Camp Mystic reopening for summer 2026

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I think if the shrieking harpy in here actually knew the families who send their kids to this camp they would rethink their very vocal stance. These extremely wealthy, right wing religious families don't spend a second of their day worrying about random elderly women in Virginia or thereabouts. Their kids will just go to another camp if it doesn't work out.

You’re dead wrong! We knew several children at that camp in that flood. One was a friend of my daughter’s a classmate. Their families care very much about others. These are not right wing people at all. Some are slightly right of center, some slightly left - none on the wings - ZERO! And they all care about others. Many families are still grieving, including mine. You should have compassion, especially as you are making assumptions about the compassion of others.

Be honest. The camp took a serious religious turn recently. These people are my friends, neighbors, and my kid's classmates.

They’re religious- true. It’s always been a religious camp. Are you saying religious people don’t deserve compassion if their children die? Are you saying religious people all had right political affiliations that don’t align with yours, therefore they don’t deserve compassion?

I'm saying their religion is a huge reason why they want to return to camp and that's why people here are struggling to understand their motivation. They have completely different world views. The returning campers aren't asking for anything from the people here, certainly not their compassion. I know returning campers and I certainly don't question them or discuss it with them. We are not the same, but it's their decision to make.

You keep bringing this up. We are not trying to discuss it with them. We are discussing it amongst ourselves. It is a bizarre, real-world case study in people acting adverse to their own interests.

Again with the ignorance and hubris. You don't have all of the facts. You don't know them. You have not experienced what they went through. You don't know their motivations. Stop judging them and MYOFB.

So funny. Those of us questioning the parents decisions to send their daughters to that camp clearly have more of the facts than you or they do.

No, you don't have more facts than the families who were actually there, FFS. You're mental.

The camp could have allowed the girls to walk 60 for 60 seconds up a hill and they would have lived. Instead they made them stay in their cabins and they died. I don’t need to “be there” to understand that this level of failure is criminal and has nothing to do with the river and everything to do with terrible risk assessment. No one should trust them with children ever again. It’s so painfully obvious to everyone not in the cult.

In hindsight yes, but at the time it was dark and they opted to shelter in place which in many occurrences is the right thing to do. But now everyone's an armchair quarterback. What if in trying to escape they had been swept away in the current?

That why you evacuate BEFORE the water is in the cabins. These return to camp people and their over the top suffering of their immensely privileged children not being able to go to camp is mad! It’s like a weird group psychosis.

What’s weird is you thinking you know anything about their situation.

Well it’s a good thing they got the horses and canoes to safety! Thank goodness they had the presence of mind to do that at least.

They may not have reported the deaths yet but I bet the insurance claim was filed right away.

PP above - please tell what you think I’m missing. It was a “biblical” storm in their words, Dick had no or limited info on the river and he didn’t evacuate a soul until there was flooding. What part of that is incorrect? Also why do you defend these people? There are myriad things they have done before and after the flood that shows they are the worst kind of people - the kind that act Godly until they are called to be accountable and then they weaponize God against the families with dead children. “Camp is more Beautiful in Heaven” what kind of soulless ghoul says that?

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand the arguing here.
It’s a big relief for those who were spared, that this won’t continue. It’s a small relief for the families of victims.
I think we agree on this.
?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if the shrieking harpy in here actually knew the families who send their kids to this camp they would rethink their very vocal stance. These extremely wealthy, right wing religious families don't spend a second of their day worrying about random elderly women in Virginia or thereabouts. Their kids will just go to another camp if it doesn't work out.

You’re dead wrong! We knew several children at that camp in that flood. One was a friend of my daughter’s a classmate. Their families care very much about others. These are not right wing people at all. Some are slightly right of center, some slightly left - none on the wings - ZERO! And they all care about others. Many families are still grieving, including mine. You should have compassion, especially as you are making assumptions about the compassion of others.

Be honest. The camp took a serious religious turn recently. These people are my friends, neighbors, and my kid's classmates.

They’re religious- true. It’s always been a religious camp. Are you saying religious people don’t deserve compassion if their children die? Are you saying religious people all had right political affiliations that don’t align with yours, therefore they don’t deserve compassion?

I'm saying their religion is a huge reason why they want to return to camp and that's why people here are struggling to understand their motivation. They have completely different world views. The returning campers aren't asking for anything from the people here, certainly not their compassion. I know returning campers and I certainly don't question them or discuss it with them. We are not the same, but it's their decision to make.

You keep bringing this up. We are not trying to discuss it with them. We are discussing it amongst ourselves. It is a bizarre, real-world case study in people acting adverse to their own interests.

Again with the ignorance and hubris. You don't have all of the facts. You don't know them. You have not experienced what they went through. You don't know their motivations. Stop judging them and MYOFB.

