure ended up in my parents’ mailbox. Every camp was the same thing, different place. The moment I sat in the TCTW van I realized that this was an adventure. There was no camp director or staff explaining rules and timelines that had to be followed. There was just a past participant, who my parents trusted to drive me across the country, willing to give me the freedom to discover worldliness that I would never find in my normal in high school life. A month later I arrived back home with a lot more friends, but more importantly the ability to embrace the fear of the unknown.
Since the trip I graduated from a college in a different state than I grew up in, took a job 850 miles away from home and my college, and accepted a life of adventure. TCTW instilled in me the meaning of “Life, Love, and Laughter” and guided me to understand that I was in control of all those things. It was a door worth opening!Chase Allen Originally from Charlotte, NC
TCTW is a great way to expose your child to travel within the United States and it is a very positive environment for helping them step out of their comfort zones that are so commonly formed in high school.
TCTW is a great way to expose your child to travel within the United States and it is a very positive environment for helping them step out of their comfort zones that are so commonly formed in high school.
Steph Barnett
Northern VA
Participant 2005
Staff 2010
I went out west in 2005 and then staffed in 2010. When I went on the trip as a participant, I never realized how little I noticed the beauty around me. I'd say that the biggest thing I learned from the trip is how to appreciate and seek out beauty of all kinds-- in the people around you, in nature, and in yourself. I learned a lot about challenging myself to explore new places and meet new people, which was an amazing experience for the summer before my first year in college. When I staffed in 2010, it was incredible to see kids going learning the same lessons I had learned and making friends that I knew would last. I loved getting a chance to get to know the participants on a real level, which is something I think a lot of high schoolers don't often experience with adults around them. Overall, I think every teenager should do something like TCTW to help them learn to be who they are and love the world and the people around them.
Northern VA
Participant 2005
Staff 2010
I went out west in 2005 and then staffed in 2010. When I went on the trip as a participant, I never realized how little I noticed the beauty around me. I'd say that the biggest thing I learned from the trip is how to appreciate and seek out beauty of all kinds-- in the people around you, in nature, and in yourself. I learned a lot about challenging myself to explore new places and meet new people, which was an amazing experience for the summer before my first year in college. When I staffed in 2010, it was incredible to see kids going learning the same lessons I had learned and making friends that I knew would last. I loved getting a chance to get to know the participants on a real level, which is something I think a lot of high schoolers don't often experience with adults around them. Overall, I think every teenager should do something like TCTW to help them learn to be who they are and love the world and the people around them.
Shannon Holcomb
Fayetteville, NC
Participant: 2nd trip 2002
Staffed: 2008
TCTW is a life changing experience. It is much more than a group of people who gather together to travel across the country. Honestly, there are so many things to say about the trip that a summary is difficult, I feel as if I could elaborate for days. TCTW taught me to cherish beauty in everything, to believe in myself, to seriously not judge a book by its cover, to appreciate people for who they are, to put others before myself, to see the big picture instead of dwelling on minor things, to see beauty within myself (makeup doesn't make you beautiful), and to work as a team. TCTW helped me put a lot of things in perspective and allowed me to become closer to not only my family, but to God. One challenge during the trip was hiking the Grand Canyon. At one point I thought I may not be able to hike back up, but with the help of a fellow participant who encouraged me the entire way, I was able to hike the entire trail. Through the years, I have continued to stay in touch with participants from my trip and participants that went out west when I staffed. I continue to meet past participants every year at Stockholders and it is amazing knowing that we share a special bond. I have developed friendships with people that I will cherish for the rest of my life. They are the most genuine, caring, and loving people that you could ever meet. I consider myself lucky to be able to call them my friends. If I ever need anything, I know they are only a phone call away!
Fayetteville, NC
Participant: 2nd trip 2002
Staffed: 2008
TCTW is a life changing experience. It is much more than a group of people who gather together to travel across the country. Honestly, there are so many things to say about the trip that a summary is difficult, I feel as if I could elaborate for days. TCTW taught me to cherish beauty in everything, to believe in myself, to seriously not judge a book by its cover, to appreciate people for who they are, to put others before myself, to see the big picture instead of dwelling on minor things, to see beauty within myself (makeup doesn't make you beautiful), and to work as a team. TCTW helped me put a lot of things in perspective and allowed me to become closer to not only my family, but to God. One challenge during the trip was hiking the Grand Canyon. At one point I thought I may not be able to hike back up, but with the help of a fellow participant who encouraged me the entire way, I was able to hike the entire trail. Through the years, I have continued to stay in touch with participants from my trip and participants that went out west when I staffed. I continue to meet past participants every year at Stockholders and it is amazing knowing that we share a special bond. I have developed friendships with people that I will cherish for the rest of my life. They are the most genuine, caring, and loving people that you could ever meet. I consider myself lucky to be able to call them my friends. If I ever need anything, I know they are only a phone call away!
