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The Arrowhead

Camp Nebagamon's Monthly Newsletter

Volume XCII

Number 2

February 2020

Return to Our New Style

Dining Together and Thriving Together

By Adam Kaplan

Our household has always been hardliners when it comes to dinnertime because we have always been firm believers in the importance of eating together as a family every night. To this end, we have always worked really hard to ensure that our sacrosanct family dinners stayed intact. Despite clarinet lessons, soccer practices, basketball practices, more basketball practices(!), and a rigorous play date schedule, we have always maintained the integrity of that family dinner. (Really??? PLAY DATE??? Who on earth came up with that goofy name? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am SO sick of having to purchase flowers and candy for my thirteen year old to bring over to her friend’s house for an afternoon of listening to music, dancing and YouTube videos….)

What’d you do at Camp today?

It is, after all, at family dinners when everyone connects and converses in natural and comfortable ways. It is, after all, at family dinners when the details of our children’s lives are shared with us in a much more effective way than the banging-one’s-head-against-a-brick-wall script that so many of us have perfected into Oscar worthy performances of genuine parent/child interaction. “How was school?” “Fine.” “What did you do at school?” “Nothing.” “Nothing? You did NOTHING at school? Really? Not one thing?!” “Yeah…nothing.” It is, after all, at family dinners when we get a chance to discuss current events in the world and our feelings about them. It is, after all, at family dinners when vacation, weekend, and life plans get hatched and fleshed out. It is, after all, at family dinners when families happen.

Last week though, we finally gave in. With our Ben’s basketball practice, and Josie’s clarinet lessons, and AUU basketball practice painfully spaced throughout the evening, the possibility of sitting the whole family down for dinner would not be possible before 9:00 PM. And given the fact that Josie goes from one of those adorably cute Mogwai creatures (as much as a thirteen year old can be a Mogwai) into the most horrific of Gremlins if not fed before 6:30, (I apologize to those of you that are unfamiliar with the 1984 classic Gremlins….trust me….the transformation is terrifying on many levels.) we chose the safest plan….a split dinner. And with that, our fantasy about maintaining the idyllic family dinner went the way of the Dodo. Last night we did, however, force the issue a bit and had the entire family sit down together for the second seating. Admittedly, it was tough to convince my eye rolling teenagers of the psychological benefits of our sitting down together at the dinner table for a second time. (The Mogwai’s skin was visibly bubbling…. we decided NOT insist on a shower that night!) While it was not a perfect solution to the loss of the family dinner, it generally worked towards the same ends.

I will admit, it is with no small amount of sadness that I have given in to the reality of my children’s lives becoming so much busier and more complicated, which has necessitated our recalibration (I believe that is the word that politicians use when they mean to say “admission of defeat.”) of the family dinner plan. This new reality, while a positive indication that our kids are growing up and pursuing their own interests, is a sobering signal to us that things are changing, and family time is going to be more and more challenging to come by in the years to come…

It was with all of this weighing on my thoughts that I sat down to write my article this month. As is so often the case, as my thoughts turn to camp, I shook my head in disbelief at the genius of the place. (I can say this in good conscience and humility since I was not the designer of the system…..far be it from me to call myself a genius. Anyone that knows me knows that I would NEVER do such a thing…..) At camp, as at home, mealtimes are really important. Anyone that has ever set foot in the Rec Hall knows this to be the case. Each family meal is evidence of the value of this forced togetherness. Each table filled with a cabin of campers is a microcosm of it working. Looking around, you notice families laughing together, families discussing things together, and, yes, families working through tough times and wayward behaviors together. There can be no doubt that Rec Hall time is a SIGNIFICANT part of every member of our camp family’s time at camp. But, here is the genius of the camp setup…you see, at camp, the daily routine is designed so that each camp family cabin eats EVERY meal together….not just a family dinner mind you, but EVERY meal. We never schedule an activity, or a practice, or a play date, or a meeting during a meal. Mealtimes are left alone. While it is possible that this scheduling brilliance was created as a way to simplify things for our kitchen crew, I prefer to believe that this was done, at least in part, with the knowledge and belief that when families spend time together around the table, the roots grow deeper and the connections grow more significant.