So funny. Those of us questioning the parents decisions to send their daughters to that camp clearly have more of the facts than you or they do.

No, you don't have more facts than the families who were actually there, FFS. You're mental.

The camp could have allowed the girls to walk 60 for 60 seconds up a hill and they would have lived. Instead they made them stay in their cabins and they died. I don’t need to “be there” to understand that this level of failure is criminal and has nothing to do with the river and everything to do with terrible risk assessment. No one should trust them with children ever again. It’s so painfully obvious to everyone not in the cult.

In hindsight yes, but at the time it was dark and they opted to shelter in place which in many occurrences is the right thing to do. But now everyone's an armchair quarterback. What if in trying to escape they had been swept away in the current?

Those are not the facts. The New Yorker article said at least one counselor went to the main area to report that water was up to their ankles in the cabin, and she was told to return.

At least one cabin did evacuate. One sister of a girl who died evacuated and on the way, she asked to go get her sister. She was denied, which we now know is devastating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Doesn't follow the rules" isn't generally what people want in a camp counselor.

Creative thinkers are an asset in emergency situations.

Problem is nobody knows how they will respond until they are in that situation.

That’s why you tell kids to listen to their instincts. I told my kids if a teacher tells them to do something in a shooting and their instinct is otherwise, then do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Doesn't follow the rules" isn't generally what people want in a camp counselor.

Creative thinkers are an asset in emergency situations.

Problem is nobody knows how they will respond until they are in that situation.

That’s why you tell kids to listen to their instincts. I told my kids if a teacher tells them to do something in a shooting and their instinct is otherwise, then do it.

That's not wise advice for young kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Doesn't follow the rules" isn't generally what people want in a camp counselor.

Creative thinkers are an asset in emergency situations.

Problem is nobody knows how they will respond until they are in that situation.

That’s why you tell kids to listen to their instincts. I told my kids if a teacher tells them to do something in a shooting and their instinct is otherwise, then do it.

Me too. Don’t be a sitting duck. Break a window if you have to. The school is more concerned about liability than any individual life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the arguing here.
It’s a big relief for those who were spared, that this won’t continue. It’s a small relief for the families of victims.
I think we agree on this.
?

The only arguing is the lady who is mad when we say it’s crazy to send your kids back to the camp, knowing what we know now. I don’t think she’s a regular, just here for the Mystic stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if the shrieking harpy in here actually knew the families who send their kids to this camp they would rethink their very vocal stance. These extremely wealthy, right wing religious families don't spend a second of their day worrying about random elderly women in Virginia or thereabouts. Their kids will just go to another camp if it doesn't work out.

You’re dead wrong! We knew several children at that camp in that flood. One was a friend of my daughter’s a classmate. Their families care very much about others. These are not right wing people at all. Some are slightly right of center, some slightly left - none on the wings - ZERO! And they all care about others. Many families are still grieving, including mine. You should have compassion, especially as you are making assumptions about the compassion of others.

Be honest. The camp took a serious religious turn recently. These people are my friends, neighbors, and my kid's classmates.

They’re religious- true. It’s always been a religious camp. Are you saying religious people don’t deserve compassion if their children die? Are you saying religious people all had right political affiliations that don’t align with yours, therefore they don’t deserve compassion?

I'm saying their religion is a huge reason why they want to return to camp and that's why people here are struggling to understand their motivation. They have completely different world views. The returning campers aren't asking for anything from the people here, certainly not their compassion. I know returning campers and I certainly don't question them or discuss it with them. We are not the same, but it's their decision to make.

You keep bringing this up. We are not trying to discuss it with them. We are discussing it amongst ourselves. It is a bizarre, real-world case study in people acting adverse to their own interests.

Again with the ignorance and hubris. You don't have all of the facts. You don't know them. You have not experienced what they went through. You don't know their motivations. Stop judging them and MYOFB.

So funny. Those of us questioning the parents decisions to send their daughters to that camp clearly have more of the facts than you or they do.

No, you don't have more facts than the families who were actually there, FFS. You're mental.

The camp could have allowed the girls to walk 60 for 60 seconds up a hill and they would have lived. Instead they made them stay in their cabins and they died. I don’t need to “be there” to understand that this level of failure is criminal and has nothing to do with the river and everything to do with terrible risk assessment. No one should trust them with children ever again. It’s so painfully obvious to everyone not in the cult.

In hindsight yes, but at the time it was dark and they opted to shelter in place which in many occurrences is the right thing to do. But now everyone's an armchair quarterback. What if in trying to escape they had been swept away in the current?

That why you evacuate BEFORE the water is in the cabins. These return to camp people and their over the top suffering of their immensely privileged children not being able to go to camp is mad! It’s like a weird group psychosis.

What’s weird is you thinking you know anything about their situation.

