 
### Camp Quidnunc

By Cindy Gavrity

Published by Cindy Gavrity at Smashwords

Copyright © 2018 Cindy Gavrity

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

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Dedication

This book is a labor of love to honor all the women whose commitment and enthusiasm over the years made our camp the best that it could be. From the Girl Scout Councils, to the Directors, to the staff members, and to the campers themselves who were fortunate enough to get to participate in the traditions and learning experiences that were offered through the Girl Scout Camp.

Acknowledgements

This book could not have been written without the extraordinary memories of the Camp Quidnunc alumnae. Their stories and experiences helped form the basis of this book. I would like to thank everyone who shared photos and especially the PIPC for sharing their collection of historical data. A big thank you to the girls who took the time to answer my many questions and wrote stories for me.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my husband Peter for reading and editing my rambling thoughts without questioning my mental stability. Also to Judy Henn who assisted in editing the first draft.

Finally, to my parents who made it possible for me to attend camp and strongly suggested I should go.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter 1 - Camp History

Chapter 2 - The Camp

Chapter 3 - Double Decker

Chapter 4 – Infirmary

Chapter 5 - Foot Locker Follies

Chapter 6 - Travelling Girl Scouts

Chapter 7 - Directors and Staff

Chapter 8 – Hikes

Chapter 9 - Canoe Trips

Chapter 10 - Camper Banquets

Chapter 11 - Camp Food

Chapter 12 -Special Events

Chapter 13 - Camp Jobs

Chapter 14 – Worship

Chapter 15 - Scout's Own

Chapter 16 - Program Aides

Chapter 17 - Roughing It

Chapter 18 - The Lake

Chapter 19 - Opening Campfire

Chapter 20 - Closing Campfire

Chapter 21 - Splash Party

Chapter 22 - Catch Me If You Can

Chapter 23 – Socials

Chapter 24 - Forgotten Places

Chapter 25 – Canteen

Chapter 26 - The Little House

Chapter 27 – Singing

Chapter 28 – Friendship

Chapter 29 - Reunion Time

Chapter 30 - Uppsy Daisy

Chapter 31 - Girls Tales

About the Author

Prologue

A girl's life in the late 50's and through the 60's was changing rapidly no matter what age you were. From preteen to young adult, you were affected biologically, socially and economically. As far as role models went, well, there were very few to look up to or careers to choose from. You had your choice of becoming a wife and mother, a secretary, a teacher, or a nurse. Usually, you followed in your mother's footsteps, unless you were lucky enough to have experienced living and learning on your own and with the guidance of a leader who could teach you otherwise. You could find all those things at camp.

Camp for the girls of New York City was an escape from the busy, crowded, and hot streets. Escape from boredom, family issues, and the loneliness of not really belonging to one type of group or another, except Girl Scouts! But if you were a teen girl in those days, you didn't let on that you were still a Girl Scout...It wasn't cool.

Girl Scout camp for us New York City girls was located in upstate New York, Harriman State Park to be more specific. To us it was home away from home, the most wonderful place on earth, a place where we could swim, canoe, hike, rekindle old friendships, make new friends, and leave all our personal problems behind.

The camp itself sat off a winding road that seemed to twist and turn as it wound around the mountain. Our lake was across the road, and for us campers, it was only accessible by a wooden bridge built over the road. We weren't allowed to cross the road any other way.

Up in camp we had platform tents in groups of 3 or more that were spread throughout its many acres. Inside each tent were cots with metal springs to sleep on and an orange crate for storing our personal items. The trunks that held our clothes were sent ahead of us and dropped off at each unit for us to pick up and carry to our tents and then store under our beds.

The bathroom facilities were called the "La", which basically was a two-sided outhouse with no privacy. There were no showers, bathtubs, or flush toilets. At mealtime, we went to the dining hall. There was a two-story administration building for the director and her staff, called the Double Decker...for obvious reasons...and the infirmary staffed by two nurses.

There was only one paved road into camp. It ran back to the dining hall and it was used to deliver food and supplies. And the famous pump, painted red of course. It sat in front of the DD, and it put out the most delicious, cold, spring water you've ever tasted. Rustic yes; but loved by all.

The stories that follow are actual experiences that we had at camp. Some are funny, some are not. They are tales of young girls learning to be independent, inventive, and open-minded, while cultivating new and lasting friendships. For many of us even now, a song, the smell of pine trees in the woods, or a single picture will evoke memories of those times long, long, ago, and it has affected us so that we have enjoyed seven reunions in the past eight years.

Long live Camp Quidnunc!

Chapter 1 - Camp History

There are many stories about the meaning of the name "Quidnunc", and the reasons the camp was so named. Some say it comes from Latin quid nunc meaning "what now". It's also been said to describe a person who was forever asking, "what now" or "what's the news?"; hence a gossip-monger. However you want to look at it, the word has been reborn in recent years.

The origin of Camp Quidnunc began in 1925. It was located on Lake Tiorati (T-18) in Harriman State Park. That location was short-lived, existing there for only one year, and then it moved to a larger site on Lower Twin Lake (LTL) in 1926. It stayed there until 1930, when it moved to its final site (K-11) on Little Long Pond, where it remained until 1972 when the camp closed for good. For many years, most of our alumnae thought that the original campsite was located on Lower Twin Lake. Why did they make all the moves? Most likely it's because they needed a larger area to hold all the girls who wanted to go to camp. Tales of storms and fires have been circulating for decades as the reason for the moves. Credit and kudos go to Boni for saving her staff manual after all these years and bringing this to my attention. Her information at first was surprising...none of us had a clue...but after further research, there it was! Thanks, Boni!

The Little Long Pond property was originally established as a Boy Scout camp named Camp Matinecock. It was there from the beginning of the park, when group camps were first established, all due to the generosity of the Harriman family. Edward and Mary Averall Harriman owned 30,000 acres in Arden N.Y. as part of their estate. They opposed the state's decision to build a prison at Bear Mountain, and wanted to donate some of their land to the state to build a park. A year after the death of her husband in 1909, Mary Harriman proposed to the governor that she would donate 10,000 acres of land and $1 million for the creation of a new State Park. As part of the deal, the state would do away with the plan to build the prison, appropriate an additional $2.5 million to acquire additional land, and construct park facilities. The state agreed, and in 1910, W. Averell Harriman presented a deed for the land and a million dollars to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC), and Harriman State Park was born.

In 1912, Major William Welch constructed a road from Bear Mountain to Sloatsburg, known today as Seven Lakes Drive. There were also numerous other roads completed around Bear Mountain and Dunderberg Mountain to make it easier for people to reach the new park. The park also benefited from a large influx of free labor during the Great Depression, when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) offered work to thousands of men building roads, trails, camps and lakes.

The group camping program started a little over 100 years ago, with the belief that parks should be accessible to all people, particularly the underprivileged city people who did not have access to fresh air or leisure time. To address the needs of the urban poor, particularly in New York City, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission instituted social relief programs at more than 100 camp facilities in Harriman State Park. Sponsored by social and philanthropic organizations, thousands of New York and New Jersey children came to the park every summer to experience nature. This plan was so successful that it was repeated and implemented throughout many states. Lucky us!!

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Chapter 2 - The Camp

The overall layout of camp through the years has more or less stayed the same, with a few exceptions. The Double Decker (DD) and the infirmary have always remained in their respective places, but we can't say the same for the dining hall and some of the units.

The original Dining Hall was located just above Neppies Nook and below Sky Blue (which is another story you will hear about). Very rustic looking...what else would it be...built from logs and boards. I believe it even had a wooden slat floor. It served us well until 1963, when the new, updated building was constructed, with new tables, a modern kitchen, and a cement floor. Our new facility also had a new location, in the back of camp where Caravan originally sat. A paved road now led from the DD back to the new Dining Hall.

So where did Caravan go? Caravan, once a "pioneer unit", now shared the field with Gypsy Skies. At any given time, there were 8-12 units depending on the years you attended camp. There was Sleepy Hollow, Sherwood Forest, Hundred Acre Wood, Gypsy's Skies, Caravan, Trails End, Neppies Nook, Hilltop, Journeyman's, Pioneers, and the ever-changing Sky Blue. Sky Blue remained the same until 1960. Then it was renamed Upper Sky Blue and Lower Sky Blue, split up probably because of its size. Over the years, it has also been known by a few other names such as Cricket Hill and the short-lived Rocky Ledges.

Sleepy Hollow was designated for the youngest of our campers, aged seven and eight. They used tent-a-lows instead of the usual platform tents. Tent-a-lows were different because they had wooden sides which went halfway up to the roof. Because the unit housed young, first time campers, it also had its own washing machine, dryer, and refrigerator, just in case they were needed.

Sherwood Forest, Hundred Aker Wood (HAW), and Sky Blue housed girls aged nine to eleven. There was a mixture of new first-time campers, and returning girls. Having experienced campers nearby made the new girls feel more at ease, and it also helped to take the stress off the "greener" staff that we occasionally had.

Caravan, Gypsy's Skies, Trail's End, and Neppie's Nook were comprised of older girls, and were designated specialty units. The special interests were swimming and boating (waterfront unit), sports and games, and at times a hiking unit. In 1966 there were two waterfront units, Caravan and Trail's End. The older girls, older by one or two years at the most, were in Caravan and the rest were in Trail's End. Apparently, there were more girls interested in swimming and boating that year. This wasn't recalled until one early reunion when a fellow camper said she was in the Caravan waterfront unit in 1966. When others said no, Trail's End was the waterfront unit, there was much debate until we realized that they both were right.

The other units were Hilltop, Pioneers, and Journeymans. Hilltop was used for staff members the year I was on staff in 1969. Prior to that, the Program Aides (PA) had used it as their home. It consisted of two or three tents and was located near Sherwood Forest. Pioneers was located behind Trail's End, and the name says it all. To get there you had to follow the fire road way out into the woods. Those girls were hardly ever seen, only when they picked up supplies from the pack-out clerk every few days. Then back into the woods they went. Last but not least was Journeymans. It housed our beloved director and her staff. They had showers in their La's and they were located close to the DD. The nurses slept in the infirmary and in later years, it was the only place that had A/C. I always wanted to sleep there and I would try to whenever I had a chance. I wasn't the only one who tried either! One time, I actually did get to sleep there while I was on staff, or so I've been told. I really don't remember, but I might have had a sore throat.

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Chapter 3 - Double Decker

The Double Decker, aka "DD", was built around 1917 for the Boy Scouts; it was their camp first and it was named Camp Matinecock. They occupied the property from 1917 - 1929. The porch of the DD at that time was used as a mess hall. The buildings were rustic and in harmony with nature. There were two large, spacious mess halls. One of these was widely known as the Libskoozeum, for it contained the library, school and museum. The other was the infamous "old dining hall". They dined on the back porch of the Libskoozeum or the DD as we know it. At the DD in our time, you could buy necessities at the trading post, like candy (at times it was necessary), soap, and Quidnunc memorabilia. It also housed the offices of the director and her staff. Upstairs you could listen to records and iron your clothes, if you were a staff member. On the back porch we did Arts and Crafts projects, leathercraft, painting and wood-burning, for example. But the most famous item was the red pump. Ah, the cool clean well water that came out of the spout - there was nothing like it. Pump, pump, pump that arm and up came the water from an artesian well. You didn't mind the work because the reward was great. Can't imagine how many pictures were taken of that pump and sent home to the families. Unfortunately, in 1971 or 1972 the DD was condemned and the staff was not permitted to use the second floor. Buildings in the park were to be maintained by the PIPC and the state. Many of the camps in the park were decaying and in need of repair, which was never done. To this day, it is still a problem, but it seems to be improving slightly.

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Chapter 4 - Infirmary

Another very rustic building, not as big as our DD, but one-story with a stone foundation, parts of which are still there today, is the infirmary. Going back to the beginning again, the Boy Scouts used this building as their camp headquarters and named it Onondaga cabin. They may have housed a first-aid station there too. There is mention of a "hospital", but no details were given. However, Quidnunc's nurses lived there. They saw many different ailments over the years, I'm sure. That was one of the first places you and your unit went after you settled in your tents. They lined us up on the porch, sitting on the edge, with one nurse checking our heads for lice and the other checking our feet for athlete's foot. For many of us, this was a scary situation; we were afraid of them finding something wrong. Sitting there spreading your toes apart for them to inspect, what would they find?? Mostly lint-filled toes and smelly feet. For those who did have the fungus, the protocol was you had to wear your sneakers in the water and on the waterfront. Ever try swimming in sneakers? It's also been said they wore socks one year. I was one that wore sneakers one year in the water. What a horror that was. Needless to say, it was embarrassing, and my shoes fell apart. That summer I walked around with wet sneakers that were held together with duct tape, adhesive tape, or whatever was around at the time. As we all learned, it did nothing to prevent the spread of the fungus, it just made us feel and look ridiculous.

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Chapter 5 - Foot Locker Follies

Okay, now it's time to pack for camp. You've had your physical, sent your application and fees for camp. What's next? Packing. You get out the old trunk and in it go your camp clothes, complete with name tags sewn inside. I don't know about you, but my trunk was an old Air Force foot locker and weighed a ton. Blankets, sheets, pillow, ditty bag, flashlight and the ever popular 6-12 insect repellant (non-aerosol), all had to go in, and room for clothes was needed, too. Of course, there were towels and bathing suits that came home damp and mildewed. Most us did come home with all our clothes, but there were some who didn't. Never understood how you could manage that, or how your underwear ended up in the Lost and Found. Once every session, the Lost and Found box was dragged out and articles held up for all the camp to see. As the pieces of clothing, etc., were pulled from the box, the director would hold them up and ask" who belongs to this?" There would be lots of laughter when a bra or panty were displayed. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, at least it wasn't run up the flagpole as a joke. So, keep track of your unmentionables. Good advice!

Trunks, footlockers, and occasionally duffle bags, were then picked up about two weeks to a month before you left. They were stored and then delivered to camp when you arrived. Piled in the field next to the road far from its final destination sat your trunk. This is where you learned who your friends really were. You and a tent mate would help each other up the road to your unit with the trunks. Mine always made it in one piece, but some of them didn't. They got banged up; some even popped open. Those were the black shiny ones, many times bought in a discount store that didn't fare well. If you didn't make friends on the bus ride up, you sure did after this adventure!

GIRL SCOUT STORIES.WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES

QUIDNUNC 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

Where Are My Clothes?

Some Staff members traveled from far away to work at Quidnunc. There was a lovely girl from California, Penny something, pretty blonde hair, peachy skin and big blue eyes. She was such a sweetheart too, very nice person.

I remember her stories about growing up in California, her parents had owned a motel at one time, and some of the incidents with the Hells Angels wanting to stay there. I don't remember the details, I just remember being scared, hearing her stories.

We were surprised to discover that she had traveled from Southern California to NYC by bus. I never knew anyone who had traveled that far by bus. And the poor thing, the bus company had lost her luggage! She arrived at camp with her purse, and the clothes on her back.

The bus company had finally located her luggage, but it was now in Pittsburgh, and headed back to the west coast, and it would take at least 3 weeks before they could return her luggage to her.

Being good scouts, we all got together and tried to give her some clothing to wear, we all took care of her. We let her use our hair products, curlers, whatever. I thought that was great. It showed real concern for someone in need. And this happened the first week of camp, it was a great introduction to the type of people with which I would be spending the rest of the summer.

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Chapter 6 - Travelling Girl Scouts

The day has finally come; it's time to go to camp! I'm going to work backwards, from the early 60's to close of camp, since this is the easiest information to find. In 1963 and 64, my first two years at camp, we met at Washington Irving HS in Manhattan to board Red and Tan buses. A sea of girls dressed in their "greenies", and mothers, for the most part, holding back tears was the scene in the auditorium. What was all the fuss about? This was a good thing. There were tears from the younger girls but not for long because we sang and talked our way to camp. After those two years, our buses left from the Port Authority in the city. Again, we filled the station with the official green and white uniforms. Otherwise, if you were lucky enough, your parents would drive you to camp. Being that it was only 90 miles from NYC, the drive was pleasant without all the drama. That was my mode of transport from 1964 – 1969.

I remember carrying a small suitcase with a change of clothes and bathing suit in it. Maybe a few personal items would be added. If you had musical talent, you would bring your guitar and carry that in your other hand.

Belle Gross wrote; I grew up in Queens. Spent about eight years at Girl Scout camp. First year at Andree Clark and then at Quid. My parents drove me to the 178th Street, George Washington Bridge terminal to get the bus. It became a family joke in the mid 60's when my Dad reassured me that I never had to be afraid of the mean city when I was up there, that if I got in trouble in Washington Heights all I needed to do was yell out "I Love the New York Yankees" and someone would help me. The place was crawling with girls in greenies –green shorts and white blouses. I wore the official blouse because if I traveled in it then it would get less wrinkled than it would get in my trunk. (Since we wore greenies for dinner too I had several white tee shirts that did get wrinkled packed away. I remember that since we needed to wear a clean shirt every night I would wear a shirt one night, then wear it backwards, then wear it inside out frontwards and finally inside out backwards!) I often wore saddle shoes as they were "tie" shoes for hiking and my mother thought slip-ons were useless at camp. On the bus, I carried a smallish tote bag with a diary and camera and I think writing paper and envelopes.

From what I have gathered, the bus trip from NYC was similar for the girls of the 40's thru the late 50's. No, they didn't wear greenies: they wore shorts, shirts and sturdy shoes, or maybe even a Girl scout uniform. The departure locations changed from year to year. Yes, they did leave from the Port Authority, but they also boarded the buses at the Armory and from the council office in Queens. They sat on the bus for the two-hour ride north, which took them up Route 9 through the Palisades. The New York Thruway wasn't built yet. Super highways and faster vehicles have shortened the trip, as long as you don't get lost ...Ahem.

Now you are here! Buses unload the girls in the field by the waterfront. We gather under the trees and on one of the large boulders that are embedded into the landscape to await our unit assignments. If it is your first time away from home, you look around the group for a friendly face, hoping to make a connection and a friend. For the experienced campers, you look for your friends from last year. Are they here?? Will they be in my unit again?? runs through your mind. The director is in charge of calling names, units and their leaders. When will she call my name?? Oh boy: she did and off to the unit you go!

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### Chapter 7 - Directors and Staff

**Miss Ford 1925 - 1940**

Miss C. Evangeline Ford, known as Gay, was a professional Girl Scout working in the Queens council starting in the 1920's, working her way up from a leader to executive director by 1929. A Vassar graduate, she also received an MA from Columbia University. She is credited with increasing scout membership from 931 girls in 1929 to almost 6000 in 1941 in her borough of Queens. Quite a legacy! Unfortunately, she died in 1941 at age 44.

It's hard to pinpoint when Miss Ford became director at Quid, but it appears that she was probably the first director in 1925 and continued until 1940. She would train counselors in the Queens borough office with the aid of her assistant, Annie Sue Waldrop, aka Tommy.

Tommy, we believe was Miss Ford's assistant director at camp. In 1941 Miss Margaret Lynch, Bridgie, had taken over the position of director and Tommy was her assistant for two years. Tommy left to join the WAVES in 1943, leaving her dog behind in the care of Randy, the head counselor. The adventures of the dog were kept in a diary. Shanty Wu, as he was known, was no stranger to camp; he always wanted to camp with Tommy, although this year was a little different. Tommy was off to war and Shanty Wu's new home was Caravan. He also had a new pal of his own kind, a large black and white dog named Jock. Who Jock belonged to is still a mystery.

Here is a list of the Administration staff in the late 30's:

Director - Miss Ford

Program Supervisor - Annie Sue Waldrop

Personnel - Adelaide Avry

Waterfront Director - Martha Shamberger

Food Supervisor - Margaret Lynch

Bridgie 1941 – 1958

Love that name!! Her real name is Miss Margaret Lynch. Bridgie took the reins as director at Quidnunc in 1941, after the death of Miss Ford. In 1943, Bridgie chose Doris Biggio as her second in command. Previously, Bridgie was the food supervisor at Quid and, having a home economics background, she was familiar with the running of the camp. And for the next fifteen years, was a permanent fixture in the DD. The impression she left is still talked about today among her lifelong friends she made in those years. One of her friends later became one of the most beloved directors of camp. Bridgie and Doris were known for their high standards: shape up or else! That was mainly directed at the staff members, but for the younger campers, Bridgie was kind and forgiving. These two women guided the camp until 1959, when Bridgie left, (remember, she was getting older, and probably was around 60), and Doris and Chet went to Camp Merrywood, aka Camp Kaufman.

Here are a few stories about Bridgie you might like or remember.

Glo writes... Many hot nights when the three of us, Cathy, Ellie and myself looked for mischief, the idea was to go down to the lake for a swim in the Brownies crib. (I didn't know how to swim, so my buddies were kind enough to stay with me). One night we caught the sight of a lantern moving toward us, until we saw the legs in the light. We didn't know it was Bridgie. Wow, did we move fast, and of course she read us the riot act. That part of our evening entertainment ceased for the rest of the season. When I returned to Cleveland I received a letter from Bridgie telling me I was fired unless I shaped up. Needless to say, I apologized profusely and was able to stay on. Later we found out that Flip (Jean Allen) the waterfront director, had squealed on us.

Molly French... Bridgie was director when I was a camper (55-58). She seemed to lead all of camp in our "high standards" but I think her direct involvement was mainly with staff...except for a certain Brownie named Lou (Louise Black) ...love that story!! Ellie was, I think, arts and crafts director then. She made what I thought were the most fabulous decorations for the banquets. I was an aspiring artist then and her work definitely influenced mine. Although there never was much of an audience for cute happy camper girls outside of camp! Ellie was director when I was on staff (60-61) and was great in that role as well.

Connie Wright... At our final camp dinner at the Bear Mountain Inn, I had been asked by Doris Biggio to compose a song for the poem, "Whoever Walks a Mountain Trail", for Bridgie. Our wonderful staff would practice at the chapel on Sundays and performed with love and professionalism. So, whoever walks a mountain trail, will never walk alone.........

Joan Troutman... One day at lunch I annoyed one of my counselors and to "discipline" me she sent me away from the table to stand outside the dining hall. (I was only 8 years old). Bridgie saw what happened, spoke to the counselor and had me return to the meal. I appreciated her kindness.

Louise Black... When I was a camper in the Brownie unit in (I think) 1947, I went to Bridgie with a request that I be allowed to stay in camp for a second two-week stay. I was seven at the time. We chatted for a while. Bridgie called my mom and it was done. My mom met the bus in NYC with a suitcase of clean clothes, and took a case with my laundry. It was a done deal... I was in heaven! I loved Bridgie.

