(Originally posted to social media on February 8, 2021)
A bunch of the boys from Camp Powhatan and Ottari got together this weekend to have a zoom meeting. They were all members of ASRPH (American Society of Ridge Pole Hunters) and I am deeply sorry that I was not there. I do not currently have a functioning E-mail address and we were on the road anyway. It is a mixed blessing. The last time I saw some of those boys I was 21 years old and we were all in the prime of our life. Now most of us are in our late 60s and seventies and we look like we have been hit by the dump truck that we call life.
When you stare into the face of someone who used to be your best friend and you have to ask “Who in the hell are you?” That is a sad situation. I do not mean to imply that I have not aged but some of these guys have been dragged down a pretty bumpy road, for a long time. I do hope that this is not the last time that they get together. Maybe after this whole pandemic situation is resolved we can all meet up in Blacksburg or even out at camp. We will find a few ridgepoles and talk about hair loss. We can also remember those who have already gone on down that dim road out of camp. Gone but not forgotten. Thanks to Brad Roscoe and Peter Hodson for helping to set this meeting up. Maybe next time.
(Copyright by John Hankins; all rights reserved. Published here by permission of the author.)
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.)
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