Hayley Jones
Gainsville, FL
2007
It is such a challenge to put the experience of Teen’s Camping Tour of the West into words. Over the course of twenty-three days I was able to explore the beauty of the American west in a rare and unusual way, while simultaneously exploring myself. This journey taught me about the importance of being me and sharing my unique abilities with the world. I also learned a lot from my traveling companions about how to draw out and appreciate the uncommon gifts within others. Throughout my travels, I fell in love with environments so different from my home and people so unlike myself. This trip left me with an insatiable hunger for exceptional experiences and new adventures that I know will guide me the rest of my life. TCTW has continued to bless my life in countless ways and is something I know I could never forget.
Gainsville, FL
2007
It is such a challenge to put the experience of Teen’s Camping Tour of the West into words. Over the course of twenty-three days I was able to explore the beauty of the American west in a rare and unusual way, while simultaneously exploring myself. This journey taught me about the importance of being me and sharing my unique abilities with the world. I also learned a lot from my traveling companions about how to draw out and appreciate the uncommon gifts within others. Throughout my travels, I fell in love with environments so different from my home and people so unlike myself. This trip left me with an insatiable hunger for exceptional experiences and new adventures that I know will guide me the rest of my life. TCTW has continued to bless my life in countless ways and is something I know I could never forget.
Abby Chang
2010
Finding out about TCTW was serendipitous for me. Before my junior year, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, or let alone what to do in the summer of 2009. I befriended a girl in my physics class and shortly after we became acquaintances, she told me about the trip. She was already scheduled to go that summer, so I anxiously awaited for my letter in the summer of 2010. Going on the trip was not only a wake-up call, but it changed me emotionally, mentally, and physically (hiking the grand canyon got me some killer calves).
2010
Finding out about TCTW was serendipitous for me. Before my junior year, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, or let alone what to do in the summer of 2009. I befriended a girl in my physics class and shortly after we became acquaintances, she told me about the trip. She was already scheduled to go that summer, so I anxiously awaited for my letter in the summer of 2010. Going on the trip was not only a wake-up call, but it changed me emotionally, mentally, and physically (hiking the grand canyon got me some killer calves).
The people I met changed me. I became best of friends with people that I wouldn't have been friends with back at home, I became open to strangers and let my tears fall on their shoulders, I laughed with them until I couldn't breathe. I never knew how fast I could become so comfortable with 45 other strangers, but I did not take any time away from the experience to contemplate those silly questions. I was challenged on so many levels on this trip, and when I think about it, if I was not challenged at all, I probably would not be as emotional on the topic as I am now. My peers were fantastic and the staff was phenomenal. I could not have asked for a better group of people to ride across the country with.
The staff on the trip sparked my tears, my ambition in life, and my hope. They were the ones who asked me questions that I had never thought about nor would have thought about. Their questions made me think to the point where my head hurt from so much confusion I built up for myself.
Sassy Smyth. One of my staffs on my van (Woodstock), is my beloved friend, role model, and a sister that I never had. No words can describe how much I love this woman. She is such an inspiration. She is one of the main reasons why I love TCTW so much. She not only made me realize that I should love others, but more importantly, I should love myself.
Another person that I and anyone who has met him, loves, is Doug Gills. He is the nicest man I have ever met. Arriving in Davidson, North Carolina, He saw me, greeted me, and gave me the warmest, most welcoming hug ever. Doug was a great cause of my many tears on the trip, but those tears were worth shedding. His words were always filled of wisdom, his laughs echoed, and his love was so strong.
After the trip, I came to college. Every day since the trip, I look back on the pictures I took and reminisce those days. I think about all the conversations I had, and it is definitely a great pick-me-up on a bad day. This trip definitely sparked my obsession of road-tripping and traveling in general. In fact, this past summer I went to Africa and worked with two NGO's to help prevent and spread the news of HIV/AIDS. This upcoming summer, I am planning on studying abroad in Germany and Australia. If I did not go on TCTW, I don't even know if I would be doing the things that I am doing now. TCTW has been the best decision I have ever made hands down, and I hope that anyone who gets this opportunity will take it with open hands. It seriously changed me and my life for the better.
