Cave Camp

"Cave Camp" is the story of a young boy who attends a Christian camp owned by his ornery great uncle whom he meets for the first time. The church camp is run that week by the Women's Christian Temperance Union whose focus is on the evils of drinking alcohol and smoking. The main feature of this camp is Porter's Cave, a magnificent and dangerous natural wonder in the heart of Indiana. The boy also stays with his great aunt and great uncle and experiences interesting contradictions from what he is being taught at the camp and what he learns from his great uncle. After church camp is over, the boy camps with a young uncle and a cousin at the property where he experiences the adventures of exploring the cave, a stone quarry, swimming in a natural pool, swinging on vines and the anguish of an excruciating case of poison ivy. There is fun, adventure and suffering during his time there which he never forgets.

Years later, when the boy is a middle-aged man, he goes back to relive his experiences with his own son. The story evokes both elation and disappointment, transporting the reader to a distant time and place for a unique experience. Has anything changed over the years? Read "Cave Camp" to find out.