Special Feature Jean Barnhill and her Forest Magic and Love of Camp by Patti Stefek She was known to many as Navajo, teller of stories and a friend to all. One year ago, on March 9, 2017, Jean passed away. An artist, historian, naturalist and teacher, Jean taught and mentored hundreds of girls and adults. Now we are her legacy. It was her fervent wish that we pass on what she taught us to future generations. My friendship with Jean began with a phone call. She had heard that I was interested in nature activities, so she invited me to apprentice while she delivered Forest Magic, a special Barnhill-style adventure in the woods at camp. It included colorful introductions to the native plants and trees, historical sites, legends and tall tales, leaf prints, nature games, crafts that didn’t include glitter or paint and a deep reverence for Mother Nature. I followed Jean around that day with a tape recorder. I transcribed that tape when I got home. Some things I was able to write down or draw. Some things I just stored in my heart. The next time I joined Jean in her magical forest, I was ready – or so I thought. It was totally different! Different season, different stories, different critters! And a wonderfully different and unique day. Jean was an encyclopedia of information. As she walked she shared what she had learned as a child in Missouri. The forest was her mother’s pharmacy she explained. If you had a tummy ache, you used this plant. If you had ants in the house, you used that plant. In 1976 she came to live at Camp Arnold with her husband Ranger Tom. In her years there as camp director and explorer, she came to know every inch of the camp and all of its secrets. Here are just a few of the things that Jean shared on those walks: • Dandelions predict the weather. The flowers close when humidity is high and rain is on the horizon. They need wind and good weather for their seeds to travel. • Spiders build webs higher and stronger when rain and wind are coming. • Are you lost? Moss usually grows thickest on the north side of a tree. Spiders tend to build webs on the south side of trees. When it was cloudy and she couldn’t see the stars, Harriet Tubman relied on the moss to help her find north on the Underground Railroad. • Some trees are female, some male but most are both. • If you crumple the leaves of a fruit tree, most smell like the fruit they bear. • Plants that grow by water like “wet feet”.
And our camps have a rich history: • Jean interviewed a family descendant of the first owners of the Camp Misty Meadows property and recorded that history. The property was sold to the Girl Scouts by their heirs in the 1960’s. • Frederick Peters immigrated from Germany and purchased the property that became Camp Misty Meadows in about 1877 for approximately $210. Mr. Peters was a cobbler and made shoes for the lumbermen who cut the trees on his land. His home, Cobbler’s Hut is gone now but part of the foundation, cistern and well are still there, though overgrown. Sometimes the jonquils and snowbells that his family planted peek out in the spring. This is at the site of the current Cobbler’s Meadow day unit. • The family’s second home was the farm house now called the Haunted House. The Misty Meadows property was a farm that produced tobacco, lumber and dairy products. It was necessary to remove most of the house, but the fireplace remains as part of a shelter. • The third house is now the current ranger’s home. • If you walk the Bodark Trail (that’s Texas slang for Bois D’Arc) you are walking the old logging road that carried the lumber to market. The trail is named for the Bois D’Arc or Osage Orange tree. Bois D’Arc means “wood of the bow” in French. It is tough, tenacious wood that resists rot. Settlers planted this tree as a living fence. There are still live trees along this trail. Most are dead but still line the trail. • The Bodark Trail is the property line between the camps. So, if the leaders stand on the north side of the trail and the girls on the south side, the leaders are at Camp Agnes Arnold while the girls are at Misty Meadows. • The camps have a lot of natural surface springs. You will find one of those at Holly Springs near Thumpers Pond. See the Camp Arnold map. Holly Springs is the home of the Magic Elf. One of my favorite moments on that first hike with Jean came at the very end. She shared the story of a Native American boy named Falling Rock. He had some trouble learning some of the skills that the tribe expected of him, so they held a council and agreed to send him out on his own. After seven days and seven nights he had not returned, so they sent out a scouting party. They searched and searched but did not find him. But they never gave up. Even today when you drive down the highway you will often see signs that say, “Look out for Falling Rock”. Classic Navajo. We are blessed that she came our way.
Living the Girl Scout Law 365
Across the council, both staff and volunteers have been showing their Girl Scout pride by sharing and posting how they are living the Girl Scout Law 365. Parents, troop leaders, Community service teams, Region volunteers and staff members have shared expressions of gratitude to those who have shown how they put the laws into practice daily. To see many of their posts, check out the back inside cover of this issue of The Golden Link. Add your voice by posting on social media with the hashtag #GSLaw365 or tag the GSSJC Facebook page. Need kudos cards? You can find them at gssjc.org/forms by searching the word kudos. A huge kudos goes to the participants of the GSSJC’s carpool karaoke videos. To view all episodes go to YouTube and search Living the Girl Scout Law 365.
May/June 2018 l The Golden Link
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