User:Mhgarad/sandbox

Sheepscot Camp- Boys summer camp of the 1950's & early 1960's located by a sandy cove on Sheepscot Lake at Palermo,Maine.Up to 20 boys only from the Boston, Ma. area attended for up to 8 weeks of July and August.The main activities were canoeing and hiking trips away from the camp in various parts of Maine.Preparation for the 2 to 10 day trips were the principal daily activities.

An average day's activities included swimming in the lake usually morning & afternoon,participation in the camp logistics[cleaning the bunkhouses,raking the beach,toilet cleaning,trash burning]after breakfast,lessons in woodsmens' skills[axemanship,campfire building,canoeing]plus learning about nature to identify birds and trees.Other activities were riflery,archery and volleyball games.

A rest period after lunch was mandatory although those that earned demerits for various rule violations were required to work them off during the rest break.

Another activity in the first years of the camp was to cut down pine trees and preparing the logs for a cabin that was eventually used as a small 4 boy bunkhouse.The logs were notched and fit together as a traditional "log cabin".

The main camp buildings were a lakeside dining hall,a bunkhouse and the above mentioned log cabin.Other facilities were a running toilet house,refrigerator storeroom and tent platform complete with the erectable tent.In its last two or three years an unfinished dining hall/activity room was built and the lakeside dining hall became the lakeside bunkhouse.[1961-1963]

Ages of the boys were from 10 to 16. The 10 to 12 year olds were called "The Woodsmen" and the 13 to 16 year olds were called "The Pioneers".

The Woodsmen started the summer by hiking by the country roads in to the town of Palermo 6 miles away from the camp.At Howe's General Store those who wanted to fish would purchase a Maine Fishing Licence.Others bought soft drinks or snacks.Their first overnight hike was in to Hibbert's Gore and to a campsite nearby by a pond.

Woodsmen learned to swim well enough to jump out of a canoe a quarter mile out on Sheepscot Pond and swim back to shore anyway they saw fit.This was in fact the test to be able to canoe on the pond along with a partner from then on.The first group canoe trip was to the far side of Sheepscot Pond to the iron bridge that crossed a tributary.The underside of the bridge had huge spiders and spider webs.This fact would scare the newcomers to death as related to them by repeat camp boys.In reality no body came close to the webs. Eventually canoe trips of 3 or 4 days were done including Cobbboseecontee Lake and Damariscotta River.The latter included both fresh and sea water parts of the river.The last night's stay was at Fort Island near Newcastle before being picked up on the mainland.

The Pioneers were sent on week or more canoe trips to Penobscot, Machias or Alagash Rivers.Both they and the Woodsman would travel for a 10 day trip in the last 2 weeks of camp in Baxter State Park.Both groups did appropriate hikes of Mount Katahdin and Russel Pond area.Base camp was a Roaring Brook Campground with nearby South Turner Mountain used as a first day hike.Later was backpacking to Chimney Pond Campground from where hikes up Katahdin were made in day trips.Pioneers went on to backpack to Russel Pond via Davis Hut.Woodsman would return to Roaring Brook and hike to Russel pond from there.Both groups considered Wassataquiok Lake their finest day spent in the Russel Pond area including Green Falls.