Timanous

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Camp Timanous is a summer camp for boys aged 7 to 15. It is located on 180 acres of land adjoining Panther Pond in Raymond, Maine.^[1] Timanous was founded in 1907 by Luther Halsey Gulick, who had earlier founded the Camp Fire Girls and has been recognized a a leading innovator in American physical fitness and children's education; Camp Timanous and Camp Wohelo would become the special endeavors for the Gulicks, and represent long-lasting legacies of commitment to youth, education, and the outdoors. The name is derived from the Indian name Gulick chose. The camp is devoted to the ideals of body, mind, and spirit and offers a traditional program of land and water activities. The camp is owned by David and Linda Suitor.

Staff, campers, and counselors have a high return rate. The staff averages eight years of service and 70 percent were once Timanous campers themselves.^[1] Many alumni feel a close bond with any person involved in Timanous or its sister camp Wohelo.

Contents 1 Bunkline 2 Program 2.1 Activities 2.2 Swimming 2.3 Camping Trips 2.4 Special programming 2.4.1 The Fourth of July Bonfire 2.4.2 Capture-the-flag 3 Culture 3.1 Green and grey 3.2 Uniforms 3.3 Awards 3.3.1 Land honors 3.3.2 Water honors 3.4 Camper clubs 3.5 Hall of fame 3.6 Sundays 3.6.1 Council Fire 3.6.2 Chapel 4 Notable alumni 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Bunkline

Campers stay in ten wooden cabins, or bunks. There is no electricity or running water in the cabins; outhouses ("castles") are spread along the bunkline. The cabins are grouped by age. The cabins, in ascending age, are: Mallards, Eagles, Hawks, Crogles (a concatenation of Crows and Eagles, the oldest cabins), Herons, Falcons, Loons, Ravens, Cardinals, and Crows. The Crogles and Herons cabins have two stories. The Crows cabin has three separate structures: a main cabin, a large tent, and the Crows Nest, a stilted bunk 10 feet off the ground.

[edit] Program

[edit] 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, and archery.^[2]

[edit] Swimming

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. Most of the staff are trained as lifeguards.

[edit] Camping Trips

Camp Timanous offers a variety of camping trips. Every cabin goes on one cabin camping trip which ranges from one to four days, and signup-trips are available to the upper bunkline. Trips usually consist of hiking or canoeing, but they also include rafting, biking, and kayaking.

[edit] Special programming

[edit] The Fourth of July Bonfire

Lit every summer by the youngest boy in camp, the annual, camp-wide celebration of the American holiday follows a day of wood and timber gathering. The bonfire often attracts Timanous alumni.

[edit] Capture-the-flag

Several times during the summer, the regularly scheduled programming is disrupted for popular camp-wide games of capture-the-flag. Campers and counselors are divided into two teams, green and grey, all summer long.

[edit] Culture

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.

[edit] Green and grey

The Timanous colors that 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.

[edit] Uniforms

While recent years have involved updating and diversifying 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.

[edit] Awards

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.

[edit] Land honors

There are three land honors: Jester (attainable by nearly every boy), Wizard, and Czar (very challenging). These awards require achievements in a variety of land skills and activities.

[edit] Water honors

There are three water honors: Jester, Wizard, and Neptune. Water honors require achievements in swimming, sailing, canoeing and boating, and water skiing.

[edit] Camper clubs

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

[edit] Hall of fame

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.

[edit] Sundays

[edit] Council Fire

Council Fire follows Sunday dinner. The entire camp joins together, recognizing achievements of the past week, including awards earned and good deeds done. This tradition dates back to the first summers at Timanous.

[edit] Chapel

Six times a summer, on Sundays, the entire camp comes together for Chapel, a brief service of reflection and consideration that offers time for quiet thought punctuated by traditional and contemporary songs. Each week, Chapel is led by a different head counselor, who composes a brief commentary and selects the music. Well-liked 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!

[edit] Notable alumni

• Peter Gammons, noted sports writer and ESPN personality^{[citation needed]}
• Porter J. Goss, former Director of the CIA^{[citation needed]}
• Herman Schwartz, Holistic Rabbinical Scholar

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.timanous.com/about.htm
2. ^ John Richardson, "A Camping Tradition; New generations of Owners and Campers Sustain a 100-Year-Old Industry," August 11, 1996. Portland Press Herald.

[edit] External links

• Timanous' website
• Maine Youth Camping Association