Camp Timbercrest

This is not an official, authorized website for Camp Timbercrest.   This is a creation of former camper and camp counselor - known as ’Nnifer, also known as Turtle, also known as Jennifer Schlick.  If there are mistakes in here, they are mine and mine alone.  I’d love to hear from you about them so I can correct them.

When I was a kid, my dad’s busiest work time was summer. That meant we didn’t go on family vacations. As a compensation, and as alternative to just ramming around the neighborhood, my parents would send me and my brother & sister to residence camp for a couple of weeks each summer. My brother went to YMCA Camp Onyahsa up on Lake Chautauqua. Being Girl Scouts, my sister and I went to Girl Scout Camp Timbercrest.

My years in the late 60s and early 70s at Timbercrest were formative to be sure. Not only was my passion for nature solidified, my outdoor skills as well as my leadership skills grew and deepened with each year at camp. I learned the names of flowers and trees. I learned how to paddle a canoe and row a boat. I learned how to stake out my tent to keep me and my gear dry when high winds accompanied the rain. I learned how to live in community with other girls in a fair, democratic way. I learned how to be safe in the woods. I learned how to light a campfire - with one match. I learned how to cook for myself, and to try new things. I learned that many hands make light work and that distasteful jobs can be fun when done with friends. And of course I learned endless silly camp songs.

For whatever reasons (higher paying jobs? boyfriend?), I never followed my camper years with counselor years and I regretted it. When I was in my late twenties and about to get married, I decided that I had better get back down to Timbercrest as a counselor or I would never be able to live with myself. So in the late 80s, it was back to camp for me. It was only one summer, but it was soooo great. I made friendships that continue to this day. We even get together for family weekend/reunions. Where? At Timbercrest, of course!

As soon as my own daughters were old enough, I enrolled them in Girl Scouts and “forced” them to go to camp. (It didn’t take any forcing, by the way! They seem to love it as much as I did.) This year (2007) Emily is a Junior Counselor and Maddie is a CIT - Counselor in Training.

At any rate, this blog is my labor of love for a place that feels more like home than about any other place on the planet.  I hope you enjoy it.

If you are a former camper or staff member and want to become a contributor, please let me know!  I’m not going to write my email out, because I don’t want to become the target of (even more) spam.  But, my name is Jennifer Schlick and you can construct my email address by smashing my first and last name together, adding that funny @ symbol, then typing excite.com.  (Or just leave a reply below!)