MEMORIES: LAUREL FREEDER
I was in Girl Scouting in the 1960s, first as a Brownie, then a Girl Scout, then a Cadette, and I attended all three camps -- Margaret Bates, Julia Crowell and Hilaka between about 1965 and 1969.
I grew up in South Euclid, Ohio in a very average middle class home -- scouting was VERY popular at that time. Every girl I knew at school (Lowden Elementary in South Euclid -- now torn down!) was in Scouting! my little brother was a cub scout, but he didn't go further.
I stayed until I was fourteen and in 9th grade -- longer than most of my peers! Camping was mostly why! I just loved it!. Mom was really into scouting…she was a Troop leader for several years. Mom was a traditional "stay at home" mom, but a dynamo who was into many activities and projects!
I remember working on badges with her as troop leader -- the pet care badge and also cooking/baking badge. We learned how to give pills to cat or dog -- something that has served me well over the years (I have several pets!). Mom was also cookie chairman -- a HUGE job -- our whole garage would be filled with thousands of boxes of cookies in the early spring! OMG! we ate a lot of those cookies! and she froze extras. I don't think I appreciated how big a job cookie chairman was!
Unfortunately, my big failure in scouting was…I was a washout at cookie sales. My neighborhood was FULL of Girl Scouts, many were older -- or had older sisters to help out! -- and worse, I was shy! So they out-sold me, and beat me to all the local houses. I hated to go up to strange houses and ring doorbells. I think some years I barely sold six boxes or cookies. :-(
I like to think mom made up for me by being such a hardworking cookie chairman!
I grew up in South Euclid, Ohio in a very average middle class home -- scouting was VERY popular at that time. Every girl I knew at school (Lowden Elementary in South Euclid -- now torn down!) was in Scouting! my little brother was a cub scout, but he didn't go further.
I stayed until I was fourteen and in 9th grade -- longer than most of my peers! Camping was mostly why! I just loved it!. Mom was really into scouting…she was a Troop leader for several years. Mom was a traditional "stay at home" mom, but a dynamo who was into many activities and projects!
I remember working on badges with her as troop leader -- the pet care badge and also cooking/baking badge. We learned how to give pills to cat or dog -- something that has served me well over the years (I have several pets!). Mom was also cookie chairman -- a HUGE job -- our whole garage would be filled with thousands of boxes of cookies in the early spring! OMG! we ate a lot of those cookies! and she froze extras. I don't think I appreciated how big a job cookie chairman was!
Unfortunately, my big failure in scouting was…I was a washout at cookie sales. My neighborhood was FULL of Girl Scouts, many were older -- or had older sisters to help out! -- and worse, I was shy! So they out-sold me, and beat me to all the local houses. I hated to go up to strange houses and ring doorbells. I think some years I barely sold six boxes or cookies. :-(
I like to think mom made up for me by being such a hardworking cookie chairman!
I think I started overnight camping in 1964 or 1965, when I was about 9 years old. This was at Margaret Bates; I went there at least two years. It was just a fantastic place. I am SO sad it was sold, and built over. What a shame, and what a loss. I wish there were some photos of it, though I appreciate the map!
As I got older, I went first to Julia Crowell for two years, then to Hilaka. I know I was at all three camps!
Those were the summer sessions. I remember them as two weeks each, and they had around 4 two-week sessions each summer -- you could choose one, in July or August, OR stay all summer! How I envied the girls who were NOT leaving at the end of two weeks!
In addition, my local troop did winter camping at Leeper Lodge, which was at Margaret Bates and I think at least one other location (can't remember -- Overlook Lodge?). Winter camping was so different! COLD! and wet! and a sea of MUD! (Hello, this is Northeastern Ohio!) But we did have fun, making huge fires and drinking hot cocoa and singing songs in the lodge! I loved to cook, and some of my first experiences being allowed to cook, were on these winter trips (summer camp, we had a dining hall and meals served to us most of the time). I VOLUNTEERED! and nobody else did! I remember making pancakes for about 20 people! and cleaning up afterwards! it was on an old stove, possibly wood-burning. This would have been when I was about 10 or 11.
As I got older, I went first to Julia Crowell for two years, then to Hilaka. I know I was at all three camps!
