Craig Adams

One balmy day in the spring of 1986, as I sat in an upstairs office somewhere in Everett, I was being asked interview questions by Tim Nicholson and Jay Miller.  They wanted to know why I wished to be on the Fire Mountain camp staff and what Fire Mountain meant to me.  At the end of the interview they asked about my tee-shirt size, so I figured I answered the questions to their liking - they never knew what they unleashed as they hired me!

Indeed, what does Fire Mountain and more specifically, camp staff mean to me? In eight years as a staffer, I have started to get a better feel for this, but certainly there will always be more awaiting me at the end of Walker Valley Road. Being a staffer is the best experience a person could have and yet some say it has its down sides -- long workdays often spilling into night, little sleep, and camp food (even the best food can only be eaten so many times!) -- although I'm not convinced.  What would Fire Mountain be without these things?  They are all important parts of the experience.  Many times I have heard complaints regarding the pay-scale. I don't think most people understand the Fire Mountain method of payment.  One of my favorite songs has a line, "There's something in a mountain that dollar can't give" and this is so true of being a staffer.  How big would the check need to be to compensate for the feeling of watching a Scout's  response after teaching him to shoot a bulls-eye, or swamp a canoe and right it with a buddy, or meeting a young Webelos and seeing him grow into a man and a great staffer?  Fire Mountain has definitely repaid me more than the check writers in the office could stomach if they really knew.

Being a staffer is about family, camaraderie, and fun (of course everything about Fire Mountain is fun!) After 1986, I swore I'd be on staff for at least a year - seven or eight weeks at a time, and I did accomplish this a few years ago.  There is a certain closeness felt between people living, working and breathing Scouting that is not present in other endeavors.  Lasting friendships are built, jokes go back and forth (what about the time the canoe that was found in the trading post made its way to the top of the climbing tower!) We have great times like at Christmas in July or Independence Day celebrations, and in the process, lives of boys are changed forever -- mine was, and I still remember many of the staffers who did it.

Everyone has their favorite part of being a staffer, and it usually isn't putting up tents in the rain or assembling patrol boxes, (the most hated job in all of camp, generally falling far behind shower house clean-up). I love leading songs and being in campfire programs.  If I had a crowd (well, I must confess, I often do it all alone too), I'd sing, "A Swiss Boy Went Yodeling" and "Mow the Meadow" until I couldn't anymore - and I probably will. And what about "The King, the Queen, and the Gate" or Fire Mountain Staffer" for all-time skits? I loved being  in Order of the Arrow ceremonies, hiking and the old Wednesday Hike Days (and the Tuesday night sack lunch preparation parties), flippin' chicken on Fridays, and I loved being Program Director.

As Program Director, I was in a position where my decisions would truly have an impact on every person crossing the Fire Mountain gate - camper and staffer alike.  This was a responsibility I took very seriously. I constantly reminded myself of that which was at the root of what I was doing, and this became my mantra to pull me through stressful times such as lost or injured campers and program delays.  "We are here for the boys and to strengthen the unit. Everything we do is program. Everything should have an element of fun and we'll secretly change the lives of these young men!" I was there for the boys. EACH one, regardless of age or rank, was very important to me. More than once I interrupted a conversation with an adult leader, much to their chagrin, to deal with the concerns of a Scout.  It is at the root of Scouting and the spirit of Fire Mountain to let 11-year olds know they are important people with worthwhile ideas and concerns.

Back in the days when canoe swamping contests were traditional, the fun competition between boys somehow evolved into an event involving staffers and campers.  Of course with an age and practice advantage for the staffers, the competition results were always skewed. I often thought about this dominance and if I was there to prove something to the Scouts. O course I wasn't, and when I realized this my attitude quickly changed.  I decided one time as I went up against some Scouts who were out to get wet and have a good time, that I would show them. I gave it my all to have a fair bout.  Well, as I came up the loser and got wet, the boys and I all had huge smiles on our faces, and laughter as opposed to resentment filled that game.

Fire Mountain always has, and always will hold a special place in my heart.  It affected my life in so many ways as a Scout and I have tried to give back just a little of what was given me, which is a theme common to many staffers.  But every summer spent immersed in Scouting at Fire Mountain has only given me more.  Fire Mountain is a place of giving and everyone who comes into contact with it goes away a little better, and so the cycle continues.....