Hey, Hammock Enthusiasts!

If you’re attracted to the soft, swaying world suspended inside a cozy hammock, then you’ll be delighted to learn the origin of this awesome invention. Today, we’re doing a deep dive into the history of the hammock. While long outlived by crude beds, hammocks have still been around for a number of centuries, reaching slightly over a thousand years back. So, there’s a good amount of history to lay out…

Archeologists seem positive that hammocks saw their beginning in Central America, likely from the advanced Mayan civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula in modern-day Mexico which looks out on the Gulf of Mexico as well as the Caribbean Sea.

In its earliest days, the hammock was typically woven and fashioned out of tree bark. The tree with the best suited bark was referred to as the Hamack Tree in the Taino language—spoken by the indigenous people of the Yucatan Peninsula. They called these hanging beds ‘hamacas’.

While the Mayan’s may have invented hammocks, they weren’t the only ones to enjoy them. It’s surprising to discover that—even back in those days—trade routes among native tribes were so far-reaching as Central America to Brazil. Hammocks quickly became, not just a popular trading item, but THE thing to sleep on.

A suspended bed made good practical sense too. It prevented contact with the dirty ground and offered protection from snakes, rodents, and other dangerous or annoying animals. In those days, you wouldn’t dream of not owning a hammock. What else would you sleep on?!

Their popularity only increased and the name was solidified across the world when a certain Italian explorer Chris Columbus overheard this hanging bed referred to as a ‘hamaca’. He brought it back to show the Old World and kept the name (though it’s been modified over time).

Nowadays, we typically sleep through the night on our beds. Even so, hammocks haven’t gone away. You’ll see them randomly set up between two trees in a yard or even in the bedroom of a really cool kid.

Hammocks are magical. So, if your yard is blessed with one—go appreciate it! If not, go make friends with someone who owns one or get one for yourself! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

The response to our ‘Share Your Camp Story’ Contest at Everything Summer Camp came in at about 60 entries! We’ve been happily plugging away to share each and every one right here on the Blog! We received a handful that weren’t quite long enough to qualify for our contest, but we thought we’d at least share them on the Blog. Check out these accounts from excited campers and parents!

First is this entry from Colton S. who attended Adventurous Christians Summer Camp:

“When I went up to Adventourous Christians I learned a lot of stuff. One thing I learned was how to tell what way is north. We figured out what way was north by holding our compasses flat on the table. I also learned that when they go on trips in the boundary waters that they can only send 9 people at a time. I also learned how to tie three knots. The first knot what the slip knot, then the double figure right knot, thne the square knot. I learned that lake superior is really cold too—even in the middle of summer! I learned different ways to paddle a conoe. I also learned how to rock climb. I learned a lot of stuff at camp and those were some.”

Next up is a submission from Kris W. who wrote in to tell us about her daughter’s Girl Scouts experience!

“Campapalooza! This summer, our daughter, Trudy, started out tent camping with our Girl Scout Troop at Sam A Baker National Park where we cooked on buddy burners and over an open fire, hiked 5 miles, swam in the river at the end of the trail, and slept in tents. Then, she went to Girl Scout Camp for a week where she rode horses, canoed in a river, and swam every day. A few weeks after that, she attended Church Camp where she hiked to a cave, roller skated, swam every day, and studied the Word of God with other young people. She has had an amazing summer, and I've seen her grow into a confident and courageous tween.”

Thanks for these submissions, Colton and Kris! I’m glad you learned so much at camp! These resourceful skills are certain to come in handy in the future! And that’s great to hear about Trudy, Kris! Camp really has a way of transforming kids to express a more authentic understanding of themselves! If anybody else is interested in attending one of these camps, put some time aside and look into Adventurous Christians or look into the Girls Scouts for yourself! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hello, Camp Kids!

With the camp season kicked into full gear, perhaps you’ll come across the summer camp that you’ll be heading to in our Summer Camp Spotlight posts. Today, we’re fixing the spotlight on the northern tip of the East Coast in the heart of Vermont. There, we find the Farm & Wilderness summer camp which has been showing kids an awesome summer experience since 1939!

Farm & Wilderness Camp provides their campers with the woods and lakes and fields of central Vermont as the backdrop for a magical summer escape. Situated on more than 4,800 acres of secluded land, Farm & Wilderness gives kids entirely new and awesome experiences.