Those were the summer sessions. I remember them as two weeks each, and they had around 4 two-week sessions each summer -- you could choose one, in July or August, OR stay all summer! How I envied the girls who were NOT leaving at the end of two weeks!
In addition, my local troop did winter camping at Leeper Lodge, which was at Margaret Bates and I think at least one other location (can't remember -- Overlook Lodge?). Winter camping was so different! COLD! and wet! and a sea of MUD! (Hello, this is Northeastern Ohio!) But we did have fun, making huge fires and drinking hot cocoa and singing songs in the lodge! I loved to cook, and some of my first experiences being allowed to cook, were on these winter trips (summer camp, we had a dining hall and meals served to us most of the time). I VOLUNTEERED! and nobody else did! I remember making pancakes for about 20 people! and cleaning up afterwards! it was on an old stove, possibly wood-burning. This would have been when I was about 10 or 11.
Among other things..I loved my Girl Scout uniform! My first brownie dress with "beanie"…the classic green dress uniform with a sash of badges….summers, we had the official Girl Scout camping shorts - green Bermuda shorts! And the yellow neck scarves! and green knee socks with those little yellow colored "flags" on them!
I enjoyed the regular meetings, working on badges and stuff. But the big reason for scouting was always CAMPING!!! Being outside with nature, which I loved. I loved sleeping outside! Those great platform tents at Margaret Bates and Julia Crowell/Hilaka! they kept you up out of the mud & rain but at night the breeze blows through and you can hear the crickets and the owls. It was a wonderful thing to be sleeping outside, but to be protected from the rain. (*If it was a bad rain, which did happen, we would untie and unrolls those flaps -- yes, they worked!)
I was a ordinary, kinda sheltered suburban kid in the 60s; bookish and inclined to indoor stuff. Going AWAY to camp was a big deal -- like going away to college. My mom got flyers about it; I was so excited! I remember her signing me up, and choosing a two week session to attend.
We were plunked down among total strangers in new environment -- they had campers from around the entire region. There was never anyone at SUMMER camp from my own troop (unlike winter lodge camping, which was only a night or two). You had to make new friends! You were totally taken out of your comfort zone. You had to grow up and become independent and most of all, learn new skills.
Occasionally we did one or two nights of "rustic camping" out on the ground. Mostly it was the platform with an army tent over it. The sides were ALWAYS rolled up. Part of the packing instructions were that we had to bring an orange crate, which we turned on one end, and used it as a night stand! you could put your gear inside of it. (I still have one left, in my basement! LOL!) In those days, some had pretty fruit stickers on them! I think mom got mine at the old Coit Road market in East Cleveland.
One night; I felt something strange fall on my face. It was a HUGE spider -- one of those big black & yellow ones. It fell IN MY MOUTH! but I was asleep and had no idea -- I just brushed it off! you can imagine what I felt when I looked down and SAW what had been in my mouth! EW! I didn't scream, but I did wake up my tent mates to show them the huge spider! (Every year, I managed to get a couple of whopping spider bites! They are like huge mosquito bites and HURT.)
I enjoyed the regular meetings, working on badges and stuff. But the big reason for scouting was always CAMPING!!! Being outside with nature, which I loved. I loved sleeping outside! Those great platform tents at Margaret Bates and Julia Crowell/Hilaka! they kept you up out of the mud & rain but at night the breeze blows through and you can hear the crickets and the owls. It was a wonderful thing to be sleeping outside, but to be protected from the rain. (*If it was a bad rain, which did happen, we would untie and unrolls those flaps -- yes, they worked!)
I was a ordinary, kinda sheltered suburban kid in the 60s; bookish and inclined to indoor stuff. Going AWAY to camp was a big deal -- like going away to college. My mom got flyers about it; I was so excited! I remember her signing me up, and choosing a two week session to attend.
We were plunked down among total strangers in new environment -- they had campers from around the entire region. There was never anyone at SUMMER camp from my own troop (unlike winter lodge camping, which was only a night or two). You had to make new friends! You were totally taken out of your comfort zone. You had to grow up and become independent and most of all, learn new skills.
