Camp Timanous

Camp Timanous is a historic boys' summer camp in the United States. It offers a traditional program of land and water activities, aimed at developing athletically, spiritually, and mentally balanced campers.

History

Timanous was founded in 1887 in Connecticut by American physical fitness educator Luther Halsey Gulick (1865–1918), who also founded the Camp Fire Girls in 1910. The name "Timanous" derives from the Indian name Gulick was known by, allegedly meaning "Guiding Spirit." In 1907, Gulick founded a sister camp, Wohelo, which Timanous interacts with through dances, swim-meets and various races. In 1920, Gulick moved the boys' camp to the current Raymond site.

John (Johnny) and Martha (Marti) Suitor purchased the camp from the Gulick family and began operating it in 1942. In the early 1980s, Johnny and Marti's two sons, Jack and David, became directors. Camp Timanous is currently owned and operated by David and Linda Suitor, who became active directors in 1983.

Staff, campers, and counselors have a very high return rate. In 2006, 93% of the 50 counseling staff were former campers, averaging over 10 years at camp (12 were teachers). Many alumni feel a close bond with any person involved in the Timanous and Wohelo community.

Facilities and campus

Intended for boys aged 7 to 15, the summer is divided into two three-and-a-half week long sessions, and many campers choose to attend both. It is located on 180 acres (0.73 km²) of land abutting Panther Pond in Raymond, Maine.

Bunkline

Campers live in either one of the 10 wooden cabins (otherwise known as bunks), a large tent or a waterside structure called "The Nest." There is no electricity or running water in any of the cabins; standard plumbing equipped outhouses ("castles") are spread along the bunkline. Campers are grouped by age. These groups, by increasing age, are: Mallards, Eagles, Hawks, Crogles (a mixture of Crows and Eagles), Herons, Falcons, Loons, Ravens, Cardinals, and Crows. Each age group (other than the Crows) inhabits one of the aforementioned log cabins. The Crogles' and Herons' cabins are the largest, with both having two stories respectively. The Crows share three separate structures: a main cabin, a large tent, and the Crows Nest (a stilted bunk 10 feet (3.0 m) off the ground). One wall in the nest is partially open to allow direct access to a water slide, and the underside of the nest contains a hammock and seating space.

Buildings

Aside from the cabins, additional buildings include: the Barn, the camp's mess hall; Timanous Hall, a wooden-cabin facility built in 1954 that serves as a bad weather movie retreat and camp-wide gathering location; a number of residential cabins for the camp's owners, administrative staff, and directors; and the Office, which is responsible for much of the camp's day-to-day operations and routine administration (aside from the owners' and program directors' responsibilities).

Activities

Twice in a typical day, campers have an hour of instructional and recreational activity; options include baseball, tennis, soccer, running, sailing, canoeing and boating, water skiing, handicrafts, woodshop, riflery, climbing wall and archery.

Each day — usually twice a day — the campers swim in Panther Pond. The morning hour-long session is dedicated to instruction while the afternoon hour is intended as recreational "free swim." The instruction follows Red Cross guidelines, grouping campers by ability and experience in 6 swimming levels. Most of the staff are trained as lifeguards.

Events

Camp Timanous offers a variety of camping trips throughout Maine and New Hampshire. Every cabin goes on one cabin camping trip per summer, ranging from one to three days, and optional sign-up trips are available to the eldest five cabins. These trips usually consist of hiking or canoeing, but occasionally include rafting, biking, backpacking and kayaking.

Several times during the summer, the regular schedule is suspended for popular camp-wide games of capture-the-flag. Campers and counselors are divided into two teams, green and grey. Each camper's association with a team color is permanent, and each new arrival to Timanous with alumni relatives is automatically assigned to the relatives' former team.

During the first session, Timanous always holds a relay race called the "Timanous Relays," when nearby camps come to Timanous' dock and compete in various water-related relay races.

On the 4th of July, the entire camp engages in the construction of a bonfire. A wood-pile is built to approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter and 15 feet (4.6 m) in height, and is lit by the youngest boy in camp with a gasoline soaked broom. It is part of the annual, camp-wide celebration of the American Independence Day, and is often attended by Timanous alumni.

Twice a summer, Timanous and Wohelo have a "brother-sister day," during which Wohelo girls and Timanous boys with siblings at the opposite camp will spend a couple of hours together.

Council Fire

Council Fire follows every Sunday dinner. The entire camp congregates at specific site to recognize the achievements of the past week, including awards earned and good deeds done. This tradition dates back to the earliest summers at Timanous.

Chapel

Six times a summer, on Sunday mornings, the entire camp gathers for Chapel, a brief service of reflection and consideration that offers time for quiet thought punctuated by both traditional and contemporary songs. Each week, Chapel is led by a different head counselor, who composes a brief sermon and selects the music. Popular songs have included Amazing Grace, This Land Is Your Land, Puff the Magic Dragon, and Let It Be.