Awesome experiences and fun times are waiting for you at Farm & Wilderness. The beautiful campgrounds provide the proper Activities at Farm & Wilderness Camp include Farm Projects, Arts & Crafts, Swimming, Outdoor Living Skills, Canoeing, Carpentry, Rock Climbing, Cooking, and Music.

Campers live together in simple, wooden cabins and canvas structures tucked in the woods as well as along the lakes. The cabins are not set up with electricity in the cabins. Movies, TV, computers, and recorded music aren’t here at camp. Unplug and enjoy a new sense of freedom in entertainment among your newfound friends. Unplug and enjoy a new sense of freedom in entertainment among your newfound friends at summer camp. 

Farm & Wilderness grows some of their own food for the summer menu. They built their own cabins. And, rooted in Quaker values such as community, simplicity, peacemaking, service, and equity, Farm & Wilderness has woven these values into the fabric of their programs and communities which has created an environment where people develop a deep connection with one another and discover a more simple, rugged, and exciting style of life.

If Farm & Wilderness sounds like it’s up your alley, look into it for your next summer camp stay and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Different summer camps tend to offer a different variety of activities for you to take part in during your time spent there. However, many offer the traditional skills you think of when it comes to camp: Archery, Canoeing, High Ropes, etc. Another activity that’s offered at most every summer camp is an educational expedition known as Outdoor Skills.

Having the know-how for any number of the following skills will come in handy for the avid campers and outdoorsy folks. Check out all the cool things camp can teach you about survival in the Great Outdoors…

Sweet Home Away from Home
Choose a campsite free from natural dangers like valleys where water will collect, insect nests, and dead branches or falling rocks that may crash down in the middle of the night.

Gimme Shelter
Setting up shelter is top priority once you’ve determined your campsite. If you don’t have a tent or hammock packed along, you can always make a temporary shelter by setting large branches securely against a fallen, angled tree. You’ll want to lay debris down to sleep on as well.

To Build a Fire
Creating a pit for your fire is the first step. Then, place your smallest pieces of dry wood on the bottom and lay your firewood on top around the small twigs and other kindling (note: pine cones and tree sap makes great kindling). Keep your fire to a manageable size as you continue to add firewood. And never leave your fire unattended! For further fire safety check out this older Blog post. 

Knowing Where You’re Going
Nature provides! When you have no other resources, you can always use the sky to find your way. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west no matter where you are on the Earth. This will always give you a decent idea of what direction you’re heading in.  

Nightly Navigating
I said you can always use the sky. So what about when the sun has set? If you can find Polaris—the North Star—(on the end of the Little Dipper’s handle). The North Star never moves, so face Polaris and you’re facing true north.

Get the experience and understanding for these invaluable skills that will surely make it possible for you to survive in the wilderness. Have fun learning from your own involvement at summer camp and enjoy basking in your accomplishment when it’s all said and done! As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Folks around The Office!

I posted about this funnyman, B.J. Novak a handful of years ago when this Blog was still just a few years old. He not only acted on the show, but was one of the extremely talented writers as well as an executive producer for the very successful TV show, The Office, which ran from 2005 to 2013. Since I posted about this guy so long ago, I thought we could revisit B.J. to get to know him a little bit better.

In the previous post, I discussed how he attended Camp Ramah and then covered a series of moments in his life throughout his acting career. Today, however, I want to go real deep so we can attempt to really get to understand who Mr. Novak is at his most core level, not as a writer/actor/wunderkind, but as a human being:

First to the Show

The first to be cast, B.J. beat everyone to the punch. Greg Daniels, show producer, hired B.J. before any other cast member. But he wasn’t hired just for acting, he was hired to write for the show as well. He would come to be joined by other writer-performers on the show: Mindy Kaling who played Kelly, Paul Lieberstein who played Toby, and Michael Schur who played Dwight’s cousin Mose.

Just as the character he portrayed on The Office was romantically involved with the character played by Mindy Kaling, B.J. too was romantically involved with Mindy Kaling herself. The two met when they were both hired on as writer-performers for the show and through developing the show, their relationship blossomed.

During his eight years writing for The Office, B.J. started having a bunch of story ideas that didn’t fit into the environment of the show, really. He jotted the ideas down anyway and when The Office came to an end, he looked through a bunch of notebooks and decided to put these ideas down as short stories in a collection that he’s recently released! It’s called ‘One More Thing’ and includes a story about summer camp!

Just 40 years old with a hit comedy series and a collection of short fiction under his belt, B.J. Novak is quite the accomplished individual. What else will we see from this former summer camper in the years to come? Check out his old summer camp by visiting Camp Ramah sometime and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John