Alongside dozens of other programs that drew kids outside this summer, Atlantis Taekwondo had kids doing parkour and nerf battles in an elaborate course of platforms and ziplines in the forest.
The camp is a bit reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, with boardwalks built in the trees, wooden weapons for kids to strap on, and an elaborate tower looming in the centre, built from wooden tree slices and stucco.
Located two kilometres down Copper River Forest Service Road, the camp was built by Atlantis Taekwondo owner Cody Skog.
The stone and wood house/tower was a project he tackled years ago after being inspired in his 20s on a trip to Europe with his partner Susanne.
“They have a lot of houses built out of rock,” Skog said of the architecture there.
“There was this temple we saw that was an oval shape, and I thought that was pretty cool,” he said, noting that the building inspired the design of his house/tower.
As for the platforms and obstacle course around the building, Skog says he built that over the last eight to 10 years in order to run his summer camps there.
The camps have been running since around 2008, and Skog says his experiences have shaped the rules and activities at the camp over the years.
The kids at the daytime Atlantis Adventure Camps cycle through stations such as archery, ninja stars, and parkour wall-run.
They also battle with wooden weapons and teeter through an obstacle course before grouping up for big nerf battle games such as capture the flag, manhunt, and cops and robbers.
“It’s been awesome,” said Skog. “It’s really busy… but I like hanging out with all the kids. It’s pretty fun,” he said.
The camp runs every summer in July and August, and wraps up this week for the year.
