Camp Mihaska

When I was a kid, Camp Mihaska was a wonderland to me. I spent 5 or 6 consecutive summers there in the 1980s, and it has lived in my imagination ever since.

I remember the dense forests full of tall trees with cabins nestled in neat rows.  There was a big lake where I could paddle a boat around by myself. I remember walking over the old stone bridge that crossed a river said to be made from a young girl’s tears (a tragic love-story, and a big part of camp lore).

I remember hiking in the woods and swimming in the pool. There was a competition in the pool that I became very good at–diving for quarters. I remember going on hayrides pulled by real horses! In the evenings, we told scary ghost stories and sang songs around a bonfire. I still remember many camp songs. Do you remember these:

• Kookaburra
• Zip A Dee Doo Dah
• Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly
• Peanut, Peanut Butter….. and Jelly
• The Ants Go Marching

I remember the cafeteria where I devoured countless sloppy Joes. I remember the snack shack, where I couldn’t wait to buy a Fun-Dip or an ice cream cone with the quarters I scored in the diving game! I remember waking up in the morning to the Reveille (Bugle Call) and going to sleep in the evening to the sound of Taps (Man, hearing those songs still takes me back).

I remember the friends I made—the girls who taught me hand-jives and how to braid my hair and my first boyfriend, Kenny. I named my stuffed teddy bear after him and proceeded to sleep with it every night for many, many years.

I loved camp so much that during the year I practiced lucid dreaming so I could “go there” any time I wanted. And, believe me, I did. I must have gone hundreds of times. I still have every inch of that place memorized and memorialized in my mind. It was what some might call my “happy place.”

Modern Mihaska

Recently, Dan and I visited Camp Mihaska again—it was the first time I’d been there in more than thirty years. And, although the place had changed drastically, I still remembered the layout of the camp just like it was yesterday. The two of us walked around the campgrounds like we owned the place, and I was able to share so many childhood memories with Dan.

It was fun reminiscing to Dan about the time when a group of us took a long hike through the woods and discovered a cross with snakes all over it. (That’s how I remember it anyway!) I told him about my big moment when I had the honor of raising the flag during the morning ceremony.

And of the time when I worked up the courage to sing a solo in the talent show. I believe I sang El Shaddai, by Amy Grant. I even led Dan to the lake where I used to ride on the pedal boats, although that was a bit off the beaten path. I couldn’t believe I found it!

It was so special to share my most cherished childhood place with Dan, knowing that soon, we would own a camp together that we could enjoy with family and friends for generations to come! Oh, what memories we will make here!

Pike Camp

From the first time I visited Pike Camp several years ago, it felt so familiar—like my beloved Camp Mihaska.

Having spent the last month here, I keep thinking how great it would be to go back to 1985 and tell my 9-year-old self all about it. I know she would have added Pike Camp to her dreams!

If you are someone who loves the natural forest, fall foliage, magnificent birds, wild forest animals, stunning sunsets over a lake, crackling campfires and sweater weather, you would absolutely fall in love with this place.

These photos are un-filtered, un-edited, and one hun-dred percent real. I took them with my Canon camera one early afternoon last week when the lake was more still and reflective than I had ever seen it before. I am standing in our front yard at camp!

A Pike Family Legacy

One of the coolest things about being here at Pike Camp is knowing that it holds so many of Dan’s most cherished childhood memories. He’s been coming here his entire life—and his parents and grandparents came before that!

There is this wall in the old shed where family members would write the dates of their camp visits–dating back to the 1950’s! I want to preserve the wall forever, and add many more dates!

Dan told me about the time when he and his brother found a boat dock floating in the lake and they pulled it back to camp with the rowboat so they could replace the existing old dock that was falling apart!

It’s fun to imagine little boy Dan jumping off the dock and playing in the lake.

I can imagine Dan with his Grampy out in their old rowboat, talking about baseball–with Dan in his red Phillies cap and Grampy in his Navy Red Sox cap. And of course, his grandmother, Mummu, yelling as they exited the boat, “Make sure to come in through the back door so you don’t drag water all through the camp!”

There’s this secluded flat rock that Dan claimed sometime in the 80’s as his secret imagination hideout. I told him we should put some sort of historic marker in place there so that future generations will know that was his spot.

Things to Do at Camp

Work (If you must)

I know, most of us have to work, but if you are able to work remotely, I can’t think of a better place to do it then right here. It is peaceful, quiet, and there aren’t too many interruptions–I mean, nobody’s knocking on the cabin door trying to sell you anything way out here! It’s the perfect place to think, focus, and create–and believe it or not, the WIFI is pretty decent!

Relax and Renew

We all need a little camp in our lives–right this very minute! This is the perfect place to calm the mind and relax the body. One of my favorite things to do here is to watch the sun set over the water. It is absolutely mesmerizing.

Get Active

You don’t have to miss your workouts just because you’re away from the gym. On arm days, you can jump in a kayak and row as fast and far as you can—and there will still be more lake left. Or, if you’re like me, you can just row your kayak until you feel like stopping and then just watch your husband and his kayak disappear into the distance.

On leg days, you could go for a trail-run or hike in the woods—Dan has done this almost every day since we arrived.

Enjoy Nature

You can go “leaf peeping” here at camp. (This is a new phrase I just learned, and I’m happy to put to use.) There is an almost untouched natural forest full of colorful trees—it is early autumn now, and the leaves are just starting to change. If you can imagine every gorgeous image of fall foliage that you have ever ogled over (surely I’m not the only one), nothing compares to the beauty of these campgrounds. This place is a photographer’s dream!

Observe Wildlife

We’ve seen a wide variety of wild animals around here. There is this funny, tiny squirrel that makes such a big ruckus—squeaking and chirping seemingly to either get my attention or frighten me (I’m not sure which). Once I look at him, he runs away at shockingly high speed. I’m never fast enough with my camera. If I could caption him, he would say, “No Photos!”

It’s the same story with this beautiful Blue Jay. She hops through the trees by the front porch, making quite a commotion. But, if I make one little peep reaching for my camera, she’s GONE! No portraits of her for me!

Around here, we’ve also seen a family of deer, a couple of different gigantic raccoons (one was so big, it looked like a bear cub), porcupines (seriously), bald eagles, Canada geese, loons, butterflies, and some cool colorful caterpillars that Dan says are just fuzzy slugs. Hmmm.

Be Still and Listen

Camp has a variety of its own familiar sounds. Stopping to listen for them can be a captivating yet calming form of meditation:

• The sloshing of the lake water against the shore
• The wind whirring through the trees–sometimes blowing acorns or leaves to the ground
• Wild animals–birds chirping, squirrels scurrying, bees buzzing
• The hum of an occasional motorboat passing by
• The crackling of leaves beneath your feet
• The warm, rich, flute-like tones of the loons
• The sing-song sounds of the cicadas at dusk
• The crackling of logs in the wood stove

Time to Say Goodbye

Being here feels like being a child again—back at Camp Mihaska. Only now, I get to spend my days and nights with my soulmate (eat your heart out, Kenny) and eat ice cream anytime I want. (So, yeah, this camp wins.)

But very soon, it will be time for us to close down the camp for the Winter and—like the free birds that we are– make our way south to warmer weather.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and can’t wait to do it again next summer. Hopefully, our kids will all join us here then, as well as any family and friends who would like to be campers. We’re only saying goodbye for now to our happiest of happy places!

Day is Done

Gone the Sun

From the Lake, From the Hill,

From the Sky

All is Well, Safely Rest,

God is nigh.

~Taps Bugler

Stay tuned for my next post about our Day Trips from Camp!