Directors, Counselors, Staff

Taking The Path To The Brownie–

Published on by Kathy Baker

There was no such thing as an indoor toilet in the huts, but the little girls wished there had been, since that dark path to the Brownie was a scary trek. Phoebe Atha (1947-48) thought it was a frightening walk to get there, as did Karen Short (1945-48) .Even the buildings themselves housed creatures that scared the little girls. (The only time it felt safe was in the middle of tornado warnings, when it doubled as a shelter.)

“The cabins were dark at night. There were metal bunk beds and it was so disorienting when you tried to go to the bathroom if you did not have a flashlight,” said Susie Utter (1954-56). “It was pretty traumatic the first time I went and it was quite a hike at night as a little girl. As we got older, I remember we had to do Brownie duty, which no one liked.”

“I can still remember getting up in the middle of the night to walk down to the bathroom from my cabin and seeing all those Daddy Long Leg spiders,” said Sally Hurand, who camped in the mid-sixties’. “I had a conversation with myself to make friends with those things.”

Kellie Moore and Sue Robson camped in the seventies’ and there was a protocol for visiting the Brownie. They would stand by the front door of the hut and yell, “Cabin 5! Brownie!” and someone would answer by yelling out that they could go. “I think they were at the lodge partying,” laughed Sue. (Poor little Kellie encountered a skunk as she was taking the pathway up the hill with her flashlight to go to the Brownie and decided she didn’t have to go that badly.)

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“Primyland”

Published on by Kathy Baker

The girls who braved the elements and had the courage to camp in Primitive remembered their adventures with fondness. Lori Fobear(1975-76) recalled the one great trip into the woods when they spent the night on cots under a big tent.“I know it rained like crazy and the next morning we tried to cook eggs in paper bags in some way, which did not work out,” she laughed.

Sally Allen (1968-73) camped in Primitive under director Sue Patenge, who had a way with kids and made everyone feel comfortable. “We slept on the ground and pitched a tent. I remember we had chicken to cook in a cast iron skillet and it rained and we couldn’t cook it through, so we were hungry, but it adds to the memories. I think one of the Pennington girls pinched apart the chicken and it was still bleeding, so we ate chocolate and marshmallows on graham crackers for dinner or maybe banana boats.”

“Primyland” was the title to the “Loon” July 1975 article about the primitive campsite. (M.Foss, A.Falvey, M. Moore, J. Bernard, B. Hickner, S. Vater, S. Shepard, P. Shepard, S. West and A. Johns were on this adventure.)

They had a taste of “stalking the good life” and eating –especially peanut butter and jelly—were big favorites. They had good intentions of getting an early night before their big backpacking trip, but instead stayed up till 1:00 trying to remember Beth Hickner’s favorite song. The trip to Alcona Dam Pond brought new and interesting people into their life, as well as new skills at backpacking. “Expressions like “Mind if I have a bowl” and “M-OK” remind us of the days at Primyland,” ended the article.

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Outpost with Tricia!

Published on by Kathy Baker

Patricia Sautter was given the opportunity to open the Primitive unit in 1970, after a two-year hiatus, and her report acknowledged a few rough spots, but she hoped that one more year would straighten out the program.

The new site was located on the piece of property which was in the process of purchase and she had enlisted the help of Mert, the caretaker, to build the platform and brace the tent, which was built over a gulley. When it rained, leaks appeared in the tent, so Mert and Patricia rechecked the cement blocks under the perimeter, and checked the slack of the tent to make it fit better.

Succint directions were given to find the unit in her report: “When going by the road to find the site, one goes completely out to the end of the road leading into camp and takes a right turn. About a quarter of a mile down this road, one will find a tractor path on the right side. Turn down this path and follow it, and it will eventually take a big swing to the right through an opening in a wire fence. One should continue along this path for approximately another hundred yards. After this, one should come into a little clearing, which will be as far as one is able to drive. The campsite is just a ways ahead of this clearing, and our tent platform and orange outhouse will be good guides to help one find the unit.”

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Primitive Camping

Published on by Kathy Baker

The precursor to primitive camping at Maqua may well have been in the early twenties’ when Meg Dahlem talked of their trips overnight by truck to the AuSable. They would sleep on the ground on a hill with no sleeping bags, but probably makeshift bedrolls. The appeal for outdoor camping of this sort waxed and waned over the years.

It was decided by the camp committee to establish three new postions as junior counselors in October 1963, with a new primitive site to be established, complete with all the necessary equipment and a salary for the counselor.

On November 14,1964, a list of suggestions was made to the camp committee. “Primitive Camping-Miss Balaskas will again attempt primitive camping with restrictions upon the primitive camp leader,” the notes read.

