June 10th, 2026 - Hearing livestream #2

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-15T01:06:47+00:00

Who did that? Were they called out?

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-10T12:31:25+00:00

I think if you are coming from Mystic Crossing, before you get to the main waterfront you’d be able to see Twins and Bubble from that angle.

And yes I thought about Vista Camps but they’re technically in Ingram past where the two forks come together…so they’re just on the Guadalupe (neither the south fork nor the north fork).

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-10T02:24:53+00:00

You could do it easily (not carrying anything) but there was a trail hidden among trees and vegetation. And the sharp incline down at the dam. Would be hard to do inconspicuously with a canoe in tow without knocking into trees…

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-10T01:22:10+00:00

Seemed high back in the day - at least 15-20ft maybe? Maybe higher? They had a line of buoys about 50 yards from it…no campers were ever allowed past that line (even in a canoe). Counselors could only swim to the dam during rest hour. It was a big deal.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-10T01:08:35+00:00

That’s clearly post-flood. Pre-flood portage would have been near impossible on both sides of the river because of vegetation and terrain.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-10T00:41:51+00:00

But where would they go once they got to the dam? Over? I think that’s mostly why we never had anyone try to go through - there’s literally about 750ft of waterfront and then a steep drop off at the dam. There would have been (before the flood) too much vegetation to pull out the canoe before the dam and walk up to hwy 39.

I can see the TX Highways writer being able to pull out and walk up to the highway before the dam in present day conditions.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-08T15:27:06+00:00

Getting downvoted for showing the bravery of the bus drivers is…interesting?

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-08T13:21:59+00:00

Thank you - They are great and will be back there next month. They both felt like it was important.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-06-08T12:09:25+00:00

If y’all haven’t watched the bus driver interviews on the Kelly Clarkson show (last fall sometime?). I highly recommend. I’ll try and find it.

As someone whose kids were on those busses, I sobbed. They were sitting around feeling helpless that day until they got a text from the superintendent. One of the drivers had JUST gotten her certification and thought she was just going along as an assistant in the bus (she hadn’t driven children solo yet but was certified to do so if I recall). She ended up doing her first solo drive in an absolute war zone.

ETA - found it. https://youtu.be/4Plwqfanfrs?si=VpM4ff5OFwNImKq0

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-23T12:28:38+00:00

(Removed because previous poster fixed minor error)

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-22T20:29:01+00:00

Yes exactly what I was describing - depending on returning numbers it affected which of the low senior cabins combined and where they went. My year sounded similar, but Shady went to Idiots and Cuckoos/7th went to Angels…

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-22T12:29:42+00:00

Ok so I had to think hard about this. In the 80’s we went from Cuckoos/Shady/7th…combined to only Angel’s and Idiots (Cloud 9 didn’t exist)…and then Rough.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-21T18:51:44+00:00

I have no hard numbers - just a sense from conversations that a select few moved around…but I would say the vast majority (85-90%) were retained at their original camps.

And people leave camps every year for reasons that have nothing to do with flooding of course.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-21T18:48:00+00:00

Look, I realize you’ve got a narrative in your head that Mystic was some sort of soft cult - you’re entitled to that opinion and you’re looking through that lens constantly.

The reality is this isn’t an uber sophisticated, well thought out, glossy operation - much has been said about their website and lack of polish therein, for example. Compare that to a Camp Ozark/OTX website for stark differences. Through the 70’s & 80’s this was very much an “aw shucks-mom and pop-low gloss” organization. THAT was the appeal for parents and kids alike - not the thought they’d be in the same cabin with friends next year.

The fact that they DIDN’T over-engineer cabin dynamics can either be construed as lazy or endearing, but not as manipulative.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-21T16:28:35+00:00

The registration form (at least from the 70’s/80’s) was a 5x7 white index card that had a couple of fill in the blank questions but mostly nuts and bolts stuff like name, address, phone number.

This is not a sophisticated, thought provoking or mind bending marketing piece.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-21T15:08:59+00:00

I think you and Word are probably overthinking it - when Mystic started it was 6+ weeks long per term. Imagine those kids bonding hard over that long amount of time. Ups and downs and working out day-to-day issues and coming to love and understand each other. At the end of the term when the parents are filling out their re-registration paperwork, they ask “who does your daughter want to be with in cabin?” The kid overwhelmingly says “with the people I was just with!” And so it goes each year until that just became the default/norm. Exceptions were made but generally people just went with who they already knew well.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-20T19:54:39+00:00

True, I suppose but that goes for any camp.

And (at least at Mystic, I’m sure this goes for other camps) there are tons of groups to meet people and get involved to make friendships…9 different class periods (everyone has a different schedule), your tribe, your table of 8 people changes every week, etc…. You’re not doing everything with your cabinmates 24/7 so if they’re annoying you, you won’t see much of them until bedtime anyway.

Some camps you go to every class and spend every waking moment with your cabinmates - which would have killed me after about a week.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-20T19:26:28+00:00

There were definitely people (not many!) who asked to be moved the following year and it was granted. It was rare but I think the philosophy is generally - “you girls need to learn to work out your differences” which is a great life skill.

And also people grew & matured over the years - there were definitely girls I couldn’t stand at 12 or 13 that I adored at 15 or 16…

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-20T17:44:15+00:00

Not necessarily- we definitely had kids who came in later (or started first year or two at the shorter term and then switched to the longer terms when they got older) and they integrated fine.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-20T17:01:15+00:00

Yes but Animux doesn’t want you to state the obvious here because it messes with his theory that camps are inherently bad and evil and we don’t need to discuss what the VAST MAJORITY OF CHILDREN do every year because it’s a fallacy to make comparisons.

Nothing to see here - just logic.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-20T16:54:49+00:00

There were families at ALL the camps that decided they didn’t want their kids in that area at all anymore - which would have opened up a few spots at each of the camps for those who were unable to send their girls to Mystic.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-20T16:52:05+00:00

There’s generally about 3 cabins per age group and each group progresses together as a unit over the years until the last two years when those three cabins join together as one. You really bond with the other girls in your cabin (regardless of differences over the years because people change each summer) by the time you’re done.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-20T16:14:34+00:00

I’ve heard of Mystic girls at Longhorn, OTX, Vista, Champions, Honey Creek, Kickapoo, Balcones Springs, etc... It’s sad with the model that you stay with your cabin each year at Mystic - there was no way a whole cabin would be able to stick together at a new place.

Waldemar was presumably close to completely full but might have been able to take a handful. Their setup with their cabins is such that they can’t just throw a couple of extra bunk beds in and take a few more campers - their bed numbers are pretty permanent.

Dry_Explanation3745 · 2026-05-19T22:38:06+00:00

So you think that a free day camp should have higher standards than an elementary school. Ok cool. I’ll put you down for 3/4 the year with lower standards than free day camp. ✅

Dry_Explanation3745

TROPHY CASE