Annie Brooks
Sanford, NC
Participant 2005
Staff 2010
Before TCTW I had traveled the east coast frequently, but I had never been west of Kentucky. This trip with 43 strangers truly helped me to expand my horizons. My mother had gone on TCTW back in the 70s, and it was a trip that I dreamed about going on as long as I can remember. When the day actually came to step on the vans I was so nervous, but also excited. I was rather shy around new people, but the trip helped me break my shell. The first few days were an adjustment, but once I met who would become my best friends of the trip, I began to open up. The trip was more than site-seeing (which was awesome), but it helped me figure out who I was. I was able to break away from my daily routine, think deeply about life, and have very spiritual moments. I stepped out as a leader, and I seized every moment given to me. I hiked the grueling Grand Canyon and jumped in the Pacific with all my clothes on. This trip made me become a more thoughtful and caring person, and it gave me my obsession with traveling.
Sanford, NC
Participant 2005
Staff 2010
Before TCTW I had traveled the east coast frequently, but I had never been west of Kentucky. This trip with 43 strangers truly helped me to expand my horizons. My mother had gone on TCTW back in the 70s, and it was a trip that I dreamed about going on as long as I can remember. When the day actually came to step on the vans I was so nervous, but also excited. I was rather shy around new people, but the trip helped me break my shell. The first few days were an adjustment, but once I met who would become my best friends of the trip, I began to open up. The trip was more than site-seeing (which was awesome), but it helped me figure out who I was. I was able to break away from my daily routine, think deeply about life, and have very spiritual moments. I stepped out as a leader, and I seized every moment given to me. I hiked the grueling Grand Canyon and jumped in the Pacific with all my clothes on. This trip made me become a more thoughtful and caring person, and it gave me my obsession with traveling.
Going back on the trip as staff after graduating college was another gratifying experience in and of itself. Not only was I able to continue my personal growth as a leader, but I was able to watch and help mold such an amazing group of young individuals. To see these "kids" at a stage in their life where they are beginning to define themselves, and to watch as they grow leaps and bounds when thrown into an unfamiliar situation, is truly inspiring. You see people step forward as leaders, define their spirituality, and set-forth a value system. Getting to spend time with the other staff members who share the same values as you made my love and appreciation for the trip increase exponentially!
Samantha Oldham
Participant 1st Trip 2006
Staff 2011
When I first travelled west in the summer of 2006, I was 17-years-old and typically oblivious to my place in the world and firmly believe I would have remained this way had I not experienced what Teens’ Camping Tour of the West had to offer. It was only a few days in to the 23 day journey (and I do mean journey in every aspect of the word) that I realized this was going to be a little bit more than just a camping trip across the west.
Participant 1st Trip 2006
Staff 2011
When I first travelled west in the summer of 2006, I was 17-years-old and typically oblivious to my place in the world and firmly believe I would have remained this way had I not experienced what Teens’ Camping Tour of the West had to offer. It was only a few days in to the 23 day journey (and I do mean journey in every aspect of the word) that I realized this was going to be a little bit more than just a camping trip across the west.
One of my first and favorite memories during my time out west was my hike in the Grand Canyon. Hiking those 13 miles was the hardest and most physically rewarding challenge I have ever put myself up to. The heat and exhaustion warnings were no joke. When we reached the bottom of the canyon on that sweltering June day, the temperature was over 110 degrees and mind you, we had done the easiest part first. Now, we had to hike six miles back up the switchbacks to get out of this hole. Thanks to my new friends, that I had only known for six days, the promise of a hug and a friendly greeting upon my arrival at the rim, I made it out exhausted and sore, but unscathed. This is the day I realized the power of TCTW. The fact that virtual strangers were there supporting one another through a challenging time is a testament to what this trip really stands for: think well of yourself, love others and appreciate nature.
Another set of days that really stands out for me during my time as a participant and staff are the days we spend in Wyoming, my favorite state. You may be wondering why Wyoming is my favorite state and if so, I take it you have never gasped at the sight of the Grand Tetons reflecting over Jackson Lake or awed at the beauty of true wide open spaces and the bluest sky you have ever seen. These days are some of the most emotionally powerful on the trip. The time spent reflecting on your life and the trip while looking into the Shoshone River offer every participant a chance to make a change and go home a better person.
While this trip is one of the best things I have ever done for myself, it is on this day that I recognized I needed to take my experiences here and create new “mountaintops” for myself in the future. TCTW is a mountaintop experience, but the true point of the trip is to take that experience and make new mountaintop experiences in your life, which thanks to TCTW I have been able to do. I’ve done more travelling and befriended people I otherwise wouldn’t have, allowing me to find my mountaintops after TCTW.
