Dyer Memorial Centres and Refreshes


 On a bit of a personal pilgrimage this week. Dave Grace invited me up to camp to discuss my book and the book writing process, so I decided to combine this with reflecting on this beautiful place and the journey of writing this book. As usual, I came away from dealing with Dave and the whole trip a better writer, and a better person.

 

On my way to Interlaken, I took a detour so that I could see the Dyer Memorial. Greg Rogers told me stories about the site, and many staff have told me about the power of visiting the memorial, so I had to experience it.

 

The Dyer Memorial is a beautiful 42- foot stone structure in the middle of the woods about 6km along Harp Lake Road, which is just a few kms from the Limberlost Road turn on  Hwy 60 east of Huntsville. You make your way to Dyer Memorial road, which is a tricky dirt road with ruts that make the experience even more powerful. I was proud that I actually found the place.

 

Clifton Dyer had the memorial built in 1956 in honour of his wife Betsy who had passed away. He also created a 2-acre nature reserve that is now run by the Muskoka Conservancy. He had Betsy’s ashes interred within the monument. When Clifton died three years later his ashes were placed there as well. It has stood since as a monument to love and a special place for witnessing the beauty of Muskoka.

 


 

 The dirt road leads to a set of stairs and when the monument comes into view it is breathtaking. Not only is the monument and the wilderness reserve an awesome sight to see, but it is also spiritual. Alone in the woods on a beautiful Muskoka summer day, I could picture Greg taking a group of leaders there on a Friday night before they leave for home and their new normal or taking the staff there on the last night of ‘pre-camp’ for a retreat that they will never forget. I felt the power of hundreds of Olympians who have stood on the same spot, wondering where their hearts took them at that moment. Cool feeling. 

 



When I climbed to the monument itself the spirituality really hit me. There was a single child’s shoe left there as a reminder of the indigenous people who nurtured this land for thousands of years before Olympia Sports Camp or the Norwegian Air Force were even glimpses into the future. The moment turned to prayer as I asked  for guidance and strength as I continue the path of writing this book.

 

The 14km drive along Limberlost seemed shorter. When I pulled into camp, I felt the same sense of home I have felt coming here for so long. Michelle Stockstill and Sean Connelly were in the main office, and it was so good to see them. It felt like I was seeing a couple of long-lost cousins who I haven’t seen nearly enough lately. I saw Bruce of course as there is so much work going on in camper and coach’s cabins. On this day they were repanelling the camper cabins. Massive job.

 



 I ate lunch (outstanding by the way, kudos to the new chef) with Mere Bawks and Brendan Morris and caught up with how their lives and jobs have been impacted. They were excited about the upcoming family camps and providing great programs for families this summer. The summer of 2021 at Olympia will be a family camp. With the work being done on the cabins, and leaders like Brendo providing quality programming makes it a great place for families to go. Check out olympiasportscamp.com



I did the obligatory first swim (it was cold) and was amazed at the new dock system. In this climate of uncertainty and two summers of no camps and Dave is still making this place better. How can a book not be written about this place?

 


I am writing this while sitting on a picnic table outside C3 where I stayed with my family every week nine for more than 15 years. The stillness belies the energy that this hallowed land has given to so many people for so long. As a ritual I went into C3 and was impressed with what they have done to these cabins. Each has a new bathroom with ceramic tile floors and beautiful counter tops and a new tub. I also noticed a big white square on the ceiling and assumed it was the new ventilation system Dave had told me about in one of our interviews. It took me back to some of the coaches that experienced Olympia in the early days and how they’d be blown away by how modern the cabins have become.

 


A trip to Olympia can be spiritual and cathartic but it is always practical.

Dave introduced me to a term called transformational author and gave me four questions to explore as part of this journey of the heart that writing this book has become.

1.     How will this book transform me? Probably the most important aspect of the journey is who I become along this journey. I’m humbled by this

2.     How will this book transform the reader? This book is written by and for the people who have experienced Olympia, but it is also written for anyone who is on a journey, which is everybody. The reader will learn about themselves by reading about others. They will see that we are all heroes of our own journey.

3.     How will the book transform my business? At this point who knows but after I wrote Can’t Miss: The Kevin Pangos Story I took Kevin’s journey and created an hour-long school presentation on growth mindset and motivation. Maybe that is something that will help spread the awesome story of life on Oxbow.

4.     How will the book transform the world? This question links right to Dave Talk and the need to spread the vibration that we hear every morning before session.  The Hero's Journey can help anybody but I think if the book impacts one person it can impact the world, but for sure will impact their world.

Thanks for joining me on this spiritual journey. As I go further along this path, I grapple with the enormity of it but whenever I get a chance to connect with Dave Grace I’m emboldened by his passion for life and his belief in me. Most Olympians reading this can say the same thing.

 

 

The link to the blog is TuesdayswithDave.blogspot.com

This blog is about the journey of the writing of the book A Hero's Journey: From Little Norway to Olympia Sports Camp. The blog will contain excerpts from the book and my personal thoughts on what the place and the people that make up Olympia's journey is all about. The title comes from the great book Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. The blog's title is recognizing Dave Grace as Camp Director, but all content is my own.

 

 

 

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 29, 2021 at 2:50 AM

    Thanks for this story Chris. I always enjoy your blogs but this one had an extra dose of connection for me.

    ReplyDelete

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