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We thought we’d seen it all out here… until a 101-year-old Wild Child showed us otherwise!

I had the absolute joy of welcoming a living legend aboard — a centenarian whose birthday wish was to celebrate by touring the lake. He grinned as he gave a thumbs-up for the camera in front of a waterfall, then walked strong and steady down the plank onto a sandbar to toss mica buttons into the cold, clear water — his “mica birthday wish.”

Between snapping photos with his little point-and-shoot camera, he shared stories of dancing the polka and other folk dances “back when he was young(er) and light on his feet.” We spotted four bald eagles, giggled with delight, and his eyes sparkled with the same curiosity and joy we see in every Wild Child — no matter their age.

Out there on the water, it became beautifully clear to me:

being a Wild Child isn’t something you grow out of — it’s something you grow into. 💙

“Adventure and wonder never grow old.”

~Kerry McKenzie

Director, Jocassee Wild Child Outdoor Education

JLT Guide