Louise Pitone... I went to Camp Quidnunc as a camper for two years (Trails End '51 and Caravan '53) and worked there two years (in the Kitchen under Blanche and Muriel in '55 and as a Counselor in Trails End in '56). My sister was there one year in the Brownie Unit in '51 and my friend Phyllis was there with me most of those years. I remember Ellie Alf and all the words to all the songs she taught us. Bridgie (Margaret Lynch) was always the Camp Director and Flip (Jean Allen) was the Waterfront Director. I have pictures which I can share. I remember hikes to Bald Mountain, the Iron Mines and the Lemon Squeeze and a canoe portage trip across the three Kanawaukees. I remember the Scouts Owns, floating wishing boats on the lake, and spitting watermelon seeds from the big rock near the road. I was a Girl Scout in Brooklyn and a Mariner in a Sea Scout Troop in Gerritson Beach.

Lee adds... Bridgie, camp director, was a home economics teacher in a NYC school, therefore, her compulsiveness, which extended to digging the lint out of the cracks in the tent floors with your GS issue jack- knife. My first encounter with the liquid green soap, Fels Naptha, Pine Sol, Brillo. Also, she strove to achieve Quid's AAAAA+++++ rating during Harriman State Park inspections.

The formidable cooks - Muriel, Sugarbush and Blanche worked under Bridgie in the NYC school system. What did they think of sleeping in tents?? They always wore flowered dresses and laced up black shoes with stout heels, just as my grandmother did. They were the one who banged each pot returned to the kitchen, looking for that small drop of water trapped in the handle. They also were very careful to ensure that during assembly line sandwich- making for hikes no one knocked the extra mayo off of the big spoon by banging it on the glass jar top (possibility of broken glass fragments getting into the mayo). You definitely wanted to keep on their good side.

Lennie... I'm Lennie (Kaufmann) Friedman. I'm new at this computer stuff, and it has taken me literally months to figure out how to do this. I was at Quidnunc from 1938 to 1945, and my sister, Barbara (Bobby) was there until 1950. We both stayed all summer all those years, and we both have long and pretty accurate memories. Both of us have stories and remembrances of people up the Wazoo. You mentioned Bridgie. Of course, I remember her. Her name was Margaret Lynch; her sister, Ethel was the camp director of Brady, and they lived together in an apartment in Jackson Heights. Once, I was in their apartment, though I can't remember why. Bridgie and Tommy (Annie Sue Waldrop) became the joint directors of Quidnunc after the death of Miss Ford (that's Constance Evangeline Ford, nicknamed Gay). Miss Ford's last year was 1940, the year I was in Neppie's. I got in trouble for cutting arts and crafts and Miss Ford sat me down on the back porch of the Cabin and told me that she was seriously considering sending me home. She didn't. I think my head counsellor, Dot Lyon, intervened. Bridgie became sole director in 1943 when Tommy joined the WAVES. Tommy left Shanty Wu (Shanty Wu was an Irish Terrier) behind her and Randy (Marjorie Holm) the head counselor of Caravan took him on. 1943 was my first year in Caravan.

There are three other people on the "do you remember list" that I knew very well. Joan (Jerri) Wachman was a camper with me for several years. She lived in Kew Gardens, and I haven't seen or heard from her since she left Quidnunc in '45 I think. I would dearly love to know where she is. Nancy Dunham was a prentie in 1943; her sister Jean was a counselor that year. They lived in Jackson Heights, and she went to Newtown High School, as I did. Maggie was Maggie Magenheimer, the youngest counselor of the three in Caravan in 1943. The three were Randy (Marjorie Holm), Stevie (Lorraine Stevenson), and Maggie. And Shanty Wu.

In Memoriam: Dot Marquette Lyon

Dot was everything a counselor should be. She was small, but tough and strong. She could make anything; she could fix anything, and she could out-work, out-hike, and out-paddle anyone on our three lakes. She wasn't soft or sentimental, but she knew her girls, and she cared. It was she who intervened when Miss Ford wanted to send me home (I had cut Arts and Crafts and had convinced Jerri to cut with me), but she gave me a talking-to that cut to the bone, left me in tears, but also with hope.

She was my head counselor in Sherwood Forest in 1939 and again in Neppie's Nook in 1942. She came back in 1944 (with her year-old son) to head the Prentie unit, but alas for me, I was still in Caravan. What I remember best were evenings in Sherwood. After supper, we 10-year-olds gathered in front of Dot's tent, and she read to us--all the Milne books and, a chapter a night, Bambi.

Olav Ha Shalom, Dot.

Lennie

Ellie Alf 1959 -1966

Eleanor "Ellie" Alf stepped into the role of director in 1959, after Bridgie retired. Teaching art during the school year and directing Quid in the summer kept her busy. No stranger to Quidnunc, she was a camper in the 50's, a counselor and Arts and Crafts director. You can be sure she knew the ins and outs of the camp and all its secrets. Over the years, Ellie made many friends, friendships to this day that are still intact. Women like Joan and Maureen Connelly, Hilda Witte, Glo Arrego, Joan Quigly, Doris Biggio, and Cathy Lennon, who passed away too soon, all worked together at camp. Can you imagine what an experience that was? They all loved camp and Ellie too! Speaking from experience, I looked forward to seeing that redheaded woman every summer. There was one year that Ellie wasn't there. It was 1964 and some stranger was in Ellie's place. This was the year that Ellie and her friends decided to go to Europe. How dare she have a life of her own?!! We wanted and expected her to be there, but nonetheless we had a new face for that summer. Her name was Ruth Healy and she brought her own staff with her. From what I've seen and heard, she wasn't very personable and lacked Ellie's qualities, but of course, she had big shoes to fill.

So, in 1965 Ellie was back and all was right in the world again. That was one great year! That year had great staff members in the office, the units and on the waterfront. My memories of camp are the sharpest for that year. It was also the first time I was able to attend camp for the whole month. Usually, I only went for the first two-week session in July. (Money was a big issue). This time I qualified for a campership and could go for the month. Ellie's friends were back too. Maureen Joan, aka JC, Brownie the nurse and Hilda, who filled in when needed throughout the years.

Ellie's reign began in 1959 and her last year was in 1966. When her friends look back at these years, they feel that Ellie had the early stages of Alzheimer's. They could see something wasn't the same with her. That might be the reason Ellie gave up her role as director and retired to a less stressful life. Unfortunately, she does have the disease and is living quietly in a nursing home on Long Island. Her artwork, spirit of fun and adventure live on in all of us who loved her. I wish I had more than one piece of her work, but there is one drawing which hits home when it comes to her sense of humor. And there's one photo of hers that proves her love of Camp Quidnunc. It's a picture of the infirmary covered in snow that she took and used as her Christmas card. Perfect!

My story about Ellie is from the second year I was at camp. In 1963, I was almost 11 years old and was in HAW. I came down with a sore throat and was sent to the nurse. It must have been pretty bad, (don't remember the details), because I wound up needing a doctor's care. The doctor was in town, I think in Tuxedo; like I said the details are foggy, but Ellie was in charge of driving us to the office. There was another little girl with us, and off we went. Ellie was so kind and made the scary trip smooth and uneventful. She talked to us the whole way and asked us how we felt and how camp was going so far. I do remember her Cutlass and wanted one after that for a long time. Ellie always had a smile for us and we just loved her.

In Memoriam: Eleanor "Ellie" Alf

During the gathering, writing, and reflections in this collection, I am sorry to say there was a change in Ellie's story. In January 2016, Ellie succumbed to the Alzheimer's Disease she was suffering from and was taken home, hopefully to a beautiful, peaceful camp somewhere in Heaven. She had such an influential effect on so many people. Her humor, kindness, and talent were one of a kind. We miss you Ellie. Rest in Peace.

Smitty 1967

Mrs. Margaret K Smith, as she was addressed by most people, took over for one year as director. She was the definition of a Professional Girl Scout; after all, she was the head of the camp division at GSCGNY. Smitty, as she was called in camp, wasn't a warm and fuzzy type like Ellie. She was tall, and older than previous directors. Maybe it was because of her position at the council, or just her beliefs, that made her stern with her staff. She was sort of a no-nonsense kind of leader. A couple of stories have been told about her way of dealing with misbehavior or speaking one's mind. One story is about a young counselor who scheduled a hike to Bear Mountain. It was charted on the calendar and planned in plenty of time for all to see. She assumed that Smitty knew the trip was a one-way hike due to the distance, and that the girls would need a ride back. When the counselor called late in the afternoon for a ride home, she was chewed out by Smitty and was told to hike back because she wasn't coming. Smitty eventually gave in and picked them up after the counselor said that they would be hiking back in the dark without flashlights or food. As you can imagine, this didn't sit well with Smitty, and the counselor caught hell for it. Smitty basically called her an idiot, and she was on Smitty's bad side for the rest of the summer.

Another tale is about the same counselor and a camper who cried all day long. It appeared that this poor girl was homesick, when actually her parents sent her to camp so they could go to Mexico for a quickie divorce. You could do that back then. Not knowing what to do about it, the young and naïve counselor went to the director for advice. The answer she got shocked her. She was told: "mind your own business". In those years, that was said way too often. For the rest of the summer the counselor stayed away from Smitty. She was afraid that she would be sent home, receive a poor evaluation, and not be able to return the next year. Smitty was known for that. I guess she thought that her staff should be more like her, stoic and less involved personally. Camp shouldn't be run like that, it should be a place of fun and feeling comfortable with the leaders, for staff and campers alike. If Smitty liked you, then I am sure you would have a much different opinion about the way she handled things. I was lucky that I wasn't on staff then: I was only a camper. Campers didn't have as much contact with the directors, unless you were a "mischievous kid". In 1967 I was in the oldest unit, Trail's End, and we were too busy on the waterfront to cause any real trouble. We also had to help the staff with the campers' banquet that year. We got to pick the theme and helped with the decorations. That was quite an honor!

GIRL SCOUT STORIES. CAMP QUIDNUNC. SUMMER 1967

Madeline Paretti Wiliams (Perry)

In the beginning.......

Let me first say, I have never been a Girl Scout, not officially, that is. Never went to camp until 1967, at age 20. Oh, I wanted to be a Girl Scout. My mom tried to get me into a Brownie Troop when I was about 10, in 1957. But they were not taking any new members unless an adult female relative volunteered to be a Brownie Leader. Well, that wasn't going to happen. My mother didn't want any additional responsibilities. She was looking for a free evening, getting away from me for a few hours! Hah! Didn't work. But 10 years later...

The Spring of 1967, I graduated from Hunter College, had a teaching job lined up for September, and decided to find an office job for the summer. The Temporary Agency asked me if I would like to work for the Girl Scout Headquarters in midtown Manhattan, very near the United Nations building. I was thrilled!

On my first day to report on the job, I arrived early, wanted to make a good impression. But I nearly got knocked off my feet by this rather tall, large and awkwardly clumsy woman who was not looking where she was going. I swore she was about six feet tall, large feet, walking forcefully with her upper body at least a foot ahead of the rest of her.

She never excused herself, and I almost made a nasty remark, but glad I bit my tongue, I needed to stay positive and focused on my job. I even took a different elevator to get away from her.

When I arrived at the Girl Scout Office, Mrs. Muriel Smith, AKA "Smitty", greeted me and introduced me to all the ladies in the office. A very pleasant and congenial group.

Then she took me to the Director's office. As soon as she opened the door, I nearly fell back. The lady that had knocked me off my feet was the Director of the Girl Scouts of America! I was somewhat in shock, and glad that I did not snap back at her earlier.

Smitty sensed we had met before, and asked "Do you two know each other?" I quickly responded "Yes, we bumped into each other earlier this morning". The Director made a wide grin, and with that as my introduction to the Girl Scouts, I was welcomed with open arms.

The first few weeks were fun; I always enjoyed working in an office. I spent my days typing lists of campers' names and addresses, sorting the mail, getting ready for items to be delivered to the post office. I really liked working there. And I guess they liked me too, because Smitty approached me with "How would you like to spend the summer at Girl Scout camp, in the Catskill Mountains?". Huh? I had never been to camp; I knew nothing about it...at all! But they wanted me... I was a college graduate, I had a teaching certificate, I had experience working with young children, and was certified in first aid. I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I was always pretty adventurous, looking for a challenge, but the truth is, I was like a fish out of water. I didn't even own a pair of jeans, or a sweatshirt, hardly wore t-shirts. I had just graduated from Hunter College Park Avenue campus, where you were not allowed to wear slacks. Jeans had not become chic yet, and only the students in the Art department were allowed to wear them, only on days when they were dealing with painting projects. I attended 4 years of college, in Manhattan, including summer classes, wearing stockings, heels and conservative dresses.

And that's how I showed up for camp on my first day at Quidnunc. I didn't have a driver's license, so my mother had to drive me to camp, just like all the other campers. I wore a new pink polyester print dress, which I later referred to as my "Trisha Nixon" outfit: beige Maryjane shoes, pantyhose, hair all teased up, plenty of hair spray to keep the flip in place, gold jewelry, and manicured nails.

Smitty took one look at me, and asked if I had brought another outfit to change into. I had never seen Smitty in anything else but business attire, and now she was wearing green shorts, white socks, sneakers, Girl Scout shirt and a green tie. No one told me about appropriate dress attire for camp.

Let me back up. When I first agreed to leave the office job, Smitty's description of my new position was not totally accurate....

She told me that I would be a Unit Leader, and I would supervise 3 counselors, and 30 campers, aged 9-11. She said I would spend a good deal of time making weekly schedules, writing reports and planning activities for the Sky Blue Unit. I asked if I would have a desk in an office.

Yes, there will be a desk and an office available to you. This was true. However, she neglected to tell me about the 30 other staff members who would also be using this space and sharing the typewriter.

Smitty was wise enough to provide me with an excellent staff: Tanya "TJ" Herzog, my tent mate from Chicago, Faye Hildenbrand, "Cricket", and Shari Smith from Staten Island. They each had at least 10 years of camping experience, and I owe a debt of gratitude to all of them. I would have never survived the summer of 1967 without them. Thank you all!

Memories of Camp Directors

I was at Quidnunc in 1967-1968. Smitty was the camp director. She had a bear skin in her office. She shot that bear. She was some tough Girl Scout Camp Director.

Do you remember the tearful goodbyes on our last day? It was terrible leaving paradise.

Smitty berated us for this. She said you never knew what the future could hold. Perhaps we would meet our Quidnunc friends again someplace, sometime. She had had the experience of connecting with a Girl Scout in later years. We could, too. This was before the internet, which is a real game changer. Was she not just a good shot, but clairvoyant as well?

Leda Gottlieb

Ronnie 1968 - 1969

Oh the 60's. What a decade, especially the last few years. Women's Lib, the moon walk, Woodstock, the height of the war in Viet Nam, the "pill", and the sexual revolution. Some of these issues carried over to camp in those years. Imagine overseeing a group of young, women campers and staff, and dealing with these issues. Well that's what Ronnie Gelston did for those two years. Veronica "Ronnie" Gelston was a professional Girl Scout too. She worked for the GSCGNY for as many years as I can remember. When I was seven or eight years old, she and Dot Nelson were directors of High Rock Day Camp on Staten Island. They kept that role until the council sold the camp in the 60's. As a professional, you were required to fill in whenever and wherever needed. We needed a director in 1968 so we got Ronnie. For two years Ronnie took over Quidnunc and had Beth Cruse as one of the assistants, and Ginger Johnson as one of the nurses. Ginger was friends with Ronnie for years. They worked together at High Rock. My mother was also good friends with them through Girl Scouting and High Rock.

I can't tell you very much about what went on in camp in 1968 because I wasn't there that year. I went to Round Up instead. Now, of course, I wish I had gone to camp, but at the time I couldn't pass up the opportunity. In 1969 I came back to camp as a staff member, a kitchen aide or pot girl as we were sometimes called back then. I was sixteen and full of myself. Returning to camp was what I needed and wanted. Along with me were friends from 1967, Pixie (Jeanne Hogan), Debbie Wood and Michele Frisch (Shelly) - four experienced girls from Camp Q, and three new girls. This was going to be great. Why do I bring this up? Let's just say that Ronnie had her hands full that year. Until you had been on staff, you never knew everything the director goes through. Problems arose in different areas. There were staff who couldn't get along with each other, some who didn't follow the rules, others who crossed boundaries, and those who were just unhappy. Maybe the walk on the moon had something to do with it. By the time intersession came, we lost these girls. Our little staff in the kitchen lost two girls, and we needed the help. Ronnie called my mom and asked her if she knew anybody that was willing to come and work in the kitchen. My mother found Diane Nappi and she came to work the rest of the summer. I think the other units did without replacements.

Here it is August 1969: yeah, you know what's coming. The Woodstock Music Festival! We had three or four staff members who wanted to go on their time off. I don't know if all made it to the concert, but only one returned to work at camp. I don't know what happened to them. Maybe they just went home. These are just a few things that I know of that Ronnie had to deal with but I am sure there were more. All in all, she was friendly, fair, and approachable and she did a fine job. How many of us could put up with the same as well? Sex, drugs, and rock and roll had slipped into camp.

Ronnie retired in the 1980's and moved into an apartment down the street from my mom's house on Staten Island. She was widowed and didn't need a house to maintain. Her daughter was married with children and lived in a neighborhood nearby. Ronnie volunteered at a local nursing home a few miles away, in fact it was on the opposite hillside from High Rock. She did this until she developed Alzheimer's and was then admitted to the same home. Talk about coming full circle! She passed away in the 1990's in the same place. This is the second director that we know of who was stricken with this disease.

My Ronnie Story. In 1969 I was a kitchen aide, working in the dining hall (the DH). This was the big time now, being a staff member and not a camper. There were some things we could do and get away with now at camp. Our responsibilities weren't 24/7, as they were for the unit staff. We had free time during the day and night to find trouble. For the most part, though, we did behave. When we did cross those lines, it wasn't so bad or dangerous, just not what was expected from us. At sixteen years old, at that time, you were not very worldly or sophisticated and were easily influenced by the older girls. At least that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. In NY at that time you were legally allowed to drink at eighteen. There was a group of staff members that went out regularly to the local pub/pizzeria. Two of my tent mates were part of that group. Every time they went out, one particular girl came back drunk as a skunk. She had to be pushed up the hill to our unit and she wasn't going quietly. I don't know if any of the other girls got gassed like that, but once was enough. One time we, the younger girls, went out with them. They sat at a big table together which included girls our age, and we sat at another. They all were served drinks and when we tried to order drinks, we were asked for proof of age. Maybe it was because we were sitting away from them or maybe we just looked guilty. Laws have changed since then...

As you can see, we wanted to fit in, do what they were doing, know what they knew. Our eyes and ears were open all the time. Repeating comments is not a good way of pretending to have knowledge. I found that out the hard way. One day while making about three hundred bologna sandwiches for camp, Joan, the waterfront director, came by and checked out what we were making. She took one look at the meat and said "this meat is full of maggots". Oh My Gosh, I needed to say something, and I did. When it got back to Ronnie, she called me in the office and told me I was wrong and didn't know what I was talking about. Which was true. She then called my mom and said that she didn't realize how immature I was. That hurt, but HELLO! I was sixteen and very naïve. I was mad at myself for repeating it and mad at Joan for saying that to us.

My second story about Ronnie begins one night in August of that year. Instead of five girls in our tent we now had four, more room to move around in. It was now Pixie, Michelle, (not Shelly), Diane and me. Pixie and I were the experienced campers and Diane and Michelle, well, were afraid of everything. Michelle was a very tall, slender, African-American girl and Diane was a short, compact, white girl; they were about as opposite as you can get, but they both had a set of lungs on them that could wake the dead. One night when the whole camp was either sleeping or settling down for the night, George the raccoon came to our tent for a visit. He walked right in and started rooting around the beds of Michele and Diane. They heard a noise and shone the flashlight on this poor creature causing him to get stuck in the tent flaps. We were allowed to keep the tent flaps down because we were staff. The harder he tried to free himself the more they screamed, until he finally escaped this crazy tent. Ronnie could hear the commotion all the way down inside the DD. She came out of the office and yelled up at the unit at ME! "But it's not me", I said, "it's Diane and Michelle!" I thanked my two tent mates for getting me into trouble as they climbed off my bed.

Oh, I forgot to mention, they both jumped on my bed with me in it. Ronnie yelled my name because I don't think she knew the others' well. After all, she'd known me since I was seven years old. I have to give her that. Now I ask you, would you want the job of director after reading just a snippet of what it was like that year? My answer is NO!

Sappy 1970 – 1971

And along came Sappy. Sappy was her camp name, her given name is unknown; some say it is Eleanor or Evelyn, but her last name was Sappington. She was from Montana, a hard riding outdoorsy gal who expected nothing less from her charges. Always wearing her cowboy boots and hat, and standing six feet tall, she could be seen walking through camp making sure everything was safe. There are stories floating around that she even chased off some "hippies" with a shotgun because they had wandered onto the campgrounds. She shared administrative duties with Penny Stiles that year. Sappy has since passed away, and Penny was located, but she chose not to connect with us. It has happened a few times where former staff members would rather not" relive" those years. Penny may be one of them. It's a shame that some of "our girls" feel this way, when they were admired so, and it saddens us. Those summers were filled with friendship, knowledge and fun for the rest of us and I thought they felt the same. Too bad.

From the girls. Joyce Ross. Yes, she was from Montana. I loved her storytelling and magic campfires. She had spent some time as a young girl living with the Seminoles and knew many stories. She used to travel with a steamer trunk of authentic native outfits and would dress up the campers in the clothing. I found it fascinating.

I remember Sappy as well: she was a talker and had many a story to tell. I remember once she was walking with a camper from the infirmary back to her unit. It had just rained and the rocks were wet. Both Sappy and the girl slipped. The girl fell on Sappy's arm and broke it. Sappy did not want the girl to feel badly about this so she made believe that nothing was wrong and continued to walk with the girl. The next day Sappy had a cast from her fingers to her elbow, and had conjured a story of how she slipped getting out of her tent. Only a few of us knew what really happened and we were sworn to secrecy. Now the truth is out!

Melinda says: Sappy the director killed a copperhead snake with a canoe paddle on the path by the administration building and then did a snake skinning demo for us right by that red pump in front of the DD.

Patti adds: Sappy was the camp director in 1970. That was the year she tried to rehabilitate the mildly bad girls of Neppies by telling us late night stories of how we should be going on hayrides in Montana and quit trying to make herbal tea in our tents by boiling water in our tin GS cups with a candle. (fire hazard you know). She thought New York Girl Scouts lacked gumption. She gave up on us but we reclaimed our Juliette Lowe history just in time to practice our lashing skills. I think we lashed anything that moved, and put on Winnie the Pooh skit for Sleepy Hollow.

