Accidents and Illnesses

Hiding With The Horses–

Published on by Kathy Baker

 

“It was a transformational experience at camp because of the animals, “ said Nancy Weber (1962). “ I was a girl born in the fifties in the city and I should have been a forties girl born in the country. I was just ripe for Camp Maqua. It was the first time that I rode a horse and it changed my life. That began a life long love affair. My Dad bought me a horse in the ninth grade and I had one until 1990, but my daughter was the one who had the talent for horses. I was very tight with Ollie and Mel and would visit them all the way through college and beyond—-that is how much they influenced me. Horses made me poor for the rest of my life,” she laughed. “Ollie and Mel were very dear to me and were models.”

“Honestly, I could not spend enough time with those horses. I had extra lessons for horseback riding at camp. I wanted triple sessions, but had to settle for double, but I would beg to go to those horses on my free time. I remember we could go for a swim during our free time, and somehow I figured out how to leave for the free swim, go back to the barn and get back to the lake. I made the mistake of forgetting to turn in my buddy tag, and they were practically dragging the lake for me,” said Nancy.

23505_115400668486947_1112942_n

Read More

Meet Carol Wahl!

Published on by Kathy Baker

Carol Wahl was the riding counselor in 1974 and 1975 at Camp Maqua. “I had taken my horse with me to college and I ended up teaching a student who was a part time draftsman in Bay City for an architectural firm. His boss’ wife was on the board of the YWCA and that is how I found out about the job for the camp,” said Carol. “I was the riding instructor for two years and did not teach the year I was pregnant for my first child, since they considered it a liability. In 1977, I taught at another camp.”

“The first year I was at camp I met Pam Moore, who ended up as my college room-mate and was also in my wedding. I had transferred from Saginaw Valley to Central in 1974, so that was the summer between colleges. I met many of the staff at camp that also attended Central, where I joined a Sorority. I remember a girl named Mary Toburen.”

Her riding program centered on this philosophy—“ to teach good, applicable techniques of riding, including how not to get hurt on or around a horse, while still having fun”. She used general methods for beginners, intermediate and advanced riders, which included formal lessons, and competitive games that taught control and confidence for trail riding. She stressed good form and techniques and rules. but felt like the summer of 1974, she worked with horses that were in bad condition.

“My cabin was actually the staff house near the lodge on the screened in porch of the second floor. (Dutton) I have memories of good food in the lodge, ”S’Mores” at the many campfires and a lot of singing.”

Read More

Horse Crazy–

Published on by Kathy Baker

IMG_5700Marsha Immerman started riding horses as a very young child when her family went to BayView Stables on Sundays. There was a pony ring, and her favorite horse was “Dimples” and she never wanted to leave, because she felt riding was ‘heavenly’.

“The first time on a horse at camp scared the hell out of me, because the horse ran off with me on the road from the lodge, heading off to the meadow. I ducked under a tree branch and didn’t fall and couldn’t wait to get back on the horse again,” she said of her camper experience at Maqua.

Geri Fleming was her first instructor—a mass communications student at MSU and was only twenty years old. “It was love at first sight,” said Marsha, of her first girl crush, “especially since she was on her horse “Gay”. I learned all the basics of riding with her and never fell off until years later.”

“One year we used to ride into a meadow and down a hill, which we called “Suicide Hill”. The road came into the camp and went away from the camp to the right and everyone was terrified of it. There was another road that led to the lake and it was usually a one hour trip on our horses,” She and Molly Olson used to ride bareback through the woods and through a meadow. They would lean over, holding the horse’s reins and gobble up wild raspberries picked from the nearby bushes. To this day, eating raspberries remind her of those trips.

“I was so horse crazy that I brought some horse manure home in a suitcase and put it in my dresser drawer. After three days, my Mom came in my bedroom and asked what that terrible smell was and I had to throw it away.”

Read More

Overnight Biking and Horseback Riding Trips

Published on by Kathy Baker

img_7554A circle bike trip was one of the clearest memories for fair-skinned Nancy Keeler (1973-74), who ended up in the Infirmary with a sunburn. Six girls, accompanied by Pam Hartz (1966-75) and Mary Bent, biked nine miles the first day, twenty miles the second day, and another nine on the third day.

“I was totally wiped out,” she said., “but they gave us salt tablets. We stopped along the way on lawns and people would bring out water and lemonade to us. It was a more trusting time back then. I remember one of them bringing “Gorp” out to us, which was M&M’s, raisins and peanuts.”

