Camp Pine Ridge
At the age of eight in 1968 I attended a Christian summer camp called Camp Pine Ridge in Rumney, New Hampshire. I happened to be thinking about it and found that they now have a Web site, and a place for alumni to send greetings and memories. Here's the friendly message I sent:
Let's take a walk down memory lane shall we? I was a camper at Camp Pine Ridge nearly forty years ago. Besides spending most of my time unsupervised and nearly drowning in the pool, my most vivid memories are of being physically abused by the counselors.
They called it "The Stairs". A minor infraction (name calling in my case) earned you some number of runs up and down the long set of log stairs outside, next to the chapel I think it was.
I was to run as fast as I could up and down the stairs thirty times (in my case). Assisting me were two brutes at the top and bottom with broom sticks and a few evenly spaced fellows along the stairs with ping pong paddles. I think you can guess what their task was - no, not just to yell encouragement for me to run faster – my bottom was black and blue for weeks. I was crying and exhausted. And terrified, I was pleading apologies for my sin; I was sure this was a precursor to an eternity in Hell. I was eight years old.
But I got off relatively easy. Another poor boy got fifty stairs and I witnessed him falling half way down the stairs. I clearly recall his bloody knees and elbows, and pine needles sticking into his lips. Drooling, coughing, and crying, his callow eyes begged for leniency. Yet he continued to receive enthusiastic encouragement from the merciless counselors.
It was this same hapless fellow, perhaps nine years old, who I saw being publicly berated in chapel by the minister for wearing shorts on Sunday - he'd apparently run out of clean clothes. The unfortunate boy must have been staying there for multiple weeks. I thankfully got out in one.
The day before going home the alpha counselor informed us that the parents of all those who had received punishment (The Stairs) were going to be told of our transgressions. I was panic stricken and prayed vigorously for forgiveness and protection.
Of course they didn't follow through. In retrospect this was obviously a transparent attempt at inciting fear and promoting silence to conceal their actions. It was successful; I was greatly relieved that my parents didn't know, and I never told them.
What a silly, sadistic, and hateful religion you practice. Like all religion, it is man made and morally bankrupt. You understand this better than you might admit – for you are an atheist relative to all the other religions of the world – I just go one religion further.
You should be ashamed of yourselves. Though you still support the indoctrination of religion into children, they who lack the cognitive abilities to rationally evaluate the ideas you preach (a revolting practice, indeed a form of child abuse), I trust these physical abuses wouldn't fly now. But I hope you do feel an obligation to contemplate this and to seek out more information on your disgraceful history and heritage.
Posted by David (link)
19 comments
19 Comments:
Wow. Good for you for writing this. Poignant and powerfully written -- I can't help wondering if they'll write you back, or even finish reading the email.
You inspired me to look up my childhood summer camp: they do have a website, as does the fundamentalist church I attended.
There's no physical abuse in my church history but there's no doubt that the psychological abuse made for some of those shenanigans that I still have to deal with today.
I've always wanted to do something about that. There's no invitation for alumni, but maybe I'll try writing anyway.
Hi there,
I am acting on behalf of Sylvester Stein: an 87-year old master athlete still competing. I always enjoy reading your blog, even if you're a fair bit younger than Sylvester, who I usually work with! I was wondering if you'd mind linking back to our blog, "Born on Christmas Day" (http://www.pponline.co.uk/blog). He’s quite new to all this online running community, but would like to feel more involved!
Sylvester also founded the PeakPeformance (pponline.co.uk) website, which has a strong tie with your own fitness and sport interests. Do get back to me.
Best,
James
Wow ! I am now 61 years old . When I was 7 - 13 yrs I also was sent to Camp Pine Ridge. My parents had a summer place just the other side of the mountain from the camp. My father was abusive in a mental way and this was his way of making sure I didn't interupt his summer at his cabin. Sure, I remember that freezing cold pool and I remember being marched down to that outdoor bible church every Sunday morning. I also remember the trips to Baker River and the mud slinging games we would play. I think most of all I remember how the older counselers at the camp scared me. Spit on me , pushed me down , made me there joke. Terrible memories for year in and year out at that place. I tried to run away when I was 12 so I hiked over the mountain and found my parents cabin. My father was so angry and promptly took me back to camp. It seems like you were not the only one tortured at Camp Pine Ridge. Bad memnories haunt me even today from that place. I had the opportunity to revisit the camp about 10 years ago . It is nothing but a ghost camp with old rusty metal spring beds and mattress's piled high in the old cottages we slept in as youth. i was glad it was no longer functioning .
Hi, message to David and who might know, I was at that camp pine ridge and I am trying to remember the names they put on the cabins.
Hunters
Rough Riders
Settlers
Trail Blazers
Pioneers
and Rangers
I think there was one more between rough riders and settlers But I can't remember it, does anyone know?
I agree about the abuse that went on there.