Betsy 1972

We had another director after Sappy in 1972 named Elizabeth (Betsy) Cyphers.

DM Maynard. I remember her as the Dir in '72, she was tall, thin w/ short strawberry blonde hair. We had an incident one night where some teens pulled into our waterfront and were untying the boats, Betsy, a bunch of counselors, myself snuck down to the dock, Betsy had a large oar in her hand and surprised/almost attacked these vandals: she scared the hell out of them and called the state troopers.

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### Chapter 8 - Hikes

Bald Rock. One of the first hikes I can remember taking was to Bald Rock. The path started about one hundred yards from the camp's entrance, off Route 106. From there it went up and up and up, at almost a 45-degree angle. Over rocks and downed trees, through piles of dead leaves, always looking for the next foothold. As you trudged on, step by step, you kept looking ahead to see how much further it was to the top. Finally, you were there, you made it! And the view was breathtaking. Tom Jones Mountain was to the right, in the center was our lake, and to the left was Kanawaukee2. As far as the eye could see, everything was dark green from an abundance of trees. Our waterfront below could be seen in its entirety, the cribs, the docks and the deep-water area, all connected by an island of rocks and trees in the middle. This image embodies the essence of our camp so completely that it was made into a postcard in the 50's. This iconic picture was taken by anyone with a camera, and it is still done even to this day. We no longer have the docks or cribs there, just the lonely island. Now that you had a rest, you began the descent down. You think it's easy? Guess again! As you carefully stepped down, it got harder and harder to hold back the feeling of just running forward. With each step, you felt like accelerating to the bottom. When you got to around three quarters of the way down, you could see a clearing. No trees to grab or rocks to inch around, just dead leaves. You'd think "what the heck, I can slide the rest of the way down. It's not too far because I can see the road." Many a sore behind and filthy shorts were found back at camp that day. Quite an adventure for a nine or 10-year-old. By the way, the hike was repeated in 2008 when we had our first reunion. About twenty brave and out of shape alumnae made the climb. It was great! No broken hips were reported.

The Iron Mines. Hiking to the Iron Mines was another easy hike, perfect for the younger campers. The hike itself was two miles long round trip, flat and cool, leaving from the road behind Trail's End, down to the fire trail, and straight out from there. There you would find plenty of tree-cover, making it dark and shady, a perfect escape for a hot summer's day. You would first come upon the Hogencamp Mine, which is basically ruins with old foundations behind it. There were about twenty homes with a store for the mine workers in the 1800's. A little further up, past Hogencamp, you would come to Pine Swamp Mines. Here you would see the cave-like structure that was the mine and a big pit of water. This was the infamous" Bottomless Pit" that frightened more than one girl by the thought of falling into it. Even to this day it sends shivers up your spine. Scattered all around the area, shining in the sunlight were golden rocks, Pyrite or fool's gold as it's commonly known. We thought that we were rich, hit the jackpot, all that gold just waiting for us to take. That is until the counselors told us what it really was. Oh, shucks! We emptied our pockets, ate our bag lunch and back to camp we went.

Molly: The iron mines hike was sort of a warm up hike for Neppies. The first hike of the encampment, for the new campers, me in 1955. Much was made of the bottomless pit. I know it creeped out Linda Peck Ardrey! Me, not so much. The hike wasn't much harder than walking to the bus to get to Bayside High. Probably a mile or a mile and a half one way. I wanted bigger hikes!!

Elizabeth said: I was off for Memorial Day so took the opportunity for a short hike. The weather was hot, but this is a well-shaded hike. It's a fairly simple and relatively short hike with lots of points of interest, though no view. I parked on Lake Kanawaukee Road, about fifteen hundred feet past the Kanawaukee parking area. There is a small pull-off at the bend of the road by the lake. I took the old woods road up past some of the old foundations, many of which still have stone remnants. There used to be a small village here, and its heyday was when this extensive old iron mine was active. I continued along the Dunning Trail and then climbed the hill to look through the mine workings.

The Hogencamp Mine is the most extensive mine within Harriman State Park. It was a very productive iron mine and there are numerous cuts, workings, and dumps spread around 1000 feet. I explored many of the cuts and workings, and turned around on the Dunning Trail and then headed back, taking a slightly different woods road the way back.

As you advanced in age and camping experience, so did the day hikes. Moving up to the older units, you would hike to such places as Dot's Rock, Caravan's Ledge, Lake Tiorati, Tom Jones, and Bear Mountain. These are just a few of the many places the girls went. There was also a hiking unit active for a few years and I'm sure their adventures were many. As camp was located so close to the Appalachian Trail (AT), the opportunities were endless. Speaking for myself, I wasn't and never wanted to be a hiker in those days. I can appreciate it more now, but my fears of running into a snake or bear along the trail still makes me nervous. Yikes! I wear my bear scare and I think I need a snake scare too. Nothing happened in any of my years at camp, thank goodness. But a couple of alumnae hiking the AT one year did have an experience. They came across a rattlesnake on the trail and just casually walked by it. Boy, do I have some brave friends! These same two women had a very alarming adventure another year, when they went off hiking Tom Jones Mountain. I will let them tell the story as they do it so much better.

Pam wrote: Hi Girls: by now you may have seen the pictures of Wendy and me on top of Tom Jones mountain. You may wonder how we ended up there. This is the story of Wendy and Pam's (not so) Excellent Adventure.

On Monday, a number of us had taken a hike to Dot's Rock. Wendy and I were feeling pretty good, so I suggested that we might want to take a short hike in the afternoon before going swimming. At this point you should be humming the theme song from Gilligan's Island because what we set out on was less than a three-hour tour. I took a look at a 40-year old trail map and saw that the Victory Trail (which I vaguely remembered hiking in my Quidnunc days) crossed Route 106 just west of the masonic camp. I thought that we could take the Victory Trail to Lake Sebago and then walk back along the path. Mistake no. 1--don't rely on a 40-year-old trail map.

We headed down 106, and we somehow missed the entrance to the Victory Trail. We ended up on the next trail which was marked with a red dot. It turns out that we were on the Ramapo-Dunderberg (R-D) trail, one of the oldest trails in the park, which goes over Tom Jones. We had some wonderful views from the top. As we came down the other side, we crossed the Victory Trail. We thought that we could take that trail back to Sebago and then walk home.

We must have turned the wrong way on the Victory Trail. We saw a lake which we thought might be part of Sebago or Kanawaukee, but it was soon clear that it was not. I think that we actually walked around most of Lake Skenonto. When we realized that we were not on Sebago, we got back on the Victory Trail and followed it until it crossed the R-D Trail once again.

At that point we decided to stay on the R-D with the hope that it would eventually cross a road, and then we could walk or hitchhike home. We stayed on the R-D trail for quite some time because we could hear a road below. Eventually the trail led down to a road. We flagged down a woman in a car and asked where we were. It turns out that we were right outside of Tuxedo. We hiked to the train station, and we had a lemonade (at that point, it was the world's best lemonade). Then we tried to phone the girls at camp. We tried to phone Liz, but my $%^& $29 cell phone would not work. We tried hitchhiking from the train station (which was quite close to the police station), but no one wanted to pick up a couple of middle-aged ladies (well, middle aged if we live to 120).

We then went to the police station and asked how to get back to camp. The officer told us to hike up route 17 to route 106. He warned us that there was very little shoulder on Rte. 17. He was not kidding. We hugged the cliff faces every time we turned a corner. We hiked over 2 miles on the highway until it intersected 106. As we were walking down 106, and it was getting very dark, we got a call from the girls at camp. Carol and Linda rescued us somewhere near Lake Stahahe.

The hike took us about 6 hours, and I think that we walked about 10-12 miles. I suppose the moral of this story is--don't go hiking with someone who spent most of her camp career in the waterfront unit. Sorry, Wendy. I am still getting you in trouble after all these years.

Lemon Squeeze. As I said before I wasn't into hiking, but at camp you do what you are told, and that day was planned for hikes. It was in 1965 at Neppies Nook. I believe we were the largest unit at camp and we were also the waterfront unit. That day we were divided into three groups according to our ability and experience. The group I was assigned to was for the more experienced girls, those who had been to camp for a few years, and who had already been to several of the popular sights. Our group was going to hike to Lemon Squeeze, or Squeezer, as it is sometimes referred to in the guide books. I didn't realize at the time that this hike was longer and more challenging, or else I would have lied about my ability. But now I was stuck. This was the year that I was able to attend camp for an entire month for the first time, but it was also the year that the nurse found that I had Athlete's foot. For the whole time I was there, I had to wear my sneakers in the water! That was how they handled it then. The only problem was that I only had one pair of sneakers! By the time we went on that hike, my shoes were held together with whatever tape was available, duct tape or adhesive tape. None of it worked very well though. It just so happened that I had adhesive tape wrapped around my shoes that day. So off we went, headed to Lemon Squeeze, a ten-mile hike. What??!! When did I sign up for this? There I was, bringing up the rear, me and my taped-up sneakers. When we finally reached our destination, we came upon an unusual rock formation at the intersection of the AT and the Arden Surebridge Trail (red triangle). There is a giant boulder sitting on top of other rocks that appears to be hanging by a thread! After passing through these balancing boulders you could see Lemon Squeeze. Now you truly understand how it got its name. Here we went, one by one, squeezing thru a path that was three feet high, one foot across and at a fifteen-degree angle. I made it through, floppy sneakers and all. What an incredible place.

Joyce wrote: One of my very first overnight adventures was to Dot's Rock. We had old army surplus tents that weighed a ton (at least from an 11-year old's point of view), We carried dinner in the Adirondack style basket packs. With the tents packs and the steep climb, I really felt like a mountain climber. Years later when I took campers up there I realized that we were right behind camp! How our perspective changes when we grow up.

GIRL SCOUT STORIES. MY FIRST HIKE

CAMP QUIDNUNC. 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

My First Hike

I had never been on a hike before. After being at camp for 2 weeks, someone suggested that I should really lead one of the hikes.

We picked an easy trail, started on a paved road, and within just a few minutes into the hike, we were singing the usual fun songs like "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall", etc. Well, we had not gotten very far, probably not beyond 98 bottles, when Cricket pointed at something ahead of us on the trail and said "Look Perry, a snake!!!".

Just a few yards ahead of us, there was this huge snake, took up the entire width of the paved road. I was a city kid, never saw a wild animal, except in the zoo, and now, here I am, headed straight towards this huge snake, with 30 kids following me.

I did what any normal young city girl would do. I started screaming at the top of my lungs "Snake, snake, get back to camp!!" And I ran faster than any of them, ran past the counselors and the 30 campers who looked up to me. I left all my unit to fend for themselves.

Never underestimate how fast you can run when you think you are being chased by a snake.

Am I proud of my actions? No. But at that point in time, and given my limited exposure and experience, I thought I was saving my life. And yes, I would probably do the exact same thing all over again.

The rest of the story....

When I told some of the other staff members about my "life and death" experience, they all calmly asked questions like: What color was the snake? What did it look like?

You gotta be kidding me. I never stopped to ask for an ID. When Cricket yelled "SNAKE", I high-tailed it out of there. To this day, I have no idea what color it was. All I know is, it was huge, I was getting outta there to save my life!

Moral of the story...

Choose your leaders carefully.

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### Chapter 9 - Canoe Trips

1964 was my first opportunity to be a part of the waterfront unit. I was so excited. We had swimming two times a day, not like the other units. We also had canoeing, and in the later years we acquired sailboats (small ones called Sunfish), for our use. That year we were located in Gypsy's Skies, a unit closest to the dining hall but farthest from the lake. That didn't make much sense and they changed it the next year. The unit consisted of thirteen and fourteen-year-old girls, led by Boni, Grace, Ellen, and Karen. Sometime during the first two weeks of July we planned a short overnight canoe trip to Camp Laughing Water, on Kanawaukee 3. We practiced our strokes and endurance by paddling through the tunnels to the other lakes and back again. On the big day, we packed up our gear, including bedrolls, food, and clothing. Our counselors let us "take charge" of those duties and always asked if we had everything. Naturally, we said yes, we've got it covered. So off we went. We arrived at Laughing Water without incident around supper time. We set up camp by their waterfront, started a fire, and began cooking our spaghetti dinner. When it came time to eat, we realized that we forgot to pack knives, forks and spoons. We wound up eating with borrowed cooking equipment from our hosts. One of the girls was eating with an egg beater, her name is Joyce Tyson (Joey). Any implement would do, we were hungry! What a sight we must have been. The rest of the trip went off without a hitch and we were back at Quid the next day.

We had our own little mascot that year, a cat named Pudgy. She belonged to Grace. Pudgy went everywhere we did. She loved canoeing and the water. She would jump out of Grace's canoe and climb into Boni's, proceed to vomit, and then went back to Grace. Pudgy even earned her beginners swimming card. What a cat!!

Delaware Water Gap Trip

Boni

It was August 19, 1964 as we arose at 0 dark-thirty, eagerly anticipating our canoe trip. We had packed and repacked, trying to make food and supplies fit into waterproof spaces, and we were leaving this morning! I don't know who was more excited, the campers or counselors. After breakfast and a false start (can't go without safety cushions), we headed off in the station wagon and pick-up truck.

We arrived in Port Jervis at lunchtime and after eating, we launched our canoes. We encountered shallow rapids and calm patches, and had a few mishaps, (lost paddle, canoe turned backwards), but it was fun. We overshot our expected camping spot, but happened on a Girl Scout camp for our first night. It was cold in the morning, but eventually we got a fire going and had breakfast, then it was back to the river! There was deeper water and better rapids today.

The second night brought rain. We made canoe shelters with tarps. The counselors stayed warm and dry, but the camper's shelter didn't fare so well. After hot cereal for breakfast we headed out again. We encountered some Boy Scouts and tried to improve their canoeing skills. It was a little scary to see the wood canoe that they had wrapped around a rock, since we had one too, but Patti and Gilda did really well.

We encountered more rapids on Friday, and more people to talk to. We paddled along for a while and then discovered we had passed through the gap and not recognized it! Then the rain started. It was pouring and filling the canoes, so we pulled under a bridge for a while. As it stopped we resumed paddling, and back came the rain. Eventually we reached a town and straggled up to a diner. I'm afraid we looked like river rats, and we got some funny looks! After eating lots of hot food, we headed back to the river and pitched canoe shelters on a flat bank. Of course, it rained again and several of the girls got pretty wet. In the morning, they surprised us with hot chocolate and buttered popcorn, an awesome breakfast!

Our last day on the water brought some great rapids. One run was so much fun we portaged up and did them again. We were watching for our pick-up spot at Belvedere, and asked people along the way how far it was. They all had the same answer-3 miles! Finally, we arrived there, but we really didn't want to leave. Peri climbed a tree and was followed by Grace and Boni, but alas, we had to go back. We sang our way home and when we got there, we poured Delaware water on everyone we could reach! Our unit was quarantined, so we spent that night in Hundred Acre Woods. We reeked of the river, but we had a blast. Peri was the only one of us with river canoeing experience when we started, but we are all river rats now and would do it all again...well maybe not tomorrow!

Canoe Trips Every year during the month of August, the waterfront unit was offered the opportunity to plan, practice and participate in one of the two canoe trips. The girls with the most experience and ability in canoeing were chosen to participate in the river trips. This voyage lead the girls down swift running rivers and rushing rapids. You needed top notch skills and swimming abilities (just in case you fell overboard) to handle this trip. They didn't wear life jackets (they were in the canoes though) and the girls ages were around twelve to fifteen lead by four counselors who weren't much older. Some of the places they traveled to were the Susquehanna, Delaware Water Gap and the Ramapo River. Over the years, these locations were repeated, that's why it's hard to nail down what year they went where and with who. It also seemed to rain often on these trips, and someone always manages to fall out of the canoe along the way, whether it was over a falls, dam or rapids. Between the rain and girls who ended up in the water, they were constantly wet. They were able to dry out in fire stations and even people's homes along the way. The counselors on one of the trips found Laundromats and dried the sleeping bags there. The girls tried to keep dry by sleeping under the turned canoes and by building fires and lived in their bathing suits for the whole trip. They loved every damp minute of it.

Now, the other campers in the unit who weren't as skilled with a paddle went on trips to the lakes. Not that they weren't good at canoeing, it was a different skill set. They still practiced every day, probably twice a day with the other girls, it's hard to remember, it seemed like we were always practicing, even though I and many others didn't go. When they practiced, it meant the whole unit practiced, going or not. Canoeing around the lakes wasn't so bad, it was the portaging of the canoe that was a killer. We went up and down the roads in camp, over and over, and even on the Rt in front of camp to Kanawaukee Circle and back. I am here to tell you it was rough, especially if you were the tallest (me) or the shortest girl with your canoe. We always took the bow or the stern of the canoe, never the middle, makes sense right? For those of you who never had the privilege of portaging before or don't know what is involved, let me explain. It is when you lift a canoe (usually with three girls) upside down over your head and hold it up with your hands by the gunnels and walk over land with it... Sounds like fun right? So you see, if you were the tallest, going up a hill, like the one into camp, the weight is all on you, if you were shorter, going down the hill was a chore. Depending on how the group was organized, it could go either way. One year, I think it was 1966, it was so hot that during a practice portage along Rt 106 that the girls started to show signs of heat stroke or exhaustion. The camp was called and rushed the girls back to their unit and to the infirmary to be checked over by the nurse. Yes, they were overheated and were instructed to stay in their tents to rest and cool off with cold compresses etc. They took their meal in the unit that night too. They did go on their trips to the river and the lakes later that summer. Some of the lake trips were to the Fulton Chain Lakes in NY and Candlewood Lake in CT. For those of us who never qualified or weren't in camp at the time of the trips, did smaller trips like canoeing to Camp Laughing Water on the third lake and staying overnight. No portaging necessary! Thank goodness!

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### Chapter 10 - Camper Banquets

The camper banquet signaled the last night of the last session of camp, a night of wonder and enchantment for everyone who entered the dining hall. Inside the building had been transformed into a virtual song. Over the years there had been stars hanging from the ceiling, a moon on the roof, murals on the walls, and even a giant dragon. The dazzling decorations were planned and constructed by the staff and the oldest unit. The themes were usually chosen by staff, but one year our unit had the honor. All elements of the night were special. We had a terrific meal, because you know how good camp food can be, with handmade placemats and table decorations. Even with all this excitement, there was an undercurrent of sadness. After all, it was the last night at camp. Slowly, melancholy crept into the air. By the time we sang the theme song there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

This is a list of some of the banquet names from over the years:

1956- Scarlet Ribbons

1957- Come With Me

1958 - Green Cathedrals

1963- The Happy Wanderer

1964- Baby's Boats

1965- Stars are the Windows

1966- Silver Moon is Shining

1967-Today

1968- Baby Owlet

1969 - Puff the Magic Dragon

1970- It's a Small World

1971- Barges

1972-Braves

I was lucky enough to have worked on two of these banquets, in 1967 and 1969. The 1967 banquet was a surprise for me, since it was the first time I had been at camp in August, at Trail's End, and I wasn't aware of the banquet. We suggested the song "Today" as the theme and the staff approved. We worked on the decorations in our spare time on the back porch of the DD. That's where the Arts and Crafts area was located. The decision was made that it would look outstanding if we could have "vines" of roses swaying around the dining hall. We made tissue flowers for what seemed like an eternity, hundreds and hundreds of them. I never wanted to see another box of Kleenex again, but finally they were done and strung up with string. It was beautiful. "Today while the blossoms still cling to the vines"....... sigh.

In 1969, the staff chose "Puff the Magic Dragon" as their song for the banquet. Was there a better song? I'm sure there was, but this one was a sign of the times. Remember, it was the summer of Woodstock, the moon walk, the murder of Sharon Tate, Helter Skelter, the Chappaquiddick incident, and Hurricane Camille. Without delving into the hidden meanings behind the lyrics, let's just say it suggests one way of coping with life. Most girls back then didn't read anything into the song; to them it was just a song about a boy and his pet dragon. We made Puff from Papier Mache and aluminum foil and glued scales all over him. He stood eight feet tall at the head and he was shiny and impressive. Along the wall there was a mural of a mythical dragon in the woods. The artwork was done by some of the campers from the oldest unit, Caravan, and it was fabulous. Those girls really worked hard. When the staff got up to sing, their tears started to flow. A magical night indeed!

Linda P Ardrey said: I wish I still had my beautiful place card from 57. I do still remember the poem that was on it: "I like wood roads, they have a way with them. Not wide wood roads all pruned and paved, but little tangled paths half hidden in the bush that seem to wink one eye and whisper, Come with me." Actually, I think "Come with me" was the actual theme.

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### Chapter 11 - Camp Food

Meals were prepared for us in the dining hall each year by hired cooks who differed from year to year. From all women to all men, their personalities were very different also. Some very nice and sweet, some mean and rude, and then some seemed very sketchy. Whatever their little quirks were, the food was usually good, at least from most of the opinions I have heard. When you are active all day you develop an appetite, and you look forward to the next meal. If you didn't like what was offered, you had to take a "no thank you" portion, which consisted of less than a teaspoonful of the objectionable food, and you had to eat it. There was peanut butter and jelly on the table along with bread at every meal. That was your alternative, if you didn't like the entrée, or in some of the cases, it was the appetizer. Hey! We were growing girls.

At camp, you were taught manners, responsibility, and acceptance. At the table, you learned "please" and "thank you" (if you didn't quite get it at home), how to pass serving dishes properly, and how to set a table correctly. You were exposed to girls of different cultures and food restrictions and you would work together to clean up after yourselves: all this and more over a few meals. It was also a social time when you really got close to your unit leaders. Talking, laughing, and asking questions of each other, it was a fun time even while doing the dishes. It was fun trying to figure out who would do what chore after the meal was over. The only one who knew for sure what job she had was the girl sitting to the left of the counselor. She was the "hopper", hopping up and down from her seat at the table to get the food or to refill an item. When it came time to hand out jobs, there was a wheel with numbers on it that was spun. Whatever number it landed on, that's where you would start. Starting to the left of the counselor, skipping the hopper, and around the table it would go. Something like wash, rinse, Brillo, dry, whisk away, and sweep. Naturally, over the years there were many variations of this. Whisk away, inspect, or put away, are all the same...different names, but the same job. The washer and rinser would go get the tubs made of aluminum from the front of the dining hall. It took two girls to carry these three-foot diameter tubs that were filled, one with hot soapy water and the other with hot rinse water. The dishes were washed, dried, and placed into the rack as they were done. The "Brilloer" had the job of scrubbing the pans, making sure she got every spot clean and shiny. Then the pans and pitchers were given to the girl in charge of checking them out. The tables with ten girls added an extra dryer, and one girl was lucky enough to be free from any job. You would make sure the pans were dry, really dry, or else it was back to the table to be dried all over again. The kitchen aides inspected them when they were brought up to the kitchen window. They banged and shook those pans looking for hidden water. Just one droplet of water sent you back to do it all over again. I think the aides got a charge out of sending us back. After all, they had the power. LOL. In the meantime, while all the washing and drying was going on, we would sing. We learned most our songs in the dining hall and before you knew it, the dishes were done. That wasn't so bad. I liked to wash or rinse in the morning, especially the colder ones. I warmed up that way. When I was in the older units we would race with each other's' tables to see who would finish first. Why?? Well I don't remember, but it was fun.

