Camp Watonka
Encyclopedia
Camp Watonka is a residential summer camp
for boys aged seven to fifteen in Wayne County, Pennsylvania
.
It is the only science camp for boys accredited by the American Camp Association
in the United States
.
Accommodation is in traditional cabins with modern bathrooms and electricity. Campers can stay for two, four, six or eight weeks.
It is one of many summer camps in The Poconos
(for other camps in Pennsylvania, see the box at the foot of this article). Field trips to the Appalachian Trail
for hiking and mountain biking and to the Delaware River
for tubing and kayaking are scheduled each summer.
, ten miles (16 km) from Honesdale
and 100 miles (160.9 km) New York City
. Many campers are from the tri-state region but others travel from all over the United States
and the World
.
Several of Northeastern Pennsylvania
’s historic gravity railroad
s used to pass right through the camp, transporting anthracite coal over the Moosic Mountains
from Scranton to Hawley.
Two of the former railroad beds (those of the Erie Railroad
and Pennsylvania Coal Company) are now used as mountain bike and dirt bike trails. The third has been converted to a road.
Middle Creek
flows through the camp and into the Lackawaxen River
in Hawley.
During the summer of 2006, all campers and staff left the camp for three nights as a precautionary measure due to a sudden rise in the level of Middle Creek, caused by a week of heavy rain.
The camp is less than a mile from Wangum Falls. A distinctive monocline
can be seen from the historic truss bridge that crosses Middle Creek about twenty feet above the Falls. Campers with an interest in geology can learn about this and other geological features around the camp by taking the earth science
class.
The camp has a small, private lake with a waterfront and beach area. The lake is too shallow for boats with props, but the camp has kayaks, canoes, rowboats, sailboats and windsurf boards. Campers can fish from a boat or from the fishing dock across the lake from the waterfront. The lake has fish typical of Pennsylvania including Perch, Bass, Sunfish, Pickerel and Catfish as well as frogs and turtles.
Camp Watonka has eleven purpose built and equipped cabins for its science program.
There are laboratories for chemistry
and physics
, a nature cabin, with facilities for a variety of animals that are brought to camp by counselors and instructors, and two computer suites. Campers develop photos in one of the darkrooms and direct and edit their own film in the video production class. Other science classes include electronics
, robotics
, astronomy
and earth science
. In recent years, experienced instructors and counselors have delivered classes in their specialist subjects, including architecture
, renewable energy
, automotive design
and quantum mechanics
.
Instructors vary the class content to suit the ability of the campers. Class content varies from summer to summer.
In addition to the camp’s science program, there are facilities for many other sports and activities.
Camp Watonka has a large ropes course facility, designed and built by Alpine Towers International.
The 50' climbing wall (Carolina Straight Wall), built in 2000, has six faces with varying degrees of difficulty. The 50' tower (Alpine Tower II), built in 2001, has six routes to the top and various obstacles to tackle, including cargo nets and hanging logs. A swing is suspended between the tower and an adjacent support. Riders are attached to the swing, hoisted diagonally and then released to swing back and forth like a pendulum.
Both the wall and tower have interchangeable foot and hand holds. These are rearranged periodically to vary the climbing experience.
Unlike the wall and tower, where campers are belayed by an instructor from the ground, campers use professional lobster clasp
s to climb the third structure, known as the Odyssey course. Built in 2002, the facility is used primarily for team building exercises. There are two zip lines attached to the Odyssey. The camp also has a variety of low rope elements.
The camp is accredited by the National Rifle Association
. Campers can practice shooting rifles and pistols on the 50’ range as well as trap shooting. The camp has a variety of simple and compound bows for use on its archery range.
Campers can learn how to swim, row, sail and windsurf at the camp’s private, spring-fed lake. Swim instructors deliver optional American Red Cross Learn to Swim classes. Campers can also try to climb the inflatable iceberg, relax on the beach or float around on one of the inflatable tubes.
Camp Watonka has two tennis courts, a basketball court, a hockey court, a volleyball court, a softball field and a soccer field. Campers can also play frisbee and tetherball.
The camp has ten mountain bikes of various sizes to accommodate campers of all ages. Campers over ten years of age can ride one of the camp’s dirt bikes. The camp has a variety of Honda bikes with automatic or manual transmission and from 50 to 100 horsepower for campers of all abilities.
Other activities include arts and crafts, woodwork and rocketry. Campers can take home everything they make.
Several times each week, special events take place during the evening activity period. Regular guests include entertainer Ron Dagan and Pete Mackevich from the Pocono Snake and Animal Farm. There are regular movie nights, cookouts and optional over night camps in the camp’s forest.
and leader with the Boy Scouts of America
, and his wife, a nurse, since its foundation in 1963. The Wackers now operate the Camp with the assistance of their son and daughter-in-law, both school teachers in Wayne County.
