Retro Friday – LC Tapouts 1984

Check out this picture taken just 1 minute before the beginning of the Little Chief test in 1984. Do you recognize anyone? One still works for Ridgecrest Summer Camps. One works for Ridgecrest Conference Center. While the third is a very involved Camp parent and alumnus. List your guesses in the comments below…

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Retro Friday: 1930s Brochure

Camp Ridgecrest opened it’s gates in 1929. Have you ever wondered what camp was like in 1930? Have you ever wanted to see pictures of the first cabins at camp? What about camp’s swimming pool…have you ever seen it? Or even a list of items campers were encouraged to bring back in 1930…see this and more in the Brochure of Camp Ridgecrest from 1930.

Click here to see the Brochure on the new Camp Ridgecrest Alumni page. Enjoy!

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Retro Friday: Under the Trinity Tree

Each summer at Camp Ridgecrest, campers and staff alike find themselves sitting under this great tree on the middle green.. Over the years it has earned the name the “Trinity Tree” partially because of its 3 strong trunks that all come together as one at the base. I’m sure many staff have used this analogy to help explain to campers how our God can be the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at once. It’s helps young men see the power, strength, beauty and mystery of God in a more tangible way. It also serves as a reminder to all who pass through it’s shadows that we are not doing our own work here at Camp Ridgecrest. Rather we serve in the shadow of a God who desperately wants to bring each and every camper close to himself. I can only imagine the number of campers who decided to follow Jesus during a campfire, sitting beneath this great landmark. What stories can you recall about this special spot in camp? Funny Sockwar intro skits, other camp-wide games, campfire stories, and more. Here is a picture of 2 legends here at Camp Ridgercest. Can you tell who they are…doing what they do best. Share below…

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Retro Friday: Morning Watch

Although Camp Ridgecrest has received a number of “face lifts” in many areas over the years, this is one area that has been the bedrock of this place…  hearing about the life of Jesus and what it looks like to follow Him, has always been the focus here at Camp. We hope that this picture, or some version of it, looks very familiar to our campers and staff over the last 80 years.

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Retro Friday: The Look

So when you look at pictures from Camp Ridgecrest today compared to pictures from the 30’s or 40’s, there is quite a difference. Sure, there are less action shots and more staged pictures. You see less smiles, and almost never see anyone making a goofy face. The clothing is very different.  In the older pictures white tends to be the dominant color. But when you look deeper in the piles of pictures…when you find the one’s that didn’t go to print in the magazines or brochures…you find faces and settings that look more familiar. You can find boys playing in the woods with their shirts off on a hot summer day. You can find a group of college aged counselors cooling off in the canteen over a cold drink, sharing stories from their campouts. You might find lines wrapping the 4 square courts just like they will this summer. Some of those old pictures look like they are in a different world. But some of them look like they could have been taken last summer. Camp has definitely changed over the years, but some things about this place will always stay the same.

Here are a few pictures that you won’t be able to replicate this summer. But man, it’s really cool to look back and wonder what it would have been like to serve the Lord here  a long time ago…

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Retro Friday: More of Lake Ridgecrest

With Lake Ridgecrest being right in the middle of Camp, it’s fun to see how it has changed and how it remains the same. Below are a few more images that may spark good memories of your camp days. You can see the old swim area, that was ultimately replaced by a larger floating dock where the I-Dock once sat. The Zip line is still in place at the same tree that’s in this picture. And then the boats… you see canoes, plyaks, and even sail boats. Unfortunately, we never replaced the sail boats once they aged out. But we have replace many of the old plyaks with new kayaks. (By the way, the old plyaks are currently being auctioned off. Take home a peace of Camp History, and help our scholarship program at the same time. Email phil@ridgecrestcamps.com for more info!) We hope you enjoyed your time on Lake Ridgecrest, a place where we have seen sockwar skits, boys learn to swim, countless canoe skills, the Ironman begin, new toys like the Blob become highlights, and relationships formed on warm summer days at Camp! Share some of your favorite memories below…

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Retro Friday: Tribe Calendars

So throughout the years, the Tribal Leaders here at Camp Ridgecrest have used various means to stay organized. Now-a-days we usually use computers and calendars that link together etc… All of the calendars for the past few years are stored on my computer, to access anytime we want.  However, calendars haven’t always been a boring black and white computer screen. This particular calendar is from Steve Cothran, when he was the TL for the Mighty Arapaho Tribe. It’s fun to see some of the activities that are still done today! And it’s cool to see some of the things that we no longer do. What on this list did you do as a camper, and what have you never heard of before? If you could think back to your camper days, what was your most favorite planned activity…ever?

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Retro Friday: Riflery Skill

I feel like a staple of Camp has always been learning to shoot a .22 Rifle. For a very long time, we have been teaching boys to safely and accurately shoot rifles here at Camp Ridgecrest. The rifles have changed a bit. As far as I know, they have always been a .22; does anyone remember differently? And the Riflery Range has changed a few times as well. But one thing will probably never  change. Boys love to learn how to safely shoot rifles. They love to hit the target, to hit the bulls-eye, and to get better with each lesson. Camp Ridgecrest Riflery Skill was my first opportunity to learn the proper technique of how to shoot. What about you? Tell us below what you remember…

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