Well it’s a good thing they got the horses and canoes to safety! Thank goodness they had the presence of mind to do that at least.

The families?

You seem to be having trouble following the thread.

The Eastlands and the families wanting to return to them (and you) are apparently the only ones who can’t see this for what it is.

You don’t know more than those families who lived through that experience.

Turns out that some would make a different decision than you.

So much hubris for you to think that you know better than they do.

It doesn’t matter. It is the responsibility of the state to protect its citizens, sometimes from their own stupidity.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I think the weirdo poster who keeps obsessively defending the families who were planning to send their kids back to mystic is totally getting off on it.
Heaven forbid someone DARES to question their reasoning…”Stop trashing them!” “You know nothing about it!”

Hey dummy, we DO, in fact, know a lot about it. We’re allowed to care about the welfare of children. Especially when it seems their parents aren’t making safe choices in their behalf.
Get over yourself.

So focus on closing the camp.

Stop being a dick and trashing the families. Is it really that hard for you?

How about…NO. First, I reject the idea that these families are being trashed. Second, we are allowed to express our reasonable thoughts on this board.
And you, frankly, are clearly getting off on your self-appointed role as some kind of defender. It’s kind of gross at this point. I mean, are you patting yourself on the back every time you call someone a dick??? You have the rhetorical skills of a second grader. Aren’t those poor, poor families lucky to have you as their knight in shining armor!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Doesn't follow the rules" isn't generally what people want in a camp counselor.

Creative thinkers are an asset in emergency situations.

They can also get you killed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the arguing here.
It’s a big relief for those who were spared, that this won’t continue. It’s a small relief for the families of victims.
I think we agree on this.
?

The only arguing is the lady who is mad when we say it’s crazy to send your kids back to the camp, knowing what we know now. I don’t think she’s a regular, just here for the Mystic stuff.

Why do you want to trash the families so vehemently? Some kind of cope for your own anxieties? You’re just a nasty person in general?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I think the weirdo poster who keeps obsessively defending the families who were planning to send their kids back to mystic is totally getting off on it.
Heaven forbid someone DARES to question their reasoning…”Stop trashing them!” “You know nothing about it!”

Hey dummy, we DO, in fact, know a lot about it. We’re allowed to care about the welfare of children. Especially when it seems their parents aren’t making safe choices in their behalf.
Get over yourself.

So focus on closing the camp.

Stop being a dick and trashing the families. Is it really that hard for you?

How about…NO. First, I reject the idea that these families are being trashed. Second, we are allowed to express our reasonable thoughts on this board.
And you, frankly, are clearly getting off on your self-appointed role as some kind of defender. It’s kind of gross at this point. I mean, are you patting yourself on the back every time you call someone a dick??? You have the rhetorical skills of a second grader. Aren’t those poor, poor families lucky to have you as their knight in shining armor!

I’ll take that as a yes; it is hard for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the arguing here.
It’s a big relief for those who were spared, that this won’t continue. It’s a small relief for the families of victims.
I think we agree on this.
?

The only arguing is the lady who is mad when we say it’s crazy to send your kids back to the camp, knowing what we know now. I don’t think she’s a regular, just here for the Mystic stuff.

Why do you want to trash the families so vehemently? Some kind of cope for your own anxieties? You’re just a nasty person in general?

Because they are weaponizing their faith to suit their needs regardless of the impact it has on the families who lost children. They are appropriating the very thing these families are turning to for comfort in their darkest hour and the families who haven’t lost children are paying lip service to their pain and using Jesus as some kind of excuse. Let’s forget the safety stuff for a second. I don’t care how much my daughter loved any place. If her going to that place tore at the raw wounds of another, a parent who lost a child, I wouldn’t hesitate to withdraw her. Why on earth can’t these people make one small sacrifice in service of the souls of others? They are Christian in name and word but in practice, they are no different than anyone else, in fact they are worse - selfish and small and greedy.

The fact that the Eastlands continue to use the services of a lawyer who attacks these H27 parents in the name of God tells me all I need to know about who they truly are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if the shrieking harpy in here actually knew the families who send their kids to this camp they would rethink their very vocal stance. These extremely wealthy, right wing religious families don't spend a second of their day worrying about random elderly women in Virginia or thereabouts. Their kids will just go to another camp if it doesn't work out.

You’re dead wrong! We knew several children at that camp in that flood. One was a friend of my daughter’s a classmate. Their families care very much about others. These are not right wing people at all. Some are slightly right of center, some slightly left - none on the wings - ZERO! And they all care about others. Many families are still grieving, including mine. You should have compassion, especially as you are making assumptions about the compassion of others.

Be honest. The camp took a serious religious turn recently. These people are my friends, neighbors, and my kid's classmates.

