I had taken swimming lessons during the summers, growing up in Savannah, so was a fairly decent swimmer before I got to Camp Mondamin at age 13. But they had a rule that, before one could go out on the lake by oneself, whether in a canoe, kayak, or sailboat, one had to pass a “class 3” swim test, and then pass the “dunk test.”

The way the latter worked, a counselor (usually a college student) would take you out in a canoe, sitting in the back, and at some point would unexpectedly flip the canoe over, dunking you in the lake. We all wore life jackets, of course; but you had to be able to come up out of the water, flip the canoe back over, and then slowly paddle it back to the docks.

Even when you knew what was going to happen, it was still a surprise when it did – and that was the point. You had to know what to do if it did happen.

Kayaks were a bit more fun to go out in because they had two-handed paddles, and a low profile, so you could go pretty fast in them. Canoes were usually used by two kids, one on front and one in back, paddling together but on opposite sides. That helped with steering.

Working in tandem, you could build up speed, too; but the boy in back had to use his paddle as a rudder, too, to turn the canoe when needed. And if the wind was blowing hard, canoes would go sideways if you were paddling crosswise to the wind. So to go left, sometimes you had to paddle to the right, and then turn to the left!

Sailing was also a lot of fun – when there was wind. Occasionally the wind would die down when you were already out on the lake, and you might have to use a paddle to get back in. But that didn’t happen too often. Usually you just had to wait a bit for the breeze to pick back up.

The camp had several sizes of sailboats, from the small one-person “Sunfish” type with a single sail, to the larger 19’ sloops that would accommodate four or so. Those were great for teaching teamwork, as different parts of the boat had to be manned separately. Older kids and counselors usually were captains of those, teaching the younger kids how to do it.

Loads of fun! And on Sunday afternoons, after everyone got back from church, there would be sailing races, out to a small island in the middle of the lake, and back to the dock. The bigger boats had more sails, so could build up more speed on days with good winds, but the smaller vessels were often more nimble – and carried fewer people, so less weight to add drag – so it was fun when those smaller ones would beat the older boys in the bigger boats!

Another activity I learned to enjoy immensely was horseback riding. The camp had a barn full of horses and a riding ring where the counselors taught riding skills. After they showed you how to get up on the horse (we used English saddles, with no pommels to hold on to), they would start you off by walking you around the ring, to get used to the horse and its movements.

Once you learned how to hold on with your legs, you would advance to a trot. Only much later, after lots of practice, would you learn to canter (a strange sort of three-legged gait, halfway between a trot and a gallop), and then gallop. After you learned all of that, you could go on an afternoon trail ride. That’s when you’d take a “guided ride” up to Odie’s Knob, a nearby mountain, break for lunch, and then come back to camp. A great way to spend a morning or afternoon.

I will never forget the first trail ride I went on. We had been warned that, after the lunch we had, the horses would also be refreshed after their break, and could get a bit “frisky.” Well, mine sure did! I had barely gotten on him when he decided to bolt, and I had to hold on for dear life until he tired a bit, and I was able to get him to slow down.

The next time, I was prepared for that, but not what came next. As we went back down the trail into the forest from which we had come, we apparently brushed by a hornet’s nest, and they came after us! My horse took off like a rocket, and it was all I could do to stay on him. But I did; he finally tired, and slowed back down to a trot. At least I never got stung.

We had been instructed to let the horses walk back, the last part of the ride into camp, so that they got to cool down a bit at the end of it. Then we had to brush them down before we could go back to our cabins.

I never went on an overnight trail ride, those were only for the older campers. But I certainly enjoyed those trail rides up to Odie’s Knob!

More in the next installment. Rafe Semmes is a proud graduate of (“the original”) Savannah High School and the University of Georgia. He and his wife live in eastern Liberty County, and are long-time Rotarians. He writes on a variety of topics, and may be reached at rafe_ semmes@yahoo.com.