GIRL SCOUT STORIES.

PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME: OR HOW TO GET CHILDREN TO EAT THEIR VEGGIES.

I use to love marching into the Mess Hall – what fun! Groups of young people all set to fill their tummies, singing silly songs, "we are table number one, where is table number two?".

And much credit needs to be given to the kitchen staff, always had tables cleaned, meals prepared, tables set with cut up celery and carrot sticks, and bowls of peanut butter and jelly.

I felt bad when food was wasted. Often, no one ate the celery or carrots, until one smart counselor decided to dip these veggies into the peanut butter and jelly.

Oh, my gosh! The campers fought over them after this, and even asked for more veggies from the other tables. We never wasted another celery or carrot stick after that.

And to this day, I try to find ways to make healthy food appetizing to the children who really need their nourishment.

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### Chapter 12 -Special Events

Fairy Breakfasts. Counselors would hang individual cereal boxes and breakfast items from the trees as a surprise for the girls in the morning.

All Camp Auction. This was an all camp activity day, with games and challenges. They gathered in Gypsy's Field and each unit would perform.

Chinese Dinners. In the 40's, it was the cook's day off on Wednesdays. A big truck would deliver food and groceries and their special delivery was chicken chow mein with crispy noodles. Not take-out like we know: it was canned and the girls loved it.

Counselor Serenades. During the last days of each encampment, the counselors would get together and serenade the units. They would wait until we were in bed and down for the night. Slowly they would make their way around the camp. It was so quiet that you could hear them in the other units. Lovely sounds.

Indian Ceremonies. An Indian Council Fire was thought of as a religious ceremony in which every individual present participated. It was never regarded as a mere spectacle. The Indians recognized all living things - man, animals, plants – indeed all the aspects of living-birth, growth, sickness and death, as the manifestations of the supreme life-giving power. This mysterious force was called by as many different names as there were tribal languages, but his symbol was quite generally the sun or the thunderbird. The name "Wakondah", Father, Great Spirit, was used throughout this ceremony.

Indian Dances and songs sung were never haphazard or meaningless. They were generally used to invoke this creative power. Although they were religious, they were not lacking in the elements of humor.

Our ceremony does not attempt to represent accurately the customs of any one tribe, but rather to convey the Indian's conception of beauty and purpose in the universe.

Indian ways are appropriate for camp adaptation for three reasons. First, the Indian was the great prophet of the outdoors. He knew the ways of nature and the secrets of woodcraft. Secondly, he taught the sacred duty of reverencing, beautifying and perfecting the body. Thirdly, he sought for the beautiful in everything. He teaches us that if we have the spirit of beauty within, we may beautify everything in every office and walk of our lives. Every weapon, tool, utensil, garment, and house: yes, every gesture he has taught us how to make beautiful. His songs, stories, dances, ceremonies, his system of etiquette and courtesy, were expression in his daily life that proved his mind. These things were expressions of his broad creed that the Great Spirit is in everything, everywhere, all the time.

We have had Indian ceremonies throughout the many years at camp, from the 40's right up until the camp was closed in 1972. The ceremonies have a very close connection with Girl Scouts and our camp. Their teachings and ways are similar to the Girl Scout promise and laws, and the practices we learned in camp. How to treat the forests, to live with nature, and to preserve its beauty. Not only that, but our lake and camps around us all had Indian names.

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### Chapter 13 - Camp Jobs

One part of camp life was to share in the jobs that kept the camp clean and functioning smoothly. In the 40's these were called "hard jobs" and "easy jobs". Later they were referred to as "Camp Kapers".

Each unit took turns cleaning the La, policing the common areas, and performing the flag ceremony. Cleaning the La in the 40's was considered a "hard job". No fooling. For the most part, I don't think many of the girls had ever washed a toilet before then. We scrubbed it with a stiff brush that was dipped into a diluted solution of water and CN. Heaven knows what was in CN, but it was powerful stuff!

By the way, we didn't have flush toilets. Instead we had a rustic wooden building that was perched on top of an above-ground septic tank. Each side was basically a painted board with four large holes. Each hole had a wall placed between it, and there were no individual doors for privacy. The opposite side had the same setup. Only the staff had private stalls.

The front of the La was where you would wash up. Two long troughs with rabbit eared faucets that you had to squeeze with one hand while washing with the other. And there was only cold water. At the end of the primitive setup were two large wash tubs. Here you could wash out a few things, rinse them, and run them through a wringer to remove the excess water.

For the first-time campers, all this was a shock. After a few days though, you got used to it. It could have been worse. It could have been a hole that you dug in the ground, way back in the woods somewhere, like the Pioneer unit did. No Thanks!! I'll take our La any day, smell and all. Once every session, Cecil the cesspool man came to clean out the tank. That meant the La would be less aromatic for a while. I wonder how many flashlights and other items he recovered during those times? If you weren't careful where you put your flashlight, it might just wind up in the tank. Yuck. You can keep it Cecil!

Kitchen Kapers weren't bad at all. It was the unit's job to set all the tables in the DH and then after the meal was done, to sweep the whole place clean with "fairy dust". I don't know what was in that either, but I have seen it since then. I can't remember where though. One time we cleaned the hall by having a splash party. Much more fun than sweeping. The worse part about the job was setting up for breakfast. You needed to be there 30 minutes before the meal started. After lunch, you had to wait for everyone to finish and it always cut into our rest hour.

Performing the flag ceremony was a special duty, raising the flag in the morning then lowering it in the evening. Dressed in our greenies, with the red sash either around our waists or across our chests, we looked good and felt proud to be included in this ritual. We would choose a patriotic song to sing like "God Bless America", or "America the Beautiful" after the color guard retreated. It felt special to be chosen as one of the color guard.

Lennie writes: Remember Camp Capers and Kitchen Capers? Those were the euphemisms adopted in the early '40's for what we all called Hard Jobs and Easy Jobs. The Hard Job I most remember was scrubbing the wooden latrine seats with a hard brush dipped in a mixture of CN and water. This job was memorialized in the only stanza I remember hearing the Prenti Unit sing in 1943 (to the tune of "I Have Spurs that Jingle, Jangle, Jingle"):

We have work, and little kids to do it

As we scrub all the La seats in the camp,

And we sing, 'Oh, ain't we glad we're Prenties,'

And that song ain't so very far from wrong!

Oh, CN dear, oh, CN dear,

We dilute you and salute you as we never did before...

Remember? Who could forget?

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### Chapter 14 - Worship

Located down the road on Kanawaukee 3, is a beautiful stone covered building which is the chapel. As a camper, you were "encouraged" to attend the worship service of your choice. Unit leaders had a list of names of their charges which included date of birth and religious preference. No getting out of it, especially when you were a new, younger camper. Once you were older they didn't push it so much. The chapel was a mile there and back, walking on Rte 106. On Sundays, you could see a long line of girls in white shirts, green shorts and knee highs heading that way. Girls attending the Roman Catholic mass went before breakfast on Sunday, that is why we always had a "lazy man's breakfast". This was a cold breakfast that we ate in the unit. We "packed out" the meal from the dining hall that morning. Each unit would send two or three girls with a pack basket to be filled with milk, cereal, doughnuts and fruit. We would sit around the unit in our pajamas, eating cereal from those little individual boxes. When the girls came back from Mass, they joined in. The Protestant girls had the same hike to chapel and went in the evening on Sunday. The Jewish girls had their service in camp. There wasn't a local Jewish community in those days, so no Rabbi close by. For the most part, Shabbat was held on Friday nights on the units (in the 40's). In the later years, they went to shul at the chapel just before sundown. Often, they had more than the Jewish girls in attendance.

Marjorie Stamler Bergmann wrote: For the Jewish girls in our unit, we gathered around "Frenchie" which is what we called her, in a clearing on some large flat rocks in the center of Sky Blue. Frenchie read from a prayer book that she had brought with her from France when she escaped the Nazis. She translated from the French prayers that had been written with Hebrew lettering. It was awesome to be with her for the Sabbath service, partly because of her dedication and partly because of what she had to go through. When she left France, she left everything but life behind her.

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### Chapter 15 - Scout's Own

A Scout's Own service is usually short, lasting no longer than fifteen minutes. It is made up of a mixture of readings, poems, reflections and music. Many Scout's Owns are based on a particular theme, such as friendship. This is a quiet ceremony; however, it is not a religious ceremony. The theme usually holds some special significance or particular impact in the girls' lives.

The frequency of the Scout's Own varies by whom you talk to. I thought we had only one per session, others say once a week. Whatever the case, it was a spiritual experience. Being in the woods with nature all around us made us more aware of the beauty before us. No distractions, no flashlights piercing the dark, and no talking, during or after, on the way back to your unit. That's the only time we weren't talking or singing. Peace.

Judy Rhodes said: I remember Scout's Own as being every Sunday evening in the same place. In '57? when I was a counselor, our unit used "Be careful Little Eyes..." Each tent took a verse and explained why they were grateful for their eyes, hands, etc. Then from when I was a camper..used to love walking around the campfire, singing and dipping strings into hot wax to make candles as we went.

From Joyce: I don't think it was for every session but just about. It was a meeting of the camp where one group would choose poetry, prose or even things that they wrote themselves to represent a theme. It was mixed with songs. It was very spiritual without being religious. Sometimes it was done by a fire but sometimes we just sat down near the lake at sunset.

Patti said: Scout's Owns – one 4th session put on by Sherwood Forest in 1965 or 1966, on friendship and one 4th session in 1968 or 1969 when I was in Trail's End on nature. I remember our last minute struggles to recall all the words to "Tall Timbers" and "Ash Grove". Always with a campfire, reading and songs, all very serious.

Susan Stock: We had Scout's Owns maybe one per session, and anyone could join to be in it. We met to plan/write them during rest hour. If you wanted to skip rest hour once or twice to plan, you could meet with the group and be part of it. We did one about Native Americans, I think.

Molly: While I was at Quid we had a Scout's Own every Sunday afternoon. Eight weeks, eight units, every unit got to do one. They were a mix of songs, poetry and prose on a theme chosen by the unit. NO fires, but I think we could choose from various locations around camp. All of the camp came, campers wore greenies. Staff wore whites. We found our materials in the camp library. Poetry books and Ideals magazines.

Carol White said: Sounds like what my Mom remembers from her time at camp in the early 1940's.

Molly added: They were as I described through '61.

Joan Trautman said: Remember, with pleasure, doing this in the late 50's.

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### Chapter 16 - Program Aides

The program aides of the 60's had Hilltop as their home. The first group of PA's started in 1961. Those girls were too old for the units, but too young for staff positions. They wanted to be at camp and the camp wanted to groom them as future counselors, so they came up with the PA unit. A Win-Win proposition. During the day, the PA's would be assigned to different units and positions, like office aides, pot girls, and hiking counselors. Sometimes they spent a few days with a unit to get the feel of what a counselor's job was like. They didn't get paid as a PA nor did it cost them a camp fee. Quid pro quo, I guess.

Most girls in the PA unit continued to work at camp for many years after. And when our camp closed, they went to other Girl Scout camps, and have remained friends ever since.

Linda Sylvester. When we were P.A.s and all in the same senior troop, which we belonged to solely so that we could go to camp, one of the television stations was looking for a group of scouts to sing "The Growing Up Tree," to use as a commercial for Girl Scouting for The Greater N.Y.C. Girl Scout Council. That was the debut of that song that you guys sung at camp years later. We sent the station a demo tape, and we were selected to make the commercial. Despite our embarrassment, we had to wear our uniforms and take the subway into the city to shoot the commercial. We sat in a circle on the floor of the subway, and practiced singing with our ukes, all the way there. I had invited Maureen McConnell to spend the night at my house, the night before the big event... only I didn't tell her I had come down with the measles. She was pretty upset that I had omitted that fact. I'm not sure she talked to me for a while after that.

One night after taps, when we were counselors I believe, we decided to sneak across the highway onto the waterfront for a "skinny-dip." When we were walking back from the lake, we saw some flashlights pointed in our direction. We quickly hid behind some bushes, after noticing several police cars scanning the area. We waited for what seemed an interminable amount of time for them to leave.... because we were still entirely nude!

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### Chapter 17 - Roughing It

In the 40's and 50's, life in Caravan was different than in the rest of camp. Located where the new dining hall was later built, they were an independent unit. The unit consisted of four camper tents, a staff tent, a cook tent, and a dining tent. They were responsible for making their own meals and the campfire to cook them on. It wasn't easy. They even made their own coffee by filling an enamel coffee pot with grounds and hot water, then swinging it around and around until it was ready. Every meal was made in the unit every day, except for the first meal of the summer. That was taken in the dining hall. This meant going to the kitchen every day and packing the food for the unit, then prepping the pots by soaping the bottoms and sides so they could be cleaned easily. They also heated the dish water for washing and rinsing all the kitchen utensils. They collected piles of wood, built many fires, cooked, cleaned up, and still did all the activities just like the other units. Lots of hiking and overnights. They swam and boated too. The complete camp experience, and they loved it.

When the new dining hall was built in 1963 at its new location, Caravan was moved to the Gypsy's Skies field. It lost its old identity, and became one of the regular units at camp. In the years following this, Caravan became a specialty unit, called "Sport and Games", and one year it shared the title of waterfront unit with Trail's End.

A new unit was developed behind Trail's End, off the fire road access, and it was named Pioneers. Perfect name! This unit was similar to the Caravan of old in that they cooked their own meals, but that was all. The Pioneers unit lived in the woods in tents that they pitched themselves, ate on tables that they lashed themselves (I think they lashed anything that stood still), and they dug their own latrines. They were really roughing it!! We hardly ever saw them, except at the all camp fire rings for opening and closing sessions. Occasionally, if your unit was nearby, you could catch a glimpse of them with pack baskets on their backs, heading for the woods. Have to love camping out in that unit. Not me!! I'll leave it to the likes of Arrow, Glob, and Kelly.

From Lee: Caravan campers continued planning and preparing all their own meals and were still doing so when I graduated both college and Quidnunc in 1958, I can't remember if we got in on the chicken chow mein that arrived in a huge truck every other Wednesday when the cooks took their day off. That was my first introduction to "Chinese" food (which chow mein is not), and I absolutely loved it. I've never been able to find chow mein that tastes quite like that. Complete with crunchy noodles.

I remember all the details! Yes, all food was cooked in pots set on the grill over the fireplace. We even baked awesome pies and at least one HUGE roast lamb in the oven. At age 17, I was in charge of coordinating menus (I don't remember how much input campers had - someone said that in later years at least, meals were planned by each tent/patrol, which it was how it should have been). I had to figure out quantities and then negotiate with Rosa, the dietician. I had no idea of what meat cost, but because they took pity on us, having to cook our own food, we got whatever we asked for: steaks, roasts, turkeys, chicken. It was really easy planning meals for 20, as that matched the servings in those big #10 tin cans (that got repurposed as waste cans, or upended to make cook stoves). Mistakes in seasonings or ingredients get evened out when cooking large quantities. Of course, we also cooked things over an open fire, like eggs in orange skins, meals in foil packets, those wonderful Bisquick breadsticks filled with butter and jam (I'm actually preparing a stick now to recreate these the next time I burn brush on our woodlot!), and BBQ chickens basted with sauce slathered on with Kotex pads, whole turkeys cooked in mud-covered oil drums. Bridgie confiscated the latter when the temp didn't get high enough, and our feast turned into those left-over WWII rations of beef and gravy!

As a camper, I also liked to clean the cooking pots. I enjoyed making swirly designs with the Brillo soap pads, and somehow thought that I would earn extra "credits" in the eyes of the others for taking on such a nasty job. Thus, my camp name: Ajax.

And then there was the time I asked a camper to soap a pot, which she did, on the INSIDE! or the one who, when asked to put the water on the fire, threw the potful on, putting out the fire; and the one, who, when asked to put bread on the table, actually dealt a piece out to each place. And the Sani-Pine bottle put in the pack basket for an overnight instead of the maple syrup!

GIRL SCOUT STORIES. ODDS & ENDS

QUIDNUNC 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

ODDS & ENDS

Mice in the Soap

I remember the bars of soaps we used and how horrified I was to find teeth marks made by mice! I had never even seen a live mouse, and the thoughts of them getting into my soap, and who knows where else, scared the Dickens outta me.

I did learn to use a soap holder, plastic container, to protect it from the mice.

The Loo

Using the Latrine, or the Loo, as we called it, was an experience. I recall my mother talking about using outhouses as a kid in rural Connecticut, in the 1920s. My father's family also used an outhouse growing up in Queens. That seems almost impossible, but that's how it was in the early 1900s, even in New York City.

Campers tried to avoid using the latrine in the middle of the night, because that involved using a flashlight and finding your way in the dark. Since we used latrines, there was no flushing necessary. Anytime someone left to go home, we would always say "Don't forget to flush". We thought we were really cool.

I also remember the Sanitation Truck that used to come about once a week and clean out the Latrine. He was the only male worker I can remember in camp. I remember thinking, what an awful job, but we were so glad he was there.

GIRL SCOUT TORIES. NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED

CAMP QUIDNUNC. 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

We had some great campers. Ages 9-11 is a great time for kids. No longer babies, and hormones haven't kicked in yet; they are still sweet.

We had a great team! Sky Blue! The counselors had decided to organize the campers and make a surprise for me. They knew where some wild Blueberries were growing, and they were going to hike over to the area, pick some berries, and bake some blueberry muffins for me. How Nice! What could be bad? Plenty.

A group of campers came running, crying into camp, all upset, with bees still hanging off their arms and legs. Seems the local bees knew about the berries too, and attacked several of the little girls.

I felt awful. We rushed them to the Nurse, lovely young woman from Minot, N. Dakota. She immediately cared for them, and I thought she was going to start crying too.

We had a long talk about being careful around bees, and anything that might attract them. I also thanked the campers for their thoughtfulness, and did something special for them the next day. I'm just glad no one was allergic to bee stings.

But I never forgot those poor kids who got stung. I can see their painful faces even now. It hurts me to think what they went through, and all trying to do something nice for me. Sigh.

GIRL SCOUT STORIES. WHO IS AT MY DOOR AT 2AM?

CAMP QUIDNUNC. SUMMER 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

Who is at my door at 2am? Well, it ain't Santa Claus.

I was a city kid, grew up in Long Island City, Queens. Only saw wild animals in the zoo.

But I had no trouble sleeping in a tent at Quidnunc. So quiet, so peaceful. An occasional owl, rarely more noise than that.

Then in the middle of the night, about 2am, I heard my tent mate, TJ, screaming "scat, scat, get out of here" – she was shoving something out of our tent with the broom, yelling at it. I had woken out of a sound sleep, but I could see she had the broom in her hand, and was fighting with something at the tent entrance. I had no idea what it was. All I know is that I was awoken out of a sound sleep, and my normally calm, very experienced outdoorsy tent mate was trying to push something/someone out of our tent. Something was trying to get in. This scared the poop outta me.

So I did what any other normal city kid would do. I started screaming at the top of my lungs, scrunched up into the opposite corner of my bed, in the fetal position, with my knees up to my nose, my blankets and pillow protecting me. I yelled "what is it? Get it out of here".

TJ said it was a raccoon, and we had stupidly left some spilled powdered drink – lots of sugar – all over out tent entrance. I could not get back to sleep. I was petrified. It's not easy to fall asleep with your knees up to your nose and scrunched in a huddled position. I couldn't move, I was frozen in this position.

Finally, TJ and I had a long talk, she calmed me down and I did get back to sleep. But I never forgot that night. And we never again left any food item openly exposed in the tent. Another lesson learned....

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### Chapter 18 - The Lake

The waterfront on Little Long Pond or Kanawauke 1 was across the road from Quidnunc. When the Girl Scouts took over the camp in 1929, council insisted on having a safer way to cross the road. I know you are thinking, "how many cars used that route in 1929?" That did cross my mind too! Nonetheless, they insisted, the park service agreed, and the bridge was built. Come to think of it, we probably were the only camp that didn't have their waterfront as part of the main property. I think we had the only bridge in the park system. Everyone loved that bridge, driving through the park you knew when you saw the bridge that you were home again.

On the other side of the road, through the blueberry bushes and around the glacial boulders, was the swimming area. A dock ran from the land side to the island and canoe shed. On this side of the waterfront you had the red crib, rowboats, and canoes that lay on their sides in the shed.

The red crib was for the beginner swimmers, where they tested the new and younger girls' swimming abilities. Picture a big wooden crib submerged about three feet in the water. That was the red crib. On the other side of the island, you found the green crib. It was the same thing, only a little deeper. It was also on the right side of the dock. They did build a new one sometime in the late 60's, so for a while we had two. At the end of the dock was the blue water. No crib, just a lake with a diving board and a floating raft about fifty feet away. That area was for the good swimmers.

At the lake, we were able to learn everything from beginner swimmer, to senior lifesaving, to water safety aide (WSA). The lake was where we bathed and shampooed our hair, while the fish nibbled at our legs. Floating bars of Ivory soap and tubes of green Prell could be seen in the water. Unfortunately, we had no idea then how those products impacted the environment as we do today.

Before you could put one toe onto the dock, you had to turn your "buddy tag" over. The buddy tag was a metal tag with a hole and a number on it. It was red on one side, silver on the other, and it hung on a nail on the buddy board. This was a safety measure to know who was still on the waterfront, whether in the water or a boat, and who was on land. Even if you weren't swimming that day, you still had to turn it to the red side if you went past the board. The board was checked every time the unit was ready to leave the area. Heaven help you if you didn't turn your tag back to the silver side once off the dock.