In 1974, James Sweeting evaluated the camp for the state and had noted that a three- day trip had been planned. Sue Patenge was the director at that time and had given her blessing to this adventure.

Another biking trip led by Mary Bent and Pam Hartz took six girls for a two-day overnight camping bike trip. They spent the night in pup tents, cooked over an open fire, packed lunches and rode the Rifle River campground trails. At night they had foil dinners and returned on the third day with “scraped knees, sunburns and pleasant memories”.

Bonnie Schlatter recalled three or four different groups of girls she led on a bike hike in the seventies. “One was older and I don’t know if I suggested it, but I took a few on a bike ride and headed to Tawas, ending at the Lumberman’s Monument. I know we had to be picked up at the end due to the rain. We got drenched,” said Bonnie, who still loves to bike.

“The Peddlin’ Pals” were Mary Surabian, Debbie Agarwal and Bonnie. They started their bike trip on July 6, after some short practice trips heavily loaded. On the first night they stopped at Tawas Point State Park, and the second day into Osoda for lunch and on to their destination at the Lumberman’s Monument. According to the “Loon”, they encountered the rain at the Foote Dam and were picked up, but continued their ride around Long Lake the following day, with sun, swimming and a picnic.

Read More

Beware and Be Aware!

Published on by Kathy Baker

lighteningThe elements, the wildlife, other campers on the river and unforeseen circumstances forced campers and counselors to remain on guard at all times. But, adventures were adventures, and unexpected incidents occurred, which were handled as they arose. Some were fun, some were funny and some were dangerous, but all were memorable.

“My most vivid memory of camp was in my last year (1962) of the overnight canoe trip,” said Ilene Zacher, who began attending Camp Maqua in 1959 at the age of ten. “I was with all my cohorts paddling the AuSable. I think they had bussed us to Grayling. It was a backpack type of trip. We embarked upon the river, pitched our tents, prepared our food, hiked the woods and learned about the flora and fauna. It was mostly about survival skills. We had to dig our own latrines, which was interesting and a first for me. I was awestruck by the AuSable and the high cliffs. The worst part of the trip was a thunderstorm with lightning. Our counselor would not let us stop. We were on schedule and she was going to stick to our schedule. Of course, no one got hit by lightning, but I just remember how scary it was.”

Anne Obey, (camper and counselor from 1960-70) had memories of a “heinously awful lightning storm” that sent everyone running to some stranger’s cabin, thankful that no one was home to see the campers trespassing and the raccoons that ate their breakfast.

Read More

Floating Food and Bug Sandwiches–

Published on by Kathy Baker

10177426_10202732006813156_7359505230034526984_n“I can remember piling eight kids and two staff members into an open truck with all the food and supplies and they would drop us off at Rollways. I look back now that I am a Mom and think—there were no cellphones, no place to contact anyone in an emergency, “ said Laurie Cone, (1962-68) who figured there had to be a ranger station somehwhere—“and driving in an open truck with deer possibly jumping out in front of us? I guess times were different. It was not a litigious world. It was a simple time and we didn’t know any better.”

Tracy Topping (1962-63) also remembered piling into the pickup truck with a “gaggle of girls” singing “We Are The Girls Of Camp Maqua” on the way to the river. “I don’t think that water in the river ever got above our knees and it was slow moving, but if you had too much in the canoe, it would get stuck. I can still see the string of hot dogs all hooked together that came floating down the river. We tried to save the food. I guess one of the canoes had capsized.”

Her sister Randi was at the front of the canoe line, when her sister was at the back. “We all witnessed the giant sausage links floating by our canoes. We were quite impressed that they floated and we tried to catch them,” she laughed, recalling how they were careful to duck the giant tree limbs in the current as they tried to catch the lost food.

Many girls, like Sue Purdue (1964-68), were city girls and took very few trips growing up. “I was very rugged and would not have known camping was in my blood, had it not been for Maqua. One year I was on one of those three or four day camping trips, which I did every session. We didn’t have tents, just sleeping bags. My cousin Laurie was a kitchen aide at the time and had packed the food. There were thirteen of us and she packed enough for six. Also, since there were no coolers, we had something with sour cream and it was in our stew or some dish. All I remember is I threw up all night, but she didn’t know.”

Read More