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"Great things happen when youth and mountains meet" are the guiding words of Frank Cheley – late founder of Colorado staple Cheley Colorado Camp.

"Great things happen when you and mountains meet" – truer words are hardly spoken, if ever, but when they are, they resonate with you. And for those who've attended Cheley Camp of Colorado – one of the most highly regarded summer sleep-away camps in the country – this phrase truly means something. [gallery size="large" ids="11852,11849,11848,11851"] Run by 4th generation Brooke Cheley Klebe and Jeff Cheley, the Camp is about to celebrate its 100th year. It offers a host of character-building outdoor activities like hiking, backpacking, riding, rafting, fishing, climbing, etc., yet the camp is best known for its multi-generation attendance, its history, and its ultra rigorous counselor training. Any Cheley will be ready to admit that a lot of the camp's success stems from their investment in their leadership. To become a counselor, the applicant must pass a series of interviews, raise no flags on a FBI background check, and must spend eight to 10 days training where they will spend time with professionals in the fields of child development, parks and forests, psychology and wilderness medicine. The camp itself serves youth ages nine through 17. The idea behind it all is simple, but remains one of the best ways to betterment – disconnect from everyday life and spend some time in the great outdoors with great leadership to become "self-propelled, independent individuals with real character and personality.”

It's been a formula that's been popular since 1921 when Frank Cheley began using the outdoors as his backdrop for helping young people build character. And after all, it was Ralph Waldo Emerson that said, "Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think." What better place to leave all the tech, the video games, and your old self behind than four miles south of Estes Park? I think after a 100 years, they've got it figured out!

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