Celebrating 80 Years of Pine Tree Camp: Then & Now — Linda Townsend
Linda is 66 years old and has been coming to Pine Tree Camp since she was eight. She is very proud to say she has never missed a single summer. In the 1970’s, her experiences at Pine Tree Camp gave her the confidence to move from rural Maine to Portland so she could live independently and have access to public transportation. But, for one week a year, Cabin 3 is where Linda calls home and where she can leave behind the confines of her cerebral palsy and recharge in the heart of the Maine woods.
Dawn Willard-Robinson, Director of Pine Tree Camp, has known Linda for over 40 years and it’s clear to her that camp is where she finds peace. “She sits outside all the time when she’s here. You always see her reading a book on the porch or going down the trails into the woods. It keeps her going all year long.”
Pine Tree Camp’s 80th anniversary “Then & Now” spotlight series pairs past images with the present day as Pine Tree Campers strike a pose capturing the passage of time and the deep connection, intimate friendships and love of the special place they return to each summer.