Occasionally we did one or two nights of "rustic camping" out on the ground. Mostly it was the platform with an army tent over it. The sides were ALWAYS rolled up. Part of the packing instructions were that we had to bring an orange crate, which we turned on one end, and used it as a night stand! you could put your gear inside of it. (I still have one left, in my basement! LOL!) In those days, some had pretty fruit stickers on them! I think mom got mine at the old Coit Road market in East Cleveland.
One night; I felt something strange fall on my face. It was a HUGE spider -- one of those big black & yellow ones. It fell IN MY MOUTH! but I was asleep and had no idea -- I just brushed it off! you can imagine what I felt when I looked down and SAW what had been in my mouth! EW! I didn't scream, but I did wake up my tent mates to show them the huge spider! (Every year, I managed to get a couple of whopping spider bites! They are like huge mosquito bites and HURT.)
Every summer there was a square dance in the barn on the railroad springs…both camps, Julia Crowell girls and Hilaka girls, and all the counselors -- maybe about 40 people! It was CRAZY FUN! As you got dancing, the floor bounced higher and higher! It was like dancing on a HUGE trampoline! Just amazing! I have told people about this for many years! I have never heard of another dance floor like this!
They had music -- old fashioned square dances, like "Turkey in the Straw" -- but also modern dances, like "The Hokey Pokey". And they would make old fashioned ice cream in a hand-cranked churn. We would all take turns, cranking the ice cream! boy it TOOK FOREVER! but it was the BEST ice cream ever -- we made peppermint stick, and one year, "bisque ice cream", which is like a burnt caramel flavor (and the color of bisque, of course).
When you've been dancing and bouncing like a crazy person for hours…nothing is better than a huge bowl of hand cranked ice cream! LOL!
They had music -- old fashioned square dances, like "Turkey in the Straw" -- but also modern dances, like "The Hokey Pokey". And they would make old fashioned ice cream in a hand-cranked churn. We would all take turns, cranking the ice cream! boy it TOOK FOREVER! but it was the BEST ice cream ever -- we made peppermint stick, and one year, "bisque ice cream", which is like a burnt caramel flavor (and the color of bisque, of course).
When you've been dancing and bouncing like a crazy person for hours…nothing is better than a huge bowl of hand cranked ice cream! LOL!
We had a mess hall, and most meals there, but occasionally did cooking outside. That was really fun! and I always volunteered to cook or chop up stuff. I remember making Macaroni & Cheese, in a big pan over a fire. It was really good! Of course, when you are hiking and camping all day, you have a big appetite. Either that, or we were really hungry!
Hobo stew: Made in a can – dumped in canned soup and vegetables – it made a kind of a slurry with your scout knife and spoon.
I found this recipe online:
GIRL SCOUT STEW
Hobo stew: Made in a can – dumped in canned soup and vegetables – it made a kind of a slurry with your scout knife and spoon.
I found this recipe online:
GIRL SCOUT STEW
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 2 cans tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 can mixed vegetables
- 1 can tomato soup
I had a kit -- it fit in a vinyl case, you could wear it on a belt -- it was a knife, spoon and fork and they folded up -- also a set, with a pan, a bowl and a cup. It was made of steel, and all stacked in a kit, and bolted together! You could get these with Girl Scout "logos" but my parents bought the cheaper stuff at the camping supply store -- Newman Adler on Mayfield Road (*Yes, the "Newman" was Paul Newman's parents! he was from Cleveland!)
You went shopping before you went to camp. Besides Newman Adler, certain department stores like May Co. or Higbee's had scouting supplies. I had canteen with a canvas cloth cover on a shoulder strap. And a collapsible cup! We washed these out in the stream! It was so cold! You could clip your food "kit" to your belt.
There was a LOT of iron in the water at Julia Crowell/Hilaka, perhaps from the old fashioned iron pumps …. we had to pump the water. You let it let a cup of water "sit" for a while to let the little metal flakes that were in the water "settle" at the bottom. But if you drank it anyway, it was harmless.
While we had some campfire dinners -- S'mores! yes, real ones! baked in foil! -- we mostly ate in the dining hall or "mess hall". It was plain food, a lot of canned vegetables, mashed instant potatoes and "mystery meat". We ate some straange things! There was a rule that you had to take at least one bite of everything. It was traumatic. But that’s the way I learned to eat canned red beets! and "three bean salad"! and lima beans!
