Stan is Hagrid

Ever read Harry Potter? Stan is Hagrid.

Stan is the first representation of camp life that the girls see. He is the Welcome, the Gatekeeper, the Guardian Angel.

We don’t see him much during a weekend – unless there’s a problem. Then he is always there to help.

I really didn’t really get to know Stan until I began organizing large scale events at Crowell/ Hilaka. I’d come out with a planning crew to site activities and Stan was there with suggestions, advice, and the insider scoop on great little locations for treasure hunt clues. Most were places I’d never seen before.

On some campouts the girls liked to walk down the drive and visit Stan’s goats and the emu. If Stan was around, he’d tell them stories about the animals. One February morning at Kirby, the girls noticed buckets hanging off the trees. We called Stan and he came down and showed us how to make maple syrup. He donated a bucket’s worth to the troop and we boiled it down on the stove & had it on toast .

Other staff have come & gone they never even knew our names. But Stan was there for us. Our one point of human continuity among the staff.

Lynn Richardson