We had several rowboats for the younger girls and the non-swimmers, and they wore life jackets when out in the boats. Canoeing was for the rest of the girls. Life jackets were worn by the girls and counselors who couldn't pass the "tippy test". Ah, the tippy test. How many laughs we had on that day. The test consisted of paddling a canoe out about twenty feet from the dock, swamping it, then climbing back in and hand paddling it back to shore. Passing the test gave you the privilege of leaving your life jacket in the bottom of the canoe. You didn't have to wear one, but it was there just in case. Oh boy, hard to imagine that happening now. A unit of fifteen girls out on the lake, watched over by one or two waterfront personnel who were only twenty or so years old. Yeah, like that would happen! To us, it was freedom and feeling so grown up. We were taught the right way to boat, how to get in and out of a vessel, how to paddle different strokes, and to kneel and not sit in the canoe when paddling.

We followed these rules religiously, except on the last day of a session. Then we would each take a canoe and paddle close to the camp across the lake. On the way back, we would sit on the stern with our feet hanging over the sides and bring the canoe in, most of the time swamping it close to home. They couldn't dock us for our mischievous deeds because most of us were going home the next day. The waterfront director would keep blowing her whistle at us and we would just laugh and wave at her. Fun times. Our waterfront was outstanding. It was very different from all the others on the lakes, a sight immediately recognized and photographed often.

In 1965, our unit Neppie's Nook was given the honor of naming the four brand new, aluminum canoes we received that year. After much brainstorming, consultation, and examining the horse racing handicap sheet in the paper, we brilliantly came up with the names Blitzen, Yankee, Laughing Loon, and Chase Me (after some horse that was running). I think we did a good job, don't you?

GIRL SCOUT STORIES.SWIM TEST

QUIDNUNC. 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

I Failed the Swim Test

I told you I was a greenie. I could dog paddle, I could float on my back, but I never swam any distance before.

I was anxious to get out on the lake in a boat. I had never been out on a boat, never been in a canoe, and never been on a lake. I knew I wasn't a "strong" swimmer, but heck, in my immediate family, I was the ONLY swimmer, so I had some status and false sense of competence.

I was told I had to pass a swimming test to be allowed the privilege of using a boat at camp. I waited in line for my turn to show off my stuff, confident that I could swim from shore to floating dock and back. Wait – 4 trips? One trip on your back? Uh-oh.

Well, I swam to the dock, did fine. Using my best dog paddling technique, my confidence was up. I knew I could complete this. Piece of cake. When I had to turn on my back, I could push off the dock, so this gave me some momentum. However, somewhere in the middle of the stretch, I stopped. I mean, I stopped dead in the water. I knew how to tread water, but I was in over my head, had no way to push off and couldn't make any headway.

The waterfront staff were all looking at me like "what is she, stupid?" Do something already.

I couldn't. One kind staff member, tall, thin, athletic type from Minnesota, asked me "are you OK?" "Well, I'm fine, I just can't move. "

"Do you want me to come and get you?" "Yes". I sheepishly answered. She jumped into the water, focused on this poor "know-nothing", bobbling in the water, and grabbed onto me, and we both made it back to shore.

Smitty came over to me, she had seen it all. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, but I guess I don't get to play on the lake?" "Nope".

This was one of the first tests I had ever failed. But don't feel sorry for me. Years later, I joined a canoe club, about 12 of us. We canoed nearly every major waterway in upstate NY and rural NJ, had a blast. I always wore a life jacket. We currently live on a 22-mile-long lake, 16 feet of water off our boat dock. Central Texas weather allows us to use our boat all year long. And we get out as often as possible. And yes, I swim. Just don't ask me to swim any distance on my back. I still don't like being in water over my head, but I do it anyway, I just never swim alone. I make sure my companions know where I am, and swim better than I do. Fortunately, it is not difficult to find better swimmers.

In retrospect, I probably should have taken swimming lessons while at camp, but never did. And I'm glad that the rules were strict about being able to pass a swimming test. Would hate to think what might have happened if I had been allowed to get on the lake with one of those canoes.

Lesson learned:

If your confidence level is higher than your actual ability, always have a backup plan. Surround yourself with experts in the field who can save your ass if necessary.

Molly French. I'll weigh in with my story about swimming. I was so excited to do it with my friends who invited me to camp. We were all pretty good swimmers and they expected to be blue caps, the deep-water swimmers. I couldn't wait to see if I was as good as them. However, . . . on the way to the waterfront we had to stop at the infirmary cabin and sit on the porch. Along came Chet, checking feet. My feet flunked Chet's test. No swimming test for me. Every day I went to the infirmary and Chet put stuff on my toes. Finally, days later, my feet passed Chet's test. The next day I could swim! But what happened??! For only the second time in my short life my period came. And in 1955 that meant NO SWIMMING! There were just a few days left of my two week stay by the time that was over, but they were great days. I got my blue cap and Ginny Colbert made me feel special as she fast tracked me thru the testing for the Red Cross Swimmer card and awarded it to me at the closing campfire. I didn't feel special very often in those days, but that time I sure did. Thanks, Ginny Colbert, where ever you are.

Flip Allen was director. I remember you in 56. That year I did Jr Lifesaving, again with Ginny Colbert. We did the thing with jumping in with clothes on and getting them off. The water stuff was easy compared to a written test we had to take. I was scared of it, and remember praying about it in the chapel on Sunday nights. Passed it. PHEW

Linda Peck Ardrey. I learned to swim at Quid (at age 13!) (thanks, Ginny Moore aka Ginny 2). To pass my beginners test I had to jump into deep water (and not drown). I was so terrified of it, dreading it for at least a week in advance, maybe even prayed like Molly. But I did it - for the first and last time in my life! Connie Wright, this was 56 so I guess you were waterfront director though I have no precise memory of that. Do you remember Ginny 1 and Ginny 2?

Ellen Forman Muraskin. I remember standing out on the diving board off the far side of the island for a very long time before finally mustering the courage to jump. I still never made it past advanced beginner, though, I don't think...

Elyse Springer Ellinger. My only swimming related story is that I lived through the Jr lifeguard test. We had to run down the hill from Caravan, jump into the lake with our jeans, sweatshirts and I think our sneakers too, swim a couple of laps and then take off the sweatshirt and the pants and try to use each as an inflatable device while in the deep. News flash!! - cotton doesn't hold water very well. After that I think we swam a lot more laps. The piece de resistance was trying to sneak up underwater to rescue Boni. I swear that gal has 6 or 7 of each arms and legs. Holy cow, I'll never forget that!

Carol Susan White. I took the initial swim test and even though I had already earned a Red Cross Swimmer's card at home, because I didn't know the side stroke I had to go back to the crib and learn it. I had learned the Butterfly Stroke and that wasn't accepted. Eventually I did get my card and Ellen Muth signed it. I was so ticked off about not qualifying for Blue water right away!!!

KB almost drowned me when I was taking part of the Jr Lifesaving rescue test. But I managed to finish the test and get her back to shore. Never passed the Lifesaving Card, as I couldn't go under to the bottom of the swim area to bring up a cinder block. My ears had many problems and I still can't go underwater more than a foot or two.

Debra Bodenhamer Mugavero. Does anyone else remember being nipped at by the fish in the crib?

Linda Peck Ardrey. Definitely (abt the fish). To this day I hate that.

Elyse Springer Ellinger. Yes. One of those sunfish went for a mole on my back. Ouch!

Madeline M Williams. Oh, forgot to mention that..........being at GS camp, with all girls, who shaved their legs??.........I would get bitten every time I went in the water. those fish would tug at my hair, thinking they were tiny worms...yuck..........I remember a swimming instructor from Sweden, she said she had never seen fish do that anywhere else. :o)

Cindy Gavrity. The fish went after the scabs too...from mosquito bites.

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### Chapter 19 - Opening Campfire

Now that you are settled in your tent, have made a friend or two, and met your counselors, it's time to make up a song or skit about it all. Huh? Who do they think we are, Axel Stordahl, Brian Wilson or John Lennon? But somehow we managed. This was done at the beginning of each session and those counselors had to be on their toes! Cute little parodies were made up in a hurry. In 1965, our unit made up a song to the tune of "Downtown" by Petula Clark. We substituted Neppies for downtown. Pretty smart, eh??

Thanks to Carol White we still have the words:

Neppies (to the tune of "Downtown" by Petula Clark)

Whose second home is the Infirmary

way up on the hill up there?

Nep-pies!

Who goes canoeing and

swimming and boating in the open air?

Nep-pies!

Just listen to the counselors

as they speak with different accents

Crick and Ruf and Water

is Peri's conversation

And then there is Ellen

who will always be cold no matter what y'all do.

And lastly there is our counselor Mo

who's been here for nine years or so.

This is Nep-pies...

Neppies Nook as it stands now.

Lanie Hildenbrand Sussman said: I remember a Neppies song sung to the tune of "Tossing and Turning". It began with "I couldn't sleep at all last night. George was dancing round the floor. The mosquitoes round my head had lots of juicy flesh to gnaw. The counselors here are really square. One has short, red, wavy hair..." (Wish I could remember the rest)

Molly replies: Do you remember what year this was? I may have been one of your "square" counselors in 1961! I have always remembered the line about George, but I thought it was from when I was a camper, but that song didn't exist in 1956, and the red headed counselor sounds like Swede. Ring any bells?

Barbara Klazkin Mehlman: The counselor with short, red wavy hair when I was there (1955-1958) might have been Snappy.

Linda Peck Ardrey has her song from 1957.

Caravan Song: Tune "Little Shepherd Boy"

We're from Caravan on a hill in Camp Quidnunc

We cook all our meals, and we have to eat them too.

Tra la la la la la la la,

We sleep with indigestion, Tra la la la la la la la la

We have four counselors named Jerry, Cyn, Tink and Lou and without them

We'd be in quite a stew. Tra la etc.

They work us from dawn to day's end. Tra la etc.

And then they work us more. We are 20 girls, all crowded into 4 tents. We would like to go on several overnights. Tra La etc.

We'll all be happy and gay, Tra la etc.

We hope we'll enjoy our stay.

How about that blast from the past?

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### Chapter 20 - Closing Campfire

The end of camp, whether it was for the summer or just a session, was a very emotional time. The separation anxiety you felt the first time leaving home had disappeared and had been replaced with dismal feelings the last night at camp. In the 60's we did one of two things, either we had a campfire or we gathered at the lake. When we were at the lake for the closing, it was very dramatic. There was a large wooden Q made by a unit and attached to a log raft. Wrapped around the Q were sanitary napkins, Kotex in those days, soaked in kerosene. During the closing ceremony, the Q was set adrift in the lake and a flaming arrow, that was also covered with Kotex, was shot at it setting it ablaze. What a sight! Very impressive, something you don't forget. Other years we did wishing boats, more fire. They were small rafts made from popsicle sticks with a candle on top. Wishing boats are also done at the reunions, such a peaceful sight, glowing lights drifting off in the water. We were lucky last year; we were there for the super moon. To see that huge moon peeking over the mountains and reflecting on the lake and our boats, was fantastic. No matter how exciting or eye-catching the closing was, it was met with tears, hugs and promises of friendship forever. Here it is fifty years later and our friendships are still intact.

Sometimes swimming achievements were given out at the last campfire and other times in the dining hall at one of the last meals.

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### Chapter 21 - Splash Party

As was mentioned before, one of the Camp Kapers was to clean the La, but the La was used as more than an outhouse. It was also used for an hour of fun and frolic on those extra hot days of summer. After all, it was the perfect place to have a splash party. The rustic wooden frame that was up off the ground kept the water from making mud. The aluminum sinks with eight spigots supplied all the water we needed. So off we went to change into our bathing suits and to collect any pan or cup that would hold water. Once at the La, it was every girl for herself. Water flew every which way, and squeals filled the air as we were splashed with cold spring water. That cooled us off for a while. We even had a splash party in the dining hall. I guess the floor needed a good cleaning.

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### Chapter 22 - Catch Me If You Can

A popular pastime in any camp was pulling a practical joke or prank on your friends. In some cases, it was not a friend, but someone who you felt the need to get even with, a little payback you might say. Harmless of course! Most times it was just silly little jokes. The favorite of campers and the easiest to pull off was short sheeting the victim's bed. This required very little talent. Just untuck the top sheet and the bottom sheet and fold it back halfway. Make sure to tuck in the sides and make the bed as they left it. The fun started when the unsuspecting girl tried to get under the covers and she could only get halfway in. Naturally, she had to get out and remake her bed and she was not laughing about it, but we were. If that doesn't make you giggle, there's always shaving cream in a shoe, rocks in a laundry bag, and chocolate pudding spread on the La "seat". These pranks were more personal, sort of a "gotcha" moment. When the La was "TP'd", (toilet papered), that was like saying:" Ha, look what we did." It also included raiding the walk-in refrigerator in the kitchen. Taking food from there was mostly due to hunger or a sweet tooth craving. Gotta have that cookie and ice cream.

One of the counselors, who will remain nameless, (FHJ), committed a few pranks in her day. One of her favorites involved catching a baby raccoon and putting it on another counselor's bed. That must have been a sight! Not too smart, but she always made people laugh with her crazy sense of humor. Sometimes jokes were a group effort, such as the time staff members pirated hubcaps from Ruth Healy's car and hid them in the freezer. When it was apparent that Ruth wasn't going to find them, one was wrapped in foil and hot dogs were served on it. Ruth wasn't a very popular director. She had to step into some pretty big shoes that year, replacing Ellie, and she didn't have Ellie's demeanor or sense of humor. Ruth moved on and later became an Episcopalian priest. Now that I think about it, I remember a time when I was directly involved in a "gotcha" caper. I wasn't alone. Several others, they know who they are, planned to wreak vengeance on a staff member who worked in the DD. The scuttlebutt was that she was stealing odd doodads from the staff. She was discovered with the items but was kept on in her job working the canteen. We didn't agree with the decision, so we planned to get even. Our little group of radicals went down to Journeyman's La and prepared to carry out our scheme. We vaselined one La seat and Saran wrapped the others. The Coup de grâce was a bucket of cold water carefully balanced above the shower door. Once the door was opened, the recipient was drenched with an icy shower. We took our positions high up on Hilltop to await the results, and we weren't disappointed. A loud scream was heard all the way to our unit and a half naked girl went running out of the shower. Revenge was ours!

There's also a story involving melted chocolate, a tent floor and ants in her tent, but that wasn't me!

Kathy Laucius: Kathy Laucius (Rex), Allison Silverstein, Rhonda Grover, Mary Sciales (Toby) and Melinda Boiko started and waged the "Shorty War". We befriended two of the kitchen crew, a young guy and Kathy Meyers who left the door open for us. We snuck into the kitchen in the middle of the night and took about thirty full cases of shortbread cookies. We crushed them and tossed them and basically were in a butter-cookie frenzy! We put ice cream on the Latrine seats and just caused havoc. I think it was a hot August night and we were restless. We were the girls who lived in a tent that we painstakingly hand-decorated over a period of three months using about one hundred and fifty colored markers and I heard our work-of – art tent auctioned off in the 90's for a very good penny! Those were the days!!

Seems like yesterday. The unit was restless. Someone from another unit had dishonored one of our own. Can't remember who or when or why. I only remember the retribution. A Shorty war had been declared. It began in the middle of the night. The kitchen was raided. Cookies and ice cream were everywhere and I was in my tent. I didn't want to be caught and shipped back to the city. My parents would have killed me, resurrected and killed me again. This post is for the brave girls who fought in and survived the Shorty Wars.

I remember having a long box of cheese food substance that I took from the kitchen that night but we decided we couldn't eat it so we put it outside the tent on Rex's side and during the night there was a terrible raccoon fight over it. The next morning, we were awakened by the director backing the pickup truck to the tent and she started hauling our stuff into it, because now we had to be separated. We were too much trouble.

Ellen wrote: Okay - my life of crime started at Quid at age thirteen. Summer of 1965, temp in the 90's and in the parlance of the day, I couldn't go swimming, and the water looked so inviting! And it was on the day of my tippy test! So, another camper and myself broke into the counselors' tent and stole a box of tampons and Midol (The heat of the moment in more ways than one.) I did pass the tippy test. Judy and I made it through the rest of the week, although the counselor in question mentioned that using tampons could cause you to lose your virginity. We had a great time speculating.

From Pixie: Babs would round up the gang and we would head off to the dining hall to raid the kitchen. I never remember getting caught. We did need to eat an entire row of cake because no one would notice on those big trays if the whole line was gone. No wonder I am in Weight Watchers Lifetime ranks. Great nights though.

GIRL SCOUT STORIES. CANDLE IN THE WIND

QUIDNUNC. 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

Candle in the Wind

This is another incident that I'm not real proud of. But at the time, it felt great!

Smitty had gathered all the Staff members of each unit to compete in a fire-starting contest. We were given a certain period of time to gather wood, or anything from nature. Matches could be used, but no lighter fluid. Each unit had their own fire ring, and they worked together. Smitty set the rules. The Unit that had the first flame to appear in their fire ring would be declared the winner.

Ok, now here's where it gets "dirty". You know, the older groups and more experienced counselors were certain that they could beat us younger and less experienced staff. But they had not planned on the craftiness and strong team loyalty that Sky Blue 1967 had. One of the counselors pulled me aside, and said she had brought a long candle from home. We could bury this candle mostly in the dirt and just allow the flame to show. Smitty never said "no candles".

Well, yeah, I knew it was wrong, but I had to admire my staff's shrewd thinking, and their willingness to beat out some of the older girls who were not always kind to us. And plus, what's the worst that could happen? We would get caught, and just have a good laugh over it.

So, with my approval, we circled around the pile of wood, hiding the person who buried and lit the candle. Voila! A Flame! We were all so excited! "Smitty, get over here quickly, before something blows this out!"

Smitty glanced at the pile of dry wood, with this one solitary flame coming out of nowhere in the middle of the pile. She smiled, and said "Perry wins! Sky Blue wins the contest! They have the first flame!"

We were all so excited, jumping for joy, doing the happy dance, that we paid no attention to the snarls and nay-sayers from the other units. I can only imagine what they were saying or thinking.......... but no matter, we were the officially declared winners! Phooey on the competition!

Did I feel bad? Yeah, sort of. But I felt more pride than guilt. My staff was doing this for our well-being. It felt GREAT. It was a GREAT DAY for Sky Blue!

I did feel bad about fooling Smitty. But who am I kidding? It dawned on me later that night that she knew EXACTLY what we had done, and she went along with it. I think she really admired our teamwork. Bless her soul!

I have never forgotten Smitty, and her leadership qualities. I think of her often.

Lesson Learned:

Never underestimate your opponent. And when you are competing against a bunch of "hoo-hahs", it doesn't take much ingenuity to win the game! Teamwork and cunning will often win out over individual skill and experience.

GIRL SCOUT STORIES. TATTOOS

QUIDNUNC 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

Thank Goodness Tattoos Weren't Popular in 1967

Quidnunc 1967 had a nurse and a medical doctor on staff. Someone had the bright idea to get their ears pierced while at camp. And I thought I'd join in. Hey, we had a doctor on staff, right?

Yes, it hurt, and yes, I bled, but it was a "rite of passage" for me. No one in my family, except for my European born grandmother had pierced their ears. And even my mother didn't complain when she found out. For Christmas that year, I got a pair of gold earrings.

Doc, as we called the medical doctor, had a weird sense of humor. As a joke, she gave me a bill for this. I wish I had kept it. At the time, I wasn't sure it was a joke. I do have thick ear lobes, and she was asking about $20 for one lobe, and $50 for the other. She explained in the bill, that she had a rough time getting through the thicker lobe, and had to charge more for this procedure. I was scared I didn't have any money to pay her. Hey, I said I was naïve.

I don't remember how many girls had the procedure done, but we all proudly displayed our newly pierced ears and dreamed of our new earrings.

GIRL SCOUT STORIES.YOU ALWAYS HURT THE ONE YOU LOVE

QUIDNUNC. 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

You Always Hurt the One You Love

We had a great team. Sky Blue 1967. We all got along. And as with any young people together, we often pulled pranks on each other. And who better to pull a prank on – the new guy. I didn't have a clue, so I didn't stand a chance!

Someone had short sheeted my bed. Now, I had heard about people doing things like this, but never expected someone to do this to me!

I was tired that night, almost didn't notice. I crawled into bed, and couldn't get my legs under the covers. Hey, I'm only 5'2", this shouldn't be a problem. It wasn't until the next day when I realized I had been pranked. I seriously thought something was wrong with my sheets, or I had done a really poor job of making the bed.

That wasn't the worst prank. I had to do a load of laundry one day, my day off. I had a large bag full of dirty clothes. I knew it was heavy, but man, this bag weighed a ton. To make matters worse, it was raining that day, muddy mess all over, and I had to climb down a hill on my fanny, just to get the bag down the hill without falling.

When I got to the laundry room, and emptied my dirty clothes, there were many large rocks on the bottom. I mean, some were small boulders.

Again, never thought someone did this on purpose. I just assumed these rocks got in the laundry bag by mistake somehow.

Oh brother! Talk about naïve! Needless to say, this did not go over well. Someone finally confessed. I'm still not laughing. I just remembered how I nearly fell in the mud several times, trying to carry that heavy bag down the hill.

After 50 years, I guess it's sorta funny now.

Spooky

Cindy. One evening after our work was done in the dining hall, me and my friend Diane were ready to go back to our unit (Hill Top) and bed. Now being the experienced Girl Scouts that we were, neither one of us had a flashlight with us. We never thought that we would need one, because we worked with five other girls, and we could always use theirs. True, but they had finished their chores before us and then left. Now here we were alone and with no light to walk back to the unit. No problem, we've walked this walk a hundred times and could do it in our sleep, we didn't need no stinkin' flashlight! After all we were staff now too, not kids anymore. So off we went, arm in arm, more like a death grip, walking down the paved road towards the DD. It was dark as dark could be when we spotted a beam of light coming towards us. Hooray! We would get this girl to walk us back to our unit. We yelled out "hello, hello, HELLOOOOOO", but no answer! Oh boy, that was enough for us and we decided to run back by the dining hall and up towards Gypsy's Skies screaming. Some of the girls were in the troop house and we told them of our plight. The counselor took pity on us and walked us back to our unit. If it wasn't for her kindness and understanding, we would have ended up sleeping in the troop house all night. Needless to say, we never forgot our flashlights again. We never knew who, or what, walked up the road either.... Spooky!