We ate at big tables with six or eight girls, and were served big bowls or platters "family style" – with the girls from different units mixed up so you got to talk to different people. The counselors were spread out among the different tables, but there were not enough counselors to put one at every table. The big thrill for me, especially as I got older and was a more experienced camper, was when there was no counselor at a table and I got to be the "head of the table" to serve the food out.
One dinner I remember: I was head of the table. We were served a big casserole dish with gravy and vegetables, and in it, at the bottom, was floating a big piece of…meat? chicken? fish? I cut little pieces of the "thing" and we each at a bit -- "one bite" -- and chewed, and offered ideas on what it was. Finally I said I would ask the cook. Guess what? IT WAS BEEF POT PIE! the "thing" floating in it was the …. crust. (Very doughy and dense, and sank to the bottom!) Mystery solved!
Then there was “Bug Juice”! It was a staple of all camping. It was GREEN! no idea what was in this! nothing natural!
We always brought food on hikes – “gorp” was my favorite. Sometimes it was called “Birdseed”. I remember going on long hikes at Julia Crowell. I was given the task of carrying the big bag of gorp. I could not stop eating it! it was delicious! (God knows how many calories in this…)
Here is a similar recipe for "Gorp" I found online:
I was a little pudgy and out of shape at that age…..I was a TV-watching little couch tater when at home. I remember one hike I got sick. Just winded and I had to sit down. Someone had to take my pack. Those long hikes became part of my history of camping! all the stories. My parents were flabbergasted. "YOU made it on a ten-mile hike?" Yes; I did! I had to. Or they would have left me! I was very proud for many years that I had gone on a ten mile hike and that I was able to FINISH it…even if I had to sit down for a while!
While we had some campfire dinners -- S'mores! yes, real ones! baked in foil! -- we mostly ate in the dining hall or "mess hall". It was plain food, a lot of canned vegetables, mashed instant potatoes and "mystery meat". We ate some straange things! There was a rule that you had to take at least one bite of everything. It was traumatic. But that’s the way I learned to eat canned red beets! and "three bean salad"! and lima beans!
We ate at big tables with six or eight girls, and were served big bowls or platters "family style" – with the girls from different units mixed up so you got to talk to different people. The counselors were spread out among the different tables, but there were not enough counselors to put one at every table. The big thrill for me, especially as I got older and was a more experienced camper, was when there was no counselor at a table and I got to be the "head of the table" to serve the food out.
One dinner I remember: I was head of the table. We were served a big casserole dish with gravy and vegetables, and in it, at the bottom, was floating a big piece of…meat? chicken? fish? I cut little pieces of the "thing" and we each at a bit -- "one bite" -- and chewed, and offered ideas on what it was. Finally I said I would ask the cook. Guess what? IT WAS BEEF POT PIE! the "thing" floating in it was the …. crust. (Very doughy and dense, and sank to the bottom!) Mystery solved!
Then there was “Bug Juice”! It was a staple of all camping. It was GREEN! no idea what was in this! nothing natural!
We always brought food on hikes – “gorp” was my favorite. Sometimes it was called “Birdseed”. I remember going on long hikes at Julia Crowell. I was given the task of carrying the big bag of gorp. I could not stop eating it! it was delicious! (God knows how many calories in this…)
Here is a similar recipe for "Gorp" I found online:
- Cheerios, 2 cup
- Corn Chex, 3 cup
- Mini-Marshmallows 1 cup
- Chocolate chips, 1 cup
- M and Ms, 1 cup
- Pretzel Sticks, 1 cup
- Sunflower Seeds, 1/2 cup
- Raisins, 1/2 cup, packed
- Roasted Peanuts, 1.5 cup
I was a little pudgy and out of shape at that age…..I was a TV-watching little couch tater when at home. I remember one hike I got sick. Just winded and I had to sit down. Someone had to take my pack. Those long hikes became part of my history of camping! all the stories. My parents were flabbergasted. "YOU made it on a ten-mile hike?" Yes; I did! I had to. Or they would have left me! I was very proud for many years that I had gone on a ten mile hike and that I was able to FINISH it…even if I had to sit down for a while!
I loved the idea of "Being Prepared"! all the cool tools and survival tips. (I read my Girl Scout Handbook cover to cover MANY times!)
