I attended Eagle Island for two years in about 1968 and 1969. I am interested in hearing how the camp is doing and have been hoping to make it back there with my family. Would hate to hear that it is not opening this summer. My only child is an 8 year old boy (you do the math) so don't think he would be going to the camp any time soon. He is not interested in sleep away camp but still trying to give him the whole camp experience through local day camps.

I've received a couple of emails indicating the possibility that camp may not open this year. This would be a first and a true tragedy. It breaks my heart. This is the first time in almost 20 years that I regret moving so far south. It was a long haul from Jersey, but, not too too bad.

Nina,

As someone who has been to more than 60 work weekends I can tell you that they are very important. Dozens of things that Council would otherwise have to pay someone to do, get done for free on work weekends.

Some of those jobs, like painting a platform, can just be postponed. Other more critical ones will have to be done, and someone will have to be paid to do them. The biggest two things that the spring work weekend accomplished was getting up the tents and serving as a test of critical facilities and utilities needed for the safe operation of camp.

Both of those things are very critical. However, assuming that it too is not cancelled, Women's Weekend can serve as the test of the facilities. The biggest problem in my opinion is the tents. This is not a job that can be accomplished by one or two people. The absolute minimum is 6 people, and even that is very hard with so few.

I'm not sure how they'll get the tents up, much less all the other work that needs to be done, but it is in my opinion still possible to get it done in time to open camp.

The failure to hold work weekend, and the reasons for it (lack of power, no water, no working motor boats), aren't a good omen for the start of the summer; but it also isn't a death knell for the summer either.

Frankly at the moment I find the lack of a camp director and lack of a property manager far scarier than the loss of work weekend.

It's hard to contemplate how the new council will open the camp without the work weekend. I was told it's because there is no working electricity on the island right now. Perhaps that is a result of not having a "winter" (yearound) caretaker. About 70 are signed up for Women's weekend so far - that's filling half the camp!
One of my daughters is signed up for back-to-back sailing sessions - it will be her third year. Perhaps if more alumnae sent their kids to EIC after moving away from the area, the camp registrations would fill up.
Back in the day (when I went there) I remember that the camp slots filled up quickly. I wonder why demand has slacked off.

Yes, Work Weekend is cancelled, it says on the council webpage.

WORK WEEKEND CANCELED!

WHAT ABOUT WOMEN'S WEEKEND, CAMP, FAMILY WEEK???

THIS IS TERRIBLE NEWS!

Sadly after attending Work Weekends for more than 30 years now, I have just learned that this year's Memorial Day Work Weekend has been cancelled.

And yes, Leanna, Pete unfortunately is now long gone from the Island. IIRC his last official day was sometime in October.

There's also a Camp Eagle Island Facebook Group here:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=8817&uid=43171526312#/group.php?gid=43171526312

So Pete is really leaving. This is really sad. I will really miss walking to dinner or to get some toilet paper for the green johns from that little room behind Pete's porch and seeing him and roxie on the porch.
Good luck in whatever you do!

I would very much like to attend women's wknd at the Island - but I was hoping to ride up & back with someone (to share the cost). I can't leave until Thurs after 3:30 PM and that would be from Nutley (exit 151). Please either email me or send out a message via guestbook. Thanks to all - Robin

Registration for Women's Weekend at Eagle Island has been announced. You can print out the forms from the Council website: www.gshnj.org. The dates are June 18-21.

Hope to see many of you there.

I just woke up with another dream of Eagle Island. I can trace that island with my mind, apparently even in my sleep. I remember every little back trail, and rock and story, and song. Leaving the way i did was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. i wish the camp realized how it damaged the 5 girls it did. even now with tears in my eyes i know ill return to the island but never with my innocence. and probably not under the same name.

Wow just found this site and glad to see the camp is still there. I have great memories of the island. I went there for several years in tripping and sailing units.

I was invited up to the reunion for EIC in Brookline Mass. It's quite a drive from NJ & I was wondering if anyone else from No. Jersey had plans to attend - & could we carpool? I dream about EIC all the time. It was my time of growing up & made me who I am today. I still bring my kids up to family camp every year - it is a special place for all of us.

Hi Ginny,

My niece just emailed me the link to the Eagle Island site and when I clicked on the guestbook, yours was the first name I saw! We were Mariners together for two summers. I love Eagle Island and, every year, our family spends two weeks at Sekon on Upper Saranac lake (the old Seligman camp very near the Bache camp) south of Eagle Island.

We keep a sailboat there and love sailing around Eagle Island and hailing the campers.

All best,

Carol (Mousey) Doerrer Bradof

Last weekend, March 21, 2009 my sister and I reunited with Marilu Pittman, who we found after searching for two years. We had a wonderful evening in Washington, D.C., where she lives with her husband, catching up and remembering wonderful days at EIC together. She is joining us for womens weekend and for the search for our dear friend Ellie Strauss. She is a new strong link in the chain of memories and support for EIC. The "ratpack" lives, but we're nicer and more "mature", I hope. We all still love EIC, the Island still lives within us.

I'm in the process of writing my Memoirs and have included a section on how my two summers EIC (1960 and 1961) impacted the adult I became. I decided to google EIC and can't believe that I found this website among others. My memories of EIC have never dimmed (except I can't recall all the words to some of my favorite camp songs.) Does anyone remember the lyics to a song that began "There's a camp on Saranac, and its name is EIC? There's a camp on Saranac and it's just the place for me"?

I always talk about the 2 times I went to EIC. I remember getting an award for having the most mosquito bites because I was to cheep to buy a mosquito net from the store and when I finally decided to get one the store was closed, so I just suffered. I spent most of my money on candy..atomic fireballs. I remember kiyaking and camp fires. It was one of the happiest memories I have as a kid.

Wow, I was looking for some pictures to show my family Camp Eagle Island and found this site. I loved my two years at EIC - I think were '72 and '73. I was in the Wilderness unit one year. I had a blast. The year before my unit won the song contest and that spurred my love of singing which I nurtured through my high school years. I have great memories of the camp. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for creating this site! These are wonderful photos- some of the details give me chills as I suddenly remember the feeling of walking barefoot over the exposed tree roots, or sitting on the edge of the planks of the dock. Our mother was a camper in the late 1930's/ early 40's and made sure my sister Laura Gang and I got to EIC too. I was in the Wilderness Unit in 1968 & 1969 and remember, from canoeing the Fulton Chain, many glorious views and several adventures including getting lost in a swamp where we paddled underneath a log on which was the largest spider I have ever imagined, and having boiling water accidentally poured on my foot. I loved discovering I could be strong. I remember particularly Meg Jensen, Nancy Unwin, Barbara Niemeyer, and of course Corky. We watched the first man walk on the Moon on a TV in the Mess Hall. What are you up to now?