THE SAD TRUTH
Page 5
The following photos were taken April 5 & 6, 2002
click the image to enlarge

Well after taking in the view from the rocks we decided to go back up to the A-field and take in a little more of that view since that was the view that had changed the least in the 10 years since the closing of camp.  As we walked through the circle and passed the old site of the "reckhall" we decided to head over to "The Point"...of all the beautiful places at camp that one was one of THE most beautiful and we were not disappointed...this area of the camp had not yet been spoiled by the construction.

Then we decided (actually it was Mel) to try to get down to Commissioner's Rock...great idea, impossible to do. Besides 10 years of brush, bushes, weeds and tree growth the actual path down to Commissioner's Rock is now part of the backyard of the house by the old basketball/volleyball courts, so we did the best we could and tried to find it from the hill through the trees...after cutting a new path to an open area on the hill and having Flag Rush flashbacks of sneaking through the bushes and trees to get to "The Point" we spotted our target...or we think we did.  I apologize for the photo but the trees could use a little trimming back around there!!! That is the rock in the center of the photo down at the shore line...that was the closest we could get and the best shot I could get.  Maybe during the summer if anyone is up there they can come in closer and get a better photo from the lake.

After working our way down the hill to this viewing area we had to fight our way back up...but at this point we had seen enough.  So we decided to get to the one last area of the camp we had not been to yet, the beach.  So we headed back to the car which was parked out on the A-field.  Before we left the area we decided a few more photos were in order so we walked down passed the area where the track used to be...believe it or not the wooden bench is still out there!  Our parting shots from the A-field put these house into perspective again.

As we drove back across the A-field and to the top of the road on the A-field I took one last photo.  Of course in the old days this shot included the "reckhall" and a baseball game, but today only the bleachers and "The House"! We can still dream!!!

We got back on the camp road and headed out.  We decided the easiest way to get down to the beach was to follow the sign:

As we turned down the Aiken road we realized, or I realized, I was not taking my car down that road...besides being a rutty mess there had been rain earlier in the week so it was quite soft.  So we parked the car near the top of the road and "jogged' our way down, just for old time sake.

Once we made our way to the beach we paused and took in the natural beauty of what once was Camp Alton.
If it were not for a few boat docks jutting out into the lake along the lower camp the view out was still the same as it was 10 years ago and probably 55 year before that!!!

Although the view out across the lake remains unchanged, the view of the camp beach has changed dramatically with the addition of the house that now sits at the turn in the lower camp bunk line path to the beach...but as I mentioned before at least the new owners kept the waterfront house and made it into a nice beach house...another camp structure that will hopefully remain for many years to come.

We sat for a while on the beach - not really looking forward to the 5 hour drive home but we realized at this point we had seen everything there was to see and it was time to get back in the car and head home to NY.  We felt some satisfaction in the fact that we had finally made it back to the camp, but sadness in the realization that it was likely the last time we would see it and especially in the fact that it was likely to change even more significantly as the completion of those homes gets closer.

Well, we hope you enjoyed this trip to back to camp.  Although the photos are striking, they really can't convey as effectively the overall scope of what has taken place on the land formally know as Camp Alton.  We are pretty sure however, that the photos had some effect on you, maybe stirring up the old memories of more innocent times, when all that really mattered was getting a 10 in inspection or knocking in that game winning run or doing the 1/2 mile swim.  Unfortunately we can't live in the past and must move on, but it is still nice to be able to close one's eyes and dream!