CTC for 80 Years!!!
This entry was posted on 6/10/2007 5:28 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
Dear Campers,
Greetings from the Bell Tower! Here’s hoping all you Chippewa gals had a wonderful winter and are planning some fun in the sun for Summer, 2007.
As you know, this summer marks the 80th anniversary of Chippewa Trail. Even though the camp has passed into history, the property is still around; Deb Jordan Bryan has turned the Lodge into a lovely home filled with CTC memorabilia; and so many of you campers have kept in touch with one another through the years that the spirit of Chippewa continues.
As we approach the traditional mid-June starting date of camp, I can’t help but get a little misty remembering those wonderful Opening Days. Girls in the backs of station wagons so darn excited that it seemed as if they drank an entire case of Red Bull. Parents so tired and bedraggled from amassing the items on Shorty’s checklist (what the heck is a shoe bag, anyway?) that they didn’t seem to care as their daughters barely said goodbye and practically forced them back into the car for the drive home. Counselors trying to do the higher math required to create a balanced Job Wheel. Ah, those were the days!
It’s mind-blowing for my tiny bat-brain to think about how the first campers of 1927 might react to campers of 2007. If Chippewa were operating today, my guess is that iPods, cellphones, and computers might be stowed in those foot lockers. The crew from 1927 needed only a compass and a simple jackknife to make their way on a day-long hike; while today’s campers might want to bring along a GPS satellite tracking system and freeze dried food supplies.
However, I know in my little bat-heart that all campers, regardless of technological acumen, would agree that it’s the simple pleasures of CTC that made the best memories. Laughing with friends through rest hour. Spit-pit contests. Dutch Oven Wednesdays. Swimming in Elk Lake. Campfires among the pines every night. And singing “Pals.” Who needs an iPod when you’ve got a hundred voices joining together?!
Well, I’m off to find a new bathing suit for the summer. What exactly is a Tankini and do you think it would flatter my bat-figure? We’ll soon find out!
Enjoy the summer and when you have a moment, grab a glass of bug juice, turn towards Northern Michigan and give a toast to Chippewa Trail Camp’s 80th birthday.
Your friend,
Billy the Brown Bat
