[at-l] 4H foreverrrr Re: Helloooo Donna Re: fay

[Tom McGinnis]

### I was 4H by proxy -- my sister did the "horse camp" thing way up on a hill, and then I went to the "people camp" at the bottom of the hill. Loved it all, sure, went back, became a Junior Counselor, then (Oh God) an employee, then went away for thirty years -- returned last summer with the boys to find the place EXACTLY as I'd left it -- WHAT a thrill, to tour every nook and cranny with my sons in tow. It really, too, drove home the point that (perhaps) what you and I valued there (as you so nicely put it below) *was* in fact of value. They still teach (can you BELIEVE) how to build a fire. Knife/hatchett craft? (I walked on trails I helped build 30 years ago.) ARCHERY. (Ohmigod.) And those New England gyrls. Hoo boy.

### To make this (very) hiking related, I remind the boys regularly that my first actual hike was at 14 out of the 4H camp. (The first *planned* hike was to be when I was 13, was canceled by virtue of my carving a chunk out of my leg while jumping sand piles in the dark on a 10-speed.) That first hiking day (the first the Camp had done), I thought it was all torture, thought "What IDIOT ever called this RECREATION???" as the pack carved grooves in my shoulders and back. No hip belt. 8 pair of worn cotton socks. Two pair of blue jeans. (ETC!) We were out for 3 days. The first death-march day was 3 miles, and it took us ALL of the day to (barely) make it. I decided to do things a bit easier for myself, and got myself and my 4H camp buddies (including Mike Elms -- remember Mike Elms?) together each school vacation after that -- fall, XMas/NewYears, Spring, Summer -- for trips that went further and grarlier (we thought). And four years later, on April 8th,
 1979, started my throughhike.

So I salute 4H, yee and HAW. A life-changing sort of place.

sloetoe
far away from Connecticut nowwww.


--- On Thu, 8/21/08, bluetrail at aol.com <bluetrail at aol.com> wrote:

> Sloey, you were in 4-H too?  Six years in Illinois for
> me.  LOVED 4-H camp.  They didn't make you do stuff
> lockstep.  I did a lot of nature hikes, made tooled
> leather stuff in the craft shop, swam and canoed, and I
> sure do remember those summer camp romances.  Holding hands
> at the night time campfires, singing:
> 
> "Each campfire lights anew
> Our friendship tried and true.
> The joy I've had in knowing you
> Will last a lifetime through."
> 
> Sigh.....     Those Ilinois farm boys were mighty
> sweet.  
> 
> Joan