I was a Jr. counsellor in '67. I started out in Outpost, and shortly after the summer started, was moved to Forest. It was an amazing time for me, spiritually. The first time I was left alone with a cabin full of kids, they ran roughshod over me, I had no control over them at all. I went up into the fern fields above the rifle range, just bawling and praying for help. I didn't know what to do. Somehow I got through that first weekend. Then I had to take another cabin, and a kid threw a rock over the
cabin and broke a window. No problem. Let's go talk with big DAVE [Dave King, the camp director]. And we did. And he took care of it. And then something happened, God answered my prayer. I had to take what appeared to be the worst cabin the village. The counsellor was always yelling at them during the lineup at the dinining hall "Get in line" "Stop fidgiting" "Be quiet!" and so forth. Oh boy, did I dread taking that cabin! But when I got there, they were angels. Never had to shout, they obeyed right off the bat, and it was great! What the heck?? And then one of them said to me "We like you. You never yell at us the way Doug does." Well I didn't HAVE to. And along the way, I learned about the magic of mutual respect. I expect the respect due to me, and I give you the respect due to you, and most of the time, it works. It worked the whole rest of the summer in Forest, I didn't have lick of trouble after that first week. Once I got into college, I fell away from my faith, but found it again not too long after in 1972, and have been faithful ever since. That summer will live in my memory forever.Kids would sometimes arrive with a bundle of comics: Superman, Archie, etc. They quickly became the property of the cabin and were fodder for reading during quiet time after lunch.
The rain in summer is often a warm rain. One time when I was JC in charge, it was cabin night (Wednesday) and we walked down to visit another cabin that was on an overnight at some waterfall just down the road a litlle ways (what was the name of that place? It had a small swimming hole and a waterfall? [High Falls]). Anyway, it was light when we left, but we returned in twilight, and as the rain fell, we were walking down the road getting totally utterly soaked and not minding one bit. Then we got back to the cabin, took hot showers, hung our wet clothes on the rafters and then fired up the stove until it glowed red.
Remember "Cabin Night dinner," Wednesday cookout? The pickup [truck] would drive around and drop off the hamburgers or hot dogs, along with a big milk can full of "bug juice". Had to be at least a 10 gallon can. Then you'd make a camp fire and cook your food. I don't know as I can recall a single "rain out" on Wednesday night, either. Must have been one but I can't recall it. One year I was JC in Forest, and those little kids wouldn't always eat all the food that arrived on Cabin Night. One Wednesday, I sat by the [CQ] fire which was on the main trail between Outpost and Lenape and the staff lounge, and offered hamburgers to everyone who strolled by. I got quite a few takers, too.
The photo shows Geoff today. He'll send me a photo from his days at camp and I'll post it when I can.
Later, Gary Gold - who was a camper then - saw this blog entry and, sure enough, he was in the cabin Geoff staffed in Forest! What a convergence, all these years later! Gary writes: "Then I read the [entry] about Geoff Hazel. Holy Canoli! I remember when they moved him down to Forest from Outpost. We were a rough cabin when he took over thats for sure. I remember JC (that was his name) [Pony] leading us in the forest village chant. And Steve Gladden running faster than any human alive! And... And..." JC Pony's chant was "Has Forest got the spirit? Yeah, man!"
