Camp Androscoggin

Or "How I spent my summer vacation......."

The Heron Bunkhouse Gang, Summer 1972

The camp on Androscoggin Island, Maine

One summer, anyway. A long time ago, I had the opportunity to work at a Maine summer camp. A couple of the work conditions were a bit unusual. The camp was (at that time) located on an island in the middle of Lake Androscoggin and I had to bring my own radio gear. Unlike shoreside counselors, we basically had every other evening off, but had to take small runabouts to/from the island. It was always wet, and Maine law required at least one 360 degree red light on any boat at night. So we always had rain ponchos and coned flashlights as we hitchiked from bar to bar to girls camps and back. If you missed the last boat back to the island, you slept under a truck and waited for the first boat in the morning.

Other fun included canoe and hiking trips to Flagstaff Lake, Mount Bigelow, Sugarloaf, and the Kennebec and Sheepshead Rivers. When not on trips, the camp routine included Dippy Club (charging into the lake, naked, right after reveille. And tossing notorious sleepyheads into the drink, sometimes as they slept in their beds...), lots of athletics, crafts, song and theatre. There was no time to be bored, and the food was great.

It was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone. The new Camp Androscoggin is on the mainland now, but it's still a great place to either send your kids or work for the summer. For more info, check the Camp Androscoggin website.

On top of Mount Bigelow

On top of Sugarloaf

Timing races