Trail Blazing

The day was no different than any other day. It was another hot and sunny afternoon towards the end of the summer. I was worn down and beat up from the summer of long days, little sleep, and hard work. I had that feeling you get when the smallest things seem to crawl under your skin when I decided to take a walk by myself to relax and recharge. I headed up the Pipeline trail (Camp’s most famous trail) and started to climb up one of our water tanks. From here, the horizon stretches as far as the mountains go. At night time you can see the glow from San Jose and the lights of Santa Cruz. The cold mountain water cools the water tank so that when you lay on it during a hot day it is like putting a cold cloth around your neck. I sat there letting whatever stress or tiredness roll away with the mountains into the horizon. It is one of the most amazing spots at camp where you can find some alone time. As the minutes were slipping by I noticed below me some trails. I followed the trails with my eyes as if it were some sort of maze on paper. I left the water tank a few minutes before I had to be back in the cabin and grabbed a camp map from the office. On the map there was a trail near the same place I was looking down on from the water tank. It was my first year but it was late in the summer and I thought I knew most things about camp. I started to wonder why people did not take these trails when hiking with campers. My curiosity grew as I began to realize that there were many trails on the map that were not being utilized by the staff at camp. I discussed this with our longest standing staff member who knows everything about camp and then some. He told me that over the years certain trails have become overgrown and then he suggested I take a couple campers and go exploring.

It was a fantastic idea that brought me back to my childhood days of wild imaginations and great explorations through the woods near my small neighborhood. For the next four or five days a couple counselors and a couple campers had maps in their hands as if they were explorers charting new territory. I believe that there is a sense of adventure in all of us. At some point in our lives we all love the thrill of something new and exciting that presents a challenge in our lives. No one in that group had ever been on those trails. No one had ever heard stories of what they might come across on the trails. We have 91 acres of land at camp and it seemed like we were exploring some new country. The stories that followed this expedition will probably remain stories in the small circles that wander down these trails. You might here whispers of a rope swing that had to be removed because it was so old. You might catch wind that some trails require a rope to get down the steep hill. It is the type of stuff that legends are made of. New discoveries are made. In this way they are more than just trails. It is more than just hiking.

This year I took two campers down another trail that had not been used in a long time. Working with the same man who suggested exploring the trails we signed these two campers up for Camp’s work program. The two campers and I trudged through this long winding trail clearing out a pathway for future campers and staff members. We built bridges out of fallen trees. We blocked off false trails with old brush. We raked leaves, trimmed trees and dug up giant stones. It was three hours of hard labor but when we signed back in at the top of the hill there was a sense of confidence in the air. The campers had the chance to make a little money but more importantly they gained much more independence and self respect. It was another purpose the land at camp served.

On the trail you become a whole new person. Go for a walk or a run. One can get away to forgive and forget. Jump in a waterfall for a swim. You can see things you cannot see elsewhere. You can work or have fun. The trails wear the memories of Camp’s past. That is more than fifty years of campers and staff. On the trail you can become legends.