As many of you know, I often refer to each summer that we enjoy at camp as a radical utopian experiment in which we strive to create as perfect of a world as possible. Separated from the “real world,” we are able to construct our own world where team practices take place separate from meal times, music lessons take place separate from meal times, and meetings take place separate from meal times. Part of our utopia is an acknowledgement that families that eat together are stronger families. Now, if I can just convince the Boise area basketball coaches and riding instructors that this is the case as well, I can bring a little more utopia to Idaho….

Dining together since 1929!

Caretaker Joe is Trekkin’ and Truckin’

By Joe Crain

As I look around outside it definitely looks like the middle of winter, with about 27 inches of snow covering the ground and most of the trees sagging a bit with a generous coating of white. But with the temperatures hovering right around the freezing mark of 32 degrees for the past two weeks, it sure hasn’t felt much like the last week in January. Our historic average temperature for this week is 19 degrees for highs and one degree for the overnight lows, so it has been hard to match the visual with the tactile for the last couple weeks. And with the forecast calling for temps at or near 40 degrees for the first couple days of February I guess the sensory contradictions will continue.

The ample early snow fall, you may recall we had an epic 20-inch storm at the beginning of December that was quickly followed by a couple 10-inch storms, has maintained a very good skiable base in the area despite the bouts of warm temperatures and even a few days of rain fall. As I mentioned at the end of December’s article, all of that too-deep-to-groom snow was actually the perfect situation for me as I prepared for this winter’s back country skiing vacation in the Sylvania Wilderness, just a couple hours’ drive to camps east on US Highway 2 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Sylvania Wilderness is an 18,000 acre patch of old growth forest at the southern edge of the nearly 1,000,000 acre Ottawa National forest that stretches from the shores of Lake Superior south to the border of Wisconsin near the town of Land-O-Lakes. The Wilderness is one of the two remaining patches of pristine never cut old growth forest remaining in this part of the country. The other never cut patch of forest is an area many of you campers and alumni may have visited with camps tripping program, the Porcupine Mountains State Park. The Porkies area is located at the north western edge of the Ottawa National Forest’s superior shore border. This year’s back country ski adventure was a big departure from my last two winter’s trips in that I was going solo this year. My trips of the past two winters were with small groups with guides that did all of the tracking and trail cutting as we went — this year I was on my own and had to stomp trail and track the trail by myself in an area I had never been before. Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive while planning my trip and my planed routes for each of the days I was to be in the wilderness. As a matter of fact, I had started planning for the trip just after returning from last year’s Yellowstone National Park adventure, I figured if I was going to be on my own in the middle of 18,000 acres of uninhabited wilderness, I could not be too prepared. I had learned from my two Yellowstone trips what I would need to carry in my pack, what distances I could reasonably expect to cover in a day, the techniques needed to climb steep inclines and survive steep descents, and, though my Yellowstone guides seemed to disagree with this, how important it was to stick to the established trails in order to avoid having to go over and under downed trees and other under growth obstacles. The National Forest Service does a superb job at keeping the trails in the Wilderness cleared but maintains no markers along the trails so my only uncertainty left by the day of my first outing was weather I was going to be able to find and keep to the trail, which isn’t so easy when the worn track was deep under snow.

Our intrepid caretaker braves the cold!

My planned strategy to overcome the fact that I was soloing and had to pack trail on my own was to plan all of my routes as in/outs, ski half of the day into the Wilderness and then ski my own track out again, rather than doing loops in which I would have to stomp trail the whole day. With this method I had the added advantage of not having to focus on tracking the whole way and could just enjoy the scenery and skiing as I followed my tracks on the way out. I was also able to push my distances a bit farther because I knew the trip out was going to be much easier than the trip in. Keeping this in mind also helped me through some of the physically more challenging sections of trail, big climbs up on the way in meant easy descents on the way out. Tracking through complicated routs on the way in would be a piece of cake when I merely had to follow my tracks on the way out! My solo back country strategy worked out perfectly and I was able to average about ten miles a day, which left me tired but not exhausted at the end of each outing. With each day’s trek my navigational skills improved as my ability to see the slight dent in the snow cover were the heavily used summer trail track was etched into the ground deep below the snow cover. I started to get excited by the sight of cut dead fall that helped mark the narrow trail, and indicated that I was definitely on the right track.

