A Special Place Having been a part of the Boy Scout program for over sixty years I have long know that it was my involvement in camping that was the most special to me. Some time ago I had the opportunity to write a small booklet while serving as a National Park Service Ranger in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. You might know that this was the former home of five Boy Scout Camps including Cowaw and Pahaquarra. I stated in that work that Scout camp was the place where boys became men, and men returned to become boys once again. It would seem that if you are exploring this site, you too feel that way. For most of us to be immersed in a total Scouting environment for at least a week each summer was a most rewarding experience. For some of us the epitome of the world of Scouting was to be part of the camp staff. Here you not only lived Scouting for the full summer, but you were placed in a position of trust and leadership far beyond that which could have been found in any other situation. Due to the rather tight budgets and somewhat primitive settings, you learned to improvise and create the tools you needed to do your work. Here you earned the respect of those campers you were responsible for and here you made friendships that only grew stronger as the years past by. Since the Order of the Arrow was so deeply intertwined with camp you had a chance to fully understand the concept of Cheerful Service to one's fellow man. Camp was indeed a most special place and in the inner depths of our hearts and souls it still is. Al Zusman For more information, stories and photos of camping on the Old Mine Road based on Camp Cowaw, please check out the Camp Cowaw Alumni Reunion site at: Camp Cowaw Reunion. Camp Cowaw History |