Each cabin accommodates eight campers and two counselors. Each activity is led by a fully qualified instructor or lifeguard. Each science class is delivered by a graduate or student, selected by the directors for their ability to enthuse the campers about their specialist subject. Counselors are regularly hired from other countries including the UK and Australia
. The camp has a full time nurse and fully equipped infirmary.
In addition to the annual summer camp, the owners and directors rent the facility during the year to schools and other groups.
Each session opens and closes with a camp fire, fireworks, games and skits. The first camp fire is ignited by the camp owner, Don Wacker, with water, the first of many science experiments the campers will experience over the course of their stay.
Campers have the opportunity to win numerous prizes and awards, which are presented to them on the last day of their stay. Prizes can be won for designing the best rocket, achieving a rank in archery and riflery, catching the biggest fish and participating successfully in the activities and science classes. Winners of certain awards are listed on the camp's Hall of Fame.
Each summer, many campers and counselors choose to return to camp. This has led to the propogation and evolution of many funny and scary stories unique to Camp Watonka, including those about the monsters that live around the camp and in the camp's lake, as well as the story about the mysterious counselor named Jack who burnt down Cabin 13.
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
for boys aged seven to fifteen in Wayne County, Pennsylvania
Wayne County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,722 people, 18,350 households, and 12,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile . There were 30,593 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
.
It is the only science camp for boys accredited by the American Camp Association
American Camp Association
The American Camp Association , formerly known as the American Camping Association, is a 501 nonprofit that serves the United States. It is an association for camp owners, camp professionals and others interested in summer camps and similar camp programs.ACA runs an accreditation criterion for camps...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Accommodation is in traditional cabins with modern bathrooms and electricity. Campers can stay for two, four, six or eight weeks.
It is one of many summer camps in The Poconos
The Poconos
The Pocono Mountains is a region located in northeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The Poconos, located chiefly in Monroe and Pike counties , are an upland of the larger Allegheny Plateau...
(for other camps in Pennsylvania, see the box at the foot of this article). Field trips to the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
for hiking and mountain biking and to the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
for tubing and kayaking are scheduled each summer.
Location
Camp Watonka is located 3 miles (4.8 km) from HawleyHawley, Pennsylvania
Hawley is a borough in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,211 at the 2010 census.- History :The borough was named for Irad Hawley, first president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company. Early industry centered around the transportation and support of nearby coal mining...
, ten miles (16 km) from Honesdale
Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northeast of Scranton. The population was 4,874 at the 2000 census....
and 100 miles (160.9 km) New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Many campers are from the tri-state region but others travel from all over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the World
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
.
Several of Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale....
’s historic gravity railroad
Gravity railroad
A gravity railroad or Gravity railway is a railroad on a slope that allow cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power or a stationary engine and a cable, chain or one or more wide, flat...
s used to pass right through the camp, transporting anthracite coal over the Moosic Mountains
Moosic Mountains
Moosic Mountains is a range in Jefferson Township, Pennsylvania which extends above sea level. Its highest point is Pocono Plateau, ranking 27th highest in Pennsylvania....
from Scranton to Hawley.
Two of the former railroad beds (those of the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
and Pennsylvania Coal Company) are now used as mountain bike and dirt bike trails. The third has been converted to a road.
Middle Creek
Middle Creek (Lackawaxen River)
Middle Creek is a tributary of the Lackawaxen River in the Poconos of eastern Pennsylvania in the United States.Middle Creek joins the Lackawaxen River at Hawley....
flows through the camp and into the Lackawaxen River
Lackawaxen River
The Lackawaxen River is a tributary of the Delaware River in northeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. The river flows through a largely rural area in the northern Pocono Mountains, draining an area of approximately ....
in Hawley.
During the summer of 2006, all campers and staff left the camp for three nights as a precautionary measure due to a sudden rise in the level of Middle Creek, caused by a week of heavy rain.
The camp is less than a mile from Wangum Falls. A distinctive monocline
Monocline
A monocline is a step-like fold in rock strata consisting of a zone of steeper dip within an otherwise horizontal or gently-dipping sequence.-Formation:Monoclines may be formed in several different ways...
can be seen from the historic truss bridge that crosses Middle Creek about twenty feet above the Falls. Campers with an interest in geology can learn about this and other geological features around the camp by taking the earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
class.
The camp has a small, private lake with a waterfront and beach area. The lake is too shallow for boats with props, but the camp has kayaks, canoes, rowboats, sailboats and windsurf boards. Campers can fish from a boat or from the fishing dock across the lake from the waterfront. The lake has fish typical of Pennsylvania including Perch, Bass, Sunfish, Pickerel and Catfish as well as frogs and turtles.