I had a real Girl Scout knife, it was green with a GS logo! similar to a Swiss Army knife. That was VERY empowering. It made me feel like: "I can fight off wild animals, man! I can cut wood for a fire! I am a badass!“
I gave similar knives to my nephews for Hanukkah when they were ages 9 and 11. You’d have thought I had given them machetes! My sister-in-law was looking at me like: what is WRONG with you? Ha Ha. She did not do Scouting, and had NO IDEA. (The boys LOVED those knives, and have never forgotten "the year Aunt Laurel gave us real KNIVES!")
I had a real Girl Scout knife, it was green with a GS logo! similar to a Swiss Army knife. That was VERY empowering. It made me feel like: "I can fight off wild animals, man! I can cut wood for a fire! I am a badass!“
I gave similar knives to my nephews for Hanukkah when they were ages 9 and 11. You’d have thought I had given them machetes! My sister-in-law was looking at me like: what is WRONG with you? Ha Ha. She did not do Scouting, and had NO IDEA. (The boys LOVED those knives, and have never forgotten "the year Aunt Laurel gave us real KNIVES!")
Every year my Dad sent me with a camera and film. Sadly, not the cool "official branded Girl Scout camera", but I did have the old 60s "insta-matic cameras" with the flash cubes! It was a big deal. One year I got upgraded to a better camera. I was ten or eleven then. My dad figured I was responsible enough for a better camera and….I dropped it! off a ledge on a ten mile hike and it smashed to pieces. So no camp pictures that year.
One campsite I stayed at was Journey's End -- this was at Margaret Bates (all the campsites had names!) -- another was Windy Hill at Julia Crowell. I don’t remember EVER seeing a map. There were signs and paths and we learned to navigate.
We put on charades in the evening, and humorous little skits we wrote ourselves. I remember writing one about funny astronauts landing on a planet!
I was very artsy, and LOVED all the crafts and projects. I recall doing crafts in the Old Mill at Hilaka or Julia Crowell. It was a wonderful place for such activities. We made dipped candles, in different colors, by hanging them from a rod, and dipping over and over in the pot of hot wax. We also made plaster figures, in soft rubber molds -- old ones -- I made an ash tray shaped like a seal, and painted it with the words "The Good Housekeeping SEAL of Approval”. Yes, I thought this was HILARIOUSLY funny. My mom kept that thing for YEARS.
One campsite I stayed at was Journey's End -- this was at Margaret Bates (all the campsites had names!) -- another was Windy Hill at Julia Crowell. I don’t remember EVER seeing a map. There were signs and paths and we learned to navigate.
We put on charades in the evening, and humorous little skits we wrote ourselves. I remember writing one about funny astronauts landing on a planet!
I was very artsy, and LOVED all the crafts and projects. I recall doing crafts in the Old Mill at Hilaka or Julia Crowell. It was a wonderful place for such activities. We made dipped candles, in different colors, by hanging them from a rod, and dipping over and over in the pot of hot wax. We also made plaster figures, in soft rubber molds -- old ones -- I made an ash tray shaped like a seal, and painted it with the words "The Good Housekeeping SEAL of Approval”. Yes, I thought this was HILARIOUSLY funny. My mom kept that thing for YEARS.
We sewed "sit upons" -- a kind of seat cushion. I was NOT a good seamstress… I sewed my sit-upon to my shorts, and the counselor had to "cut me free". We also made woven place mats, and pot holders out of stretchy loops. Always stuff to show your parents! and Lanyards! That was the main activity. To hold your Girl Scout whistle (you know, in case you get LOST). It seems everyone walked around braiding lanyards, in their favorite colors!
We were always making camp fires at night. We sang – there was this very popular song about the Titanic, I always associate it with camp! I really had no idea at the time that it was about a real tragedy. MANY years later, when the movie (with Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet) came out, I tried find ANYONE who remembered that song, and nobody did! LOL! finally, Lynn and I laughed and we sang some of the lyrics! so my memory of it was real! LOL (it has a lot of lyrics)
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Here is the chorus: Oh it was sad, (Oh it was sad,) Oh it was sad, (Oh it was sad,) Oh it was sad when the great ship went down to the bottom of the (choose one:) 1. Sea -- ee -- ee -- ee 2. Husbands and wives, little children lost their lives, It was sad when the great ship went down. |
Now…when I was at Girl Scout camp, it was the later 60’s. All our counselors were high school and college girls and they taught us the songs they knew. Some played guitar, too! Folks songs were all the rage back then -- we learned to sing “Where have all the Flowers Gone?“…“Kumbaya”…“Sarasponda”…."Puff the Magic Dragon"…."Blowin' In The Wind"…"If I Had a Hammer"…."Make New Friends" (one is silver and the other gold!)…."This Land is Your Land"...singing "Taps" as the last song before we went to bed at night!
