View from the Crab, Version 2

Back in August 2017, we posted a photo as part of a “Boxwell Zen” series by Chris “Kit” Eckert, camp photographer in 1970. It was a view from the Cripple Crab down the hill. The “zen” aspect was the sunset and darkened exposure of the photography. Today we present a slightly different version of the photo.

As we all do sometimes, Eckert took several photos from the top of the hill that day in 1970. There are at least eight in the series from this particular vantage point, all with different exposures. There are a couple of others where it appeared Eckert climbed on top of the roof of the Crab and took a few shots. We say “appeared” because we know that no staff member would ever do such a thing…

Shown here is a considerably lighter exposure. You can see how much the landscape has changed in the fifty years since the photo was taken. Not only are there no amphitheatre, trees, or flagpoles, there is a clear and direct view straight down to the Pump House. Of course, that direct line makes sense when one considers that the Pump House was a working part of camp at the time and pumped water out of the lake, straight up the hill, and into the (now unused) Water Tower. The sunset though is much less powerful, demonstrating that how we take a photo is important to the story we want to tell.

View from the top of the hill to the bottom of the hill, 1970