OUTDOOR REUNION FOR JAEGER'S ALUMNI

by Edmund C. Jaeger


(reprinted from The Desert Magazine, January, 1959)

Throughout my 33 years as a teacher of the natural sciences I have always felt that the most important thing I could do for my students was to get them to supplement their indoor classroom and laboratory experiences with direct contact with Nature in the out-of-doors. I wanted them to go into the deserts and mountains where they could learn first hand the delights of primitive living and playing, while gleaning knowledge of the natural world.

And so it was common to see some of us every week-end and holiday forsaking our town environments for the boundless desert, the forested mountains or the shores of the restless sea.

Summers usually found a group of four or five of us living like nomads for five or six weeks in the far-away and strange corners of our country, Canada and Mexico. On three occasions I took some of my students to see the charming countryside of England, Germany and other European nations. As the years went by I was able to share camping experiences with an estimated 1200 students.

In 1954, soon after my retirement from active classroom teaching, it occurred to me that it would be a most refreshing experience to call together as many as possible of these former campmates for a reunion. They had scattered to many parts of the world, and the addresses of only a comparative few were known. I sent invitations to 350, asking them to join me in October for a "Reacquaintance Palaver."

The lads who used to go out with me are now, for the most part, professional men — surgeons, dentists, teachers of the biological sciences, research zoologists and botanists, business executives, engineers and jurists — many of them outstanding leaders in their fields. One thing remained as it was: their great love for camp life. When we get together it is a real homecoming.

The place chosen for our camp-out was amidst a spectacular isolated group of large granitic rocks, piled upon one another like giant blocks, on a broad Mojave Desert creosote bush plain. A wide apron-like bajada radiating outward for 600 feet provided a clean and inviting area for the many individual camps. To simplify matters, each carload of campers had been requested to take care of its own food and water. In order not to disturb the natural charm of the area by despoiling it of its deadwood, the men also were asked to bring from home the wood they needed for cooking, and an extra stick or two for the general evening campfire.

The Palaver participants began coming in at mid-afternoon on Saturday, and soon 60 persons were exchanging greetings and making new acquaintances — their common bond being a love of the desert out-of-doors. By dusk 25 small campfires were glowing in the gathering darkness, and tasty suppers were being prepared.

At seven o'clock wood was brought in for the common campfire. Soon thereafter Master of Ceremonies John G. Gabbert, Judge of the Superior Court of Riverside, California, directed a roll-call, asking the ex-students to recite memorable experiences of yesterdays which occurred on desert trips with me.

The moon was full, and after the campfire we sauntered forth for a three-mile walk under a cloudless star-studded sky. The experience was hugely enjoyed, and it left inerasable memories of the desert's nighttime charm.

Next morning after breakfast, the group assembled for a field trip. I directed them on a round of observations of the plant and animal life as well as pointing out the unusual physical features of our rocky terrain. On this three-hour four-mile walk there was never a dull moment, for someone was always turning up something of interest, or directing to me questions of import.

Lunchtime came, and shortly afterwards the early afternoon exodus for home. Some had yet that day to go to places as remote as Berkeley and Fresno.

It is gratifying to report that except for many footprints left in the sand, scarcely any evidence of the presence of the big group remained. It demonstrates how easily possible it is to fully utilize our wilderness areas for recreational and educational purposes, and leave them intact and unspoiled for others to enjoy in this and succeeding generations. When some of us visited the area in December, wind and rain had even erased the footprints.

The great success of this first Palaver, or as some dubbed it, "Jaeger's Camp Meeting," suggested that it be made an annual affair.

Already we are looking forward to next year's Palaver. This yearly meeting of men of kindred souls is now a well established annual affair of unquestioned value, an autumn week end of wholesome education combined with meaningful recreation. Its impact on the lives of all of us, and especially the young participants, is most important.

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