Camp Tranquility represents a direct link between the past and present in Alabama. The Camp highlights the skill and ability of the men of Company 487 of Roosevelt’s “Tree Army”. They also represent the best our people had to give during a time of desperation and turmoil for the United States. These buildings stand as a testament to their work, craftsmanship and dedication to duty. Over the years many youth groups in the Birmingham and Central Alabama region used these facilities. The artisans who created these works should not have their labor simply evaporate with the passage of time. We do not want to look back at the ghostly chimneys of the site and ask what it might be like today if we had taken the time to save her.
Today the Camp Tranquility Preservation Association along with local Boy Scouts are spearheading a drive to bring Camp Tranquility back to its former glory as a monument to the men of the C.C.C. and W.P.A. who labored for so long to make this area a treasure for generations to come. It should be a memorial to the conditions of the time and the dedication of spirit over adversity. As it stands now, the area will be forgotten without the direct intervention of groups like the Boy Scouts, the Camp Tranquility reservation Association, Friends of Oak Mountain State Park and other Civic Partners.
While the boys stayed in their tents, the adults all took the wooden buildings that have been re-built in this area. But I think most, like me, put up tents inside the building to keep out the yucky spiders. But it was nice to have a full cabin to myself to spread out in. Our arrival contained all of the new permission slips and temperature checks of the new COVID times, but beyond that, the campout was a nice return to scouting. The boys divided up into a hiking group and a mountain biking group the next morning, with Sam and Davis on their new bikes. The planned route was about 9 miles and included two of the double diamond hardest courses at Oak Mountain. I was originally planning to go with the hiking crew, but there were not enough adults with the bikers. So I took up my back of the line spot, and we took off. Going down "Lightning" I realized really quickly that while I can hold my brakes and make it down these areas, this was about 5 steps above my skill level, and for three of our boys on bikes not even meant to be on the easy trails at OMSP, they were not ready for this level of biking. Luckily at the middle area near the BMX area, those three were about to join up with the hikers, with a promise that they could go on the lake trail loop later in the day (Here is where I committed my self to 3.5 miles of easy riding, but not realizing the difficulty of what was in front of me).
The trails at OMSP are really nice, but I apparently am just not a good bicycle rider. But I made it thru the trails, easily bringing up the rear, then Everett and two more experienced dads started climbing the red road...and it was not even possible to climb (well possible as a few passed me pedaling up) so I ended up walking the bike up most of this area, and Davis and I brought up the very back. Every turn it just kept getting steeper, as we climbed that red road for almost two miles (Never Never again said both me and Davis...NEVER!). And what is at the top of this climb? The twin to the "Lightning" trail..."Thunder". And While Thunder does not have the steep drops of Lightning, it is much rockier with some areas that are just scary considering the slope beyond the trail. And while I made it most of the way, on one of the rocky turns I finally wrecked...and wrecked makes it sound cool, but it was actually more of a slow motion fall as I was trying to navigate a turn. But that slow motion fall was actually very fast leaving me with a large bleeding cut down my forearm, and a still bruised and cut today (3 weeks later) shin bone. Plus I broke the nice handle bars on my bike. But I managed to get back on the bike and finish "Thunder" with no further falls. Davis said that he only held on in one area because of a pedal that happen to lodge on the trail. And Sam is the better biker of all three of us, and he agreed, THUNDER is off the list for the foreseeable future.
And back to the camp for lunch after 9 miles on the bike. I was limping and had to clean up my bleeding arm. Then the group from that morning were ready for the afternoon trek, and I was the only one that had biked that trail, and I wanted to take those three boys from earlier anyway, so we put together a crew to drive to this trail. Davis opted out of round two, instead going fishing with a few other boys. Sam cam with us, and we all completed another 4 miles. My butt was soooo sore, I could not do much other than sit back at the campsite. But it was a fun final night as the boys built a campfire and hung out with the Scoutmaster Mr. George. And I sat with the adults as they cooked steaks, potatoes, and grilled shrimp (Yeah, the adults ate really good). I know my opportunities for these adventures with the boys are getting closer to an end, so I am always happy to go with them...even sore from that many miles on the bike.
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