Tag Archives: campstory

The Big Red Bat – Legend

Nationality: American
Age: 28
Occupation: Author
Residence: Long Beach
Language: English

Text/Context: “In 5th grade, everyone in Long Beach unified school district went to Camp High Hill, up in the LA mountains. There were a lot of traditional camp stories and all that, but the scariest was the story of the Big Red Bat. We didn’t know exactly what it was, but sometimes the counselors would mention it, saying something about the ‘Big Red Bat that was up in the trees,’ and never elaborate. There was an air of theatrics about it, clearly egging on our panic about the Big Red Bat and the forest itself, but we were 5th graders so we all believed it. One night, the night of a group night walk, we were sitting in the amphitheater before setting out. The head counselor told everyone that while he knows people are worried about the Big Red Bat, he was actually friends with him so there was nothing to worry about, but no one believed him. After a lot of unease, we finally started walking. When we got to where it supposedly was, he told us, “Alright guys, I’ll hold it at bay, but if you wanna take a peek, now’s your chance” We looked up, and nestled in the trees, was a big red baseball bat.”

Analysis: This is quite the funny story, but I think it shows the power a piece of folklore like a bit scary creature hiding out in the woods has. It was clearly used as a means to discourage kids from venturing out when they weren’t supposed to, but the execution is what I find particularly interesting. The Big Red Bat wasn’t a complete fabrication, it was a play on words that doubled as a deterrent for troublemakers. It makes me wonder if its origin is accidental, like if someone swung the bat but let go at the height of their swing and got it stuck up there for good. Regardless, it definitely worked out because it became both a funny story and a useful warning. 

The Beef Lady – Legend

Nationality: American
Age: 56
Occupation: Physician
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Text/Context: “When I was in church champ as a kid, there was the legend of the beef lady. The story went that there was an old lady living in the hills, and every once in a while someone would find the carcass of a dead cow that she killed and ate. I never saw any dead cows and neither did my friends, but sometimes someone would run over and say ‘I saw the beef lady I saw the beef lady! She’s right over there!’ and we would all go look. I went to this camp for 3, maybe 4 years, and every year, the beef lady was still a thing because the kids who were there the year before would tell the story to the first years. Even though there probably never was a beef lady, it was still fun to believe in. And you never know, maybe the beef lady was real all along and just really good at hiding her tracks.”

Analysis: A younger age group is naturally more inclined to believe in an entity as silly sounding as a beef lady who hides out in the woods. Frankly, kids will believe just about anything you tell them if you sound convincing enough. But what’s particularly interesting about the case of the beef lady is how it became so prominent at this church camp. I feel like of all the stories that could define a child’s experience at camp, the beef lady isn’t the one to do it. I think what made it so engaging for my father and his friends was the fact that it was specifically a church camp. These kids were raised very religiously, and the camp itself was so religiously based, that I think they wanted to believe in a story that was dark and scary, completely unlike the clean religious stories they were so used to.