What is a typical day like?

A typical day at encampment starts with an early morning wake up call, getting ready for the day, first formation of the day, march to breakfast, morning tour on base, lunch, afternoon tour on base, dinner, flight time, evening sports activities, personal time and showers and lights out at early in the evening. Cadets will be in uniform the entire day except for the late evening and PT/sports activities.

Am I going to get yelled at?

CAP encampments are NOT boot camps. It's not our goal to break down a cadet and build them back up. Cadets will be held to high standards in terms of self discipline, customs and courtesies, military bearing and enthusiasm to learn.

What are the most common health issues that come up?

One of the biggest problems is a cadet not breaking in their boots before encampment. There is a great deal of marching back and forth for meals, between activites and just walking around the area in performing duties. Cadets need to break in boots and resolve pressure points before they arrive. Otherwise, cadets face several days of very painful feet from blisters and other problems.

Sunburn is another problems that comes up. Many cadets get the idea of getting a buzz haircut or soemthing similar without realizing they are exposing their scalp to the sun. After a good dose of sunshine their scalp is burnt and painful. Other cadets are simply not used to all day exposure to the sun and don't realize they need to protect themselves.

Finally, dehydration is another major issue. This is North Carolina and in July it's hot and humid--simply part of our normal climate. Exposure to this all day requires plenty of water all day long to stay hydrated. It helps if cadets get acclimated to the summer weather and get used to slowly drinking liquids during the entire day.

-- JoeMorris - 14 Apr 2007