I managed to overlap with the Quaker guys, plus the Great Bear Camp owners, all in one day this year. I was rolling out of the driveway at 4:06 AM and back before midnight the same day.
Getting some time in the rain forest, seeing the cougar scratching posts, the new bridge and so on, made it worth all that driving.
Also, the Quaker men were good at telling life stories, talking about what it's been like for them to be dads, fathers, husbands, single men, boys, soldiers or whatever roles they've played.
Thanks to Carl Thatcher and Joe Snyder for setting the tone. The theme: Making Our Lives Count.
Tom Wittick reminded me to study the life of Houdini more. Houdini knew Lovecraft, Teddy Roosevelt, Arthur Conan Doyle. Tom is a font of interesting historical information.
On the way back from our hike to see the cougar scratch posts (trees whereon cougars sharpened their claws), the camp owner joked he was so off the grid that when he turned on the radio, he heard words the broadcasters took for granted, that he'd never heard. Like "meme" (on NPR).
We talked about "memes" after that, singing commercial jingles as we emerged from the forest. "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should". There's no smoking at Bear Camp.
