Thunderhead: What We Remember
For alumnae of a certain time period, Thunderhead was a staple of their Greystone experience. Just hearing the word evokes fond memories of splashing in the river and smelling like horses!
But even if you never had the chance to visit this special place, if you’ve admired the mountains from the Dining Hall porch, you’ve seen it in the distance. So, let’s take a walk down memory lane and look back at the many wonderful memories from Thunderhead, as well as see what’s in store for Greystone riders this summer.
Thunderhead History:
In the 1950s, Virginia Hanna purchased the property situated on Freeman Creek, the stream that feeds Lake Summit. It was a smart decision for many reasons, first of all that buying the land protected Greystone by securing the surrounding properties (while also protecting the view!). But the land also provided valuable program space for one of Greystone’s most beloved activities: Riding.
In the 1950s, the Greystone Barn property ended at the physical Barn structure, as camp did not own the many pastures that it owns now. By purchasing Thunderhead, a 210-acre property just up the road, Mrs. Hanna set up the Riding program to expand greatly. The many mountain trails bordered a creek, allowing for Greystone Riders to really explore on their mounts. Thunderhead also gave campers a wonderful place for hiking and camping overnights.
“The best part of the trip to Thunderhead was swimming with the horses in the deeper parts of the river. We got totally wet and our rubber tall boots filled with water. Brrrr! That water was cold. After our horses were cared for, we pigged out on burgers cooked on Mrs. A’s little portable grill, then fixed s’mores over the embers.” -Alice Cromer
Trips to Thunderhead
When camp stretched over 8 weeks in the 1950s, trips out of camp were very important! Many campers enjoyed multiday excursions out of camp, and Thunderhead was one of the favorite places to visit. Girls would often ride on their horse from Greystone to Thunderhead, and once they arrived, they would gallop through the open pastures or take their horse for a swim in the creek. An open-air barn with a loft allowed for the campers to sleep above their horses - a dream overnight for many girls!
Living at Thunderhead
These Thunderhead trips continued throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s. At times, a staff member would even live on the property during the summer, as Patty Friend Douglass remembers doing in 1989 and 1990. Patty recalls staying on the Thunderhead property for weeks at a time, bathing in the river (always upstream from where the horses might have gone to the bathroom), and hauling water from the river to the barn for the horses. While hard work, it was a magical time, one she remembers with great fondness.
“I remember the very first night I got to sleep in a barn over the horses that I would get to take care of and ride the next day. It was magical….Not to mention I still believe that eggs cooked in a cast iron skillet over an open fire are the very best ever.” -Patty Friend Douglass
Pranks at Thunderhead
While Riding and overnights provided wonderful memories, many a Greystone alumna can recall being scared senseless while sleeping at Thunderhead. Thunderhead pranks are legendary. With Falling Creek bordering the property, the boys on staff would often sneak over on horseback to scare the Greystone riders while they were sleeping. The Greystone Men Staff also had quite a bit of fun scaring the overnighting campers. Whether it was mysterious noises in the woods or an infamous story about a men staffer with a chainsaw, Thunderhead lore is full of “scares.”
“My favorite Thunderhead memories are with the horses. I loved riding the trails and then washing the horses in the creek. We would sleep in the hay loft and stay up late telling stories and singing.” -Laura Green Hollowell
“I remember riding from camp on our horses. We slept in a shed when it rained, as there wasn’t a barn yet. We were packed in there like sardines!” -Ginger Keyton Palmer
Selling Thunderhead
In the early 1990s, Greystone sold Thunderhead to Chuck McGrady, the then owner of Falling Creek Camp. Greystone was only using the property sparingly at that point, and Chuck wanted to expand Falling Creek’s land holdings. It was a bittersweet time for many alumnae who looked back on their Thunderhead experience with such fondness, but it was the right decision for camp at that time.
Greystone Repurchases Thunderhead
In 2016, Falling Creek’s new director,Yates Pharr, was no longer interested in the Thunderhead property. Jim “Jimboy” Miller approached Yates about selling the property back to Greystone, and we were able to buy back the land in December of that year. Under the leadership of Lisa Ashmore Maybin, Camp’s Riding Director at the time, Greystone reestablished the property for Riding and overnight use. Campers enjoyed visiting Thunderhead for half-day trips as they rode Western style through the mountains. Advanced Riders also enjoyed overnights on the property, in much the same manner as riders in the 1950s. With the horses sleeping underneath the campers and dinner cooking over an open fire, the Thunderhead overnights once again became a camper favorite.
As a camper, Thunderhead was one of my favorite places to go every summer! I remember having to ride the horses from the Greystone Barn to Thunderhead…we would walk single file on the road (with cars passing by) until we got to the turn off to the property. Then we would trot down the dirt road…when we would see the big pasture, that is when we would gallop as fast as we could all the way to the end, turn around and then gallop back to the stables. I loved taking off the bridle and saddle, putting on the halter, and leading the horses down to the river to drink. The smell of the horses all sweaty from their gallop is a memory I can still smell even now. -Katie Miller Grant
Thunderhead Today
As Greystone transitions its Riding program this summer to a Western, ranch-style experience, all of Greystone’s riders will be able to enjoy Thunderhead. The new program (dubbed the “Thunderhead Ranch”) gives riders a taste of the Riding experience that alumnae in the 1950s and 60s enjoyed: taking care of a horse for the day, riding on the mountain trails, bathing a horse in the river, cooking over an open fire, tubing down the river, and much more. We are excited for this generation of Greystone riders to enjoy the same beloved experience that many alumnae remember from their years at camp.