Even though our summer camp season is over and we’ve highlighted our staffs’ favorite places, there are still several wonderful spots that weren’t chosen. But they are somebody’s favorite! To conclude the summer, we’ll keep showcasing the rest of Camp Mount Luther’s top spots. If you’ve been to camp, can you recall any memories from these spots? If you haven’t had the fortune to explore camp’s beauty, use your imagination… and come for a visit!

Down the path from Holy Spirit is a magical wonder you might miss if you’re not looking for it. Although, we imagine you’d notice something since our next favorite place at camp we’re highlighting is the gigantic black walnut tree! You’ll see hints of it as you approach. No, those aren’t dirty tennis balls littering the ground; they’re black walnuts. After a bit of walking, you go around a bend in the path only to find a towering trunk with magnificently sweeping branches.

The great-grandfather of all grandfather trees, Big Tree (as it’s affectionately dubbed) has been around a very long time. Director Chad recalls going on hikes as a camper to observe its glory, his cabin leaders telling him that it is the oldest black walnut tree in the United States. It’s rumored that National Geographic once offered to buy the land around the tree, but camp refused. Former camp director, Donald Mincemoyer, said in a 2001 interview, “It is unique because it is as wide (its wingspan) as it is tall.” Someone told former facility manager, Tom Watters, that it is the oldest tree in the county.

As you stand in front of the old tree, you’ll feel its aura of mystery, too. Can it really be that this is the oldest black walnut tree in the US? Its goliath arm stretches above you, reaching to the other side of the forest. We can just imagine Big Tree holding court with the rest of the forest, acting as the benevolent yet firm judicator for all of camp’s creatures.

More recently, Big Tree has been the place of a near-sighting of camp’s illusive camels. During a week 7 camel hunt, campers reported hearing camel calls near Big Tree, hypothesizing that they enjoyed a good black walnut as part of their diet. A concoction of “camel stew” (with of course, ground up black walnuts!) left out overnight seemed to provide plenty of proof to some of the younger campers. In the morning there was no stew to be found and nibble marks left in the bowls. Clearly camels roam our lands.