stopping with a sugar high after a stint at Katz's Bakery in Liberty

Coming back from Katz's bakery in Liberty. From left to right: Kenny Nathanson, Bill Walton, Bob Davis, Kevin Hanlon. I'm not 100% certain the fellow on the right is Kevin Hanlon, but I'm pretty certain. Can someone help? Anyway, whether or not this is Kevin, I should note, sadly, that Kevin died in an accident not more than a few years after his one or two summers at FV.

Forest village in the late 60s

Forest Village, late 60s. Mark Kramer was a JC here. Mark is one of those standing on the porch right in front of the door, t-shirt, blond hair, standing tall and looking straight at the camera. According to Sven Grotrian (this is Sven's photo) Mark was promoted to counselor that same summer. Sven is kneeling toward the front: two or three rows from the front, depending how you count, and he's 4th in from the left, blond hair, mustache, wearing a wool cap, two to the right of the camper wearing #82. Standing to the far right, the furthest right, is a camper--Steve Ernst. Steve's sister Lisa has long been actively involved with FV and is on the staff now as the director of major gifts in our development office. I believe I also see Steve Glade, white shirted, blonde hair combed down over his eyes, furthest to the right of those standing on the porch/stairs. Click on the photo for a larger view.

MAC lights up our world

John Paul Thomas

John Paul Thomas in the summer of 1972 - at the Wawayanda Chapel one Sunday morning. I'll be he was singing "If I Had a Hammer." At other occasions - especially in later years - he sang a gorgeous version of "Rambling Boy." JPT started in around 1967 and in either '67 or '68 was our Archery Director. I think he was also, at least one summer, the Totam VC. In the early 70s he was a CIT Director, the LIT Director, and the did perhaps two summers as half-summer (July) Program Director. Some years later he came back and did stints as FV's Conference Director, living at camp all year. Last I heard, he was in North Carolina.

when Sequoia first started

Here's a photo of Sequoia - during its first-ever summer. (Was it 1971 or '72?) The barn out there had been known as the "Trailblazers Barn" at first, home base for our Canada-bound canoe program. At some point in the 1960s it was also the home of the "CE's" - "construction engineers." Then it was "the CIT Barn" for a few years before the Crafts Shop barn was renovated into Hayden Lodge ('70). Once CITs moved into Hayden, Sequoia was created as the Adventure Village and that's--again--when this shot was taken (by Sven Grotrian). The guy you seeing wandering into "the lair" was Pat Ricciardi, one of the early and most avid Sequoia guys.

Ken Nathanson says the first Sequoia summer was '73: "I was in Sequoia the first year it was formed. The year was 1973. In addition to Pat and Sven, Rick Cobb was also a staff member that year. Perhaps in time another name or two will come to mind. It was perhaps one of my favorite years as a camper."

four musketeers on check-out day

From left to right, standing: Sven Grotrian, Doug Tompkins, Pat Ricciardi; below, Al Filreis. This is almost certainly 1973. I'm going to guess that Sven was LIT Director, Doug was CIT Director and Pat was VC of Sequoia, but that's an off-handed guess. Doug is wearing that summer's popular shirt: a three-quarters sleeved baseball jersey with the "73" on it.

Big Tree Field, flooded

This morning there was a lake in the Big Tree Field. Big Tree Field Lake is I suppose what it needs to be called. Last night and this morning the region was buffeted by high winds and sheets of hard rain. One could hear boulders rumbling down Biscuit Creek. The road from Claryville was washed out.

lake in early autumn