The Mailgabber features writing by members of the Camp Family. This month, we present a look in on the past week of Pre-Camp by infirmary staff member Katy Condon. Interested in submitting for Mailgabber? Send submissions to Louis.
The first half of pre-camp has been filled with a lot of hard work, heavy-lifting, much needed gooey chocolate chip cookies, and, most abundantly, connection. Connection both in terms of the pre-camp crew with each other, but also all of us with this place and the feeling it brings. For some of us here, it is a feeling we have been dreaming about for the last nine months, but for the new folks here this summer, it is a feeling they are just discovering. Regardless, all of us here are unwrapping a summer that will bring new experiences and an even deeper connection with this place and these people.
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While pre-camp might be crucial in assembling the physical environment that cradles all of our summers, the energy is already here. I now have the authority to share that despite doing the most physically tiring work of my life, I have never been more energized. If you have ever been to camp before, your energy is stored and felt. I feel it in the ground, the walls, the water. It has been in every sunset, every cabin, every project. It does not disappear, but collects and pools up in every corner of camp just waiting for the next summer.
Pre-camp is filled with many, many tasks, but the one that stands out the most so far was moving the final piece of the fishing dock from sitting in the shallow water to its final resting spot for the summer. The wheels were digging into the sand, and the metal beams were baking in the shockingly warm May sunshine. It wasn’t quite deep enough to float the dock section, but it was just deep enough to feel the weight of the water. Regardless, another pre-camper and myself got on either side of it and gave it our all until we were huffing and puffing. We quickly realized we would not be able to get this piece of dock where it needed to go with just the two of us, so we hollered to the shore to get another set of hands. We repeated this pattern adding more hands and more hands until we finally got it to budge. As everyone cheered, the dock began to float and barely required any more pushing. It is a unique feeling to see this giant metal thing floating through water and suddenly being able to move it with just a fingertip. It feels superhuman. It feels like magic. But that ease of pushing came from not just myself, but the collective efforts of the pre-camp crew to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. Importantly, it wasn’t just our physical strength coming together to get this dock where it needed to go. It was our determination, support, and belief that with all of us together we could do anything. While it only took a handful of us pre-campers to get the end of the fishing dock where it needed to go, it takes each and everyone of you to make the magic of camp each summer. Whether you are a camper, staff, parent, alumni, etc. the magic created at camp each summer is a culmination of your hard work, joy, and spirit both this summer and the past 96.
Katie, 2nd from right, last summer on our infirmary staff
This being my first year on the pre-camp crew, but my third year on staff, I have so far been utterly shocked at simply the amount of tasks that I have never explicitly appreciated during my past summers at camp. Like the thousands and thousands of pine needles that need to be raked from the Council Fire Ring, or putting up all of the signs around camp such as “Lorber Point” or “Keep The Fires Burning.” Even during the more obvious tasks, such as installing all of the docks, I have been pondering and appreciating the importance of every teeny tiny nut, bolt, and washer that connects all the dock pieces together. You might even think “oh this tiny washer can’t be that important” until you drop it in neck deep water while trying to install it. Until you’re without it. And you think “wow, I won’t really feel quite as safe walking on this dock unless it has every piece it needs.” Camp Nebagamon is not one big chunk of the earth, it is a culmination of countless tiny individual pieces that allows all of us to experience the magic of camp each summer. Whether it’s a washer, bolt, staff, or campers, every single piece of camp is crucial for the summer we’re all dreaming about.
Camp is warm and sunny and bubbling with anticipation for all the campers coming in just a couple weeks. The place, the feeling, and the magic simply won’t be all that it can be until each and every one of you make your way to camp’s sacred grounds. All of us here can’t wait for you to arrive for another great summer!