This picture was taken in 1965 while on one of the many hikes to Maggie Lakes, see post below.
Do you know any of the young people in the picture?
Monday, August 18, 2008
Trail Trips
Starting in 1962 a number of leaders observed that some other church camps were working fruitfully with trial camp programs. It was felt that some of our older youth needed something new, different and challenging after perhaps many consecutive summers in our regular Quaker Meadow program. It seemed probable that the casual atmosphere would provide unique opportunities for the development of close relationships between youth people and older counselor-leaders and that these relationships might be used of God in stimulating spiritual maturity.
In August of 1962 a seven-man party of explorers embarked on a survey-hike to see what part of the country around camp looked best for a pack trip program. The "expedition" hiked from camp into Maggie Lakes, then to the headwaters of the Little Kern River, then to Coyote Lakes and back to camp. The total trip covered over 50 miles. The resulting decision was that that a pack trip should be organized the next year into Maggie Lakes, taking two days to hike in, staying four days, then using two days to hike out.
In August of 1963, Lawrence Gunner Payne led the first trip with 15 high school and college youth. 1n 1964 two such trips were organized and this was the case for numerous years. Sometimes burros ere used to carry in heavier food stuffs, but always young people carried 24-45 pound packs on their backs. the round trip is approximately 30 miles, with opportunities at Maggie Lakes for swimming, hiking, fishing, relaxing, etc. Quaker Meadow bought and furnished packsacks and supplies, food and cooking gear. Campers were asked to bring sleeping bags and personal effects.
In August of 1962 a seven-man party of explorers embarked on a survey-hike to see what part of the country around camp looked best for a pack trip program. The "expedition" hiked from camp into Maggie Lakes, then to the headwaters of the Little Kern River, then to Coyote Lakes and back to camp. The total trip covered over 50 miles. The resulting decision was that that a pack trip should be organized the next year into Maggie Lakes, taking two days to hike in, staying four days, then using two days to hike out.
In August of 1963, Lawrence Gunner Payne led the first trip with 15 high school and college youth. 1n 1964 two such trips were organized and this was the case for numerous years. Sometimes burros ere used to carry in heavier food stuffs, but always young people carried 24-45 pound packs on their backs. the round trip is approximately 30 miles, with opportunities at Maggie Lakes for swimming, hiking, fishing, relaxing, etc. Quaker Meadow bought and furnished packsacks and supplies, food and cooking gear. Campers were asked to bring sleeping bags and personal effects.
From the booklet Quaker Meadow, 1939-1975
Friday, August 8, 2008
Art of the Prank
Every year we have students that think they can come up with the best pranks, but most of the time these pranks don't work. Every so often someone does an amazing prank that is worthy of enlisting it into the Prank Hall of Fame.
Now I am not a love of pranks, really I hate them! The best and the worst prank is always answered with another prank, the retaliation prank. These retaliation pranks are even worse than the original pranks. When the dust finally settles, there is always someone whose feelings have gotten hurt.
So I cautiously submit to you a post by Phil Williams who worked at QM as a groundsman and camp assistant manager from 1988-1993. I do not endorse any of the pranks listed and warn everyone reading this not to try these at home or at camp.
Jell-O water balloons:
Smart & Final ketchup & mustard used to come in 1-gallon pump containers. I kept the empty containers, rinsed them out, and filled them with water. This allowed the groundsmen to pump water into water balloons in remote locations where there was no faucet or hose. We then used a water balloon launcher to launch water balloons long-distance at kitchen gals that were on break, couples that were making out, etc. One day I made up a batch of Jell-O, poured the hot mixture into a ketchup pump, pumped the mixture into water balloons, and let them set on a high shelf in the walk-in fridge for a few hours where nobody would notice them. Later on we had Jell-O- filled water balloons to use in the launcher. Our laundress was not too happy, as Jell-O stains don't come out of clothes very easily.