"The Salutation of the Dawn" is recited at each chapel.

Look to this day:

For it is life, the very life of life.

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.

The bliss of growth,

The glory of action,

The splendour of beauty.

For yesterday is but a dream

And tomorrow is only a vision;

But today well-lived

Makes every yesterday

A dream of happiness

And every tomorrow

A vision of hope.

Look well therefore to this day;

Such is the salutation of the dawn!

On the third Sunday of each summer, in lieu of chapel, all Timanous campers and staff visit Wohelo for an inter-camp gathering and service in remembrance, recognition and appreciation of the lives of their mutual founders, Luther Halsey and his wife, Charlotte Vetter Gulick. The event largely consists of songs, speeches, and various other festivities, and the "service" is followed by a lunch of Wohelo's delicious "Aussie's BBQ Chicken." This event often serves as an informal alumni reunion for past Timanous and Wohelo campers and counselors.

Watersports Day

On the morning of the final day of the summer, the camp is again split into the two green and gray teams and the campers participate in Watersports Day. Watersports Day is a final competition between the two colors, with events including war canoe, kayak and swim races. The day is intended as both a capstone for the summer's friendly competition between the teams, as well as a demonstration for parents and friends of the hard work and accomplishments of each boy.

Banquet

The final night of the summer is known as Banquet, a dinner for the campers and their families, followed by a ceremonial gathering. The order of events roughly follows that of Council Fire, however instead of weekly accomplishments, boys are recognized for and receive their awards for the entire summer in the categories of Water Honors, Land Honors, Riflery, Archery, and Sailing.

The Voyagers Club then has a final meeting and induction of new members, and eight activity medals are awarded to individual campers for excellence in particular activities, including Riflery, Archery, Sailing, Woodshop, Baseball, Swimming, Tennis and Campcraft. Members of the camp who have achieved 10 years or more (subsequently recognizing 5 year increments) receive medals of appreciation. The last event of the evening is the unveiling of the annual Hall of Fame.

Culture

Timanous "T" logo

The commitment to body, mind, and spirit remains best identified with the Timanous "T", a triangular emblem. Each corner of the triangle represents one of the three ideals that Camp Timanous is based around.

While recent years have updated and diversified the camper uniform, the basic elements have been maintained since the early 20th century. Typically, campers wear grey t-shirts or sweatshirts with the Timanous emblem emblazoned, and either Timanous green or grey shorts, sweatpants or blue jeans. Counselors wear green Timanous polo shirts and khaki shorts.

The Timanous colors, green and grey, are on the uniforms and also represent the two teams that the entire camp is split into for occasional camp-wide activities, including capture-the-flag.

Awards and recognition

Campers are eligible to earn awards and honors in many of the camp activities, including riflery, archery, swimming, and sailing. Campers are awarded national riflery awards created by the National Riflery Association, which include the Pro Marksman, Marksman, Marksman First Class, Sharpshooter, Bar One through Bar Nine, Expert, and Distinguished Expert. Swim levels (ranging from one to six) are also awarded based on the Red Cross' "Learn to Swim" program. Sailing and archery awards, however, are original to camp, with the sailing awards being the Crew Rating, Crew Award, Skipper, and Timanous Skipper and the archery awards being the Little John (which is only available to the youngest two cabins in camp), Bowman, Bowman First Class, Junior Archer, Archer, Timanous Archer, and Timanous Huntsman.

The "land honors" are a special set of awards. These awards require achievements in a variety of land skills and activities, including riflery, baseball, soccer, tennis, woodshop, campcraft and more. There are three land honors: Jester (attainable by nearly every boy), Wizard (more difficult), and Czar (very challenging). "Water honors" require achievements in swimming, sailing, canoeing and boating, and water skiing. The "water honors" parallel the "land honors": Jester, Wizard, and Neptune.

Camp Timanous has two camper-run clubs: Woodsmen and Voyagers. The Woodsmen club recognizes all-around good citizenship, while the Voyager club recognizes leadership, responsibility, and loyalty.

Timanous campers and counselors elect campers to honors such as "Greatest Improvement," "Best-All-Around Athlete," and "Most Helpful" every summer. The highest honor at Camp Timanous is recognition as the "Best All-Around Camper." These are similar to yearbook superlatives.

Notable alumni

• Peter Gammons, sports writer and ESPN personality
• Porter J. Goss, former Director of the CIA
• Luther H. Gulick, camping, basketball, volleyball and physical education innovator
• Mark Herzlich, college football All-American
• Karl N. Llewellyn, scholar and proponent of American legal realism

External links

• Timanous' website
• Maine Youth Camping Association