The Online Journal of Blue Ridge Scouting History, Inc.
The Blue Ridge Scouting History Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in Roanoke, VA. Our mission is to collect, preserve, and present the history of Boy Scouting and Scouting America in Central and Southwestern Virginia.
(Originally posted to social media on January 25, 2023)
I got a message from Marc Arrington that his older brother Andy just passed away. He was only 67, still a young man. I remember Andy very well even after all these years. He was a fine young man from Rocky Mt. Virginia. When I was on the staff at Philmont out in New Mexico I remember a crew coming in out of the Roanoke area. At least 4 of the boys in that crew were from Rocky Mt.
They were tall, short, skinny and they were all country boys. The Crew advisor and leader was Al Croy. I was assigned to that crew since they were from my home area. We had a wild time and we became friends and ran into each other a lot at Camp Powhatan. It is very strange to note that 4 members of that crew are now dead. I did not think that I was walking that fast. I remember that the year after I got back from out west they all showed up at Powhatan with troop 30. And what is more they all took Bird Study Merit Badge just to make me crazy. They would make strange noises and brag about how they had just spotted a Pelican flying over. They saw birds that are normally only found in Guatemala but they were too fast for me to spot. I will miss Andy’s remarks on Facebook. He was a faithful follower of my stories and his comments were intelligent and well thought out. The loss of any of these young men is a loss to each of us but this one hits hard and I am sorry to hear the news.
(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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