Toilet gelatin:
Late at night while on bear patrol, I made a couple gallons of clear Knox gelatin and hauled the mixture (still warm, not set) to the camper bathrooms. I turned off the water supply, flushed, poured the gelatin mix into each bowl to fill up to the proper water level, then turned the water supply back on. It was cold enough that the gelatin set up overnight. I had enough to do this in the girls bathroom, but not the boys. The next morning, things were a mess. At the time, we had to do bear patrol the night before our day off, so I was sleeping in and didn't have to do johnny run. Best of all was that since only the girls' bathrooms were full of gelatin, everyone assumed that the boy campers pulled the prank.
Squirting toilets:
We had a copy of "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader" in the guy's bathroom in Lewis Lodge. The book had a little nugget of trivia that said that most people flush the toilet while still sitting on it. We wanted to test the theory. So while on johnny run, we took the toilet tank lid off of each toilet tank and unclipped the bowl fill hose from the top of the tank fill pipe. We propped the hose over the edge of the toilet tank, just to the side of the lid. Then we replaced the toilet tank lid. If somebody flushed the toilet while still sitting on it, the bowl fill hose would squirt them on the back, just below the shoulder. This is a great trick to try at your next family gathering (best if it's at somebody else's house).
Blue shower water:
One summer, McDonald's was giving out water conservation kits, and I picked up several for use at QM. Each kit had a low flow/high pressure shower head, a screw-on faucet aerator, a water displacement bag for toilet tanks, a pamphlet about water conservation, and a couple blue dye tablets to detect leakage in toilets (put the tablets into the tank, if you see blue in the bowl, the valve is leaking and wasting water). We put the new shower heads into the showers in Lewis Lodge and Ruby's to save water. One day we put the dye tablets into the shower heads on the girl's floor of Lewis Lodge. A couple of kitchen gals that took showers during the afternoon break came in for dinner duty a little bit blue.
Now I am not a love of pranks, really I hate them! The best and the worst prank is always answered with another prank, the retaliation prank. These retaliation pranks are even worse than the original pranks. When the dust finally settles, there is always someone whose feelings have gotten hurt.
So I cautiously submit to you a post by Phil Williams who worked at QM as a groundsman and camp assistant manager from 1988-1993. I do not endorse any of the pranks listed and warn everyone reading this not to try these at home or at camp.
Jell-O water balloons:
Smart & Final ketchup & mustard used to come in 1-gallon pump containers. I kept the empty containers, rinsed them out, and filled them with water. This allowed the groundsmen to pump water into water balloons in remote locations where there was no faucet or hose. We then used a water balloon launcher to launch water balloons long-distance at kitchen gals that were on break, couples that were making out, etc. One day I made up a batch of Jell-O, poured the hot mixture into a ketchup pump, pumped the mixture into water balloons, and let them set on a high shelf in the walk-in fridge for a few hours where nobody would notice them. Later on we had Jell-O- filled water balloons to use in the launcher. Our laundress was not too happy, as Jell-O stains don't come out of clothes very easily.
Toilet gelatin:
Late at night while on bear patrol, I made a couple gallons of clear Knox gelatin and hauled the mixture (still warm, not set) to the camper bathrooms. I turned off the water supply, flushed, poured the gelatin mix into each bowl to fill up to the proper water level, then turned the water supply back on. It was cold enough that the gelatin set up overnight. I had enough to do this in the girls bathroom, but not the boys. The next morning, things were a mess. At the time, we had to do bear patrol the night before our day off, so I was sleeping in and didn't have to do johnny run. Best of all was that since only the girls' bathrooms were full of gelatin, everyone assumed that the boy campers pulled the prank.
Squirting toilets:
We had a copy of "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader" in the guy's bathroom in Lewis Lodge. The book had a little nugget of trivia that said that most people flush the toilet while still sitting on it. We wanted to test the theory. So while on johnny run, we took the toilet tank lid off of each toilet tank and unclipped the bowl fill hose from the top of the tank fill pipe. We propped the hose over the edge of the toilet tank, just to the side of the lid. Then we replaced the toilet tank lid. If somebody flushed the toilet while still sitting on it, the bowl fill hose would squirt them on the back, just below the shoulder. This is a great trick to try at your next family gathering (best if it's at somebody else's house).
