Tamarack Farm moved 10,000 pounds of sand today.
Two dump trucks were loaded with fine sand and deposited in the parking area in front of our wood shop. Sediment from Irene run off had made a rocky patch on our shore line in a spot previously occupied by Loth Lorien Dock. Our all-camp mission this morning was to move the sand to smooth out that spot. We were going to make Loth Lorien Beach. Gathering every five-gallon bucket, wheelbarrow and carrying device we could find, we hauled load after load down the winding paths. At first it felt like we were not making a dent and we had made a huge mistake. Then something peculiar happened. A collective spirit arose within the group. Every single person worked as hard as they could and the pile began to diminish. Many campers were running empty buckets back up the hill. Some raked and leveled the incoming sand. Others filled the buckets at the sand pile. Teams of three people worked together to navigate the trails with the wheelbarrows. And so it went.
Every summer has a magical moment and while it may be too early to claim this as the one, it sure felt powerful. The sight of an enthusiastically invested community is a special one that we hope everyone will cherish. Because of their hard work, benches encircle a beautiful fire pit, a small dock juts into the water, and there is a gorgeous new spot to relax on these hot summer rest hours. While it may sound like excessive gushing, it truly was an amazing morning to remember. We took an all camp picture afterwards which will be up on the SmugMug website shortly. Now it’s time to enjoy a sunset at the beach!
-Cody Tannen-Barrup