Activities and Facilities
Each day at Camp Watonka is split into 5 activity periods, two in the morning, two in the afternoon and one in the evening. The schedule is fully elective; campers choose the activities they want to do. At the start of each two week session, campers choose which science classes they want to take, often selecting one or two. Counselor-to-camper ratios are typically one-to-four.Camp Watonka has eleven purpose built and equipped cabins for its science program.
There are laboratories for chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, a nature cabin, with facilities for a variety of animals that are brought to camp by counselors and instructors, and two computer suites. Campers develop photos in one of the darkrooms and direct and edit their own film in the video production class. Other science classes include electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
. In recent years, experienced instructors and counselors have delivered classes in their specialist subjects, including architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
, automotive design
Automotive design
Automotive design is the profession involved in the development of the appearance, and to some extent the ergonomics, of motor vehicles or more specifically road vehicles. This most commonly refers to automobiles but also refers to motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans...
and quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
.
Instructors vary the class content to suit the ability of the campers. Class content varies from summer to summer.
In addition to the camp’s science program, there are facilities for many other sports and activities.
Camp Watonka has a large ropes course facility, designed and built by Alpine Towers International.
The 50' climbing wall (Carolina Straight Wall), built in 2000, has six faces with varying degrees of difficulty. The 50' tower (Alpine Tower II), built in 2001, has six routes to the top and various obstacles to tackle, including cargo nets and hanging logs. A swing is suspended between the tower and an adjacent support. Riders are attached to the swing, hoisted diagonally and then released to swing back and forth like a pendulum.
Both the wall and tower have interchangeable foot and hand holds. These are rearranged periodically to vary the climbing experience.
Unlike the wall and tower, where campers are belayed by an instructor from the ground, campers use professional lobster clasp
Lobster clasp
A lobster clasp, also known as a lobster hook, is a fastener that is held closed by a spring. The lobster clasp is opened or closed by holding a small lever, usually with a fingernail, long enough to apply, then it is attached a short link-chain or a ring-like structure...
s to climb the third structure, known as the Odyssey course. Built in 2002, the facility is used primarily for team building exercises. There are two zip lines attached to the Odyssey. The camp also has a variety of low rope elements.
The camp is accredited by the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
. Campers can practice shooting rifles and pistols on the 50’ range as well as trap shooting. The camp has a variety of simple and compound bows for use on its archery range.
Campers can learn how to swim, row, sail and windsurf at the camp’s private, spring-fed lake. Swim instructors deliver optional American Red Cross Learn to Swim classes. Campers can also try to climb the inflatable iceberg, relax on the beach or float around on one of the inflatable tubes.
Camp Watonka has two tennis courts, a basketball court, a hockey court, a volleyball court, a softball field and a soccer field. Campers can also play frisbee and tetherball.
The camp has ten mountain bikes of various sizes to accommodate campers of all ages. Campers over ten years of age can ride one of the camp’s dirt bikes. The camp has a variety of Honda bikes with automatic or manual transmission and from 50 to 100 horsepower for campers of all abilities.
Other activities include arts and crafts, woodwork and rocketry. Campers can take home everything they make.
Several times each week, special events take place during the evening activity period. Regular guests include entertainer Ron Dagan and Pete Mackevich from the Pocono Snake and Animal Farm. There are regular movie nights, cookouts and optional over night camps in the camp’s forest.
Staff
Camp Watonka has been owned and directed by Donald Wacker, a retired science teacher from New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and leader with the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, and his wife, a nurse, since its foundation in 1963. The Wackers now operate the Camp with the assistance of their son and daughter-in-law, both school teachers in Wayne County.
Each cabin accommodates eight campers and two counselors. Each activity is led by a fully qualified instructor or lifeguard. Each science class is delivered by a graduate or student, selected by the directors for their ability to enthuse the campers about their specialist subject. Counselors are regularly hired from other countries including the UK and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The camp has a full time nurse and fully equipped infirmary.
In addition to the annual summer camp, the owners and directors rent the facility during the year to schools and other groups.
Traditions
Camp Watonka, like many summer camps, has its own traditions and myths.Each session opens and closes with a camp fire, fireworks, games and skits. The first camp fire is ignited by the camp owner, Don Wacker, with water, the first of many science experiments the campers will experience over the course of their stay.
Campers have the opportunity to win numerous prizes and awards, which are presented to them on the last day of their stay. Prizes can be won for designing the best rocket, achieving a rank in archery and riflery, catching the biggest fish and participating successfully in the activities and science classes. Winners of certain awards are listed on the camp's Hall of Fame.
Each summer, many campers and counselors choose to return to camp. This has led to the propogation and evolution of many funny and scary stories unique to Camp Watonka, including those about the monsters that live around the camp and in the camp's lake, as well as the story about the mysterious counselor named Jack who burnt down Cabin 13.