CAMP RULES

Camp Sheppard was run with a minimum of rules. It was assumed that the scout law and your own character was enough. There were a couple of Health Department rules in the kitchen; Don't sit on the counters, Rinse with hot water and Let the dishes air dry. On the trail we had to make sure that every scout had access to a water bottle in the middle of the night. On some trip, somewhere else, a young scout had gotten up in the middle of the night, looking for water and had been seriously injured. To prevent kids from stumbling around in the dark when everyone else was asleep we kept water bottles near every sleeping bag. Basically, Max started Camp Sheppard without a rulebook and trusted the young members of the staff to be on good behavior. It worked very well, often we needed reminders; keep the staff quarters clean… dont pick on the little whiny kid…, but for the most part camp was run without a formalized set of rules.

However, situations arose and rules were formulated. And when a new rule appeared, you can bet it had someone's name on it. These rules weren't general rules for getting along, but rules aimed directly at some particular incidence. Two rules that were well known before I started on staff were; 1) Don't pee off the porch and 2) No serving raw fish on a hike. Yes, these rules were self-evident, but sometimes the only way to deal with a nail is to hit it on the head. One rule I helped establish was; Dont borrow some else's car when they are out of camp, even if you know they wouldn't mind.

I helped establish another rule my second year on staff. I had just gotten a liner for my sleeping bag and wanted to test it out. The walk-in freezer at 0 F was cold and it was big enough to lie down in, so I figured it would be a fine place to test my bag. It defrosted every four hours, so I figured there would be an adequate air supply. I talked Eric Rueter (I think) into bivying with me and late at night spread our pads and bags out in the freezer. At six thirty the next morning Max opens the door and sees the two of us snoozing on the floor. What the…? He kept his cool the whole time and told us there was probably a Health Department regulation about sleeping in the freezer and we should get out, now. Max never said anything more to Eric or I, but at dinner Denny let it be known that word had come from Max, from now on there would be no sleeping in the freezer.

I'm sure there are more rules, please submit more contributions to the Camp Sheppard rulebook and describe the genesis of the rule, if you dare.