“I recall a survival night where we ate only what we found in the woods,” said Shelley Harris (1965-75). “I can still hear Dorthe reminding us that there were hot dogs in the kitchen if we came back hungry. She was nervous, but we ate dandelion soup and Queen Anne’s Lace root, which were nothing but wild carrots, and we didn’t die.”

The last couple years Karen Magidsohn (1965+) camped in Primitive. “If I remember correctly, it was past the riding stables There was a platform with a big green tent. It was our cabin and we cooked all our own meals and stayed out there the whole time. We had a pit toilet, built our own campfires and it was pure camping,” said Maggie, who to this day camps every summer somewhere in the U.S.

Jeanne Kiltie (1966-71) also loved the primitive camping past the tennis courts, where they slept in tents and ate their breakfast and lunches, but dinners back at the lodge. “We ate Queen Anne’s Lace roots and strange soups made from greens, but I have to say what I learned there I have used all my life.”

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Campcraft

Published on by Kathy Baker

The first mention of campcraft was in the “Loon” 1949, from a paragraph by Kay Cochran. They learned to make boiling kettles from no.10 cans, and stoves to fry their hamburgers. Nature lore and campcraft were combined that summer with Marian Musolf in charge.

In the early sixties’, Bonnie Baker guided her campers to plan and prepare for a campout and how to use a knife. Part of their class project was to fix up Explorer’s Hill, make “doughboys” (fried dumplings) and play “Hare and the Hound”.

Other years projects, with Mary Henne (1961), included the knotting and lashing of primitive tables and washstands, trail signs with sticks and stones, and how to assemble bedrolls.

Campcraft was run by Bonnie MacDonald in 1967, and Dorthe Balaskas wrote that she had worked at a camp before, therefore she made a confident counselor and knew her specific area well. She had good ideas, despite inadequate equipment. She took on extra projects, such as the camp entrance sign and a cabin assignment in the last session.Other years projects included the knotting and lashing of  primitive tables and washstands, trail signs with sticks and stones, and how to do bedrolls.

“She made good use of the tents and primitive areas and tried to have campcraft something more than Lemme sticks. She is most interested in seeing a primitive unit tried again at Maqua and I personally feel she would avoid some of the pitfalls we fell into the three summers we had a primitive unit,’ wrote Dorthe.  There was a new shed, “which was a welcomed addition”, but new peg boards needed to be added to organize the equipment.

Cara Prieskorn remembered making the Lemme sticks during her time at camp (1966-71). “You would find the straightest stick and peel down the bark until it was smooth. We hit each other on the elbows and threw them, but I think they were actually for some of the unofficial hand clapping games. I thought it was more like advanced patty-cake.”

Anne Obey was the campcraft director in 1969. Her report from that summer detailed her lesson plans for ropecraft, firebuilding, with an emphasis on toolcraft. As a young cabin counselor, Anne recalled sitting on the lodge porch to teach the young campers how to handle a hatchet to chop down trees, whittle with jack knives and other nature experiences. “We winged it,” laughed Anne. “I had learned just being a camper, but we could pitch a rudimentary pup tent, read a compass and start a fire.”

Anne impressed Dorthe with the mature manner in which she handled her responsibilities. Aside from packing campcraft, Anne assisted in the campcraft classes, worked in Primitive and took over a cabin as a sub when needed. “I could not have asked for anyone who gave willingly and actually showed loyalty and love for Maqua and it’s campers as Anne,” wrote Dorthe.

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What Is “IT”?

Published on by Kathy Baker

“After a lot of patient waiting and guessing we found out what “IT” was”, wrote the author of the “What Is It?” column in a copy of the “Loon” from 1952. “A real western day. We were all called down to the waterfront by a fire drill. Nan came riding down on her horse to tell us about it. It started off with a chuck wagon dinner. It ended with a wonderful counselors’ show and a hoedown for all. We all agreed that “IT” turned out swell.”

Tales of spaghetti in bags that felt like worms from blindfolded campers and popping balloons tied around ankles of fellow cabin mates brought laughter. Square dancing with a director as the caller, or talent shows entertained happy faces in the evenings.”Roasting” counselors, learning Morse Code, tossing the frisbee, or washing the camp truck also entertained the girls.

“The counselors and the kids always got along fantastic together”,  said Rhonda Thayer, business manager from 1974-77. “During meals there was always some entertainment. Mine was using that paddle with the ball on the string and I could do that blindfolded. The girls would count to 1,000 and I would still be bouncing that ball without missing. One counselor could tell stories and she would mime opening a jar of peanut butter and pretend like she was eating it and eventually it appeared she could not talk with all the peanut butter in her mouth. One girl sang “Camelot” really well, and there was one black counselor who would faint and we couldn’t wake her, so we would leave her. We would tease her about being so dark that we couldn’t see her bruises. What talent we all had!”

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