By Adam Kaplan
Every year we publish nine issues of the Arrowhead. Nine times a year I am faced with the challenge of coming up with something relevant and interesting to write about. (Those of you that know me are well aware of how rare it is that I am able to speak about things that are relevant and interesting, let alone write about them… needless to say, the monthly Arrowhead articles are a challenge!) Compounding this challenge is the fact that I am forced to write eight of those articles in the basement of my house, with little camp gestalt to inspire me. But the June Arrowhead is the exception. Every year I get to write the June article sitting in the Big House dining room. There is something about sitting here that just makes it easier to think on a “campy” level.
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that, as I sit here, there is an enormous photo of Nebagamon’s founder Muggs Lorber standing in front of the Paul Bunyan statue staring at me from its place above the fireplace in the Big House dining room. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that, as I look around this room, I can take in many photos and relics from countless Nebagamon summers over the years. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that, being up here at camp presents my other senses with inputs that are totally unique to being here. Camp has a certain smell to it, certain sounds associated with it, and that water in my glass (particularly from the Big House kitchen) has a certain taste to it that we all know!
More likely, it has to do with the folks that are sitting around the table right now as I write this article. Our pre-camp crew arrived on Monday to transform this place from its state of winter dormancy… dock-free, boat-free, and whirligig-free (those really cool Herb Hollinger creations that are placed around the Hill and do cool things when the wind blows) … to its more natural state (natural in the minds of so many thousands of campers that is!). It’s a space that screams for the infusion of that unbridled energy that can only be provided by hundreds of boys! It is sitting around the table with these folks that allows me to think so single-mindedly about camp.
This year’s pre-camp crew, as ever, is a wonderful mix of old timers, first-timers, and people brand new to camp. Conversation is free and easy… about goofy, camp-specific topics, sports allegiances, politics, zombie apocalypses (many of our pre-camp work crew are college students, used to noon wake-up times… they would make excellent extras on the Walking Dead at 7:00 AM when our work day begins!) and the best brands of frozen pizza (the answer by the way… Home Run Pizza). These are the exact kinds of discussions that take place in every cabin in camp throughout the summer. In short, within minutes, camp goes from that surreal (and wonderful) state of silence and isolation, to full on camp, and all it takes is the arrival of just a few camp folks, a crew working together towards a common purpose, a big family table to sit around together, and… of course… The Pines.
Looking forward to an amazing two months of experiences, laughs, challenges, and learning with all of them… and so much more. Here we go!!!