1980s

leaving campsites better than we found them was something we heard often, followed religiously, and that we felt was key to the Forestcraft way. For many Forestcraft alumni, the woodcraft learned as teenage campers and the challenge of successfully climbing the 46 peaks, have shaped our lives.

In 1957, Ted Blackmar, #126 and Haynes Kelly, #127 became the first folk from Forestcraft to climb the 46 peaks. Over the last 64 years, another 100 names—fathers, mothers, spouses, sisters-in-law, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters and many friends of Forestcraft—have been added to the honorary 46er paddles (once you complete the 46, your name is etched on a canoe paddle).

Ted passed away in the early 2000s, but the proud tradition of climbing the 46 peaks continues today. Camp Forestcraft is still in operation under the direction of Dan and Amy Musick, #8356 and #12597, respectively. While Forestcraft Expeditions did not operate in 2020 or 2021 due to Covid, it was up and running in 2022 and is now gearing up for 2023. More information on the program can be found at forestcraftcamp.org/ expeditions ▲

2010s

Last issue, in our annual Boulder Report about the previous year’s 46er finishing class, John Sasso, #7130W wrote about the experience of Marjorie Norlund, #13313. In the summer of 2020, Marjorie ran into a woman on the summit of Redfield who had just finished her 46 and was celebrating by cracking open a whole watermelon that she’d carried to the top of the peak. The following year, on Marjorie’s final hike of her 46—Sawteeth—she, serendipitously, ran into the woman again. After reading about the encounter in PEEKS, Amy “The Watermelon Lady” Musick reached out to tell the story of why the heck she was carrying a full watermelon in her pack.

My husband, daughter and I run a small hiking/backpacking/canoeing summer camp in the High Peaks area called Forestcraft Expeditions, which was started by Ted Blackmar in 1948. Our family took over the camp operations in 2010 when Lily was just a baby. We just completed our 11th summer in 2022 (it would have been the 13th had Covid not hit). When we started running the camp, we immediately heard about the watermelon tradition. We are unclear exactly when it started, but pictures exist from the 1970s and ’80s. You will notice that over the years, the watermelons have gotten a lot smaller! We get many comments from past campers on our Facebook page like, “Where are the REAL watermelons?” As we all know, hiking in the High Peaks has changed a lot over the decades. In the past, the final 46er hikes were usually day trips. Now they are planted somewhere during a 4-5 day expedition where watermelons—and/or the leftover rinds—have to fit in packs and bear canisters! We usually have to search many stores before finding watermelons that work. After a Forestcraft community member has completed their 46, their name goes on one of the paddles that are kept in the camp dining room. This past summer, we reached 102 names on the paddles—a great way to celebrate Forestcraft’s 75th anniversary! ▲