If you would have asked me 10 years ago what TCTW was, I wouldn’t have had a clue. If you would have asked me five years ago when I returned from the trip as a participant, I still wouldn’t have quite grasped the impact that this trip had made on my life. But, asking me now in the months since I have been home from staffing the trip, I now know how deeply the trip has impacted my life and led me to pass this gift along to others.
After being thrust into a van with 14 strangers for over three weeks, I experienced highs I didn’t know possible, partially thanks to breath-taking scenery and much thanks to the amazing people I was surrounded by. I came home with forty-four new friends, wide-eyed and excited to take on this world and make a difference. After staffing this trip and having the opportunity to share my experiences and give this gift to new people who will continue to pass it along, I am fully aware that TCTW prepared me and started me on a lifelong journey to be a better person and make a difference, even it is just in my small corner of the world.
Rob Sherwood
Particpant 2nd Trip 2006
Particpant 2nd Trip 2006
TCTW holds a special place in my heart, and always will. Before the trip I was in a time in my life where I was unsure of whom I was and who I wanted to be. The real story to me was how I got to go on the trip. I had just finished my junior year in high school and I was hanging out with a few of my friends and they were telling me they were leaving on this trip next week to go out west for 3 weeks. I was surprised because I had heard nothing about it prior to this. So after talking with them (Stephanie Wilson and MaryGrace Snoddy) about it I asked if there might be any spots still open....and 5 days later I was sitting on Joe Cool heading out west. At the time I did not understand the gravity of the decision I had made on a whim of curiosity. 5 years later as a senior in college I can safely say it turned out to be one of the single biggest and defining moments of my life. To this day I am thankful for the opportunity I received to go out west, and to this day I remain best friends with several people I met on my trip. On the trip I met Harrison Gray and Stephen Saunders since then we have experienced college together, we have lived together, pledged a Fraternity together, traveled back and forth to stockholders and everything in between. It’s hard to imagine what my life would be like without TCTW. I wouldn't have went to the same college, met the same people, and I most certainly would not be the person I am today. I think for me the spirit of TCTW has turned more into a way of life rather than just a part of it. To me this way of life embodies a peace of mind, happiness, generosity, compassion, integrity and most of all love. Without TCTW I can’t say for certain I would hold all of these values so highly or even if I would be capable of them. But this I do know, I'm happy with who I am and who I have. When times get hard I look back and remember the spirit of TCTW and how it taught me that the most important thing in life is to be a good person, because if you can live as a good person you will be happy, and that makes life just a little bit easier.
Taylor Hart Odom
1st Trip 2007
1st Trip 2007
Suffolk, VA
Going on Teens Camping Tour of the West was one of the best decisions of my life because it showed me how beautiful America really is! I met so many amazing people and had amazing experiences from hiking the Grand Canyon to swimming in the Pacific Ocean! But TCTW is also so much more than an adventure, its a personal journey that allows you to look at your own life in a new and exciting way. TCTW is such an incredibly unique experience that will change your life so take the chance and DO IT!!
Sarah Ling
2nd Trip2007
Gainesville, FL
2nd Trip2007
Gainesville, FL
We all have that song that when it comes on the radio no matter what you’re in the middle of or where you are, you can’t help but to let your thoughts drift back to the special memory that the song represents. However, it takes an extra special memory for that song to make you not just sit back with a smile, but rather grab the first person you see and try to tell them all about why you love that song. My song is Free Falling by Tom Petty. Whenever I’m out and about and I hear Free Falling on the radio, more times than not I find myself trying to explain the experience that makes this song so meaningful to me. I feel like my words can’t do the story of Teen’s Camping Tour of the West justice but I’ll do my best. The trip itself is something so unique. I’ve never met someone that’s had or even heard of an experience like camping in America’s beautiful west for 23 days with 45 complete strangers. The amazing sights we see, the unique friends we make the special moments we share during the trip creates a once in a lifetime experience that changes the way we go about our life. Out of everything that was instilled in me from Teen’s Tour, the three lessons that continue to have the biggest impact in my life are the desire to travel, the decision to do what makes you happy and the lifestyle of “living in the now.”
I went from never being west of the Mississippi River before the trip, to claiming Wyoming as my favorite state. TCTW definitely implants in you a craving to travel. The west is absolutely breathtaking; seeing everything from the Grand Canyon and the beautiful city of Chicago makes me want to know what else is out there in the world that I have yet to see. Teen’s tour has inspired me to travel whenever possible. The small weekend road trip to a little town I’ve never visited before, to the flight overseas that I’ll work all summer to pay for, are all worth it. Traveling rapidly bonds my with my travel companions. Taking a trip with a friend, new or old, gives me the opportunity to get to know that person so much better. I also feel that traveling is one of the best learning opportunities. Everywhere I go I get a chance to learn the history of the place and the nature of the people. Not being much of a traveler before, I have teen’s tour to thank more my drive to continue my travels. After getting a taste of this beautiful world out west I have been inspired to see the rest of America and the rest of the world.
