The Mailgabber features writing by members of the Camp Family. This month, we present a look in on the Pre-Camp crew’s preparations by former camper, counselor, and Specialist Josh Levitas (2010-’15, ’17-’22). Interested in writing for the Mailgabber? Send submissions to Louis.
I arrived at camp two days prior to the official start of pre-camp this summer, and, in fewer than 24 hours, I broke camp’s new riding lawnmower (by running over a rock). Much to my relief (but likely not to Andy’s, to Joe’s, nor to Jeremy’s), I learned, upon bringing the mower to the Caretakers’ Shop, that I was not the first one to have broken it this summer (Louis had done the same a few days prior). As of earlier this morning, that same lawnmower sits in the shop, out of commission (briefly), as a result of yet another unexpected rock. I recount these woes not to bring attention to mechanical failures, but to highlight a success in spite of them: all of the mowing still got done. Several of our pre-camp crew made up for John Deere’s shortcomings using hand mowers and weed-whackers. Neither was the day I broke the mower wasted—instead I got to spend an afternoon learning to troubleshoot and fix a machine that was, previously, just a loud, intimidating tool to me.
Pre-camp is a is a time for flexibility—if things break (and they do break), we do our best to fix them, and, if we can’t, we find another way. This year, the pre-camp crew has been particularly adaptable. There has been not a whisper of complaint from the hand-mowers and weed-whackers, all of whom faced rain and heat. Neither did any of the crew lament the time we spent in the lake over the past two days, cold as it may have been. The mosquitoes, currently at the height of their influence (which will continue to diminish as arrival day approaches), had no effect on the crew who spent yesterday afternoon clearing bike trails in the woods. Instead, we celebrated our success in making the green areas of camp even more beautiful, in preparing our more wooded acres for our nature and mountain biking projects, and in transforming an unrecognizable and barren beach into perhaps my favorite place in the world: the Camp Nebagamon Waterfront.
That adaptability remains important over the remainder of pre-camp, and becomes even more important once the campers arrive in a few short weeks. I think our staff tends to excel in this regard, and I’ve heard the same sentiment echoed among many (if not all) of our administrators over the last couple days. Adam says every year at the Chicago reunion that given a random parking lot in Highland Park, the Camp Nebagamon staff could run one heck of summer camp. That statement rings true every time it rains during projects and our cabin counselors conjure an afternoon of activities in the rec hall. It rings true every Wannado night when the staff put forward a dozen activities, each unique from each other and from each of our twenty projects. So too does it ring true every time we break a lawnmower during pre-camp.
