Thursday, August 19, 2010 by Eugene.

It’s been a long time since I first went to camp on Catalina Island. The year was 1979, and I was 12 years old. It was my first visit to the island, and I remember most things very well. For example, I rode over on the Catalina King, then operated by the now defunct Catalina Cruises. The King still serves the camp (including ours), but is now operated by Catalina “Classic” Cruises. To think that “state-of-the-art” ferry transportation in the 1970’s that replaced the steamship SS Catalina is now considered “classic” (and the “slow” boat to the island!) I remember looking over the side as we pulled into the Isthmus and seeing the bottom! It was my first look at crystal clear Southern California ocean water. I noticed the bright orange fish, Garabaldi, and the golden brown sea weed I later learned was giant kelp. After getting off the boat, our gear was loaded on a flatbed truck and we hiked the distance from the little settlement of Two Harbors to the Cherry Valley Scout Reservation at Cherry Cove—a trek of nearly 3 miles. The views from the winding road were beautiful, and I remember every step. I felt as though I was one of the first to discover the island, and I pitied my family and friends for not being able to join me. I was on the adventure of a lifetime!

That week in 1979, I learned how to fish, sail, row a canoe, dive for painted rocks that I was told was “treasure,” and of the rewards of having lousy poker players as tent-mates. We even took a war canoe out for an overnight camping trip on a remote beach. The canoe tipped over that night on our way to the camping site, and the older boys began humming the theme from “Jaws.” Remember…I was 12 years old, and that movie had just recently been released. We were terrified, but it was all part of the adventure!

The last couple of weeks of our own “Camp Castaway” has reminded me of that adventure 31 years ago at Cherry Valley. I think, in many ways, I drew from my own experience as a camper in suggesting a few of the activities to Anna, our program manager. I was very pleased to see that some things are timeless, and kids still enjoy many of the same types of activities, challenges and learning opportunities we enjoyed a generation earlier.

During the Camp Castaway week, I got a visit from Jan B. Olson. He’s an aircraft product engineer  from Playa del Rey. He is an older gentleman in his 70’s, and he loves the island, visiting often on his very nice 45′ sailboat. He asked if he could look around, and I asked him what interested him about Whites Landing. He told me he had been a camper at Whites as part of a YMCA program in 1948—31 years prior to my own Catalina experience! I offered to show him around in the camp’s golf cart, and we were off. He shared with me some of his childhood memories of Whites and allowed me to photocopy two postcards from his stay here 62 years ago (partly shown here). It was amazing to me how consistent his story is with mine—and with those of our current “Camp Castaway” campers. It seems that Santa Catalina has something to offer every generation of campers, and it is always something that kids remember for a lifetime, taking their memories and experiences fondly into adulthood.

[Jan’s postcard from 1948 showing Whites Landing from the eastern ridge.]

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010 by Eugene.

Not everything is fun and games at Camp Castaway. Before kayaking to their camping spot at Italian Gardens (a beach a short distance west of Long Point), the teen Castaways made an attempt to learn the fading art of triangulation, a necessary tool of the marine navigator prior to the common use of GPS units. We worked with our teens (and counselors) throughout the morning, showing them a chart of the local area, teaching them how to read landmarks, depth and the “compass rose.” After making their own sounding lines using 40 fathoms of butcher’s twine and 12 oz. fishing sinkers, they set off on kayaks to practice getting compass bearings on landmarks in order to triangulate their position, following a heading and determining the depth in an attempt to get a position fix. Because there was a lot of “math” involved, it wasn’t the most popular workshop of the week, but I believe a little understanding in how things work related to “fun” can be just as rewarding.

If you don’t know what a “fix” is, where one might find a “compass rose,” or the purpose of a “sounding line,” just ask any of them! They may surprise you (and themselves!)

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010 by Robin White.

Searching the tide pools for new creatures.

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