vnT 1 r, r «■? f,.-,. -,4. j - v * ** 'm' Camp Ranger Gives Up Rat Race Of Business to Work The ranger at Camp Mack Scout reservation is a unique individual for our times. Five years ago, at the age of 47, Dave Strayer turned his back on the rat race of business, choosing instead to get back to basics and do what he liked best-work in the outdoors. T r ' Giving up a well paid job as a top senior service technician for National Cash Register Company in Lancaster, Dave took on-the THERE ARE MORE THAN THREE SIDES TO THE HOG CONFINEMENT QUESTION si(j Putdiman. ■■■MB** •JSIA U.S.INDUSTRIES COIVIPAIMY. And that makaa a world of diffaranca. {ASTERN BRANCH 215 Oilier Ave., New Holland, Pa. 17557 job of ranger at the Scout Camp. And while his salary took a sharp drop, Dave feels his well being jumped to an all time high. That was five years ago. How does he feel about his choice today? “It was a good one, he says. “I don’t regret it.” Dave had been “in business” 28 years, he explained. “I got tired of the rat race,” he said. “I Nearly ten years of testing and farm ex perience have taught us that there are many sides to the question of which type of finishing facility is best for the hog producer. Many producers favor the open-front, gravity ventilation type of fa cility. We have all the Big Dutchman equipment necessary for the open-front , facility. Other producers favor a total environmental control finishing facility. Such a facility provides greater control of the hog’s environment, whatever the cli- - matic conditions outside, through the Big Dutchman Evap-O-Pad ventilation system and the use of partial slats.' Open-front or total environmental con trol; let us help you put it all together! Whichever side of the question you take, we have the equipment you need. in Outdoors decided this was the time to change if I was going to.” When the job opening came with the scouts, he talked it over with his wife and together they 'decided this was what they wanted to do. “After all” he said, “what’s money when you’re not enjoying life?” Money never did mean that much to Dave, he explained. What does mean a lot to him is being free from the pressures of business, living and working close to nature, following his own time schedule, even if it often means long and irregular hours. Their three children now grown and married, Dave and Agnes moved from their former home in Lancaster into the rustic ranger’s house on the edge of the reser vation, overlooking “Squire Lake” at the entrance to the camp. As ranger, a year-round job, BUTLER AGRI-PRODUCTS jg, Cwjrthlag y#u nwt—frtm «n* sp«cUlk*tf •Mire*. PUnning atsUtanc*, fail canalnie tUn, alngU'Murc* rttpantUrilHft ••W*** M.K.HOKE ESTATES 140 So. Main St. Manhelm, Pa. 665-2266 Phone 717-354*5168 bave Strayer, ranger at Camp Mack Scout reservation, north of Brickerville, cuts wood he has cleared from one of this summer's troop camping sites. Dave has complete charge of caring for the 1,002 acres of woodland on the reservation, which hundreds of Boy Scouts will invade this summer. Located north of Brickerville, just off Route 501, the camp is geared to handle up to 320 boys at one time, plus a staff of 25-30 adults, during the summer weekly sessions. In addition to this, troops throughout Lancaster and Lebanon Counties use the camp for short term (weekend) camping all through the winter, spring, and fall. The ranger’s work is hard and varied over the winter months. It involves clearing and filling in the many' roads and mountain trails that wind through the reservation, keeping all camp equipment in repair, and clearing brush and trees from the camp sites. There are 12 wooded troop sites in the camp, with a total of 32 patrol sites set up within them. The patrol sites are rotated from year to year, to allow the land to rejuvenate itself, and the job of setting up and clearing new ones falls to Dave. A deft hand at carpentry is a must for the ranger, who must keep camp buildings up to snuff, build picnic tables for the pavilions, and repair and build new platforms for tents. FARM EQUIPMENT Before You Buy Your • WINDROWER • STACKHAND • FORAGE HARVESTER SEE US FOR OUR EVERYDAY LOW PRICES Your Authorized Dealer MILLER'S REPAIR 1 Mile North of Bird-in-Hand RDI Bird-in-Hand, Pa. Ph- 656-7013 Gribbons Road or 656-7926 rLaqcaster. Far.minp Saturday, April IQ73 Dave takes complete charge of the swimming pool, preparing it each spring and supervising its filtering system during the summer. When camp is in session, Dave has to “stay on top of the whole thing,” as he puts it. Weekly camp sessions break up on Saturday mornings, with new groups of campers arriving about noon the following day. In the short hours between, Dave must make any emergency repairs, make sure enough tents and cots are ready for the incoming Scouts, check all the patrol chests to make sure each has its allot ment of supplies (shoyels, pans, utensils, etc.)anpL over the entire camp to make sure all is in order before'the-next group of campers 1 arrives. In addition, he is also in charge of maintenance of grounds and buildings, including daily gar bage collections throughout the camp. About 25 percent of his time is involved in paper work, and for this he has converted his basement into an office. Here is also housed a large work table and an old heavy-duty sewing machine, where Dave and Agnes spend many hours repairing cots and other camp equipment (Continued On Page 36) 35
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