**The names and ages of some have been changed to protect the families of the individuals involved.**
In the 80’s, "boot camps" for troubled teens became the new treatment dejour for parents at their wits end. However, after numerous allegations of severe abuse, untrained staff and several deaths, these camps came under much scrutiny. Steve Cartisano ran the most notorious of these camps, called Challenger Foundation. I was 15 when I was kidnapped from my bed and taken to Challenger. 63 Days is the story-in-progress about my brutal experiences there, my subsequent escape and the aftermath. This is my story, this is my life.
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Visitors Since May 25
The night crept coolly up the sandy beach that we had made camp on. After the falls, we hiked down the river a ways until we reached a soft and open spot. We all picked our areas out to lay our pack in and started to prepare our beds. The crickets and [...]
Ok, I’ve been gone. I have much more to write, but as it is right now, my husband and I are getting divorced. In the mean time, he thinks that when its final, he will get half of my earnings from this, although there is no book. This is a weblog, not [...]
We could hear the water before we could see it. We’d all become so accustomed to the sound of the river that it was barely audible, but as we trodded forward, we could hear falling water and it sounded almost too good to be true.
The red canyon walls were glowing from the [...]
The Burr Trail can be incredibly beautiful. As the sun rose this morning, I looked around me. I could hear the sharp whir of the cicadas humming in the tree that sat central on our little sandy river island. Sunrays poured over the top of the steep canyon that was in front [...]