Compiled by Adam Fornear
This month, I’ve been keeping the fun local and attempting to update my digital knowledge…one is for sure easier than the other these days. With that said I’ve been using Zoom video chatting for the past two years now for interviewing international staff so it’s been great to be ahead of that learning curve.
This past weekend was the Brule River Steelhead fishing opener, and I was not able to go. I respected the wishes of Wisconsin’s Governor, Tony Evers and the Wisconsin DNR, and stayed at home. While I was bummed that I wouldn’t be wading waist deep in the Brule, freezing and generally being miserable and happy all at once (the true essence of fishing for Steelhead: the more miserable the conditions the better the fishing), I was still able to get outside. I headed out to a friend’s old farmstead just outside of town. I don’t need to stop the car anywhere, just drive to the farm, have fun and relax, and drive back… no shopping, and more importantly at this time, no people. There was a ton of mud which made riding my four-wheel ATV around the land super fun. I worked both days of the weekend, cutting trails through the 120 acres with the chainsaw, and of course hitting every muddy hole with the four-wheeler! It’s just like my days of playing with Tonka trucks in the back yard growing up… but with a little more adventure. Today, after the clock strikes 5 p.m. I’m headed out to the local ski hill in Duluth to earn some turns. The “mountain” shut down last week, but since it is owned by the city of Duluth it operates like a city park. I’m going to throw my telemark skis on and slowly (very slowly) skin up the hill, and then free heel my way down.
7th Graders on a call last week!
I’m thankful that my home city has many options for getting outside and that my internet connection is still working! Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to participate in the awesomely hilarious camper meetings we’ve been setting up via Zoom. Our first calls were last week with last year’s 8th and 7th grade classes, and afterwards I was smiling for the rest of the afternoon. It was a refreshing/recharging moment that just, once again, confirmed how great our camp family can be in strange times. Thank you all for those moments and I look forward to seeing others soon – current campers should keep an eye out on our social media and in your email for when we’re scheduling calls with your grade!
So, keep the fun local, keep in touch with friends and family and please shoot me any news about you that I can put in next month’s Arrowhead! Just send news over to me via the interweb at [email protected]. Be well and have a great day!
IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that while on Zoom last week with our 9th graders for the 2020 season I learned that eight guys are really wanting to do a 21-day long trip! I too, would love to be paddling the canoe country for three weeks right about now. In other news, from our Zoom chat, Nick Fleisher (New York) mentioned that he really loves camps frozen grapes and was wondering if I could send him the recipe. I’m guessing Nick was pulling my leg a bit, but just in case he wasn’t: Take Grapes, open freezer, place said grapes into freezer (next to the four gallons of ice cream), let marinate there for 24 hours, open freezer and place grapes in cereal bowl and serve. Adam Eberhard (Chicago) has been eating a ton of steak and instant ramens while Nelson Mendels (Atlanta) has been Zoom chatting with lots of friends. Nathan Starhill (Boston) has been practicing juggling rolls of toilet paper and Josh Marcus (Chicago) started an investment club at school before it went to distance learning. Josh – I’m still waiting for some suggested good buys, get back to me at [email protected]. Andrew Condrell (Chicago) and Adam Eberhard are in a band together. They have some music out on Apple Music and Spotify. They’re called Brand New Shoes…Check them out. Andrew and Noah Stein are also trying to learn a cool guitar part for a Dire Straits song called Sultans of Swing. James Wimmer (Knoxville) requested the Nebagamon Trip Cookbook to get the recipe for NoBake to share with his siblings. Lastly, Zac Scandura (Minneapolis) has been accepted to Cornell University’s Architecture, Art, and Planning School in the fall. He believes that all his time spent at the Art Shop and making comics at camp contributed to getting him in at Cornell.
IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Josh Goldman (St. Louis ’87-’91,’93-’95,’98,’00,’02-‘04) is the Director of Community Engagement in the School of Education at St. Louis University. Cathy Fries (Lake Nebagamon 1999-2020) is feeling loved and appreciated by the alumni of Camp Nebagamon while she prepares for her 22nd summer in the Big House.