The old growth forest I trekked through was amazing! Huge groves of Birch, Maple, Hemlock and Ash trees that all averaged the girth of the large white pines we have around camp! It was mind boggling to think that this was once the norm from the Porcupine Mountains and the shore of Lake Superior inland to the south for hundreds of square miles! The other much more troubling thought that kept creeping through my head as I worked my way through this beautiful Wilderness is that it only took the logging companies a few decades to cut it all down, except for these two relatively small patches that were thankfully preserved, one hopes for ever.

Starting to plan for next winter’s Back Country Skiing Adventure its Caretaker Joe At Camp.

News of the Camp Family – February 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

That tiny speck is Fornear climbing…

Winter in Duluth has been absolutely magical this year! Waist deep snow, great ice for ice climbing, perfectly groomed cross-country skiing trails, and smooth flowing fat bike trails zigging and zagging through the forests. It’s great to see how a community fully embraces the winter up north in Duluth. Of course, there is the occasional local newscaster who frowns upon the next storm rolling into the region but then in the same 30 minute news block there is always a story about people who are out skiing and snowmobiling on city streets. Love it!

Alright — back to the wide world of winter sports in Duluth, MN. Last night I met up with two friends and Daisy the dog and went out mountain biking on the trails at Hartley Park. These are the same trails that we take the campers mountain biking during the summer for field trips, with a whole lot more snow! Wonderful single track that flows smoothly through stands of red pines, across wide open bogs and dense deciduous forests. There’s about three feet of snow on the ground but our local mountain bike chapter, COGGS, has a groomer that packs the snow down in a 18 inch wide path. The path is smooth, solid as a rock and very fast and fun during the colder days. Outside of the path the snow is soft, deep and makes a great cushion for crashing. Add in a 750-lumen bike light on the front, and you are ready to rip these trips in the dark of night.

…and that tiny speck is Fornear belaying!

Biking these trails at night, in the midst of winter is an unforgettable experience. The weather varies… last night was amazingly quiet with no wind and temperatures hovering around 20 degrees. The other plus to trail riding at night? Your friends don’t get to see you wipe out, and crashing on a bike into three feet of snow is pretty fun.

The fun continues with a cross country ski this evening and then we are having the Duluth Ice Climbing Festival this weekend.  Excellent ice at our local crag right now and great temps this weekend so the festival should be a hit. If you’re looking for something to do, hit the road or hop on a plane and head to Duluth!

I trust your winter is going well and that you are getting really excited about the upcoming summer. Camp is shaping up to be a great summer once again. Trip permits are in the works, program gear is being purchased and most importantly staff are getting hired on for the summer! Remember, if you have any news please shoot it my way and I will get you in the next arrowhead. Email me (Fornear) at fornear@campnebagamon.com. Have a great day and I hope you are all getting outside for some recreation!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that in Chicago, Michael Bayer has started driving the streets of Chicago. Will Needlman plays center for his basketball team and had a solid fall football season. Brady Rivkin plays trombone for the Northshore Honor Band. Will Gray is staying busy playing basketball. Ben Shacter is an important member of the technical team for his school’s theater program. He has been working on their most recent play, Oscar Wilde’s, “The Importance of Being Earnest”.

