Craig Family Camp 2013

As a youngster growing up here in southern Indiana my dad and I had a ritual…we would spend most Saturday’s from early November through the end of rabbit season (usually mid-January) traveling to the Odon area. We would rise early and make our way through the country, along the way we would often stop at Craig’s Gun Shop. Now this might not sound like much…ah, but you’d be wrong for in this basement gun shop there were so many things that a lad who loved to hunt could look at. One of the things that always intrigued me were the mounts of various animals…along with the pictures of the owner, Jim Craig, who would be standing in front of a bear or elk…for a kid who thought hunting rabbits was the berries, well, to stop at Craig’s was a big deal.

Fast forward about 35 years and this past week I once again had my volleyball team, all 16 of them, spending the night at Craig Family Camp (Read about last year’s adventure here). I am fortunate enough to know Jack Craig. Jack and I both attend Sherwood Oaks Church and Jack is one of those guys who just does things right. He is a man of integrity and someone I enjoy talking to…Jack, along with the rest of the Craig’s took it upon themselves to build a lodge, well a wooden palace would be a better description and they did so to share the outdoors with kids! In the summer the camp plays hosts to a large number of inner city youth who might not ever have a chance to catch a fish, shoot a gun or just take a hike…but because of Jack and the other Craig family members the next generation of sportsman get a first-hand look at how much fun nature can actually be.

My volleyball team had an awesome stay as we started out the day playing a game of touch football on the front meadow located between the main lodge and the mess hall. After a delicious meal of white chicken chili and sandwiches (comfort food on a cool day) prepared by my gal Vickie, the girls joined me and Coach Ritter to take a hike down through the woods and up the other side where we wound up beside the pond on one of the most glorious afternoons I have been a part of. No one was in a hurry as we simply sat and enjoyed the sun and comfortable temperatures…it was good to hear the girls laughing and talking about various subjects without a care in the world.

This laid back, country environment is just what some kids never get to enjoy. Our day wound up with a fantastic meal; the Varsity kids retired to one of the small cabins to be girls and the JV kids spent part of the night on the front deck listening to a ‘ghost’ story told by Coach Ritter. The coaches, along with a few other adults who had helped the volleyball team through the year with our fund raising…spent the next couple hours playing a game or two of euchre.

The next morning was cool and wet; I made my way to the mess hall at 7am and prepared about 100 flapjacks on a cast iron Cabela’s skillet. If you are old enough or have had experience with cast iron then you will know that it takes a while to get the cast iron hot and when it heats up…it gets very hot and retains its heat. While I was flipping the cakes my mind wondered back to the old west and how tough the job of “cookie” must have been. The camp cook on the cow drives was always up first and usually the last one in bed…I can’t imagine trying to prepare food for a mess of cranky cowboys over an open fire?

For me…the highlight of the morning came as me and the girls were preparing to leave the camp. I noticed a couple of pick-up trucks pulled into the complex and I waited to see who it might be…it didn’t take long for me to recognize that the couple approaching me was Mr. and Mrs. Craig, the same couple that owned and ran the gun shop from above. Jim Craig was big medicine way back when I was a teen and while I knew he didn’t have any idea who I was…I quickly introduced myself to him and his wife Leanne. I told them that when I was a kid I would visit their shop and how much fun that was for me. Truth is meeting Jim was pretty special…even to a guy who is now almost 52. We quickly started chatting about hunting and the many mounts located in the main lodge; my favorite is the grizzly bear that looks down upon all the visitors as they enter and sure enough that old bear had fell victim to a .270 bullet from Jim’s hand. Jim then pulled out some photos from a recent hunt in Cody, Wyoming. He had shot a big horn ram that was massive…and the story would have been worth the price of admission…a 350 yard shot made while hunting above 11,000 feet! The next 20 minutes flew by as we talked about the camp and various future plans…but what rang true was the most obvious; the love of nature and the family’s goal to share it with as many of the next generation as possible.

I know my girls enjoyed their stay.  I’m sure that the hundreds of kids that visit each summer do as well and none of this would be possible without the vision of Jack, Jim, Ronnie and the other members of the Craig Family. What a joy it must be to share nature, hunting, fishing, etc…with those who haven’t been fortunate enough to understand how special it is to Enjoy the Great Outdoors.