Blue shower water:
One summer, McDonald's was giving out water conservation kits, and I picked up several for use at QM. Each kit had a low flow/high pressure shower head, a screw-on faucet aerator, a water displacement bag for toilet tanks, a pamphlet about water conservation, and a couple blue dye tablets to detect leakage in toilets (put the tablets into the tank, if you see blue in the bowl, the valve is leaking and wasting water). We put the new shower heads into the showers in Lewis Lodge and Ruby's to save water. One day we put the dye tablets into the shower heads on the girl's floor of Lewis Lodge. A couple of kitchen gals that took showers during the afternoon break came in for dinner duty a little bit blue.
Phil Williams
Former Quaker Meadow Staff
Groundsman & Assistant Manager 1988-1993
Monday, August 4, 2008
Camp Evaluations
At each camp we ask for an honest appraisal from the campers on how well Quaker Meadow met their spiritual and physical needs.
✔ We want to know how the food tastes; we never want to be known as serving “camp food.” We have pulled many menu items because the campers were overwhelmingly unhappy with a meal, oatmeal is history!
✔ We want to know about the cabins. One of our plans for 2009 is to get cabins 3 and 4 up to the standards that cabins 1 and 2 are currently.
✔ We want to know if our staff was helpful and courteous.
But the most important piece of information we pull from the evaluations is, “Did God use Quaker Meadow to bring you closer to Him?” The next couple posts will be some of the comments we received.
From Nazarene High School Camp:
I was able to get away and come to a Christian environment with a lot of great friends.
I just felt myself drawing closer to God more and more each day. I could feel His presence more than ever. Best of all I found peers that I could talk to, pray with and bond.
I felt like He was always in the same room with us. I loved worship. It was amazing.
He kind of spoke to me in a way and told me to chill for a bit. Like, He helped me calm down with bad things.
It helped me follow the path of righteousness.
The worship just made me give my full attention to God and it lifted everything off my shoulders. I felt wonderful.
He made me even more confused, for the better.
Being up here away from everything. Being real, sharing with our youth group as one without anything else going on around.
This was my first senior high camp with my youth group. It brought me much closer to the Lord and to them. What a great experience! Now I need some sleep!
I felt empty for so long and worthless. But God let me know that I am everything in His eyes and that He will always love me.
I had fallen so far away from Him and it was good to come back and get away.
The environment is really nice and you have serenity as well as bonding experiences. It is nice to get away and focus on God.
Camp always helps me to push my troubles away and give my full attention to God.
God taught me that He will always be there, even in the hardest times and He is always listening, you just have to be patient for His answer.
I feel that I have become closer to Him, which is great because for the longest time my mind been everywhere else. It feels great to be back in Christ Jesus.
I experienced family, love and laughter. I learned more about myself and learned how to be who I am, not what people want me to be.
I’ve been going through a lot recently and being up here God spoke to me and let me know I am not alone and I’m going to get through it.
The worship really got me closer to God. I felt really connected through it. Plus, being in the mountains and seeing all His creation is great.
The surrounding nature and peaceful atmosphere calmed my mind and I was able to concentrate on the now and on God.
I am learning to let go and move on.
I feel that He wants me to more active in my community and help with poverty in any little difference that I can.
I realized how selfish I really was and I need to do more to help others.
Before this week I had been doing stuff God wouldn’t have wanted me to do and through this my eyes were opened.
Camp is a great place to worship God, this camp and the staff is awesome!
I have just started going to church and this experience will change my life forever. I feel like a better person and want to do more to help.
I really felt a call to music and ministry through the band! Also, I renewed my relationship with Christ!
I learned to trust God with all my heart. I worry too much about everything. I just need to give my worries to Gog and have faith.
Felt a renewed passion in my life to serve Christ.
It’s an amazing place to get away from the chaos of everyday life and it gives you a chance to slow down and listen to God.
3 years ago God called me into ministry at this camp. Every day I spend in this place God draws me to Him. Being both a camper and a counselor for 3 years I really see God moving in the hearts of everyone who comes to this place.
Finally written on the back of one evaluation:
I started coming to church a month ago not knowing what God had in store for me. Church brought me closer to my family. I feel that God brought me to Quaker Meadow so I can change my life around. Now when I leave here I will not be doing the things that I was doing before I came to Quaker Meadow. I just wanted to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to come and realize that the life I was living was not a very good life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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