The Legend of Grizzly Ogren

If you are familiar with Flaming Pine Youth Camp, the you know Al Ogren. He was instrumental in founding the camp back in the 1970's along with some other visionaries. What many people do not know is that Al has a twin. Yes, it is true. Here is a picture recently released from the super secret Flaming Pine vault. It looks like Al Ogren playng guitar. It is not.

Folks, this is one of only three known pictures of Grizzly Ogren. Grizzly, Al's twin, filled in for Al one year while Al had some emergency duties as a school principal he had to attend to over the summer. Back in those days there were not a pool of camp directors from which to choose like we have today, so Al had to call on his competent, yet reluctant brother, Grizzly.

Before they could come to an agreemnt, there was a debtate betwee Al and Grizzly. Al asked Grizzly to shave his beard and thin out his hair. Al figured that since they were twins, no one would even know Al was gone. Grizzly, being the more principled of the two (though he himself was not a principal), refused. "If I am going to direct camp," said Grizzly, "I am going to direct it as Grizzly, not my little brother." Grizzly did precede Al in birth by a mere 13 seconds, but just enough to give him big brother status. Al, sometimes a little embarrassed at his brother for all of his facial hair and eating habits John the Baptist, was afraid that the camp might crumlbe under Grizzly's leadership, but Al was in a bind, so he gave in and let Grizzly direct as Grizzly.

The family camp session in which Grizzly Ogren directed was wonderful. There were actually some people who did not believe Grizzly was Al's twin, but was Al playing a joke one everyone. In fact, to this day many will deny the existence of Grizzly Ogren. Those of usmwho were there, those of us who know - we believe.

If anyone remembers Grizzly Ogren, feel free to comment.