The one moment that I will never forget from Teen’s Tour was at Shoshone where all the staff and campers were sitting in a circle together for a special moment. Sassy Smyth was giving her part of the lesson and her advice was to “do what makes you happy.” This is the one phrase from teen’s tour that has had the biggest effect on my life, and it made its impact immediately. I grew up playing volleyball, 6 days a week for as long as I could remember. However, by the end of my junior year, due to other obligations beginning to take up more time and playing volleyball becoming less satisfying, volleyball unfortunately became more a burden than a reward. I was unhappy and did not know what I could do about the situation; luckily that was the summer I went out west. I was able to keep the looming decision of whether or not to play my senior year off of my mind for most of the trip, but every now and then remembering the choice I had to make when I returned home. Still unsure how I was going to handle my situation, that moment in Shoshone came. Sassy taught us to “do what makes you happy” and from there I knew I’d be able to make my decision. I had several reasons why I was scared to quit playing: I’d invested so many years of my life, all of my friends were still on the team, and I didn’t want to look like a quitter. Then I asked myself what would truly make me happy? As sad as I was about it, it wasn’t volleyball anymore. I thought about all the other options that would be available to me if I had time; so with that I gave up volleyball and moved on to a student government office and the golf team. Through student government I met kids around the state that I was able to reconnect with in college and golf was just a fun sport that I’d never had the opportunity to play before. Because of the positive experiences from my other activities I’ve never regretted the decision that I made 5 years ago. I think back to this lesson with every decision that I make. Doing what makes you happy is not disregarding others and selfishly thinking about yourself, but at the end of day making sure you are satisfied with the decision you are making and the way you are living your life.
I feel the most stressed lesson on the trip is “living in the now.” I’m the type of person that has a plan for everything; I like knowing what to expect. I was always busy planning my next move and overlooking the current moment. However on teen’s tour I had to get over that. When asking when my next shower would be I could expect a sassy “live in the moment!” from Doug. Even though the answers about the shower were in sarcasm that is how I was able to truly embrace the notion of living in the now. Senior year of high school, instead of getting senioritis waiting for the days of school to end I began to quietly cherish each day. I learned to still be excited for what’s a head and not to dread days passing, but to fully engage yourself in the present moment. Teen’s tour taught me to appreciate every experience, great or small. It’s okay to have a plan when necessary, but it is not necessary to be fixated on the plan. So every day I try not to get caught up in planning tomorrow so I don’t miss out on today.
I can thank Teen’s Camping Tour of the West for so much: the great friends that I’m still in touch with, the beautiful sights that I hope to see again, and so much advice on living a faith-filled and meaningful life. Because of teen’s tour I have that desire to travel, I am choosing to live by what makes me happy and I am taking advantage of every moment I am given. And when I forget to live by the lessons I’ve learned, I just have to wait for Tom Petty to sing me Free Falling over the radio. Paul Sink
Participant 2nd Trip 1989
Bahamas 1991
Staff 1st Trip 1996
Staff 1st Trip 1996
Things I still carry with me from my TCTW experience:
… a heart to love others for who they are
… confidence to be myself, because God made me to be me
… freedom to fall in love with the beauty of the world around me
… joy in knowing that my family is far larger than my bloodline
Here I am, 22 years after my first trip on TCTW, and there is still not a day that goes by when I am not reminded of something about TCTW. It could be how I marveled at the colors in the sky as the sun rose over the foothills this morning… taking my mind and heart back to the moment of sharing the amazing sunrise over the Grand Canyon with my new TCTW family members. It could be hearing a song on the radio yesterday that reminded me of a special moment, many years ago, as we took in the grandeur of Yosemite Valley. It could be receiving a text last month from one of my participants from when I had the privilege of being on Staff for TCTW… and still sharing the joys of life as we maintain the love and care of our deep friendship, even after all these years. I have gained an ever growing family through TCTW that continues to bless and enrich my life each and every day.
You see, TCTW has been the single most important happening in my life. I remember those formative moments like they were yesterday and live, even now, like they are occurring all around me. My appreciation for life, my capacity to love, and my joy in laughing with friends make up who I am. I thank God for these simple gifts from my TCTW experience.
