Bob Heays remembers Treetops in the 1930s Memories Timeless

BY SHAUN KITTLE

Learning the constellations, paddling into a strong headwind, and mountains, mountains, mountains. There’s a lot to love about a Camp Treetops summer, and Bob Heays (CTT 31–33, staff 34–38, Balanced Rocks Circle) still cherishes all of it.

Bob’s Camp memories go back almost a century. On Sept. 9 he celebrated his 100th birthday, making him about the same age as Camp Treetops. Bob grew up in midtown Manhattan, and it was in the big city that his Treetops journey, and his love of the Adirondacks, began. When he was in 5th grade his teacher, Helen Lacey, offered Bob and his family a scholarship for a place called Camp Treetops in Lake Placid. Helen would later become Helen Haskell—she and her husband, Doug, were cherished Camp directors for about 40 years.

It’s safe to say Helen’s offer changed Bob’s life. Bob, then 10 years old, first attended Camp in 1931, and became one of about 40 campers, along with a dozen counselors, two cooks, and a handyman. Bob fondly recalled how Treetops operated a little differently back then. There was no electricity, so kerosene lamps were used in the Main House and kerosene lanterns were used everywhere else. Ice cut from Round Lake was stored in an ice house and used to keep the two walk-in ice boxes cool. Food was cooked on a wood-burning stove, water was piped from a brook on Pitchoff Mountain, and a coal stove heated water for laundry and showers.

Even by 1930s standards, the world of Camp Treetops was quite a shock to a young boy from the city.

Bob’s transition to the Adirondacks wasn’t smooth. He had never been away from home before, and to make matters worse, everyone around him was a stranger except Helen. Homesickness quickly set in.

“I’m not sure if it was the first or second night,” Bob said. “They had a big bonfire down by the pavilion. All of the kids were sitting around it singing Camp songs, and one of the counselors was playing a guitar. They were all having a great time, and I just remember the tears streaming down from my eyes, I was so unhappy.”

That wasn’t the last time Bob would feel uneasy about being so far away from home. Pavement, signs on every corner, and the familiar grid pattern of a city map were now a world away. The narrow, winding state trail to Balanced Rocks was intimidating, and the young Bob pushed himself to keep up with his fellow hikers for fear of being left behind in the woods.

And then something transformative happened. The hiking party emerged from the dense evergreen forest, and Bob was greeted by another sight unfamiliar to his eyes—a sea of jagged mountains, rising like rocky waves from the deep valley. There he was, standing on the rock outcrop he’d seen so many times from the meadows below. Cascade Mountain was almost close enough to touch, and looking down he saw Round Lake and Camp Treetops, where the hike began. Like many who came before him, Bob was hooked.

“I love to hike; I love being on top of a mountain,” Bob said. “I learned to love the country and country life. I probably wouldn’t have had an appreciation for it if I didn’t go to Camp.”

Bob’s first summer at Camp was the beginning of a lifelong relationship with the Adirondacks and Camp Treetops. Back then, Treetops only took children up to 12 years old, so once Bob was too old he was offered a job as a handyman. He spent a total of eight summers at Camp. In that time, Bob learned carpentry under Devon Dennet and he learned photography, developing and enlarging photos with Doug Haskell. Bob carried both skills with him, and has had six photos in New York City’s Museum of Natural History.

Even though Bob transitioned from camper to handyman, he didn’t leave the joys of Camp life behind. In fact, Bob still went on trips and participated in many of the things he had grown to love about the Adirondacks. Bob said his most vivid memory of those eight years is a canoe trip with Bob Bliss in the Saranac Lake region.

“Bob (Bliss) was always studying the map, looking for a new trip to take,” Bob said. “He found Pine Pond, and we started early in the morning with him in the stern and me in the bow. We had to go through tall grasses that grow out of the water (on Oseetah Lake), and we had to push through vegetation to get to the shore.”

Pine Pond is about a one-mile walk through the woods from Oseetah Lake. When the explorers reached their destination, they found a quiet waterbody ringed by a sandy shore that was perfect for swimming. Other canoe trips were not so idyllic, though.

“It was part of a four-day canoe trip, and we were crossing Middle Saranac against a strong headwind,” Bob said. “The waves were coming over the top of the canoe, and someone in the middle kept bailing the whole time. We had to go at a 45-degree angle to get through the waves.”

But that’s what life is like in the mountains, and it’s perfect for teaching the strength of collaboration. Sure, challenges can come and go with the weather, but everyone chips in and gets through it together.

After the summer of 1938, Bob went on to serve in the Army in World War II, and he worked for 30 years as a facilities engineer for Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, NY, but he never truly left Camp Treetops. Twelve years after his last Camp summer Bob bought a car, and the first place he drove to was the Adirondacks. That was in 1950, and Helen was still in charge. The pair visited, and Bob spent time exploring Camp once again.

Bob returned to his beloved summer camp many times since that first reunion, making appearances at Friends’ Weekends and keeping up with what was new. After a reunion, Bob was inspired to include Treetops in his will, becoming a Balanced Rocks Circle member.

A lot has changed since the 1930s—there are more buildings and electricity has taken the place of kerosene lamps—but some things will never change. Community is still the beating heart of Camp, and nature is its lifeblood, providing challenges, lessons, and beauty to generations of campers.

“I learned to love the mountains,” Bob said. “I learned to love that country and appreciate nature, that’s why I kept going back. We learned all kinds of things I didn’t learn in the city. We’d talk about the stars; we’d live without electricity and use kerosene lamps. It was a wonderful life.”