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On a snowy evening in January, a small group of youth attending the 2012 Winter Camp gathered around the inaugural fire in Mingus Mountain Camp's new fire circle.

The youth and their adult leaders were grateful that the new benches in the concrete enclosure are portable, as they pulled them around a crackling fire to keep warm as they told "scary" stories and silly jokes to one another during a small group session.

Soon the entire camp had gathered around the fire, preparing for a beautiful night hike in the wintery wonderland of Mingus.

Our new fire circle is equipped with an electric outlet for future groups to utilize, as well as a water source to ensure fires are fully extinguished. The fire circle is now closer to the dining hall, with wide aisles that are not only paved, but descend gradually, allowing for easier access.