Camp Zoe Memories
Overnight Campouts
Overnight camping trips by hiking, canoe and horseback into the surrounding "Ozark Wilderness," nature's unequaled outdoor laboratory, afford an opportunity for our campers to develop self-confidence, independence and teamwork -- the tools of life.Camp Zoe Yearbook, 1975
We ventured into the unknown for overnight campouts several times a session. Common destinations included Echo Bluff, Thompson's Hole, Counselor's Hole, and the Old Schoolhouse. Younger kids camped on the gravel bar (about 100 yards from camp). You didn't hike as far to get there, but it wasn't exactly roughing it either.
My first overnight experience was at Echo Bluff in 1975. Echo Bluff was (and still is) a huge limestone rock face worn smooth over thousands of years by the creek spring water. It was around the bend from the swimming hole; far enough to give you the feeling of being away from the hustle and bustle of camp itself. We searched for the best skipping stones.
The kitchen issued standard overnight snacks: Hershey bars, a box of graham crackers, and marshmallows. Before you made "smores", you fashioned a marshmallow stick. Most boys at Camp Zoe carried a pocket knife. My first summer there, I had a souvenir pocket knife from Scottsdale, Arizona. It had a fork and spoon attached in addition to the main blade. I was very keen on it until it got wet and rusted.
Skinny dipping was a rite of passage (assuming you weren't on a co-ed overnight excursion). Sinkin' Creek was lined with natural gravel and stones and it made sense to wear your wading shoes even if you were naked. Thompson's Hole featured a small cliff for doing can-openers and cannonballs. Some guys tried this while skinny dipping (once).
Thompson's Hole featured a large gravel bar for camping and a swimming lagoon. There was plenty of wood. We cut grapevine, lit it with a hot coal and puffed on it like a cigar. I loved laying in my sleeping bag and looking up at the night sky. I saw the milky way and spotted high-flying satellites. In 1979 someone brought a short-wave receiver and we heard from Armed Forces Radio that Skylab came down in the Indian Ocean. We all breathed a faux sigh of relief and walked to the snack shack where I ordered "the usual", a suicide slush and a snickers bar.
There were plenty of opportunities for mischief on overnight trips. One of the best operations was in 1976. The 15 campers, two C.I.T.s and three counselors of Boys Cabin were at Thompson's Hole. A quarter mile upstream, the older girls (ages 14 and 15) from Cabin III camped at Counselor's Hole. The idea was simple: Scare the girls silly. Counselor Larry Eberle devised an ingenious plan. We equipped ourselves with flashlights and some contraband Black Cat firecrackers. The route of infiltration was a dirt road that ran parallel to the creek. We crept up the road and I bit my lower lip to suppress my giggling.
We stumbled upon a cabin full of skinny dipping teen age girls! On a whispered count of three, we simultaneously lit off our explosive calling card and hit the flashlights. Twenty beams of light caught a dozen older girls swimming starkers. They tried to get away. Chaos reigned. Discount store flashlights exposed CoppertoneTM tan lines. We achieved complete surprise. In the process, several eleven and twelve year old boys received a most excellent free show. We didn't wait around for their counterattack. We ran back to our campsite, laughing all the way. It was a night to remember and an episode out of "Meatballs".