Boys aged 9-15 lead a vigorous outdoor life on our island base in central Maine, and they also hike and canoe on more than 40 camping trips. Wherever they are, boys respond to Pine Island’s simplicity and informality, to its traditions and supportive staff, and to the pervasive spirit of wit and humor. This great camp is a fun place to be a boy.

Tellingly, Pine Island today still embodies its founder’s ambitious, visionary purpose: “To give boys a healthful and beneficial summer outing, to clarify their minds and reinvigorate their bodies, to give them new life and new strength—in a word, to afford them an opportunity for re-creation—is the purpose of Pine Island Camp.”

“Re-creation”—not merely recreation—sets Pine Island apart. And as you will read in parents’ comments in these pages, “re-creation” is real, not just a slogan. That it happens on a tiny island with no running water or electricity will seem less surprising when you have finished reading about this magical place.