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### Chapter 23 - Socials

I don't know how this activity started, but what I figured out is that these socials, or dances, were held once a summer, usually in August and always with Camp Trexler. Trexler was a Lutheran boys' camp located on Lake Stahahe and had the same kind of setup as ours: tents, waterfront, dining hall, etc. The first dance I went to in 1967, and have only a very slight memory of, was held in our dining hall. The boys came over to us. There was music and awkward conversations. The socials were reserved for the oldest unit and staff only. A good thing as you know how boys are at that age. Whew! The other social was in 1969. I was a little older physically, not mentally, and not interested in meeting some new boy, because I had a steady boyfriend at home. Meeting and dancing with some unknown guy was not my thing, but other girls looked forward to it. Let's face it, hormones were jumping everywhere. So, we loaded the camp car and other staff vehicles and off we went. Because of the raging hormones of these teenaged boys, we were told never to go off alone with them, and to say no when they asked if you would like to see the boathouse. OK, we got it, all except a friend of mine. She must have been off in Neverland when we got this lecture. The dance was no different than the one in '67. A line of boys staring at the prettier girls, some dancing, some talking. Uncomfortable feelings on both sides. Boys afraid to ask for a dance and girls hoping the creepy ones wouldn't. When the social was finally over we were taking a headcount to make sure we didn't leave anyone behind, and we came up one short! Yes, you guessed it. My BFF is missing. We literally beat the bushes and tents looking for her. I was starting to worry, where the hell is she? This went on for what seemed like an eternity, when here she comes. She had been to the boathouse! Whether she was not listening, naïve, or a combination of both, she went off with some boy. Now when she regales us with her story, she tells us how our calling for her saved her from possible unwanted advances. She got lucky!

On a happier note, one of alumnae met her husband at a Camp Trexler mixer and they have been together ever since!

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### Chapter 24 - Forgotten Places

As the years pass our memories can become vague, fuzzy, and sometimes blank. It is only when a picture, a map, a song, or a campmate reminds us of forgotten people, places, or things, that our memories begin to come clear. Such is the way with the Nature Nook and the library. Part of the problem is that some of these places morphed throughout the life of the camp. The Nature Nook was at different times known as the Director's cabin, the Cook's cabin and the Wonder Box. It is no wonder we have blurry memories! We also had a Program Aide house in the same general area, but I think it was up the road further and it was built in the 60's for the PA's.

The library was in the Sleepy Hollow area across the bridge over Brownie Brook. I remember going there only once as I wasn't a big reader in those days. It was dark and books lined the shelves. What else would be there?

There are a few more places that deserve mentioning. There was the field down the side of the road leading to camp, where we first searched for our foot lockers and trunks, and played softball, kickball, and archery. Also, the field by Neppies, where we used to have flag ceremonies, Scout's Owns, and slept under the stars for the first time in our bedrolls. In the 50's, Gypsy's field was used for all camp activities. Brownie Brook entertained us with salamanders, frogs, and other small amphibians we would try to catch and keep as pets. Finally, there were troop houses that we used on rainy days. We could build a fire in the fireplace and cook everything from campfire stew to toasted onion sandwiches. We could play games and occasionally, sleep overnight in them. Not every unit had one. As a matter of fact, I only remember three. There was one behind Trail's End and one at Gypsy Skies. Sleepy Hollow had one too, but that was for their use only. Maybe that's why some of our alumnae can't remember them.

Carol Susan White

The books were in the Lodge (on some maps) near the bridge over the brook in Sleepy Hollow. I made many trips there from Caravan. I think the small library was in a room in the lodge and only open right after lunch every day perhaps... I would have rather read a book than write letters.

Lee Ellis

The Nature Nook was an old, creaky and dark place. I was nature counselor in 1958. I collected salamanders, frogs, toads, and snakes. Only much later, did I realize that I didn't take very good care of them, as far as every day feeding, etc. After that, Ruth Berberian. who had majored in Conservation with me at Cornell, took over. She ended up in Florida, raising, breeding and selling exotic birds. Never kept in touch with her. Anyone?

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### Chapter 25 - Canteen

Down the outside stairs and to the left in the DD, was a room with a Dutch door, our canteen. It was there that our money was held in little yellow envelopes that looked like the ones that jewelers use nowadays. On the front of the envelope along with our name, was an account of our deposits and withdrawals at the canteen. It was in the canteen that you could buy the bare necessities like shampoo, soap, postcards, and candy. I remember them selling stuffed animals, a camp bracelet, camp patches, jackets, sweatshirts and stationery. These items changed from decade to decade. Oh yeah, they sold those ugly thin white bathing caps there too, for the girls who forgot theirs or lost one in camp. I don't think we went there every day, but probably a few times a week. Candy was to be eaten there, no food was permitted in the tent; that was a hard and fast rule then, and we got to drink the nice cool water from the pump. Anytime we passed the pump we would take a drink..ah...nothing like it. I don't know which we liked more, the candy or the water. I had to dole out my money carefully: I didn't have much to spend and it had to last, especially when I went to camp for a month. When we were older we could buy soda from the machine on the back porch. That was a real treat! Who else had a sweet tooth then?

Speaking of sweets and necessities, some lucky girls received "care" packages from home. A package could contain anything from socks to sweets. The first year I was at camp one girl received a huge package because it was her birthday. All I can recall of it is that she got lots of presents and food. I was jealous, but now that I am older, and think about it, I am glad my birthday didn't fall while I was at camp. Mail call was always full of excitement and anticipation - will I get a letter today?? Maybe a package like that other girl had? I never got a care package, even though I asked over and over for one. I guess Mom knew better, wouldn't you say?

Cindy. What did you buy when you went to the canteen? I bought Necco wafers. chocolate ones. My second year at camp, one girl had every stuffed animal they sold. I never bought one.

Judy Rhoades. Candy (love chocolate Necco wafers but I think I was into something with real chocolate.)

Joyce Ross Orange crush. It still brings back memories

Ellen Forman Muraskin. Prell. I can still picture the bubbles in the tubes, rising through that deep, deep green...

Judy Rhoades. And smell the Prell.

Jayne Treesyster Rubenstein. I don't remember stuff animals at the canteen. I bought, sweatshirts, patches, quidnunc pin, quidnunc pen, prell shampoo, and quidnunc comb.

Ellen Forman Muraskin. You think the Prell's to blame for all the algae in Kanawake?

Jayne Treesyster Rubenstein. I think one year they had quidnunc stationery.

Cindy Gavrity. I think they had it when I was a camper.

Ellen Forman Muraskin. I bought that -- stationery -- too. Still have the letters...

Judy Rhoades. Oh yeah. the stationary.... forgot about that. And always water at the pump when the canteen was open.

Ellen Forman Muraskin. Stationery.... stationary means not moving.... former copy editor...

Joyce Ross. Omg prell! Of course! The scent of prell still brings back strong memories

Madeline M Williams. I vaguely remember the canteen, and only the candy and soda...goes to show you what I was all about........LOL....I do remember NOT wanting to spend any more, was dreaming about my big paycheck at send of summer! LOL

Carol Susan White. Bought at the canteen: prell, pins, sweatshirt, gum, bug repellant, and stationery.

Shelley Gail Weiss Lightman. gummies and m&ms

Ellen Forman Muraskin. Did gummies even exist back then?

Linda Peck Ardrey. all I remember is candy and soda and I'm sure that's what I bought tho I don't remember what kind.

Jayne Treesyster Rubenstein. I never bought candy, was there a soda machine?

Jan Capriano Bennett. Omg...I remember prell! And orange fanta in the bottle! Anyone remember making taffy and baskets?

Esther Friedman. Good and Plenty

Eleanor Friedman. The only things we could buy at canteen were things like penny postcards and stamps. We had candy canteen once every encampment, and we were restricted to one purchase. There wasn't much choice, but it was a big deal to us.

Debra Bodenhamer Mugavero. Neccos were my favorite as they lasted long. Didn't we also purchase stamps there? Like Joyce, water from the pump. It was the best.

Carole Schmidt Kasa. I bought a charm bracelet that had Camp Quidnunc on it. Don't know what happened to it though.

Cindy Gavrity. I think that is where I got my camp pin from.

Ellen Forman Muraskin. Me too. And the charm bracelet, which I think I know where to find...

Bette Jaker Barr. nope, no gummies back then.... but something like it that got stuck in your teeth! LOL

Molly French. I remember from the 50's necco wafers, the Quid pin and my big ticket item, the sweatshirt for $3.

Jayne Treesyster Rubenstein. Ditty bags, with quid logo

Carol Susan White. Could the "gummy things" have been Dots? Or there were "Chuckles". And what about Taffy? It came in long thin bars.

Elyse Springer Ellinger. I got a stuffed deer and a friendship book along with candy and prell,

Lee Ellis. Neccos lasted longest.! Stationery w sketch of bridge, postcards w view from Bald Rock.

Jayne Treesyster Rubenstein. Yes, postcards....one of bald rock, there was also one of the DD, and of the waterfront. Stationery, when I was there was the Q, with the spider web.

Carol Susan White. Yes! Elyse I got a Friendship book also!!!

Jayne Treesyster Rubenstein. I had a camp friendship book, I think I bought before going to camp, when I bought my camp outfit, white shirt, greenies, and cord tie.

Gilda Kormes Zucker. Soda and chocolate. Also got a dirty bag I kept tent pins in until it fell apart several years ago. My little quid owl "QT". It is wrapped in tissue paper in my drawer.

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### Chapter 26 - The Little House

The Little House was originally built around the time of the Civil War and was owned by the Conklin family. Over the years many homes were located throughout Harriman State Park, but they were razed or flooded over by the state to build camps, lakes, and roads. This was done using the state's right of eminent domain. The Joseph Conklin house remained standing until 1957 according to the PIPC. It was located next to the field on the main road, Rt. 210 at that time and currently Rt.106, and was used by Quidnunc for winter camping and storage. Not many of us remember that house or spent any time there, but for those who do remember I hope this brings back good memories.

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### Chapter 27 - Singing

We sang all the time! We sang while washing dishes, we sang while hiking, we sang at campfires, we sang before eating, we sang after eating. The only place we didn't sing was while we were swimming. One activity that touches all of us in a special way is singing old camp songs. The songs are permanently engraved in our hearts. Just hearing a song from camp sends us back to that time. Music even more so than sight, is the one sense that can trigger such an emotional response. The sense of smell is also a strong trigger, but it isn't so easy to just bottle up the aromas of camp. So many songs, so many years. Each of us has her favorites. We learned new songs and graces every summer. The staff taught them in the dining hall and at campfires. New songs were brought in by counselors that came to camp from other states and other camps. Like many things, words and occasionally even tunes were interpreted differently and thus modified over the years. There were songs in the 40's and 50's that weren't sung in the 60's and vice versa. In 1962 we sang the Titanic song, and when we returned to camp the next year we were forbidden to sing it. We weren't told why, but I assume it's because of the true story behind the song and singing about children and people dying. Times change and the ban on that song was lifted years later. We do try to sing as many songs as we can at the reunions. I think our new goal at the reunions will be to learn a new song or two. It's good for our brains and will keep us on our toes. I hope you agree! I wish I could list all the songs from camp, but that would take too long and I would probably still leave some out.

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### Chapter 28 - Friendship

"Remember the friends you've made here, remember when you're away, remember the times you've had here, and don't forget to come back some day...."

Many close friendships were made at camp; some last a lifetime and some for only a brief time, but for the most part, the friends we made at camp are fondly remembered, even after fifty or more years. We may not be able to see each other very often or in some cases not at all, but that feeling of closeness and camaraderie comes to life just by mentioning their names.

Today we have the magic of the internet and social media sites like Facebook to help keep us connected. Even if it is something as simple as a "hello" or birthday wishes, we are still in each other's lives. I say thank goodness for it because it keeps those memories of camp and friendships alive.

One of my closest and dearest friends from camp is Diane. She was in my Senior Girl Scout troop at home. We were friendly, but not close at that time. She was asked to come to camp in 1969 to replace one of the two kitchen aides who left. One of the girls was fired and the other one left for personal reasons at the end of July that year. So, Diane and I became fast friends and we got into a little mischief that summer. Most of it you already know. As for the rest, I will plead the Fifth! After camp was over we occasionally met up with each other or else kept up with each other through the grapevine. Our senior troop disbanded about a year later and we lost track of one another. Jump ahead six years, and guess who shows up as my brother's friend's girlfriend (are you following that?). It was Diane. She also set my brother up with her BFF whom later became his wife. I was pregnant with my second child at the time, and after renewing our friendship I asked her to be my son's Godmother. Both of us have moved a few times since then and we again lost contact for a while. But we were fortunate to have reconnected several years ago, and have been in close contact ever since.

I have made many other friends who attended camp for years and each year I looked forward to their return. Pixie and I shared a tent for three years in a row, even when we were on staff together. It seemed like it was easier for me to make new friends if I had one old friend around to count on. Pixie was there and it was always so good to have her, her down to earth personality, and her sense of humor nearby. Pam was always there too. Even though we weren't close, the sight of her made me feel as if nothing had changed from year to year. We had also been in the same unit for many years, I think 1964 - 1967, and I now count on her to help me keep straight all our memories from camp. Her memory is unbelievable! She was a permanent "fixture" at camp, and I mean that in the most loving way. Doggie befriended me in 1965 when we were in Neppies Nook together. Why she did it is still a mystery to me, but she was, and still is a very nurturing and kind person. I was a misfit in those days. Not in a bad way, I just didn't fit in with the cliques of the time. You see, in our unit that year there was an unspoken hierarchy of sorts. We had the older, very popular girls who were sort of mean and snobbish, then there were the extroverted girls, who were always the counselor's favorites, and finally the misfits who didn't fit in with the other groups. Those girls for one reason or another had issues or marched to a different drummer. As I came to find out much later, we all had some life issues, even the girls in the other groups. Home life for many of us was not easy, but when you are fourteen years old, you don't realize it. It took a reunion or two for me to come to this conclusion. The following year I looked for Doggie, but couldn't find her. I think she was in the other waterfront unit, or on staff. She and I still talk every so often and we keep up with each other on Facebook.

Many of the girls that I met at camp were just faces and names to me that I knew because they were in my unit. I could identify them in pictures too, but we weren't close friends. That is until we decided to meet for a camp reunion. That decision changed everything for me. Norma, Wendy, Carol, Joyce, Boni and Splint, and so many, many, more. I have made a few new friends from the reunions too, like Linda and Molly. At last count, we had one hundred sixty-four members on our Facebook page and more are joining every year. I don't mean this to be a testament to the internet, but without it, there probably would never have been a reunion, let alone seven of them....For you girls belong to Camp Quidnunc and Camp Quidnunc belongs to you!

Eleanor Friedman Details: my daughter was writing out place cards. I observed that she was writing "Honi" on one of them. I commented that I once knew a girl who spelled her name that way. My daughter said that this woman was the wife of an important and active member of her husband's congregation. (My son-in-law is a Conservative Rabbi.)

At the Seder, Honi and I realized that we remembered each other from camp. She had come to Quidnunc for part of the summer of 1943 and was in Tent 3 of Caravan. I was in Tent 1.

She remembered that I had a bad reputation (true), and I remembered the unusual spelling of her name. After the Seder, we sang old camp songs.

Gilda Kormes Zucker. Faye Hildenbrand and I went to camp together for many years. Our group of 5 or 6 even had a sleepover every winter at alternating homes. We lost touch after we all left camp for more permanent jobs after college. I met my friend Ellen through a college friend in the mid-70s when we were both young marrieds. Ellen always told me about a couple that they met on their honeymoon and met occasionally for dinner in NJ. Fast forward 15 years to Ellen's son Josh and his bar mitzvah. After I lit a candle during the luncheon ceremony, who should come running up to me but Faye!! Amazing what a small world it really is.

GIRL SCOUT STORIES. RACE RIOTS

QUIDNUNC 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

Race Riots in Newark, NJ, in 1967

We all enjoyed being at Quidnunc. Who didn't love the unspoiled mountain lakes and wonderful fresh air? But we also enjoyed our days off to spend time with family and friends, if we were lucky enough to live close by.

One counselor was not so lucky. "JJ" Johnson, lived near Orange, New Jersey. I remember JJ as being so neat, a very attractive young black woman, always well groomed, neat hair, and looked a lot more put together than most of us, in our shorts and t-shirts. She was so well-mannered and a pleasure to be with, came from a very religious family. She was the first person I ever met who had gone to finishing school. I always admired the way she sat upright, and so well poised. Well, I was not like that. So, I asked her to teach me a few "hints" about how to carry oneself, and I still think about that even today.

In order for JJ to travel home to her family, she had to take a bus whose route went right through Newark, NJ. Sadly, there were riots going on in the summer of 1967, and the buses were no longer running, cancelled until further notice.

My parents had a large house, for New York City standards, 2-story home in Queens, and I asked them if JJ could spend a weekend with us, since she could not go home. No problem! I think back on those times; my mother would drive the 100+ miles to pick us up and drive us back. My brother was away at college, so JJ could use his room.

There were no questions asked, not a second thought given to allowing JJ to sleep in our bed, use all our facilities and enjoy our hospitality. My family owned an Italian restaurant next door, and we ate well that weekend.

We met again several times after camp closed, but lost touch. We really didn't have a lot in common, other than being young Girl Scouts that wanted to get away from work for a while, and enjoy the comforts of home.

Years later, I would think back on that simple gesture, the generosity and open-mindedness of my parents, and how grateful JJ was. To my way of thinking, this is what Girl Scouting should really be all about. The Golden Rule, treating people the way you would like to be treated.

I am hoping JJ reads this someday. I still remember her fondly, and hope she is doing well.

Judy Siegel Henn. Marjorie Ellen Block Remland and I grew up together in Stuyvesant Town and we went to a Brownie Troup and Camp Quidnunc together. Years passed and we lost touch. Thanks to Cindy Gavrity - Marj and I found each other and have met, and our husbands have met. Over the many many years I have made new friends - but this friend from when I was a little girl - is truly golden! What a joy to have found each other again!

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### Chapter 29 - Reunion Time

Way, way, way back...in 2006, before Facebook, before Myspace, before social networks, the main resource we had available to find lost friends was the internet. Making use of sophisticated search engines, all you needed to locate someone was some basic information such as their last known address, their married name, or maybe their maternal grandmother's, uncle's, middle name. And most times even that wasn't good enough. I was homesick for camp that year and decided to check the net for pictures and information about our beloved camp and the surrounding area. What I found was Camp MaHeTu, Lake Kanawaukee, and Little Long Pond. The pictures from my search sent me back fifty years to my camp days. Unfortunately, or you might say fortunately, that wasn't enough to quench my thirst. I needed more. To my surprise additional research allowed me to find a few sites with postings from Camp Quidnunc! Wow, my blood was really pumping now! I had to try to contact these girls, even if I didn't know them personally. To make a long story short, which is not easy for me (just ask anyone), I found a few girls from camp, and then some more, and so on and on. I kept in touch with one in particular, Diana G. We would talk often about camp and all the girls we were friendly with, and what a great time we had there. It was her suggestion that we should have a reunion. My first response was "Who will come?" As some of you know, that first reunion took place in 2008- it took that long to put it all together- and it was attended by seventy girls ages 45 to 82 years old. I was shocked that so many girls were found and wanted to have a reunion. They came from all over the country, and as they say, the rest is history. We've had reunions almost every year since.

Thank goodness for Baker Camp! I found it by chance when I was looking for a place that was in Harriman Park, and close to Quid to have our reunion. It was just what we wanted, a place reminiscent of Camp Quidnunc and someone to feed us. No cooking or clean up.

Woo Hoo! Cabins with a bathroom and electricity, what more could you need?! The campgrounds are similar to Quidnunc with a dining hall, a waterfront on Lake Sebago, all set in the woods about two miles in from Seven Lakes Drive. They have lots of rocks, paths, and wildlife that visit the area. Who wants a hotel room when you can have all these wonderful things?

The first night at Baker Camp, after supper, we couldn't wait to sing our camp songs. So, we "practiced" and reacquainted ourselves with the lyrics and tunes. One girl brought her guitar, and she kept us in tune. Soon the dining hall was filled with beautiful sounds that floated out on the night air, as the words and the music came rushing into our heads and transported us back in time. Many had tears in their eyes as the singing continued... so many strong memories are brought forward from music. One camp guest even stopped by to tell us that we sounded like angels. It was heavenly!

That year we hiked to Bald Rock. I nicknamed it the Granny Hike because of the ages of the hikers. Despite our ages, we all made it up the hill. Then we went for a tour of the old camp and the waterfront, not all together mind you. We split into separate groups since it was too hard to keep us all together, as everyone had their own thoughts on what they wanted to see and where they wanted to go. If you've ever tried herding cats, then you get the idea! This was the first time in forty or more years that most of us were seeing our old camp again. We had our bag lunches and I ate mine in the old Neppies Nook area, sitting on a rock overlooking the lake. If I had thought to look closer, I would have seen some of our girls taking a dip in the lake...clothing and bathing suits were optional!! And yes, we do have pictures.

The big campfire was planned for Saturday night and we had made arrangements to use Camp Addison Boyce for the event. Several girls came just for the night. More hugs and tears passed around as we welcomed even more old friends. We built a huge fire and rekindled old friendships while some of the girls made wishing boats. It was a memorable and special night with all the singing, chatting, and floating our boats off into the dark with our dearest wishes aboard. After all the excitement of Saturday, it was hard to come back down to earth and pack up to leave this place. Farewell to old friends, favorite counselors, and new friends. Farewell to Baker Camp and Harriman State Park. There were not as many tears as you would expect, just lots of smiles and waving goodbye, see you next year!

Almost every year since we have had a reunion, none quite as large as the first one, but all surely just as meaningful!

Girl Scout Camp Reunion

Elizabeth Zelvin

I got an unexpected phone call recently from a woman I didn't know, inviting me to join the Facebook group devoted to my old Girl Scout camp

and to attend a weekend reunion, not at the camp itself, long abandoned, but at a campground on a neighboring lake in Harriman State Park, near Bear Mountain. I loved Girl Scout camp—a fact that may astound people who can't imagine this Outrageous Older Woman in any kind of uniform but will not surprise those who know that many feminists first learned self-reliance and the joys of female friendships as Girl Scouts.

I grew up in one of New York's outer boroughs (appropriately, Queens). My camp was on Lake Kanawauke, close enough that the bus ride was not intolerable for kids (today it's just an hour's drive from Manhattan) and wild enough for an abundance of deer, skunks, raccoons, snapping turtles, and the occasional beaver dam.

We lived in tents. We washed our own dishes and made our own beds with hospital corners. We learned to build one-match fires and lash logs together with twine so we could build a raft or a picnic table if the need arose. We hiked and climbed the local mountains on trails that occasionally crossed the Appalachian Trail, which we considered very cool indeed. We swam and canoed in the lake. We sang corny campfire songs in melting harmonies. We ate s'mores. (That's some-more, two syllables.)