They’re religious- true. It’s always been a religious camp. Are you saying religious people don’t deserve compassion if their children die? Are you saying religious people all had right political affiliations that don’t align with yours, therefore they don’t deserve compassion?

I'm saying their religion is a huge reason why they want to return to camp and that's why people here are struggling to understand their motivation. They have completely different world views. The returning campers aren't asking for anything from the people here, certainly not their compassion. I know returning campers and I certainly don't question them or discuss it with them. We are not the same, but it's their decision to make.

You keep bringing this up. We are not trying to discuss it with them. We are discussing it amongst ourselves. It is a bizarre, real-world case study in people acting adverse to their own interests.

Again with the ignorance and hubris. You don't have all of the facts. You don't know them. You have not experienced what they went through. You don't know their motivations. Stop judging them and MYOFB.

So funny. Those of us questioning the parents decisions to send their daughters to that camp clearly have more of the facts than you or they do.

No, you don't have more facts than the families who were actually there, FFS. You're mental.

The camp could have allowed the girls to walk 60 for 60 seconds up a hill and they would have lived. Instead they made them stay in their cabins and they died. I don’t need to “be there” to understand that this level of failure is criminal and has nothing to do with the river and everything to do with terrible risk assessment. No one should trust them with children ever again. It’s so painfully obvious to everyone not in the cult.

I truly DGAF about the camp -- it can stay closed.

That doesn't change the fact that you weren't there. You don't know more than families who were actually there. It's ridiculous for you to claim otherwise. They made a different decision than you think you would make in that situation.

I don't understand why you are so intent on tearing down these families.

May I point out, ma'am, that none of the "families" were actually there, either. If they were, I bet they wouldn't have let their daughter drown.

They know far more about it than you. Be thankful that you’re not in their position.

Clearly not. Many of them apparently didn’t even read or listen to the sworn testimony.

Right. You read an article. You heard the testimony. You clearly know more than these families who actually lived through this trauma.

Stop judging these families who have been through something you know nothing about.

The real trauma and pain is being experienced every single day by the families of the girls who died.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if the shrieking harpy in here actually knew the families who send their kids to this camp they would rethink their very vocal stance. These extremely wealthy, right wing religious families don't spend a second of their day worrying about random elderly women in Virginia or thereabouts. Their kids will just go to another camp if it doesn't work out.

You’re dead wrong! We knew several children at that camp in that flood. One was a friend of my daughter’s a classmate. Their families care very much about others. These are not right wing people at all. Some are slightly right of center, some slightly left - none on the wings - ZERO! And they all care about others. Many families are still grieving, including mine. You should have compassion, especially as you are making assumptions about the compassion of others.

Be honest. The camp took a serious religious turn recently. These people are my friends, neighbors, and my kid's classmates.

They’re religious- true. It’s always been a religious camp. Are you saying religious people don’t deserve compassion if their children die? Are you saying religious people all had right political affiliations that don’t align with yours, therefore they don’t deserve compassion?

I'm saying their religion is a huge reason why they want to return to camp and that's why people here are struggling to understand their motivation. They have completely different world views. The returning campers aren't asking for anything from the people here, certainly not their compassion. I know returning campers and I certainly don't question them or discuss it with them. We are not the same, but it's their decision to make.

You keep bringing this up. We are not trying to discuss it with them. We are discussing it amongst ourselves. It is a bizarre, real-world case study in people acting adverse to their own interests.

Again with the ignorance and hubris. You don't have all of the facts. You don't know them. You have not experienced what they went through. You don't know their motivations. Stop judging them and MYOFB.

So funny. Those of us questioning the parents decisions to send their daughters to that camp clearly have more of the facts than you or they do.

No, you don't have more facts than the families who were actually there, FFS. You're mental.

The camp could have allowed the girls to walk 60 for 60 seconds up a hill and they would have lived. Instead they made them stay in their cabins and they died. I don’t need to “be there” to understand that this level of failure is criminal and has nothing to do with the river and everything to do with terrible risk assessment. No one should trust them with children ever again. It’s so painfully obvious to everyone not in the cult.

I truly DGAF about the camp -- it can stay closed.

That doesn't change the fact that you weren't there. You don't know more than families who were actually there. It's ridiculous for you to claim otherwise. They made a different decision than you think you would make in that situation.

I don't understand why you are so intent on tearing down these families.

May I point out, ma'am, that none of the "families" were actually there, either. If they were, I bet they wouldn't have let their daughter drown.

They know far more about it than you. Be thankful that you’re not in their position.

Clearly not. Many of them apparently didn’t even read or listen to the sworn testimony.

Right. You read an article. You heard the testimony. You clearly know more than these families who actually lived through this trauma.

Stop judging these families who have been through something you know nothing about.

The real trauma and pain is being experienced every single day by the families of the girls who died.

Don’t trash them either.