Practicing Canoeing on Sand Pond. Note two birch bark canoes crafted by Harry Jordan.
Looking Back: Camp Blazing Trail
Throughout 2026, our anniversary year, this section of our website will be updated with articles and photos looking back on the history of the lakes. This page features Camp Blazing Trail, a girls camp that was located on the shores of Hancock and Sand Ponds near the dugway. It was established in 1930 by Miss Eugenia Parker, for girls from 13 to 18.
According to Esther Dutton, in her 1977 history Denmark, Maine, Past and Present, “Miss Parker had wide camping experience, and was a licensed Maine Guide. Girls were taught to cook over a campfire, handle a canoe in all kinds of weather, and were instructed in camp crafts of all kinds. Miss Parker sold the camp to the YWCA of Boston in 1955.”
On the occasion of it’s 25th anniversary, Camp Blazing Trail published the following tribute
"Aunt Gigi" Had a Hunch
(From a Tribute written by the Camp in 1955.)
"A quarter-century ago, Eugenia Parker, “Aunt Gigi” to hundreds of campers, had a hunch and played it. Girls, she believed, could pioneer in camping - be versed in the lore of field, forest and lake, and be able to improvise out of nature’s bounty things useful and artistic.
"To a selected group of teenage girls, Blazing Trail was to suggest the thrill of adventure along untrodden paths. Aunt Gigi realized that such a program could be achieved only in a small group carefully chosen for ability to grasp and enjoy these ideals. Having a rich and extensive camping experience herself, she set about putting her ideal into action. Harry E. Jordon, for many years the boss of a big lumber outfit and a skilled woodsman and canoeman, saw the possibilities in this program and shared Aunt Gigi’s vision. Together they evolved Blazing Trail.
"In Denmark, Maine, she discovered and bought a tract of forest land on the eastern slope of Allen Mountain which borders Sand and Hancock Ponds. The rugged cabins were built of notched hemlock logs patterned after the cabins of our early ancestors. But these cabins have stone fireplaces, screens and drop windows that make them comfortable in all kinds of weather."
Photo: Hanging out in the Blazing Trail main lodge.
Developing skills in the use of the knife, the saw, hatchet and axe.
"The first five years were devoted to building the program which would help each camper develop in the woods a sense of confidence and a desire to discover and explore the rich life found there.
"Through the years, Blazing Trail has earned the reputation for making the various articles used in camping. The first canoes of birch bark, paddles of white ash cut on the place, bows and arrows, hunting knives, sleeping bags and tents were all made by the campers under supervision. Skills in the use of the knife, the saw, hatchet and axe were developed as the campers participated in this camp program.
"Through group living, where each shared the everyday work duties, girls gained a sense of responsibility and cooperation. Inspiration for living was gained by everyone at Blazing Trail through participation in the daily “Password” service where the ideals of Christian living were expressed by camper and counselor alike."
Photo: Preparing a meal at an island lean-to, 1936.
The "Big Trip"
"The “Big Trip” in 1936, started the next six-year period. It combined mountain climbing and canoe trips in Katahdin, Chesuncook and the Allagash region. “God’s Country,” as Uncle Harry called it, became the magnet which drew campers and counselors together. Aunt Gigi used the counselors’ experience and training to prepare campers for this adventure into a region made famous years ago by Thoreau.
"Few who have listened to Uncle Harry’s briefing, preliminary to the take-off for the Outpost at the head of Chesuncook Lake, will ever forget: Safety, wind and weather, the courtesy of the back woods, “speak civilly to anyone you meet, that is all” - what to do if lost, “but don’t get lost.” Now that he has retired, the trip is made under Aunt Gigi’s direction. She has been a Maine Guide for 20 years and has had the opportunity of working with a man second to none in his knowledge of the outdoors!
"Who can forget pushing canoes up the three miles of Horse-Race Rapids, or the sight of young girls skillfully poling their canoes though fast water - or the massive head of a bull moose - deer running through the woods - a berry patch raided by bears - a string of bright spotted trout from a beaver pond - the awe and wonder of the view from Katahdin surrounded by myriad lakes - or the shimmering of the Northern Lights!
Photo: Camping out on the shores of Chamberlain Lake in the North Maine Woods, 1938.
WWII shifted the focus
"By the Second World War, Aunt Gigi’s vision was a reality, but because of conservation the Big Trip was out. However, training went on in woodcraft and camping, augmented by chicken raising, bean picking, “Victory” gardening and increased activity with the village children. English girls from war-torn cities were extended hospitality for the summer. Short mountain trips and canoeing on the near-by rivers with poling on white water took the place of the 600-mile round trip. Uncle Harry kept alive the spirit of the North Woods with tales of his past experiences - very often stretching the truth - as only he could, and, with a twinkle in his eye, saying, 'Now girls, the great thing in life is to be able to tell what is true from what is not.'
"With Uncle Harry’s retirement the camp continues to follow much the same program it had when he was here. His skills are firmly grounded, his interest in the Indians and their artifacts has remained alive through the many relics which he and the campers brought back after discovering the remains of an Indian village at Chesunook. His bows and arrows and canoes are still in constant use.
"Blazing Trail, under Aunt Gigi’s wise and enthusiastic direction, celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary next season. With this significant milestone just ahead, it is appropriate to look back at achievements as well as forward to new endeavors. This modest account of Blazing Trail’s growth and development to date is designed to awaken memories in girls and counselors who have contributed much to its life and activities.
Photo Below: Head Guide Harry Jordan, Camp Director Eugenia Parker, and camper Margaret Gilman, who attended the camp from 1936-1939.