I placed my comment about Camp Pineridge two years ago. I am now 63 and both parents now expired. Their summer place over the mountain is now owned by one of my low life siblings. Camp Pineridge gave me the creeps as a youth. Wouldn't be surprised if the those shacks we slept in with all the box spring mattresses piled high in the woods are haunted. I will never have a reason to visit that area of NH again. I am at least meant to feel better knowing other children besides myself were totally abused every single summer. I didn't just dream those nightmare summers.
My parents sent me to Camp Pine Ridge for a few years also. It must have been between 1972 and 1976?. Not sure why they picked the camp as neither or them were religious. My strongest memory's of the camp was the call to revelry in the morning where we all ran to the flagpole and the slowest cabin was forced to run laps around the camp. I also remember the punishment for placing your elbow on the table during meals was a lap around the dining hall with everyone chanting, and of course the freezing pool. I don't remember being physically abused by the counselors, but I was certainly very frightened of the older campers and running afoul of the many rules they had.
My best memories of the camp was the horse stables and a certain counselor who I think was called "Uncle Froggie"? Does anyone remember him?
I attended Camp Pine Ridge from 1961 until 1966. To me it was a wonderful place. I loved all of the activities. I don't remember the pool being cold. We had Mountain week, where we went hiking through the White Mountains. Olympic week where the camp was broken down into 2 teams and we competed in Olympic type events. The horseback riding was fantastic. My memories of Camp Pine Ridge are different than those I have read on this blog. Just found these because my wife and I were talking about our childhoods and I google'd Camp Pine Ridge.
To galen6499.
KYBO
Hunters
Rough Riders
Pathfinders
Trailblazers
Pioneers
across the road The Pioneers
62-67
Names that ring a bell.
Larry Adams
Mark Pryor
Val Stevens
Woody Anderson
Tal McNutt
Uncle Bunny
Girl that lived by the pool - Pickles
Wow and I thought I was the only one caring around these memories of abuse for so many years. My mom and dad sent me to camp Pineridge in Romney New Hampshire The summer of 68 I am 61 right now I remember it like it was yesterday and yes those damn stairs up and down was one time. And then after you got through running them they throw you in the salamander pond and those two guys at the bottom of the stairs would take turns giving you a double pink belly by slapping your stomach is hard as they can while you were being held down. Why didn’t anybody think this was abuse packed and I don’t know? I was in the rough riders and can remember a friend of mine they called porcupine they used to pick on him all the time. I remember at night when it’s time to go to sleep somebody would run around the camp and beat the hell out of the bottom of the the houses they said it was kangaroo rats doing it that they only came out at night. Funny I remember that shit like it was yesterday. I would love to get a coalition together of all of us that remember the bad things about camp Pineridge and maybe Sue them because I’ve had a lot of bad nightmares because of them. Anyway anybody wants to get a hold of me I live in Webster-Mass my name is Rocky Tourtellotte my phone number 774-321-4270 give me a call sometime let’s reminisce!
Also I remember some of the fun times we used to have like having Clay fights over at Clay River which was across the street from camp Pineridge anybody remember that?
Remember it well, covered in gray clay at the Baker River. We looked liked aliens when we were done. Getting hit with blobs w/ a rock in it wasn't fun, but that was part of the deal, no ones fault. We had a ball.
I'm the previous unknown, screwed up the message.
I am 79 years old now. I was a camper at Pine Ridge for a week or two in the early 1950s--I'm no longer sure which years--and then one of four kitchen boys in 1953 and 1954 who lived in a cabin across the camp ground and older then the others. We had virtually no supervision and as long as we did our job were free to do as we pleased including hitch-hiking to Plymouth and back on occasion. For the 13 and 14 year-olds we were this kind of freedom was wonderful. So it hurts me to learn what happened after I left.
The four of us arrived a week before the campers arrived, and remained a week after they left to prepare and later to put cabins to sleep, so to speak, and to work a bit in the conference grounds. I still have the "Rumney" sign the four of us "liberated" from the railroad station when we learned it going to be torn down.
I'm awfully glad I was at Pine Ridge back then because it sounds like a hell-hole now. I am saddened to learn that a place that meant so much to me has become the antithesis of what it once was.
screwed up again... Ranger Cabin was across the road
I had a crush on Tal McNutts Daughter, Marcy
I have such fond memories of pine ridge. I was there in 1968 too and I was 8 then. I remember having fun and making friends.
I was a camper in the late 1950's and experienced none of the negative treatment that is posted. I did not enjoy the family separation but other than a little homesickness, I enjoyed the experience.
I was sent there when I was 5 years old for 2 weeks in 1980. I was scared straight with all the punishments. I was treated with kid gloves because of my age (I technically wasn't old enough but my parents paid extra). My brother was 8 and I can remember how sad I was for him when my parents picked me up at the 2 week mark...and he still had 2 weeks to go.
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