Dave Weber in 2002, enjoying the warmer Nebagamon shores

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Mike Maidenberg (Grand Forks/Oakland, CA ’61-’62), longtime publisher of the Grand Forks Herald who helped lead the newspaper to a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service following the 1997 flood, has been chosen to be the sixth recipient of the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s Distinguished Service Award. Ryan Glasspiegel (CT/Chicago ’96-’02,’04-’07,’09) was recently included on Sports Illustrated’s list of 100 people to follow on Twitter for sports business news in 2020. Former Nature Lore director, Bro Nat Dave Webber (IL/Georgia) is the current center director at Wahsega 4-H Center in Dahlonega, Georgia. Wahsega is trying to get 5,000 likes on Facebook, at which point Dave will have to jump into their ice-cold lake!

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Josh Weinberg (Chicago ’04-’09,’11-‘14) and Nika Arzoumanian (New York).

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to David Pilsk (Takoma Park, MD ’06-’11,’13-‘15) and Barbra Jackson (Maryland). Congratulations also go to Brandon Kaufmann (Denver/San Francisco ’99-’05,’07-‘08) and Yael Gilboa (San Francisco).

Mailgabber – Slowing a Landslide

Compiled by Louis Levin

Mailgabber features writing and other media by members of the Camp Family. This month’s Mailgabber comes from excited college applicant, and former camper and counselor, Dylan Fox (St. Louis, 2012-’17, 19). For one of Dylan’s college applications, in response to a prompt asking about something meaningful in only 250 words, Dylan turned his thoughts to Camp. You can read his piece, entitled “Slowing a Landside,” below. Interested in submitting for the Mailgabber? Send submissions to Louis.

—–

“Journal” hardly describes the loose paper pile originally bummed off Ari Krupnick. Its soft pages fold into each other perfectly, fringes from Ari’s spiral notebook still lining the left edge.

I unfurl it and begin reading the smudged black ink waiting for me: “DYLAN’S QUET JOURNAL: 7/27/17 – 8/9/17.”

The meticulously recorded narrative immediately transports me back to the Canadian Quetico. To my astonishment, sights, sounds, and smells of meals and campsites, waterfalls and rapids, still reside deep in my mind, like samples of an ecosystem collected by an ecologist for later analysis. Moments replay as if I’m experiencing them for the first time: a small, unassuming snapping turtle makes short work of a tough fish carcass, the remains of dinner; the sun, just peeking over the horizon, puts on a stunning display over Lake Argo’s luminescent ripples.

A wise woman once told me that preserving memories such as these is like stopping dirt in a landslide.

I feel again the camaraderie among our group, the permanent bond of brothers embarked on this journey together. I thank Tommy for the walleye he caught and masterfully prepared for us on the WhisperLite stove; I hone my canoe-frisbee skills with Oliver; I challenge Jonah to an epic match of rummy for a mere dab of our dwindling Arizona Heat mustard.

Flipping through my journal, I realize that I’ve slowed the landslide.

Dylan (4th from right) comes off the trail as a 9th grader

Look At All These 2020 Campers!

As the enrollments continue to come into our office, we want to keep you in the loop about who is enrolled for the upcoming summer. Listed below are the boys who are currently enrolled:

2nd Grade Campers: Rafi Thacker

3rd Grade Campers: Jude Alderman, Chase Barnett, Jacob Carlin, Judah Gladstein, Sonny Goodman, Perrin Griggs, Walker Karp, Digby Karsh, Elliott Kleiman, Henry Kramer, Holden May, Kane Moscoe, Bradley Rittenberg, Lazer Rosenbloom, Isaac Sands, Solomon Wasserman, Max Yarbrough

4th Grade Campers: Zander Aronoff, Zach Bell, Jake Finkelstein, Gabe Fisher, Evan Friedman, Milo Gilman, Ryan Glickman, Elijah Gold, Will Grant, Wilson Heeringa, Oren Korczak, Nathan Massel, Eli More, Eli Sands, Max Saul, Sagiv Siegel, Jacob Solomon, Kavi Vishnubhakat, Zach Weiskopf, Felix Yessian

