Girl Scout Camp near Big Bear

The Girl Scout Camp near Big Bear is the setting for Dan Davis’s urgent reunion with Ricky after the riot and for the practical arrangements that begin her departure. Reached by a private road after a night spent in a motor court nearby, the camp places their private exchange within a closely supervised institutional space: visitors are restricted, the headquarters has a guardian’s watchful eye, and Ricky’s escape must be disguised as an ordinary outing.

Setting and Arrival

After driving east toward the camp, Dan discards the remaining pieces of Flexible Frank that obstruct Pete’s accustomed place in the car. He later disposes of notes and drawings in a storm drain, and leaves the wheelchair chassis in a deep arroyo once he reaches the mountains. These details make the journey to the camp more than a change of location: Dan is stripping away evidence and equipment as he presses on toward Ricky.

At about three in the morning, Dan and Pete stop at a motor court across the road from the camp turnoff. By eight they have eaten breakfast, and Dan has showered and shaved. Pete appears to have come through the battle with no more than a possible bruise or two. When Dan drives onto the camp’s private road, Uncle Sam’s truck turns in just ahead of him; he takes this as a favorable sign, though the camp’s visitor rules immediately put a limit on his hopes for direct access.

Camp Life and Visitor Rules

Dan encounters a crowded troop of little girls in green uniforms. They move about in a way that reminds him of kittens, and many watch Pete, although most are too shy to approach. At the cabin marked Headquarters, he speaks with an older uniformed scout who is suspicious of a strange man seeking permission to visit a girl on the verge of adolescence. The suspicion is presented as justified rather than arbitrary: visitors who are not parents may enter only with a parent, and the official visiting hour is not until four.

Dan identifies himself as Ricky’s uncle, Daniel B. Davis, and says he has a message about her family. The camp’s rules therefore create the immediate obstacle to the meeting, while also ensuring that it takes place under supervision. The guardian of youth eventually directs him to a table beneath the trees outside headquarters, far enough from others for a private visit but still within her careful view.

Reunion Beneath the Trees

Dan brings Pete with him, explaining that he is Frederica’s cat and that there was no one else to care for him. When Ricky arrives, she calls out, “Uncle Danny!” and then exclaims that he has brought Pete. Pete leaps into her arms; she catches him and settles him into the support position he prefers. For a few seconds she and the cat exchange their familiar protocols before she turns to Dan and says she is glad he has come.

The reunion preserves the dignity of their established bond. Dan does not kiss or touch Ricky, recalling that their relationship, formed when she was six, rested on mutual respect for each other’s individuality. The camp visit thus joins intense relief to restraint: affection is expressed through Ricky’s greeting and her care for Pete, while Dan honors the boundaries that have defined their relationship.

A Disguised Departure

The conversation turns to what Ricky can take with her. Dan warns her not to pack a bag or take clothes beyond what she is wearing, since preparations might reveal what she intends to do. Money and anything truly important can go in her pockets, but the prospect of abandoning belongings troubles her; she mentions a brand-new swimsuit.

Dan devises a cover story that lets her carry that one item. Ricky is to have her grandmother say that they are going to Arrowhead for a swim and perhaps dinner at the hotel, while promising that she will be back before taps. A swimsuit and towel will fit the explanation; everything else must be left behind. Ricky believes her grandmother will tell this small lie, and recalls her rule that fibs are necessary for people to live together but should be used rather than abused. The camp’s supervised routine makes such a plausible excursion useful: the departure can be framed as a normal family outing rather than a flight.

Narrative Significance

The camp provides a temporary meeting ground between childhood routine and a consequential change in Ricky’s life. Its uniforms, scheduled visiting hours, and guardian’s supervision make the setting orderly, while Dan’s instructions depend on quietly slipping beyond what that order can safely accommodate. The scene’s concrete objects—the swimsuit and towel she may carry, the bag she must not pack, and Pete already in her arms—give the plan its emotional scale. Ricky must leave possessions behind, but she is not asked to abandon the familiar relationship represented by Pete and the reunion with Dan.