I couldn't make it for the whole weekend, but I wasn't going to miss the reunion. I found and dusted off my looseleaf book of campfire songs, packed my mosquito repellent and a bathing suit, and early on Saturday morning, away I went. I had an absolutely wonderful time! There was a small group of women who'd been at camp with me and a larger group between five and ten years younger. We hadn't changed a bit, except for some heavy breathing where the trails went uphill and a few knee replacements and cancer survival stories. Most of us were still up for a hike and a swim.

We could still make a one-match fire—except that none of the fifteen or twenty women were carrying matches. And we can still remember the words to all the songs and most of the two-part harmonies. I stayed till the embers of the campfire were glowing and still had to tear myself away to drive back to the city.

The reunion took place at a camp on Lake Sebago, a low-cost retreat for groups and families that's one of the few still open in the park, but we made a pilgrimage to our own camp, which closed in 1972.

It's become so overgrown in the past forty years that I found it hard to orient myself. But it's still beautiful—and not littered with debris and trash as it was when I paid a visit to the site in the early Eighties.

I had hoped we might hike to Bald Rock, a local lookout spot that I remembered as only half a mile away and which was the inspiration for a murder site in one of my mysteries. But those who had attended previous reunions advised against it, pointing out that that's half a mile straight up—and after puffing my way up a simple fire trail, I thought better of it myself. What I really want is a photo of a skeleton seated cross-legged on the edge of such a lookout, seen from the back, if possible wearing rainbow suspenders, looking out over a vista of mountains.

Ellen's Reunion Comments

Hi, it's Ellen Muth Davison!

You asked for comments about the reunion... Wow! It was magical, it really was--more than I even dreamed it could have been. From my point of view now, almost a month distant, what impresses me the most is the quality of the women who were there. What an amazing, accomplished, interesting, fun, exciting group of women. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to one, work at Quidnunc, and two, reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. I'm determined to keep in touch. A million thanks to all who made the reunion possible. Hopefully, even more of us will be able to get together sometime in the future. Ellen

GIRL SCOUT STORIES.PARTY AT PARETTI HALL

QUIDNUNC 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

Party at Paretti Hall

My father owned a large three story building that housed a bar, Italian restaurant, and two catering halls. Built in 1933, it was "the place to be" in its heyday. There were photographs of celebrities and local dignitaries in the entrance hall, who had dined there, or had attended large social functions. To me, it was just part of my home and growing up. This is where my dad worked.

When the summer of 1967 had come to a close, how could we NOT have a party at my family's restaurant? I invited the entire staff to a Pizza party at my Dad's place, Paretti Hall, in Long Island City. No longer a restaurant, the building is still there at 38-62 11th Street. You can find it by Googling "James J. Paretti Association". James was my uncle, and a local politician. He died way too young.

I think 30 people attended the party. We had a grand time. The pizza was great, and we broke into camp songs and did other silly stuff. Why didn't we take photos of this event? Not like today, there would be a dozen selfies and photos all over Facebook.

Sadly, I never saw most of these people ever again. I only keep in touch with a few. But I still keep the memories in my heart, and the lessons I learned will stay with me forever.

Susan Graham's Words

July 20

The Quidnunc Reunion

A few months ago some women started the idea of a reunion of campers that attended a New York City Girl Scout camp in Harriman State Park. I'm not sure how it got started, but it trickled up from the younger women to those who attended when I did. Long story short, there were women at the reunion that went to the came in the 30s and 40s, as well as the 50s and 60s (the camp closed in 1972). I personally attended from 1958 to 1965, graduating from camper to Program Aide (counselor-in-training) to Kitchen Aid to Counselor. All but 2 of the Program Aides attended the reunion (one had an emergency but we saw her on Sunday) and one, unfortunately, has already passed away. The experience was, I'm sure, different for every attendee. For me, I was on a high for the entire weekend. With our "collective memory" a lot of good times were reflected on, laughed about, enjoyed as if it were yesterday. It wouldn't mean much for me to review these things here, but suffice it to say that not only was it wonderful to see these women who share a wonderful history with me – but it is exhilarating to realize that new friendships will be going forward from here, built on the history but with much more promise than "remember when.." conversations. For the attendees reading this, check out the picture (towards the end of the lot) of Dusty I took on Sunday. She is the grandmother of 6 and looks incredibly fabulous. Also check out the "re-creation" before and after pics.

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### Chapter 30 - Uppsy Daisy

2010 brought some new faces to the reunion, mostly alumnae that were found in the latter part of 2009. There were old friends from the 60's and a few of the younger girls too. Cabin A at Baker Camp was the usual home for the "baby boomers". On Friday when we arrived at camp, we all settled into our rooms, each of us laying claim to the room and bed that we had stayed in the previous two years. If you knew what was good for you, you didn't mess around with those "reserved" beds and rooms! Pam & Wendy, Norma & Carol Jo, Cindy & Diana, Carol & Elyse - that is how the roommates were arranged. All was well on Friday night, but on Saturday morning Carol said it was very hot in her room and the window by her bed was missing a screen and she couldn't leave it open without one. No problem. After all, we are Girl Scouts, and we can do anything! Norma and I found a screen under the back of the cabin and we tried to hang it on Carol's window. No matter what we did, it wouldn't fit. So, we did the next best thing, we put it on the inside of the window in the room and we pushed the bunk beds up against it. Voila! It stayed in place! Another job done well by the Girl Scouts! On Saturday night, we were expecting a few more girls and one of them was Liz (Eddie). Liz was going to share the room with Carol and Elyse and sleep on the top bunk. We were all nestled and snug in our beds, except for Liz. When she came in and tried to get up on the top bunk she had a hard time. After several attempts and howls of laughter from her roomies, she was almost in bed... almost being the operative word. She needed more leverage and decided to grab the screen that we rigged over the window, not knowing that we had it precariously propped in place. Yep, the screen fell and Carol, who was in her bed underneath Liz's bunk, was hysterically laughing as the bugs and spider's webs came in through the open window. Elyse was losing it too but she was on the other side of the room away from the bug fest. They did manage to get the screen back into place and were trying to compose themselves so they could get some sleep, when Carol looked up and saw Liz's mattress dipping down, closer and closer to her face. She was afraid that they both would wind up together in the bottom bunk. Of course, that started another round of talking and laughter. Liz's bed somehow managed to stay up where it belonged, and who knows when they finally fell asleep. The funny thing is that the rest of the girls in the cabin were unaware of the commotion that night. The antics were relayed to us over lunch the next day, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. I wish I had been a spider on the wall when all this was happening!

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### Chapter 31 - Girls Tales

Boni.

I went to Quid as a counselor in 1964 because I wanted to see the World's Fair. I had to work and lived in Texas, so I found a New York camp job, thinking I could go on my day off. I did make it to the World's Fair, but I also found the most wonderful camp and good friends. I returned for two more summers and the only reason it wasn't more was that I was married and we were moving in June of 1966. Quid was more than a camp. It was a family of folks from disparate backgrounds and economic circumstances, and included counselors from other countries as well as around the US. It turned out to be a fortuitous choice.

Carol Jo's Memories

You're asking a lot from a long time ago. Names of counselors? All I remember was they all seemed to hail from Michigan State U and were athletic. The other side of my memory brings up the songs we learned while sitting on the big rocks across from the dining hall 3 times a day: Baby Owlet. Ashgrove, 500 miles, Donkey Riding, Titanic, Blue, etc. Lots of songs I ended up teaching my own scouts. The 'kissing rock/Blarney stone' we could pass before crossing over to the lake if we walked 1 way. Sleeping out under the stars, grabbing for tent flaps in a rush when the rain poured, floating breakfasts, shampooing once a week in the lake, paddling canoes and not tipping them, finally making it to the advance swimming area and not being in a 'crib' anymore, no flush toilets but a community latrine. More will come as I push my brain. I probably was there every summer from1957-1964 for at least 1 month each year.

More memories: hikes to the iron mines, the bottomless pit and Flat Rock. Was there also a Bald Rock? Remember the wonderful cold water that came from the old pump by the Canteen?

Remembering the buses out of the Port Authority in NYC which was out method of transportation to and from camp each year. Rides there were a little scary at first, not knowing anyone. The rides home each year were a mixed bag......we wanted to go home, BUT didn't want to leave our friends we made (Make New Friends But Keep the Old). Bus rides home were filled with both laughter and tears while singing the songs we learned. I know there's more.

Is anyone in this group a former Senior scout from Queens? In particular, Skipper Tracy was the leader of a Mariner troop from Flushing/Bayside, NY.

Camp Quidnunc 1963 and 64

by Ellen Forman Muraskin (borrowed from the Camp Reunion Website)

I went to and absolutely adored Camp Quidnunc when I was 10 and 11, in the summers of 1964 and 65. I stayed in Sky Blue the first year and Sherwood Forest the next.

I had a counselor from Texas named Char.

I hiked to Bald Rock. I slept outside in a bedroll one night.

I washed my hair in the lake with Prell. Fish bit me. Spiders bit me. Mosquitoes covered my arms and legs with bites. If I hadn't looked so happy when I met my mother after two weeks, she probably would have been alarmed at all those bites.

I made a friend (Audrey Seidman) that I have to this day. The day we met, she dropped her footlocker on my foot.

I wrote poems and burnished copper and learned to make campfires and washed dishes in buckets that were brought to every table in the dining room. We sang "Mandy was a little Bahama Girl..." and "I Won't Grow Up" while we washed dishes.

I peed in the "la" which did not flush. The faucets were rabbit-ear devices you had to squeeze together. They only ran cold water. I washed my clothes with a washboard.

I had a black tent mate named Gwynn, who was a good friend. I noted this in a letter home, describing her as "Negro."

I wrote letters home to my bathroom. Also my family. My mother has kept them; they are so excited and enthusiastic. I still have the Q spider web pin and the little charm bracelet with the fir tree.

And you?

Gabrielle David

I attended Quidnunc the last year before it closed, so that would be around 1972, and then I ended up going to Camp Kaufman until I was 15 or 16 years old. Quidnunc was my first Girl Scout sleep away camp (I had attended sleep away camp in Wading River prior, and did some overnights at Andre Clark (remember the frog in the middle of the pond?).

Things I remember? Going shopping and getting a trunk, which I painted my name in bright yellow, graffiti style so that no one would confuse my trunk with theirs. Getting a new mess kit for the occasion and jackknife (the jackknife being totally illegal today, I suppose), and making a bunch of homemade Bunsen burners (wax and corrugated cardboard in tuna fish cans) just in case. (I guess I figured if it rained and we couldn't collect wood, I could still eat!)

The bus trip from Port Authority. What a ritual. The Girl Scouts converged and took over Port Authority. It signaled a sense of freedom when our parents tearfully left us there and as years progressed, we couldn't wait until they left to cut loose and have a great time. One summer I was in an accident and had stitches on my wrist, one week before going to camp. When the doctor said I might miss the bus ride, I almost lost my mind. My mother stuffed me with Vitamin C's and the day before the bus ride, the doctor couldn't believe that the wound had "miraculously" healed and he took the stitches out, slapped a band aid on it and I was good to go! I was so happy to not have to experience the humiliation of my father driving me to camp. Yuck!

I remember that we had to wear those greenies (which everyone hated) except for the few stone cold scouters who wore the outfit in its entirety, including the bow tie, green socks, beret and sash to show off their pins. For most of us, it was enough to wear the green baggy shorts and white blouse and not get teased trying to make the great escape to Port Authority. I remember singing songs all the way up to Bear Mountain, while girls eyeballed each other, figuring out who was in the same unit; which girls would be allies or enemies; troublemakers or fearless leaders.

I stayed at camp for a month, usually in August, and I always ram out of money by the end of my first week so I couldn't go to the TP and buy candy for the rest of the summer. I remember picking fresh fruit from the trees, and the apple trees that were by the bridge you crossed over the highway to go swimming in the lake on the other side of the road. I was so happy to become a "greenie" (I think it was red, green, blue and black which identified different levels of swimmers) so I could take the tippy test and canoe. Also, who can forget having to do KP (clean the bathroom and kitchen), having to go out and pick wood for firewood; and trying to keep the garbage in check to keep the raccoons from coming out in the middle of the night and destroying the garbage and God knows what else. (Did Quidnunc have toilets? I can't remember, although I do remember Kaufman having them.)

I remember being in Sherwood Forest, and Smitty's name sounds familiar. I remember becoming good friends with a camper, Mary, until my late teens (Irish, freckles and long bushy red hair). I remember lots of Elton John songs that summer. I also remember the dance we attended at a neighboring boy's camp, where I got my first kiss from a boy (on the cheeks ladies, on the cheeks). Ironic for that to happen while attending an all-girls' camp.

When Quidnunc closed, it was depressing. My mother sent me to Kaufman for the remainder of my camping career. Kaufman was nicer and bigger, but it wasn't the same as Quidnunc – there is something to be said about being in Bear Mountain, it's just beautiful. Plus, it was just homier. More tight-knit. A lot of the campers from Quidnunc stuck together, "bemoaning" the demise of Quidnunc. Of course, getting older, I made it my business to break all the rules, bringing my huge radio that took like, 12 D batteries, burning candles and smoking cigarettes. In Kaufman, I always picked the tentalow (those half open bungalow type things) the farthest away from the counselors' tent, but the closest to the bathroom (nothing like having to make a bathroom run in the woods in the middle of the night)

The best way to remember me is that I was the tallest girl and one of the few black girls who attended the camp. I am really going to try to make it for the reunion this year.

Gee whiz, it seems like it was only yesterday!

GIRL SCOUT STORIES.CIGARS, CIGARETTES, TIPPARILLOS

QUIDNUNC. 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

Sometime in the 1960s, there was a popular commercial showing a scantily clad young woman, selling cigars, cigarettes, Tipparillos. For those of you who do not know, Tipparillos were sort of a "woman's lib" equivalent of a cigar, but were slender, and had a plastic tip for a mouthpiece, and were advertised as sophisticated lady's cigar.

The Sky Blue staff used to laugh about this, women smoking cigars. Nearly every week, one of us would travel home, or leave camp on their day off, and would often buy some little gift for the other 3 to enjoy, when they returned to camp. It was usually candy, or soap bubbles, or some other little cutesy treat.

I don't know who started this, NONE of us smoked, but someone brought back a package of Tipparillos. We thought this was hysterically funny. But of course, we couldn't wait for the campers to get to sleep, so we could try one!

We waited until all the campers were snug in their beds. All four staff members gathered in my tent, and we all lit up. Felt so silly, we were all giggling and having a good time, until oh, no, 2 campers couldn't sleep and came looking for a counselor.

We tried to hide, but too late! We were caught! Smoke filled the air, and I can still see the shocked expressions on the little girls' faces. Eyes were bugged out, staring at us in disbelief.

Sure enough, the 2 campers ran back to others, waking them all up while shouting "the counselors are smoking, they're smoking cigars! And Perry is smoking cigars too!"

Oh, great! The next day, all the campers wanted postcards to write home and tell their parents about the cigar-smoking counselors.

Needless to say, none of these cards and letters got mailed. I'm not saying how or who did this. Let's just say I was very thankful that Smitty had provided me with a loyal, resourceful and experienced group of counselors, who knew how to take care of business and how to protect their Unit Leader.

Lesson Learned:

Never do anything "wrong", when you could easily get caught. And IF you do get caught, make sure you have loyal friends to protect you.

GIRL SCOUT STORIES. MY NICKNAME "PERRY"

CAMP QUIDNUNC. SUMMER 1967

Madeline Paretti Williams (Perry)

My nickname "Perry"

Who would have thought that my nickname would cause some staff members to snarl at me, and confront me with "you don't deserve that name", and... "you're nothing like the REAL Perry, the other girl we knew".

First of all, I didn't ask for this name. I was given the name by one of the counselors, who had been attending Quidnunc for several years, and knew the "old Perry". She said I had to have a nickname for camp. Some people have called me "Maddy", but I hated that name.... LOL. My family name is Paretti – she said "Perry Paretti", that's it!! Your camp name can be Perry! The old Perry isn't here anymore, so you can use this name!

Sounded good to me....simple enough. Little did I know there were several staff members who thought the "old" Perry walked on water, was a fine athlete, outdoorsy person, aside from being cute, thin and blonde...everything that I was not. Hey, how did I know?

I privately felt these staff members were awfully mean to a new comer, and that really hurt me for a while. So, this is what Girl Scouting is all about? This is the camaraderie that I was hoping for? Maybe it's better that I didn't join at age 10, would have been much more difficult for me to handle at that age.

Let me add that 98% of the staff were absolutely wonderful to me; they knew I was a newbie, and trying hard to fit in, and they didn't care what my camp name was.

To the nasty 2% - you know who you are, and hopefully, after nearly 50 years, you have matured. If not, well, Karma can be pretty nasty....

Lenny Kaufmann Friedman's First Story (for us) The people I remember most were my Caravan tent mates: Pat (Spargo) Bryan, Anne (Johnson) Cook, Ann Pfohl, and Barbara Grever, and, of course, Jerri Wachman. Here's a funny Quidnunc story. It's 1938. I am 9 years old in the Brownie Unit. One of the kitchen staff is named Helen Pick. We called her Pixie. Fast Forward. It is 1945. I am 16 and I have a part-time job in Macy's on 34 Street. Across the street in an arcade is a store called "Pick's." I go in, and there she is...Pixie. Fast forward. It is 1973. I have just been appointed to Flushing High School as Chairman of English. At the pre-school faculty meeting I am introduced to the staff, including a librarian about to retire--Helen Pick. "Pixie!" I shout, and I am 9 years old again.

No one would be interested in this story, but it's true. and I thought to share it with you.

Memories by Lisa Ellex

Camp life was difficult for me because I was sent so young (6 years old) and had trouble adjusting. Like everyone, I've got lots of memories but what really stands out is what I learned.

I learned how to make smores, how to collect kindling and build a campfire, how to make a bedroll, how to pack a duffle bag, how to make "hospital corners", how to roll up tent flaps, how to fold a flag, how to swim, how to paddle a canoe (bow and stern), how to tip a canoe, get back in it, bail it out (with our bathing caps) and continue home.

I vividly recall going on a ridiculously long hike and sleep over where I stepped in a next of yellow jackets and had to spend the night in the woods, feeling just horrible. Last summer when my daughter stepped in a nest of caught 16 stings, I was truly able to sympathize!

My favorite part of camp were those nights when we would have a sing. We would form a giant circle. I always wondered where these songs came from and how everyone knew all the words. It was very comforting to me to hear the music and harmony. I learned how to sing in a round. Today I am a musician and I teach music to preschoolers in Manhattan.

I attended Quidnunc until 8th grade when I decided to hang out with my friends in New York but what I learned at Quidnunc has truly endured.

Memories from Marjorie and Marianne

Camp Quidnunc in 1942!

by Marjorie Stamler Snyder

I'll always remember the 4 weeks that I spent at Camp Quidnunc in 1942. The campfires, the tents late at night (watching the mice run along the posts), the campfires, the sound of rain on the tent, also the open air dining room, are all treasured memories. One of the counselors played the recorder, and it inspired me to learn to play the instrument. It was probably the best summer of my life, and I'm nearly 78 years old.

CAMP QUIDNUNC, SUMMER OF '42

January 11, 2015

Marjorie Stamler Bergemann Snyder

I was in Girl Scout Troop 44, meeting weekly after school at P.S. 29, on Staten Island, NY. The troop leader provided information about summer camping for Girl Scouts in New York State's Harriman Park. It sounded amazing but out of reach, because of a money shortage in my family. Dad and one brother were in the armed services, since World War II was in full swing. Somehow the cash was found for a four week stay, at $28.50 for each two-week segment. Heaven was just around the corner!

An old steamer trunk was pulled down from the attic, and the packing list for camp was followed to the letter. I still have the official sewing kit that was recommended, 73 years later. Two "greenie" camp uniforms were included along with the rest of the items. At the age of eleven, I could feel the earth moving under my feet as I packed for the magic month away from home. Home life was troubled, and I need not write the details after all these years. We can't rewrite history, after all.

Arrival at Camp Quidnunc was an awesome experience. The staff soon settled all of the new arrivals in the various tents around the large camp property ...........under the trees, near to the lake, or alongside huge boulders. There were cots for six of us in each tent. The tent sides were rolled up, and we had a wonderful view of the woods surrounding us. The sun was bright and warm that first day (I remember it as if it happened yesterday).

The camp leaders were Margaret Lynch and Brownie. They were friendly and exceptional in what they did. Our daily life centered on arts and crafts, swimming, canoeing, dramatics, hiking, and singing. We sat around evening campfires, wrapped in blankets against the chill, singing songs and harmonizing. I still sing many of the same songs today, after three quarters of a century.

One day, I arrived at the dining hall early, and perched on the railing, like an elf, was a young assistant counselor, playing a recorder. She piped music that we sang every day at camp, and those of us assembled sang along with her magical music. I learned to play the recorder afterwards, and still do at the age of 84.

If someone were to ask why I loved that summer so much, I would tell them that it changed my life forever. To explain that, I need to say that my home life was difficult, with an angry, violent father and remote, silent mother. The peaceful existence and acceptance that I had at camp showed me that life could be a great adventure. Through the nurturing of amazing counselors in the Sky Blue unit, I learned how to test the limits of one's life. At the same time, it helped build self confidence in a lonely, hurting young girl. God bless the memories of Camp Quidnunc. I only wish that it were still available to other girls.

Quidnunc- A big part of my life

by Gilda Kormes Zucker -Splint

I haven't finished reading all of the messages but I have been overcome with so many emotions. I began at Quid in Hundred Acre Woods in 1958 and was in just about every unit as a camper, program aid or counselor. My last year 1970, I was asst. Waterfront Dir. My memory for names is not as good as all of yours seem to be but when the names are mentioned I can place myself back at camp with many of those people. Unfortunately, a flood in my basement wiped out a lot of memorabilia but it is all still in my heart. I am still in touch with several Quid alumni, some of whom have posted on this site. Thanks for stirring up the memories. I still have my song books with all of our favorites and used many of them in my classroom throughout my career.

Quidnunc - A big part of my life

by Marianne Skeeter Bradford

You may not remember me (Splint) but I remember you. You were my counselor in Trails End in 1968 and it is because of talking with you that I decided to work as a counselor at camp. I was still a camper in 1969 in Caravan but then I was a kitchen Aide in 1970 and a unit Counselor in 1971. While you were on waterfront you helped teach me Senior Life Saving. I have since been a lifelong Girl scout and have been a resident camp staff for nearly 30 years. I am tall and had long brown hair.

I have a lot of memories, Quidnunc summer of 1967 will stay with me forever.

