The Wrangell sentinel., 1929-09-26
HOW CAMP LIFE AT ELKS LAKE APPEALS TO INDIAN
 MAID FROM SEE. ALASKA

What would an Indian girl think of camp life as 1t is lived in an ex- elusive girls summer camp That question is deeisively answered in letter which Carol Dasch, Les lie junior high school girl, has re- ceived from an Alaskan Indian girl, Myrtle Rinehart, of Wrangell, Alaska, who is spending the sum- mer at Skyline Trail camp, at Elk lake in the Bend country.
 Myrtle, 15 years old, formerly Chemawa student, was chosen in competition with all the girls at Leslie junior high in a contest this spring as showing the finest quail ities of mind and spirit. The Les lie girls themselves and the faculty selected Myrtle as most worthy to receive the privilege of six weeks in the summer camp which is con- ducted each year at Elk lake by Miss Carin Degermark, who for the past year has been instructor of physical education at Leslie junior high.
 Miss Degermark has written that the Indian girl who has had prac- tically none of the advantages of training which the other girls, many of them daughters of promi- nent Portland families, take for granted, lifts in to camp life with as much ease as girls who are back for a third and fourth season. She is outstanding in activities and leadership and is universally popular"
 Excerpts from the letter which Myrtle wrote to her classmate at Leslie are as follows: What a wonderful place Skyline Trail camp is. It is so beautiful. All our cab ins face Elk lake. When you row out in the lake ways you can see three other mountains beside Elk mountain. They are South Sister, Broken Top and Bachelor Butte. Across from our camp there are some summer homes and lodge. It is most always quiet and peace full here. We have, however, an evening serenade by the frogs. At first it bothered me, but I have gotten quite used to 1t now. Some evenings when persons are out rowing on the lake it is the most delightful sensation to lie in our beds and hear their voices come waiting over the waters.
 Every day we arise at seven ex- cepting on Sundays. We then have setting up exercises. After that we may take a plunge in the lake. Then we have breakfast. After breakfast we do our cleaning in our tents. After that we have in- spection in our tents; we gather wood for the bonfire which we have every evening, or carry water. At 10 we have handcrafts. Part Of the girls are making puppets. They will give puppet show at the end of the season. The other girls, in- cluding myself are doing peasant embroidery. After lunch we have an hour of rest. Then we have danc- ing. It is natural movement dane- ing and based on the interpretation of music. After that we have swim ming. We can try for the junior life saving corps during our stay here. I have passed canoe test.
 Every Sunday evening we sit around the bonfire and we talk about camp spirit. We sing songs too. Every evening we go to bed at 9 excepting on Saturdays when we go to bed at 10. We make up for it by sleeping until on Sundays.
 We went on hike to Link creek which is three miles from here making our hike six miles all together. Some of us girls went horseback riding to Blow lake which is about three and nall
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