One of my favorite moments of this past summer was the chance to visit Yawgoog Scout Reservation with an old friend and former Boy Scout.
I spent many of my summers at Yawgoog as a boy, and they were some of the best days of my life. I have asked when if I were to ever die (which is unlikely), I would like my ashes spread on Yawgoog Pond after a memorial service at Yawgoog’s Chapel in the Pines, the only church where I have ever felt truly welcome and happy.
Walking the campgrounds with Danny brought back more memories than I could ever imagine, and every one of those memories made me smile. There was never a bad day at Yawgoog.
Never a moment when I was less than overjoyed with the location and the people around me.
Actually, showering at camp was always a little disturbing. Every shower at camp is inexplicably placed adjacent to a dumpster, making the experience less than refreshing.
Yawgoog has continued to live in my heart long after my days as a boy came to an end. I can still sing the songs from all three campgrounds, still know the reservation like the back of my hand, and can still recount so many of the adventures that I had during those long summer days.
Ten years ago I returned to Yawgoog for two summers as a Scoutmaster for a local Boy Scout troop, but when that troop folded, my days at Yawgoog came to an end once again.
I’m thrilled about the prospect of taking my son to Yawgoog someday and determined to find a way to make the opportunity available to my daughter as well. During our visit, Danny and I saw a handful of girls at camp as part of Venturing, a youth development program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women who are 14 years of age.
It’s not the same as the Boy Scouts, but it’s a start. And it will permit her access to Yawgoog during the summer if she is interested.
She will be interested.
