One ingredient in the summer camp bug juice
was water from Wildcat Lake,
another was genuine bugs from under genuine
Appalachian Trail rocks, and the last was lots
and lots of sugar to help keep all those little campers
excited about being away from home for two weeks.
My first overnight camping trip was at the scout camp at Wildcat
Lake. It was a cold Friday night in January and we lugged our equipment up the
trail to the rustic open-air cabins.
Our troop leader and the older boys draped the tents across
the front and sides.
Shining our green handled right-angle flashlights into the
dark woods we scampered through the cold evening prying frozen logs from the
crusty ground.
A wet-boot detail disappeared with the Jerry jugs and
returned with the water we would need for the night.
A coffee pot and some large sauce pans were set on the open
fire to boil the lake water.
Continue reading Alas, Wildcat Lake Is Now Catfish Pond
