Category: Memories - TrailRidge Mountain Camp - the Buladean Years

Tommy Hopkins reflects back on his years at TMC...

11/7/2024

Every so often I hear from an old camper or counselor. These notes came this past week from Tommy Hopkins, a Metairie, Louisiana camper who attended for several summer. Tommy, now rebranded Tom or Thomas, is currently living in Houston. He's married, two "kids" in college, and working as an attorney. Great to hear from you Tommy.

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As I’m sure you’ve heard from many other of the boys from camp, TrailRidge has had a huge impact and influence on my life. It’s impossible for me to think about my childhood without thinking about camp. I spent the whole school year waiting to get back.

There was a five day hike I struggled through one year and was pretty much pushed and pulled up the AT the whole way. And then I did it again the next year without nearly any of the pain / grumbling.

Some amazing overnight bike rides on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Will the Circle be Unbroken.

Trips to see several plays.

Bob’s Dairy Land.

The tourist day trip to the Mast General Store with withdrawals from the camp account.

I could do this all night.

I was sorry to read about Bobbie’s passing. I enjoyed learning about horses from her. I didn’t know anything about a frog on a horse until I showed up to the barn one day after breakfast or lunch. At the time I wasn’t crazy about how rigorous her swim test was but certainly appreciate it now as a parent.

Thanks for all the time you put in with the camp, Mark.

Bobbie's Passing

4/18/2024

It was almost exactly a year ago that Bobbie Levin died. Bobbie, my wife of 41 years, was co-founder & co-director of TrailRidge. She was the driving force to get everything ready before the first campers arrived.

I was still in New Orleans finishing up my year of teaching when Bobbie moved up to Buladean in March of 1982. The property was not developed, not even a clearing. Bobbie took on the challenge of finding carpenters, getting plans designed, arranging for everything. She was great at it and because of Bobbie...camp opened.

And when camp opened just three months later, we were "pretty much" ready. I'll save that for another post. Once camp opened, Bobbie handled all the kitchen duties, the payroll, the purchasing, and helped me with the program.

Bobbie died in April 2023. She had had several health issues including dementia.

As our camp song used to end every campfire said,
"There's a better home a waiting, in the sky Lord, in the Sky."

bobbie_levin_obituary_4-22-23.pdf
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Bobbie and Mark on their wedding day, Thanksgiving 1981. This was on the camp property which had nothing but trees and a couple of creeks. Seven months later the first campers arrived.

Overmountain Shelter on the AT to be torn down

11/19/2023

Ben Parker sent this notice to me today about the closing of the Overmountain Shelter. I imagine several dozen of our campers/counselors stayed in this shelter on one of their "Bob's Dairyland Hikes" that took adventurous campers on the AT from Carver's Gap down to 19-E in the town of Roan Mountain.

Read the story.

The Wastewatcher revisited after 41 years!

9/23/2023

If you were at TMC in the early 1980s, you might have been terrorized by the unannounced appearance of "The Wastewatcher" who would show up on a noisy motorcycle wearing clothes that would make the Hell's Angels proud. He was there to enforce the "take what you want, eat what you take" rule. I caught up with Randy and Ellen Nentrup a few days ago. Randy is still riding motorcycles, but I'm thinking he's done with terrorizing the neighborhood. Both are retired and living in Buladean full time.

Randy and Ellen are nurses. Ellen retired a few years ago and Randy just retired in May 2023.

Ben Parker meets up with Steve Sovelove for another desert hike!

8/23/2023

I think Ben Parker does an amazing job of keeping up with camp friends. Here's his trip report of a hike with fellow counselor Steve Sovelove that happened just after his hike with Collyn Martinez.
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Steve and his wife stayed here for 2 days. On one of the days we did a 5-hour hike in 95-degree heat; we both held up great and I think we were moving as fast as our TrailRidge days. Both of our health has really improved (2 years ago we were bed-ridden at times with pain). Steve is still making custom-cabinets and furniture. He is a master craftsman. He also plays drums in a punk band.

We all had many meals together and could not have had a better time together. Neither of us has changed much. He and I are the best of friends for 35 years now! Here's a photo taken in a remote part of the northern Sandias near Albuquerque that we hiked to.

Ben Parker & Collyn Martinez are still friends and hiking buddies after decades of being out of touch.

8/18/2023

Trip Report from Ben Parker

Collyn Martinez lives in New Orleans and involved in real estate. He is visiting NM mainly to see his good friend in Santa Fe. They are whitewater rafting near Taos for a few days, and hiking and camping. I'm still working as a stock investor and close to retiring. Collyn and I did a 2-hour hike up off-trail up a steep arroyo with signs of black bear everywhere but we didn't see any. Collyn and I will be life-long friends.

Ben and Collyn in the New Mexico mountains.

Recently uncovered photos from a 1997 bike trip...

5/30/2023

Tom Stitt and Mark took a group of kids on the first "long" on-road, self-contained bike trip in 1997. We've had other self-contained trips at camp that were two or three days and we've had "supported" trips that were much longer including at least one "mountains-to-the-sea" bike trips. On this five-day trip, we didn't have a sag wagon. Packed what we needed on the bikes. Tom just uncovered these photos he took and shared them. They are posted on the trailridge.info website along with a bunch of other things to explore.

Do you wonder whatever happened to Gus Jerdee?

5/16/2023

It's been nearly 20 years (I'm thinking) since I've seen Gus Jerdee. That changed this week when I found him. I can't disclose his actual location, but he's enjoying his retirement living on a few acres in the mountains of North Carolina. And that's where we're all probably thinking he should be. He and Suzanne stay very busy developing their mountain homestead. Each summer they invite family and friends of family to their own little camp for a couple of weeks.

Trevor Ferrell checks in after over 35 years...

2/23/2023

Another camper from the past. This morning I got an email from camper Trevor Ferrell. I'm thinking he was there around 1985. Ben Parker might know for sure. Thanks for getting in touch, Trevor.

And here's his memory...

I was a camper for one year. Do not remember the year or too many details. I do remember Ben Parker. I remember leaving the cabin and another camper said to Ben, "It's cold Ben, it's cold." Ben laughed and we continued to use the saying, "It's cold Ben, it's cold" during the camp session. Anyway, thought I would share.

Hearing from my little brother, Robert LaPlace

2/15/2023

Every so often someone gets in touch with me just to chat. I just hung up with Robert LaPlace, who at age ten or so came to TrailRidge for his first of a few summers. He's the guy fourth from the left. In this photo he was on an Outer Banks bike trip with staff members Gus Jerdee, Danny Moore, and Joe Mahon (Great Britain).

I got to know Robert when he was just nine or so when I was living in New Orleans and he was nearby in Metairie. He and I became "brothers" as in the Big Brothers program. We've been friends ever since which would now be over 40 years.

Also in this photo I recognize Chuck Lockwood, Tommy Paylor, Chris Brown, McHardy Stoutz, and Michael LaPlace in addition to Robert, Gus, Danny, and Joe.