MY WONDERFUL SPRUCE TREE
In August of 2013 I made a trip to the Camp Hagan property to assist the National Forest Service and the National Park Service (Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area) in a survey of the Hagan property and a search for artifacts. Ranger John and I decided to attempt to locate what had been the Hagan Council Fire Circle, which in 1967, had been surrounded by majestic, tall, healthy spruce trees. Our earlier discoveries around the property had revealed that most of the once-abundant Spruce Trees at Camp Hagan had lived out their lives and were in various stages of demise. We were not optimistic. US Forest Service Ranger John was apparently the first forest service employee to locate and document the Camp Hagan Outdoor Chapel in 2010. Since that time he had had a special interest in locating additional lingering traces of Camp Hagan with an eye to preserving found artifacts and to record the GPS coordinates.
The campfire search involved a particularly difficult and nasty trek. John and I faced massive undergrowth of abundant, thorny wild rose; helter-skelter trees of all shapes and sizes (not there years ago); thick and wide bushes reaching way above our heads; rotten logs; loamy and uneven footing punctuated by unexpected holes and gullies hidden by waist-high grasses. I believe it was this particular trek that I had physically and mentally prepared for in the weeks leading up to the trip. The remainder of the party – Polly, Michelle, and Sue – were strategically positioned surrounding a large area; ready to provide signal calls that would guide our way out again.
After a number of errant forays we finally succeeded! Upon surveying the site I was not particularly surprised to find that most of these once-stately trees had lived out their natural lives and were in the final stages of an inevitable end – a noble mission now concluded. Tall trunks lay strewn on the ground. Decayed logs accompanied by a half- century of pine needles were decomposing — preparing to nourish the next stage of Camp Hagan’s on-going transformation. A few unsteady stragglers remained precariously upright. The bottom third of these still-standing trees were completely dead; the remaining needleless and shriveled lower limbs rendered the appearance of vast cobwebs on the forest floor – the result of bright sun light peaking through what remained of our Council Fire Circle. Sparse green needles at the treetops were the sole lingering signs of life. The large pile of fallen trees in the middle of the circle precluded a search of the earth for charred remains of ancient Council Fires.
My visits to the Camp Hagan site earlier in the week had prepared me well for what to expect at the Council Fire Circle. Many tears had been shed during these solo treks. However, gradually I had come to realize that this was a good and proper progression for Camp Hagan. This was still a sacred place. I felt a special bond with the US Forest Service and US Park Service Employees to whom we had entrusted our beloved camp and who would remain custodians of this land. I was even a bit jealous of the magnificent bears that now made Camp Hagan their home, one of which I had actually seen earlier in the week! She was on a mission, crossing the road in a great hurry near where the archery targets used to be. I was so shocked – by the time I thought to grab my phone for a photo she had long since disappeared into the bushes. But I digress. John and I were preparing to head back to join the others. And then I saw it. And then I, as a child once again, remembered. And I cried one final time.
At Camp Hagan we used to play a special evening hide-and-seek game called a Counselor Hunt. The counselors would all dress in black and head for the Korn Kribbe (assembly / recreation hall) with the campers in tow. On cue the counselors were sent running off into the darkness, each heading for her secret hiding place. Ten minutes later a hoard of shrieking campers received the signal and emerged in pursuit. The goal, of course, was to find the counselors. Each counselor had an assigned “point value”, higher staff rankings (Department Heads, for example) had higher assigned points. I was never found in all the years that I played this game – even when I was worth a good many points as Head of Nature!
I had found a really wonderful spruce tree at the Council Fire Circle where I hid year after year. It was perfect! At the bottom it was like one big fat tree, but a short way up it became really easy to climb. It was like two trees connected together like a ladder. I could hug the trunk and go far, far up – like a stairway – way above the searching flashlight beams below. I was even able to sit down and rest on one of the “steps” between these two trunks. The long, lovely spruce branches and fat lower trunk made it look way too hard to climb. I was completely concealed by my Wonderful Spruce Tree! I had never shared my special hiding place with anyone – until Ranger John came along.