I was a Unit Leader in Sky Blue, along with Cricket (Faye), TJ from Chicago area, and Sharon from Long Island, I think......

GREAT group, and they helped me tremendously, because I was as GREEN as they come!

My nickname was Perry, from Madeline Paretti, (perry-perretti) given me by Faye, Cricket.

Some older campers were upset, because they fondly remembered Peri, who I never knew.

I remember the raccoon that got in our tent, and TJ (Tanya something......) shooed him out with a broom, as a NYC kid, I was traumatized! LOL

I remember someone brought back "Tipperillos". cigars, cigarettes, Tipperillos...from their R & R back home and all the counselors were smoking them one night!

The next day, all the campers wrote cards back to their folks, telling them that their counselors were smoking cigars at night........oh, great!!!

I remember Smitty, Mrs. Smith, from New Jersey, was the Director

and Judy Lukin was Asst Director. THEY WERE THE BEST.!!

Smitty had asked me to be Asst Director for 1968, but I already had plans for Europe! too bad! would have been quite an experience for me!

Loved sitting around the campfire, singing great songs, lots of fun.

the campers, aged 9-11 were so sweet, and full of mischief. Someone short sheeted my bed one night. Put rocks in my laundry bag...LOL

they also picked blueberries and made muffins for us.

Also remember "Barbara Nature", the naturalist from Oklahoma; Swedish swimming leader, can't remember name. sorry..

also Doggie, with her curly red hair, Spence, who borrowed her father's convertible, a group went out one evening, and we broke the back window while putting the top down...oops...and I think this happened more than once that summer, Spence was sure her dad was going to kill her.

There were 2 girls from Georgia, one was an instructor...who brought along a student...don't remember their names, just that they were very nice

also remember a very blonde girl from California, Penny???, whose luggage was missing from the NYC Bus station...we had to share clothes for several weeks, I think! her parents owned a motel, she told us horror stories of the Hells Angels who stopped by one weekend...was a difficult mess to clean up...how do I remember all this stuff??? LOL

I remember Doc, Camp doctor, female, who pierced my ears...Some girls from Minnesota, who were so far beyond my skills in camping...I was very impressed with them. And the nurse from Minot, very sweet girl, can't remember her name, nice lady curly reddish hair another girl from Finland, long blonde hair, who wore a lovely wool Finland-style jacket; we were all envious of, just lovely.

anyway..........great fun, great times, and of course, the area was just lovely!

hope to hear more from you guys, sorry can't make this reunion.......

Have fun!

Madeline Perry Paretti Williams..............

Burnet, Texas

Pigtails and Postcards in Brownies

Judy. I was nearly 8 years old the first time I went to Camp Quidnunc. The year was 1952, and I was the youngest of my friends; there were four of us: Eileen, Marjorie, Susan and me, Judy. They were all a year older, but were nevertheless, my best friends. We were in the same Brownie troop that met at Labor Temple on East 14th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues in Manhattan.

Everything was new and exciting: The La - a wooden shack with one long tin sink that had numerous faucets emerging from a pipe, and a plank with holes in it. The stench was amazing, but I found it all a great adventure. There was an overnight: 2 woolen Army blankets were overlapped and pinned with safety pins – and voila – you had a sleeping bag. We slept in a clearing by the dining hall and gazed up at the stars and the counselors identified constellations, while teaching us the timeless songs of summer: "Donkey Riding", "Love Grows Under the Wide Oak Tree", "The Titanic". Down the ages since then, I have sung them countless times to my children and now to my grandchildren, in the faraway land I live in, Israel.

I learned to build a campfire, whittle a stick, hold a salamander. Our canteens were made of metal, as were our mess kits: plastics had not really made a dent in the international market yet. We all used Breck shampoo, Colgate toothpaste and Ivory soap. We wore white anklet socks and white Keds. There were no synthetic fabrics yet, so everything was made of either cotton or wool. We swam in the Crib, and practiced swimming on our cots during rest time. There was the Elly back stroke, the side stroke ("pick an apple, pass it to your other hand, throw it in the bucket"), and for the most skilled swimmers, the crawl. Because I was of mixed religion, I went to both the Protestant and the Jewish services and loved singing there too.

Arts and Crafts: natural materials. Don't ask what we made – my memory of that has faded, but the joy of creation has not. Hiking: I felt very grown up, like my father, who was the first Eagle Scout in the Bronx. Lashing: that seemed very important – Robinson Crusoe needed that skill, and so did the Swiss Family Robinson. No telling when I might be stranded somewhere and need to know how to bind branches together. I watched and copied diligently.

As an only child, I felt hemmed in by my parents, and so, for the first time, was given a vacation from loving, but concerned adults, and viewed camp as total freedom. This included freedom from correspondence. My mother, I'm sure, wrote nearly every day. I wrote only because I was forced to by the counselors.

Postcards: ah, what a delight to find some smudged and very faded postcards in a slanting, childish hand, saved by my mother:

"Dear Mommy and Daddy,

Don't pay attention to what Marjorie says.

Love,

Judy"

If only I knew what the referent was – what was said, and why did I refute it? Marjorie, whom I found again through our FACEBOOK group, has no clue either (it is 60 years since then!).

I spent 3 glorious summers at Quidnunc, and got my love of camping from those two-week sessions. I would go on to other camps: Laughing Water, Woodland, Hurley, Pioneer Youth – but Quidnunc will always have the distinction of initiating me into the joy of the outdoors.

As I follow all of you on your jaunts to reunions and other camping trips, I dream back to that nearly primeval time, when I and the world seemed innocent and kinder. All things seemed possible then and time could stand still while I sang, "Twas Friday morn when we set sail, and we were not far from the land, when the Captain spied a lovely mermaid, with a comb and a brush in her hand."

That was the essence of childhood – whispering shadows of the lost past call to me from across the years and the miles. Quidnunc was the catalyst that turned me into a camper.

LESLIE and NORMA

(Leslie)

What year did you first go to Camp Quidnunc?

1969.

Did you and your sister attend camp at the same time?

Nope.

Did either of you ever work at camp?

Not Leslie.

Did you both have the same feelings and excitement about going to camp in the summer?

Yes, couldn't wait to go because Norma had such a great time!

For the younger sister: Did you go to Camp Quidnunc because your sister went there?

Yes!

Do you share the same memories about camp? People, places, things...

Norma didn't remember I went!

(Norma)

What year did you first go to Camp Quidnunc?

1967

Did you and your sister attend camp at the same time?

No

Did either of you ever work at camp?

I did

What positions and when?

Kitchen Aide (1968) and Counselor (Rocky Ledges) (1969)

Did you both have the same feelings and excitement about going to camp in the summer?

I don't think so since I went back and she did not.

For the older sister: Did you have any influence on your sister's choice of where she should go to camp?

Yes, in the sense she wanted to go where I went.

Do you share the same memories about camp? People, places, things...

Not really since we were not there together and the Staff was not the same.

How did working or attending camp influence you later in life?

Attending and working at camp helped me to get over my shyness. My self-confidence was strengthened and I learned that I could do anything that I set my mind to.

MOUSE and NICKI

(Mouse)

What year did you first go to Camp Quidnunc?

1959 or 1960, I think.

Did you and your sister attend camp at the same time?

Yes

Did either of you ever work at camp?

We both did.

What positions and when?

Office Aide, counselor, Asst. Unit Leader, Unit Leader.

Were you ever on staff together?

Yes, we were on staff together the last session of my last year there.

Did you both have the same feelings and excitement about going to camp in the summer?

Yes!

Did having a sister at camp change the experience for you? For example, knowing she was there for support or to borrow clothes etc....?

Yes, I loved seeing her at camp...didn't always feel the same way at home

For the older sister: Did you have any influence on your sister's choice of where she should go to camp?

I didn't give her a choice!

Do you share the same memories about camp? People, places, things...

Yes, but we had our own friends. I was with some of the older sisters, and she was with the younger ones.

Tell us about the same ones and the different ones.

I often remember the pranks we pulled, i.e., skinny dipping in Kanawaukee at night and almost being caught by the police who were flashing their lights into the bushes we were hiding in, painting the tent steps green, and some I can't even mention. That was me...Nicki was a good girl.

How did working or attending camp influence you later in life?

It influenced me to go away to college and to become a teacher.

(Nicki)

What year did you first go to Camp Quidnunc?

1961.

Did you and your sister attend camp at the same time?

Most of the years.

Did either of you ever work at camp?

Yes, both of us.

What positions and when?

Pot girl (1966?) and counselor (1967-1969).

Did you both have the same feelings and excitement about going to camp in the summer?

Yes!

Did having a sister at camp change the experience for you? For example, knowing she was there for support or to borrow clothes etc....?

Yes, since I had my older sister there it was comforting.

For the younger sister: Did you go to Camp Quidnunc because your sister went there?

Yes, we wanted to be together.

Do you share the same memories about camp? People, places, things...

Yes, although my sister remembers more than I do.

Tell us about the same ones and the different ones.

The songs, the campers, Ellie, the counselors, Charlie, the nurses, kapers, arts and crafts, the banquets at the end of the summer. I was there longer than my sister so knew some people she didn't.

How did working or attending camp influence you later in life?

It made me appreciate nature the rest of my life. My sister and I always had fond memories to share and songs to sing together.

PAM

(Pam)

What year did you first go to Camp Quidnunc?

1960

Did you and your sister attend camp at the same time?

Yes. I first went in 1960 (1960-68), and Wendy went three years later in 1963 (1963-71).

Did either of you ever work at camp?

Yes.

What positions and when?

I worked in the kitchen in 1968; Wendy worked in the kitchen in 1971 and on the waterfront in 1972.

Were you ever on staff together?

No. I had a contract to work on the waterfront in 1969, but I went to work as a swimming instructor for the town of Brookhaven instead - I needed money for college.

Did you both have the same feelings and excitement about going to camp in the summer?

Absolutely, it was the highlight of our year.

Did having a sister at camp change the experience for you? For example, knowing she was there for support or to borrow clothes etc....

Well, Wendy and I were never able to share clothes. I have always been about a foot taller than she is. It was always great to have her there with me.

For the older sister: Did you have any influence on your sister's choice of where she should go to camp?

I am sure I did. I started in the Brownie Unit (with Debbie Wood) when I was 8. Wendy came to Quid three years later when she was 8.

Do you share the same memories about camp? People, places, things...

Oh, yes. We share a lot of friends—Pixie, Babs, etc. For us, it was also a chance to get away from an increasingly dysfunctional family, and I think that that was really important for our mental health.

Tell us about the same ones and the different ones.

I probably remember some things that Wendy does not—the old dining hall, Upper and Lower Sky Blue, and units based entirely on age, rather than interests. I was probably a bit more involved in swimming and canoeing that Wendy was initially; I spent 4 years in the waterfront units. We are both swimmers at heart. We both took our WSI as college freshmen and went on to teach swimming for years.

How did working or attending camp influence you later in life?

It probably gave me confidence that I can do just about anything. Archaeology involves a lot of hard physical work, living in tents, and cooking under challenging conditions. I cannot imagine that I could have done it if I had not spent all those years in the 60s at camp. It probably made me a better parent as well. I am really good at making do, and I think that's an important life skill.

DOGGIE

(Doggie)

Well, I don't know if Babs WANTED to follow me anywhere...she went into Scouting and through elementary school behind me since we are 2 years and 9 months apart. But go to Quidnunc she did...and she loved it just as I did.

I first went as a 2-weeker, resident of Sherwood Forest. I'd just finished telling another new girl that no one had ever mispronounced my last name when SF unit leader called us down ... and said Dorothy Grahsman. That'll teach me. That was in 1958, I think, and two weeks of camp cost about $70!

At that time, Judy (aka in later years as "Babs" of the Pioneer Unit) was too young to go to camp, but she got to see me off for that and a few additional years. Didn't we depart to all the GS camps from a school in Manhattan, head up past Port Authority, and up through Bear Mt?

We were in camp at the same time for a few years, but having my sister there didn't change, add, or detract from my experiences at Quid. I loved camp, everything from portaging canoes and naming the new "lumies" to seeing the Iron Mines or going down the Delaware River, to watching Pam (Bif-barf Spam-lovin' Crabtree) pirouette across our tent floor, to Scouts' Own and religious services and campfires and canteen, to counting my myriad mosquito bites! (Some years, I looked as if I had measles because there were so many welts where I'd scratched!)

AND now we break into song:

Oh, I wish I were a little mosquito, mosquito,

Oh, I wish I were a little mosquito...

I'd be bite-y, bite-y, bite-y

under everybody's nighty,

Oh, I wish I were a little mosquito.

Babs and I were both kitchen aides, though not the same years. I got to sling the wash and rinse buckets...and I have a handwritten letter from Miss Ellie that accompanied my typed on a typewriter contract. I have (and forwarded to you all) staff photos from our end-of-summer banquet at Bear Mountain Inn.

We were always excited to go, and never wanted to leave. I got to see her at dining hall and at services and campfires, but, especially when she was in Pioneers, she was never at camp! And she loved the girls in that unit and Judy Glaubinger and Flashy. She went to Quidnunc initially because our mother wanted us to be together...but thereafter because she loved it there.

We sing messages to each other's answering machines...Hillbilly Will, I Livie Uppy, Baby's Boat, White Coral Bells, Our Chalet--depends upon the mood of the one calling.

During nearly 50 years, we talk about camp and look over old photos, gave our children capers to do, and made Tuna Wiggle and S'mores and Campfire Stew with our children. I have used crafts I learned at camp with my Brownies and Juniors--terrariums, for example.

One difference, I have recently found out, is that my sister, my kid sister, led her unit on refrigerator raids. I WAS THE GOODY-2-shoes. I never did anything of the kind!!!

A Conversation with Willie Franco White

Carol White at Quidnunc 1960s Willie Franco White at Quidnunc 1940s

(Willie Franco White Today)

What year did you first come to camp?

1939.How many years did you go to camp?

8 years, from 1939 - 1946.

Were you on staff?

Yes.

What positions did you hold?

Apprentice, Counselor.

What was a typical day like back then?

Breakfast, hard jobs, or clean up your tent. Tent inspection. Activity for the Unit (hiking, swimming, crafts, etc.). Lunch. Rest hour. Activity for the Unit. Dinner. Campfire/read books aloud. Bedtime. The waterfront unit swam twice a day.

Do you still keep in touch with any friends from your camper days?

No, but I really wish I had.

What is your fondest memory of camp (or two or three)?

"Scout's Own" which was every Sunday evening. A unit would create their own program. It was musical and inspirational, with poetry and singing. The entire camp would attend. It was often held down by the waterfront where the two trees are. My favorite place, to this very day, is the spot down by the waterfront where the two trees frame the lake. We all have attended ceremonies there and know exactly where that spot is.

Tell us about your daughter Carol.

She is smart, very funny and she loved camp! She was a Girl Scout for 10 years and enjoyed it very much. Quidnunc is a very special place for both of us.

How did your camp experience compare to Carol's, what changed and/or stayed the same?

The Dining Hall was in a different place when I was there, and the cooks used a wood stove to cook on. The units changed names a bit. Sleepy Hollow was for the little girls, the Brownies, and then came HAW for the 10 year olds, and Sky Blue was actually Upper and Lower Sky Blue for the 11 and 12 year olds. The ages were not mixed. Neppie's used to be called "Never Never Land". In Carol's first year at camp the age range was too broad, there were 13 year olds all the way up to 15 and16 year olds. I don't think they made that mistake again. It was the Waterfront Unit, so I guess they wanted to include all the girls that were interested. Carol had the new Dining Hall.

How would you like to be a camper again?

I think it would be fun, but maybe hard due to my age.

What would you like to see for the future of the camps' alumnae?

For those who want to be able to stay in contact with one another.

Other Information:

Hard jobs were clean the La's, chopping wood, bringing in the wood for the cooks. The cook was Mrs. Gamble when I was there. Apprentice = training to be a counselor. Journeyman = assigned to a unit to assist counselors. Counselor = permanently assigned to a unit.

Things remembered:

Hiking to the Iron Mines, Lemon Squeeze and Flat Rock (or Dot's Rock).

I was a GS Leader for the Cadet years. Carol was in Brownies, Cadets and Senior troops. She was a Girl Scout from Brownie all the way to a Senior GS, and was in a Mariner Senior Troop.

Quidnunc 1955 and 1956 (Posted on Kids Camp site)

by Marlene Toth, 2/21/08

I went to Camp Quidnunc in the mid-1950's. I also think of it each time it rains hard. The rain on the tent was amazing. I also remember the fire drills where we all had to exit the camp area to a deep gully and walk on stones in a creek for what seemed forever.

I won a costume contest. I glued dry leaves to a paper bag hat, that looked like curls on my head!

I also recall arriving the first day of camp, and being placed in a large circle right off of the bus from NYC. We were asked to remove our shoes and socks to be checked for athlete's foot, which I had never heard of - I was eight years old. I HAD it, and was banned from swimming for the first week, until it cleared up. To this day - I am 60 years old, I cannot stand walking in bare feet. If my feet touch the floor before bed, I have to wash them in the sink.

I loved the camp, and especially the songs - White Dove, and "I love the mountains, I love the daffodils" Boom di ada... etc. Marlene

Roberta Treacy

After 59 years my memory is misty – I know I was a camper at Quidnunc, and yet I think I also went to Laughing Water? Was Quidnunc a brownie/junior scout camp and Laughing Water for senior scouts? It occurs to me I have not spent enough time reminiscing.

A couple of years ago in the summer, a warm breeze wafted the scent of a campfire in my direction, and I recalled with enormous gratitude that my working class parents scraped the money together to send me to Girl Scout sleep away camp in the summers. I had that rare magical moment of physical recall, when your senses are fooled, and you are transported through time for a few precious moments. I recalled swimming lessons "in a box". I remembered the feel of the silky algae under my toes, and the little fish that would nibble and get you hopping. I remembered the glory of coming in second in a three canoe race (pretty big stuff for someone who rarely won in any athletic venture).

I remember a Counselor named – I think – Eva, who was an immigrant survivor from Poland (?) who took us truffle hunting. She was very kind.

I remember two wonderful friends in particular, Gail Lehrman (?) and Andie. At this point I don't even remember Andie's last name. Andie, where ever you are, forgive me. I may have forgotten your last name but not your kindness and gentleness.

I remember the smell of the canvas tents, the springy noise of the cots when you rolled over at night, the frozen water surface of the fire bucket in the mornings. I remember the frustration of being limited in candy purchases, and the joy of mail from home. I remember the closing ceremonies, and the tears that dissolved those last evenings. I remember the wonderful piney aromas of morning hikes, and the sweet taste of Cool-Aid. I remember the fun. I remember learning that I could manage to thrive, even while separated from family.

Camp; riding a bike; learning to whistle, learning to walk, talk and then read; these were among my best achievements of childhood.

Tin Mirror on the Tent pole

Another story from the old days: our camp nurse, Gil (Betty Gilbert) was young and pretty. All the little kids loved her. Some even pretended to be sick so they could be near her. She would stand, smiling, in front of her tent, and there was a little tin mirror tacked onto the tent pole. 1942--Gil was gone. She had joined the Army Nurse Corps. We had a new nurse, Zicci (Mary Ziccarelli). She was nice, and we liked her, but we missed Gil. 1943/4(?)-I am at the Saturday matinee at our local theater. The Movietone News comes on with pictures of the war in Europe. Guns...soldiers...and suddenly, Gil, standing in front of her tent, smiling...and there was a little tin mirror tacked onto the tent pole. Lennie

Molly: Here is that post card that was sold in the canteen from 1956 through the close of camp in 1972. Yes, there are real campers sitting there. They were my unit mates in Neppies my very first time at Quid, first encampment, 1955. The camp names of the girls are Bunni, Connie, Hoppy and Toni.

Now for the cool part. We had a unit song for opening campfire to the tune of A Whale of a Tale to Tell You from the movie 20,000 Leagues under the Sea starring KIRK Douglas when he was maybe 35.

We sang:

We have a whale of a tale to tell you girls,

A whale of a tale or two,

About a unit we call Neppies Nook,

We hike and swim and boat and cook,

Why not come and take a look,

And then you'll know it's true.

Then it went:

Got a whale of a tale to tell you girls,

A whale of a tale or two,

About a sunrise hike we're gonna take,

We'll see the camp, the sun the lake,

Monday morning at daybreak,

And come back black and blue.

From this we can get the EXACT date the picture was taken. It turns out the first Monday in July in 1955 was JULY 4!

And, for the record, one more verse to the song:

Our counselors four are really great,

They take in all we do.

There's Ivy, Jinx and Vernie too,

And don't forget our Embers true,

Lost line??

We swear that this is true.

Wendy's Recollections

...quite a few of the people mentioned in the blog I do remember. I remember being very upset the first time Pam went to camp and I was too young to go – I think I drove my mother nuts the whole time see was gone. I think I was 7 my first summer and having an older sister in camp was a definite asset. My time at Quid included Sleepy Hollow, HAW, Sky Blue, Cricket Hill, Gypsy Skies & Caravan. The summer of '71 I followed my sister's footsteps and was the Dining Hall Supervisor – I remember I tore the ligaments in my foot that summer, and lived on Hershey Bars and apples (seeing how the food was made definitely wasn't very appetizing.) The summer of '72 I worked on the waterfront.

I remember hiking through the deserted boys camp and the counselors telling us scary stories. I wonder what kind of stories were told to campers in later years that hiked through Quidnunc. Did you hear of "Irving the Pervert?" I think he appeared the last year I was a camper in Caravan.

Some of my other memories were the canoe regattas and trying to beat Camp Mahetu, hiking to the Red Apple Rest, and backpacking parts of the Appalachian Trail, canoe trips, sneaking into DD at night, the final banquets, campfires – s'mores and singing, lots & lots of singing. One summer there was a big storm predicted and we all got our bedrolls or sleeping bags and crammed into the Troop House. I remember that someone talking in their sleep was quite a source of amusement. There were always tears at the end of the summer. I was supposed to work at either Brady or Kaufmann (can't remember which) the summer after Quidnunc closed but I just couldn't do it – it would have never been the same.

###

Back to the top

It's a semi-true story

Believe it or not

I made up a few things

And there's some I forgot.

But the life and the tellin'

Are both real to me

And they all run together and turn out to be

A semi-true story.

Semi-True Story

Jimmy Buffett,Mac Mcanally

About the author:

Cindy is a wife, mother, grandmother, retired nurse, homemaker, longtime girl scout, and the proud caretaker of three cats and a dog.

Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won't you please let others know who might also enjoy it. You can also connect with other campers and view additional pictures and stories on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/campquidnunc

Thanks!

Cindy Gavrity