5th Grade Campers: Jack Agran, Ben Bernstein, Ace Burvall, Sam Cohen, Nathan Eiserman, Tate Gell, Will Gray, Miles Hall, Liam Hdez. C. Haack, Charlie Heist, Ari Held, Eli Hoffman, Logan Hoffman, Aidan Huberman, Namon Jones, Gibson Kapp, Eli Karp, Gus Karsh, Chase Kornblet, Max Levy, Lev Lippitz, Benjamin Mack, Avi Maidenberg, Coulson McConnell, Linus Quinn-Pasin, Matan Radwin, Danny Schottenstein, Seth Starhill, Judah Thacker, Tanner Toback, HJ Walberg, Dax Winegarden, Aaron Zelvy

6th Grade Campers: Austin Abeles, Asher Corndorf, Brooks Coyle, Austin Evans, Emmet Felner, Levi Gladstein, Charlie Goshko, Nicholas Kallos, Milo Karsh, Nathaniel Kehrberg, Sy Kessler, Jonah Kleiman, Ben Laytin, Cameron Louie, Ryan Mack, Liam Mann, Mason Pedroza, Myles Rontal, Sebastian Rorsted, Micah Rosenbloom, Syd Rosenbloom, Jonathan Schiff-Lewin, Dylan Scissors, Logan Segal, Benji Solomon, Ian Soutiere, Asher Toback, Levi Whalen Stewart, Jorn White, Eli Winkler, William Wyden, Charlie Zeeck

7th Grade Campers: Sam Apple, Atlas Barnes, Judah Callen, Adam Cohen, Jacob Gonsky, Matthew Gordon, Jack Hughes, Ryan Kessler, Isaac Kilimnik, Michael Kotcher, Luca Ladner, Ezra Maidenberg, Sam Montag, Auden Osburn, Ori Radwin, Zach Riven, Jacob Rolfe, Jack Schrader, Wesley Schwartz, Kobi Silver, Rush Slivjanovski, Milo Solomon, Micah Stone, Leo Susser, Eli Terman

8th Grade Campers: Alexander Averbuch, Jasper Braunschweiger, Addison Burvall, Landon Denker, Willie Dupont, Levi Gell, Mark Gingiss, Gabriel Heller, Chase Herbert, Jack Krupnick, Jacob Lutsky, Hudson McConnell, Patrick Meehan, Sam More, Will Needlman, Milo Peterson, Ben Polonsky, Jonah Rontal, Owen Rosenthal, William Schwarz, Griffin Scissors, Matan Siegel, Lawson Weeldreyer, Josh Wells, Eli Zelvy

9th Grade Campers: Sebastian Alderman, Sam Bloch, Michael Cohen, Andrew Condrell, Charlie Duncan, Adam Eberhard, Emmitt Gerstein, Jacob Greenwald, Ben Hackney, Nassir Jones, Jacob Laytin, Josh Marcus, Nelson Mendels, Asher Mendelson, Henry O’Connor, Jake Paderewski, Drew Smith, Nathan Starhill, Ollie Tannahill, Jack Tierney, Steven Weeldreyer

Congratulations to our February Birthdays!

Congratulations to our February Birthdays! This month’s Birthdays include…

February 2nd – HJ Walberg

4th – Oliver Fox

5th – Jared Micah Greaves, Jason Hirschhorn, Diego Santa Cruz

6th – Myles Rontal, Eli Zelvy

birthday camping trip isle royale8th – Eli Terman, Jack Tierney

11th – Jude Alderman

13th – Mark Gingiss, matthew Grosman

14th – Jordan Liebich

16th – Gabe Colman, Nachi Santa Cruz, Aaron Zelvy

17th – Nassir Jones, Oren Korczak

18th – Matthew Carter, Felipe Chaladovsky, Qincy Hirt

19th – Arthur Brook Young

21st – Jacob Greenwald, Henry Quinn-Pasin

22nd – Eugenio Caballero, Levi Gell, Sam More

23rd – Zach Bell, Elijah Gold, Ben Huston, Sebastian Klein

24th – Jackson Goldblatt

26th – Julian Saddleton

27th – Josh Abraham, Liam Hdez. C. Haack, Ari Held

28th – Wilson Heeringa