I was a camper from 1996-1998 and was a counselor in training at the end of '98. Those summers were the most memorable summers of my life. I remember when we began doing rock climbing. Courtney always reminded us that we were climbing in one of the same places where Todd Skinner learned to climb. I guess I didn't realize then and haven't thought about it until now, but it was one of his many encouragements that made us all push ourselves over and over again. The more I think about it, Courtney just had a way of making us all try our hardest and be our best all the time.

I'd give just about anything to go on a camping trip with Courtney again. He just knows so much. I was around him more than Bob and Monte. Courtney was the one who let me be a counselor-in-training when I was younger than 95% of the campers! After my summers at Skinner's Camp I went through Boy Scouts to become an Eagle Scout and did Wilderness Ventures twice, but I never came close to learning as much as I did in my 14 weeks at Skinner's Camp.

A Counselor named Will and his little brother Hugh from Knoxville, TN taught me how to fly fish up in a place that was farther away where there were creeks everywhere and trout by the millions. That's now one of my favorite things to do.

I'd love to hear from people who were at Skinner's back then. I think that whole Burnt Lake area should be a Skinner place of some kind, like a Research College, forever.

Thomas Matter Jr.

3501 Marquette St

Dallas TX 75225

thomasmatter@gmail.com