The camp counselors all had "made up" names for camp, and did not tell you their real names until the LAST evening....I remember my two favorite counselors, "Sabra" and "Pickle" (pronounced "pik-ELLE")!!! They were college girls, about age 19 -- I thought they were the very height of sophisticated coolness.
Probably my MOST memorable Girl Scout camp experience was getting my first period -- 1966 -- Julia Crowell, I think. I was embarrassed and didn't tell anyone! The next year, I did confide in a counselor and she said "you'd be surprised how many girls get their first period at CAMP. LOL
“The most transgressive thing I ever did: I was older, about 13 and I think I was getting kinda cocky -- almost ready to be a junior counselor. I decided to introduce TV commercial songs on the hike...it was a long hike. We ran out of the other usual songs. I thought it was hilarious! Commercials & lyrics to TV shows. “Ban won’t wear off as the day wears on” and "Let me tell you a story about man named JED...poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed!" Oh, the counselors were HORRIFIED! I had to be taken aside and spoken to…..“Not the Girl Scout spirit”, they said. Everyone (all the girls) just thought it was so funny though. We would CLAP as we sang, too!
That might have been why I stopped, I was a teenager by then and getting too old. Although that was one of the best times. I was ready to become a Counselor in Training (CIT) and thinking “I can do this” (lead the other girls, make up new songs)... I was hurt that they didn’t like it.
Probably my MOST memorable Girl Scout camp experience was getting my first period -- 1966 -- Julia Crowell, I think. I was embarrassed and didn't tell anyone! The next year, I did confide in a counselor and she said "you'd be surprised how many girls get their first period at CAMP. LOL
“The most transgressive thing I ever did: I was older, about 13 and I think I was getting kinda cocky -- almost ready to be a junior counselor. I decided to introduce TV commercial songs on the hike...it was a long hike. We ran out of the other usual songs. I thought it was hilarious! Commercials & lyrics to TV shows. “Ban won’t wear off as the day wears on” and "Let me tell you a story about man named JED...poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed!" Oh, the counselors were HORRIFIED! I had to be taken aside and spoken to…..“Not the Girl Scout spirit”, they said. Everyone (all the girls) just thought it was so funny though. We would CLAP as we sang, too!
That might have been why I stopped, I was a teenager by then and getting too old. Although that was one of the best times. I was ready to become a Counselor in Training (CIT) and thinking “I can do this” (lead the other girls, make up new songs)... I was hurt that they didn’t like it.
We all learned to row boats, there were two nice lakes -- and later in life, I have been called upon to row boats here & there, and am always proud I know how! -- I always say "SURE I know how to row a boat! I learned in GIRL SCOUT CAMP!" LOL!
At Julia Crowell/Hilaka, they were VERY protective about the many, beautiful water lilies -- I think I had never seen water lilies like that before. They were lovely, and had huge floating leaves. They were some kind of expensive lily that Mr. Kirby imported, and they were worried about people picking them. They were beautiful and they had a scent…we would carefully sniff as we rowed by them...there was a $10 fine if you were caught picking gone (!!!!), this was a lot of money in 1966. (Maybe somebody somewhere has a carefully preserved water lily that they stole?) One time I sunk one. I caught it with my paddle from underneath (they have long floating roots) and it went right down. I was terrified! my parents would have KILLED me if I had a $10 fine! We rowed away SO fast.
You also got in trouble for dropping your oar into the lake. That was another $10 fine. It was to ensure you KEPT your oars in the oar locks, as we were taught! You'd better believe I NEVER dropped an oar!
One memorable (and scary!) time, I almost went over the dam in a boat. Not intentionally. We were looking straight down the drop. “Holy crap, we’re going over! Row for your life! We weren’t supposed to have gotten that close. Another rule.
