The latest news about Maine lakes and ponds.

Chewonki to Buy Prime Wilderness Spot for a Girls Camp

November 28, 2007 - WISCASSET -- The Chewonki Foundation will acquire a remote sporting camp in northern Maine that it says will serve as a base camp for young girls who are seeking a wilderness adventure.

Acquisition of Pleasant Point Wilderness Camps will take place within a few weeks, setting the stage for the camp to begin serving girls between the ages of 11 and 17 next summer. Camp Chewonki for Girls will officially open June 24 on the shores of remote Fourth Debsconeag Lake, which is northwest of Millinocket.

The Chewonki Foundation board of trustees approved the acquisition at their Nov. 10 meeting, ending a nine-year search for a site that could offer young girls an unforgettable outdoor learning experience.

"For a camp that is designed to be a staging area for wilderness trips, you couldn't find a better place," said Chewonki President Don Hudson.

Chewonki, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Wiscasset, was founded in 1915 as a camp for boys. It has served girls for the past several years through its co-ed wilderness expeditions and school programs, but has never operated a summer camp exclusively for girls.

Hudson said the location of the roughly 5-acre property, which includes a lodge, is unmatched. He declined to specify the purchase price of the camp buildings, but characterized it as being between $300,000 and $500,000.

The land on which the sporting camp sits is owned by the state and leased to its current owners, Clif and Mardi George. Chewonki must negotiate a lease with the state, but that is not considered an obstacle.

To ensure public access -- a state requirement -- six cabins on the property will be available for rent when Chewonki's girls camp is not in session.

Genell Vashron will serve as director of the girls program.

The girls camp will be located just over one mile from the Appalachian Trail and is surrounded by thousands of acres of wilderness. The 100-Mile Wilderness and 50,000 acres owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club are located just to the south of the site. The girl's camp is also near hiking trails in the Nahmakanta Public Reserve.

Pleasant Point Wilderness Camps are just 12 miles south of Chewonki's Big Eddy Campground, a public campground located on the West Branch of the Penobscot River. That stretch of the Penobscot has become a popular whitewater rafting destination.

"There are not many places in the United States where young girls can have wilderness tripping experiences like this one will offer," Hudson said.

Hudson said Chewonki is not trying to compete with traditional summer camps for girls in Maine. Girls who attend Chewonki will learn wilderness survival skills and things such as paddling skills or how to build a shelter.

As part of the program, girls who are 8 to 10 years old will be able to attend an introductory wilderness camp program in Wiscasset.

Their adventures on Fourth Debsconeag Lake will likely feature hiking and camping in Maine woods for extended periods.

"This place is magical," Vashron said.

In order to reach the camp, campers will have to travel several miles over a gravel road. Then they will have to hike about a quarter mile or take a boat to reach the Pleasant Point property.

"The land is very untouched. That's something we want to honor and uphold," Vashron said.

Vashron said a cliff looms over the camp. From the cliff, you can see views of Mt. Katahdin.

As for the experience, Vashron predicted, "The wilderness can be a powerful place for transformation."

The 2008 camp will offer two, three-week sessions beginning June 24 and ending Aug. 11.

Tuition costs $4,400, but Chewonki offers scholarships to Maine residents.

"We don't want the cost to scare anyone away," Vashron said.

SOURCE: Portland Press Herald

DATE: 11-23-2007


Lakes: Fourth Debsconeag Lake
Regions: Katahdin


Print this story

Email this story

return to Lake News