Recently, I gave a tour of Timberlake to someone who had been a camper there 30 years earlier. When we entered the Upper Lodge, he was excited to report that it smelled exactly the same! I suppose it was a mix of woodsmoke, Lost and Found, and many years of history. Here are some more things about camp that have not changed:
-The excitement and awkwardness of Opening Day. Old campers hugging and new campers wondering if they’ll ever feel at home in this strange new place (hint: they will).
-How delicious the food tastes when you’ve been active and outdoors all day. Whether it’s lasagna, cucumber salad, or good old peanut butter and jelly, food always tastes better at camp.
-The magic of time spent in a garden. Bright flowers, plants that were sprouts only yesterday, magically multiplying beans, blueberries, squash, and the feel of rich, dark soil all contribute to the lure of the garden.
-Our values. Some of our traditions have changed over the years, but our values have not. We have recently adopted the acronym S.P.I.C.E.S. (Simplicity, Peacemaking, Integrity, Community, Equity, and Service) used by many Quaker educational institutions to encapsulate what we stand for.
-Trips and their tribulations. Even with the best planning, packs are heavy, maps can be misleading, trails can be muddy, and boots can cause blisters. However, trips bring most of us closer to the earth than any other time in our lives and (big secret here) the challenges we face on trips are a big part of the learning. The memories of hardships on overnight trips give way to those of the campfires, comradery, the views, the pride in accomplishment, and the luxuries we find upon returning to camp: hot showers, pillows, and vast quantities of hot food.
-Commitment to a diverse community. From the very beginning, there has been a strong value placed on having a community that is racially and economically diverse. Our current commitment is to include people of any race, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status.
Although there is much that has remained consistent over the years, the camps are evolving, as any healthy institution does. Look for an article in a future Interim issue for my thoughts on how the camps have changed and grown over the years.