Hankins Tales: Summer Camps Face the Pandemic

(Originally posted to social media on February 17, 2021)

Boy Scout Camps across the country are facing the daunting task of trying to salvage something out of this upcoming season. Some of them attempted to open last year only to shut down due to State restrictions. There are so many uncertainties tied into this decision and it is complicated by the fact that the planning phase should have already started. Staff should already be hired and being trained. Facilities that have been dormant for a long period will need to be updated and ready for use.

I wish them luck. Some Councils are going to offer a shorter season and greatly reduced numbers. The other good news is that most kids and adults are well acclimated to the protocol of wearing masks, and distance, etc. But there will be some serious challenges. Many councils cannot afford to lose another year in revenue. There are bills to pay and a reduced user base at this point.

The pandemic is far from over and as we study new variants popping up new questions also come into play. Nobody is going to send a kid to camp if there is a real danger that they could get sick on any level. The loss of one or two critical staffers could cripple the entire operation. Each individual state has its own guidelines in place. This is not just an issue for Boy Scout camps but for Church camps and YMCA and private camps all over the country. Yes, a lot of people are being immunized but COVID will still be an issue into most of next year. There are a lot of people who will not get the vaccine because they do not believe in the science or any science for that matter. Call them antivaccers, or flat earthers or just plain stupid but the issue is not going away as long as there are still plenty of victims for the virus to feast on. We still do not know how long the shot will be effective. That remains to be seen.

Just like the various school systems across the country, everyone wants them to open but they also want kids and staff to be safe. It is simply going to take some time, we are heading in the right direction.

With permission of the author, these stories by noted scouter and storyteller John Hankins are featured here at Natahwop.Org. He shares these as part of the history and lore of Camp Powhatan, Camp Ottari, and the High Knoll Trail, where he spent many years of his youth. John has an incomperable first-hand knowledge of this scout reservation, as he blazed most of the original trails for High Knoll, and has hiked the rest of them several times over.

John Hankins grew up in Troop 50 (Woodlawn United Methodist Church) in Roanoke, VA. He attended Camp Powhatan as a young scout, then worked at Philmont Ranch as a ranger. He returned to the reservation to serve on camp staff from 1968 to 1978. He was a legendary naturalist who could interpret the outdoors unlike any other. As a teacher, John often relied on the element of excitement to get his point across. His weekly lectures at the nature lodge, for example, introduced scouts to either a live rattlesnake or copperhead – usually dangling on a stick within a few feet of the front row.

John and several others first envisioned the now-legendary High Knoll trail system. They took it to council leadership for prospective funding, where the idea gained several key advocates (but no funding). John recalls how – in those days – they couldn’t pay the staff with money, so they gave them patches. The High Knoll Trail would go on to become one of the best outdoor programs in the country.

John applied in 1979 for the open job of Camp Ranger, but the council said he needed more experience in that post. With his rejection letter in hand, he was immediately hired by Camp Chickohominy, and then by Camp Brady Saunders where he served for 33 years as Camp Ranger. John moved with his wife, Cheri, to West Virginia where they enjoyed the spoils of retirement: grandchildren, travel, and the great outdoors. As of 2024, they are living on the outskirts of Richmond where they can be closer to family.

(“Hankins Tales” are shared here by permission of the author. Each story is copyrighted by John Hankins, and may not be reproduced in any form without his express written permission.)

The Natahwop

Hankins Tales: Summer Camps Face the Pandemic

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