I also remember a swimming pool -- a modern one -- I think it was new my last year at Hilaka. We had swimming lessons, along with boating lessons! We didn't swim in the lake, but in the pool. I was bad at diving, and got put back into the "beginners group", which made me really mad, but I ended up making wonderful friends there!
It was amazing that they had this nice, modern swimming pool in the middle of the woods. You'd walk and walk through woods, and then boom, there was a big clearing and a big swimming pool!
At Julia Crowell/Hilaka, they were VERY protective about the many, beautiful water lilies -- I think I had never seen water lilies like that before. They were lovely, and had huge floating leaves. They were some kind of expensive lily that Mr. Kirby imported, and they were worried about people picking them. They were beautiful and they had a scent…we would carefully sniff as we rowed by them...there was a $10 fine if you were caught picking gone (!!!!), this was a lot of money in 1966. (Maybe somebody somewhere has a carefully preserved water lily that they stole?) One time I sunk one. I caught it with my paddle from underneath (they have long floating roots) and it went right down. I was terrified! my parents would have KILLED me if I had a $10 fine! We rowed away SO fast.
You also got in trouble for dropping your oar into the lake. That was another $10 fine. It was to ensure you KEPT your oars in the oar locks, as we were taught! You'd better believe I NEVER dropped an oar!
One memorable (and scary!) time, I almost went over the dam in a boat. Not intentionally. We were looking straight down the drop. “Holy crap, we’re going over! Row for your life! We weren’t supposed to have gotten that close. Another rule.
I also remember a swimming pool -- a modern one -- I think it was new my last year at Hilaka. We had swimming lessons, along with boating lessons! We didn't swim in the lake, but in the pool. I was bad at diving, and got put back into the "beginners group", which made me really mad, but I ended up making wonderful friends there!
It was amazing that they had this nice, modern swimming pool in the middle of the woods. You'd walk and walk through woods, and then boom, there was a big clearing and a big swimming pool!
I recently learned from Lynn that the original property at Crowell/Hilaka was owned by the Kirby family! never knew that. I don't remember ever learning the history of anything there -- like that the mill was used for electric power! fascinating! MANY decades later, in the 90s, I worked for Filter Queen vacuums….they are a major competitor of Kirby vacuums (both still in downtown Cleveland). They both sell expensive, heavy vacuums door to door. Kirby was our arch-competitors. Kirby vacuums are very well made and they last forever -- maybe not a great business model. Wonderful to know the long Cleveland area history here! I wish the girls were taught more about this.
At the end of the each summer, my parents would come to pick me up, and I would be sunburned, with all kinds of spider bites, cuts and bruises. I don't know what mom thought, but we Girl Scouts just took them in stride. It was like a badge of honor! you made it through another summer of camp!
We went on all kinds of hikes in the woods both long and short – looking at a map of the camp later, I can see that we weren’t that far in the wilderness. But to me it felt like being dropped into the Amazon. I had no idea were only a few miles from "civilization"…. It toughened me up and made me confident! Many times, my friends at school would say ‘Laurel is either fearless….or an idiot’. LOL!
These are some of my favorite memories of scouting. My camping experiences were not merely "fun" -- though they were of course! -- they very much made me the adult I am today. They taught me to be strong & resilient, to not fear things like being away from home or living with strangers. (That made going away to college a cakewalk!) They taught me a love of being outdoors, and a sense of my own strengths -- to know I could do stuff like long hikes or pitching a tent or digging a latrine or cooking over a fire.
We went on all kinds of hikes in the woods both long and short – looking at a map of the camp later, I can see that we weren’t that far in the wilderness. But to me it felt like being dropped into the Amazon. I had no idea were only a few miles from "civilization"…. It toughened me up and made me confident! Many times, my friends at school would say ‘Laurel is either fearless….or an idiot’. LOL!
These are some of my favorite memories of scouting. My camping experiences were not merely "fun" -- though they were of course! -- they very much made me the adult I am today. They taught me to be strong & resilient, to not fear things like being away from home or living with strangers. (That made going away to college a cakewalk!) They taught me a love of being outdoors, and a sense of my own strengths -- to know I could do stuff like long hikes or pitching a tent or digging a latrine or cooking over a fire.