THE WORLD OUTDOORS

Have you ever been outside? Of course you have.

But when was the last time you went on an adventure? You may be imagining yourself thousands of miles away in Hawaii, staring out at the seemingly endless, crystal blue Pacific Ocean when I say the word “Adventure”. Oh, you weren’t imagining that? Maybe that’s just me.

When I say “adventure,” I simply mean going out to explore. It can be a walk along Main Street, a bike ride at your local state park, or even just a quick road trip along a rural country road.

My name is Cole Stilwell and I am a freshman at Gray Collegiate Academy. I have worked at the Chronicle part-time for six months.

Growing up, I enjoyed exploring our 3 acres of woods, even after running home after sitting on a hidden fire-ant bed. The ants, and I were not happy campers.

My grandpa and I took a quick detour on our family beach trip in 2015. My grandpa Chuck McCurry writes the Chronicle’s “Church Buzz” column.

We stopped at Colleton State Park in Walterboro. It only took a short, eye-opening, 0.6-mile hike down to the Edisto River and we were hooked. That began our quest to visit all 47 state parks in our great state and to become “Ultimate Outsiders”.

Two short years later, we became “Ultimate Outsiders” by finishing our journey to a setting sun at Lake Hartwell State Park. I learned to enjoy those parks as much as places like Mammoth Cave or The Great Smokies.

In early 2016, I was accepted into Fair Play Camp School in Oconee County. 11 others and I got the privilege of a lifetime. We lived in the middle of the camp’s mountainous 800 acres in tents we had to set up and maintain ourselves.

While there I grew up, a lot. I learned to be patient, appreciative, and caring. I also learned to care deeply about our precious and beautiful forests.

We made cool trips to Washington DC, paddled 200 miles on the Oconee River, and hiked 75 miles on the Bartram Trail.

I cannot wait to share some of my adventures with you from camp and more in my new monthly column, “Ultimate Outsiders.”

I want to encourage you to enjoy our great state’s natural resources.