Ben Steinbacher

Hello, my name is Ben. I’m a 28 year old master of being a ninja, using chopsticks, laughing, bonding with animals, and becoming friends with waterfalls. This is my first year as a counselor, and I couldn’t be more excited to start this adventure! Food has always held a special place in my heart and stomach; therefore, I’m going to use food to share a little more about me.

Blueberries- My grandpa grew blueberries his whole life. With farming being big in our family, I somehow developed a love for being outside and playing in dirt. This love later transformed into a love for hiking and nature. Now I have a full blown case of adventuritis and use everything as an excuse to be outdoors.

Sweet Tea- When I was a kid, I used to think people from the South talked weird. I was convinced that “y’all” wasn’t a real word and that tea was something you only drank hot. When I was ten though, our family moved to North Carolina. It is true. People here do drink large amounts of sweet tea. As a forewarning, I am now one of those people who frequently says y’all as well.

Dried Mangoes- I had the privilege of going to school at Appalachian State University. I majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. I started off as an Accounting Major, but being a social butterfly got in the way. I met a good 10,000, of the 15,000, undergrad students and found each of them fascinating. It was here that I realized I would rather spend my college days studying people than numbers. This majestic school is also located in the middle of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was here that I fell in love with night hikes, playing in waterfalls, camping out, catching lizards, white water rafting, and spelunking. I spent the majority of my college years adventuring with friends in the woods. Had it not been for bags of dried mangoes I could throw in my book bag before heading out the door, I probably would have starved.

Sushi- Part of my love for eating sushi stems from the challenge using the chopsticks. I’ve always been the type of person who embraced challenge. I used to have a fear of heights. I over came this fear by dabbling in rock climbing, jumping off of waterfalls, and climbing trees.

Chicken Fingers- I used to volunteer with at risk youth. I would bring one of the kids lunch every time I went to see him. His favorite food was chicken fingers. Bonding with him over chicken fingers reminded me of what an amazing thing it is to be kid. It also reminded me how awesome it is to dance for no reason, laugh about anything, take time each day to play, learn new things, and have a day full of surprises. This experience helped me decide to trade in my suit and tie for tennis shoes and a bathing suit this summer.

My future plans include a little room for flexibility but involve a pit stop in Costa Rica. While not dressing up in crazy costumes and playing at camp, I enjoy disc golf, hiking, camping, live music, cooking with friends, and traveling. I can’t wait to spend a summer experiencing the wonder of the outdoors, the joy of being surprised daily, and the fulfillment of forming new friendships. I’m excited to learn more about myself through nature and interactions with new people while inviting the campers to do the same. I’m also looking forward to realizing a deeper appreciation for the uniqueness of myself and others. I also wish to foster an environment that allows the campers to do the same, if they so please. I’ve always been described as someone who’s unafraid afraid to be himself and follow his heart and am excited to share this with the campers this summer as well.

So long for now. I hope that you are as excited about Augusta as I am! Here is a riddle to ponder until we meet again.

What animal is constantly moving around but can rarely be seen even when it is standing right in front of you?

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