A lot of people seem to have a favorite place where they go for peace and quiet. My favorite is the hunting camp I belong to. The camp is north of Snow Shoe, PA. I describe it as being 18 miles from nowhere, which is fairly accurate. The camp is about a mile from the state road, down in a hollow between two ridges. No electricity, no running water, no telephone, no cell phone service. Absolutely peaceful. Being so far from civilization, the night sky is full of stars. The modern world has so many lights burning all night that stars are hard to find. At camp, it is amazing to see how many stars light up the night sky.
We normally have two work weekends a year, thus my reason for being there recently. We painted two sides of the camp, cut the grass, cleaned the living room ceiling and installed a shower. We did what? No electricity and no running water, we put in a shower. Are we nuts? No, there are creative people in our midst. There is a tank that we can pour hot water into, then turn on the pump to get water in the shower. Power is supplied by portable generator. One of our projects for the fall work party will be to find the spring that is on the ridge behind camp. One of the members who is in his 70's says he thinks he knows where it is. I sure hope he remembers. Having to carry more water to supply the shower, will keep two guys busy for hours.
The northwest corner of the camp is the end of a bear's territory. He marks it every year with claw marks and we paint over them every summer. The marks weren't too high in the beginning but now they are as high as I can reach and I am 6'2". Do we ever see him during bear season? NO! He showed up during deer season several years ago and found some left over pizza, then sat on a big rock about five yards from camp and had a meal. There was fresh snow on the ground, so it was easy to track his movements, including his seat on the rock.
We can sit at camp and watch a variety of wildlife pass through our open area. Bear, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, porcupine, skunks, fox, coyote. There are elk in the area but we haven't seen any at camp yet. I have heard some bugling, though.
At some point during our stay in camp, we manage to find ourselves in a local town at one of the clubs. A lot of the people remember us, even though we don't get to town very often during the year. What did we do on the last visit that we are remembered so easily? If it was something embarrassing, I'm glad I forgot what it was. One of our camp members has an addiction for larger women. The bigger, the better, according to him. He isn't all that big, himself, so I'm not sure that he couldn't get hurt by the NFL sized women he chases. If anyone in the club is up dancing, it is him. Guess he has found his mission while at camp.
Is camp remote? Is it quiet? Is it peaceful? Three yeses. I sleep more soundly in my bunk at camp than anywhere else. Even if I don't go there to hunt, I will go there to relax and keep the fire going and the camp warm.
We normally have two work weekends a year, thus my reason for being there recently. We painted two sides of the camp, cut the grass, cleaned the living room ceiling and installed a shower. We did what? No electricity and no running water, we put in a shower. Are we nuts? No, there are creative people in our midst. There is a tank that we can pour hot water into, then turn on the pump to get water in the shower. Power is supplied by portable generator. One of our projects for the fall work party will be to find the spring that is on the ridge behind camp. One of the members who is in his 70's says he thinks he knows where it is. I sure hope he remembers. Having to carry more water to supply the shower, will keep two guys busy for hours.
The northwest corner of the camp is the end of a bear's territory. He marks it every year with claw marks and we paint over them every summer. The marks weren't too high in the beginning but now they are as high as I can reach and I am 6'2". Do we ever see him during bear season? NO! He showed up during deer season several years ago and found some left over pizza, then sat on a big rock about five yards from camp and had a meal. There was fresh snow on the ground, so it was easy to track his movements, including his seat on the rock.
We can sit at camp and watch a variety of wildlife pass through our open area. Bear, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, porcupine, skunks, fox, coyote. There are elk in the area but we haven't seen any at camp yet. I have heard some bugling, though.
At some point during our stay in camp, we manage to find ourselves in a local town at one of the clubs. A lot of the people remember us, even though we don't get to town very often during the year. What did we do on the last visit that we are remembered so easily? If it was something embarrassing, I'm glad I forgot what it was. One of our camp members has an addiction for larger women. The bigger, the better, according to him. He isn't all that big, himself, so I'm not sure that he couldn't get hurt by the NFL sized women he chases. If anyone in the club is up dancing, it is him. Guess he has found his mission while at camp.
Is camp remote? Is it quiet? Is it peaceful? Three yeses. I sleep more soundly in my bunk at camp than anywhere else. Even if I don't go there to hunt, I will go there to relax and keep the fire going and the camp warm.
1 comment:
Hunting camps rule. Whether the walls are wood or canvas and whether you're down a hollow or 10,000 feet up. And your buddy, hey, what happens in deer camp stays in deer camp.
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