Compiled By Louis Levin
One of the greatest privileges of working as a year-round employee at Nebagamon is the time I get to spend up in the Northwoods before and after our season starts. In the middle of May, well before the busyness of the summer, we all head up north to start prepping for the year ahead. It’s a quiet time of year. The forest is lush, the animals are out and about, and us full-time staff get to enjoy a peaceful quiet at camp; a quiet that, once our full community of over 300 people arrive, can be a little harder to find.
And also, it’s not quite right! Over the past week, and over the next two, our whole staff is arriving at camp in various stages. While the quiet is pronounced for a few days, it’s quickly drowned out. First, the pre-camp crew arrives, and along with them comes the sounds of mowers, weed-whackers, rakes and shovels. The silence is broken by socket wrenches and hopefully-not hacksaws assembling the waterfront, and motor boats and pontoons buzzing towards the newly installed docks. Next, our trippers arrive (just yesterday!), accompanied by sounds of boots on the ground practicing portages, and hopefully-not scraping canoe gunwales as they rehearse their canoe-over canoe rescues. Soon our kitchen staff will be here, with the sounds of chit-chat from the Rec Hall and the clang of dishware as we set more and more tables in the Rec Hall. Then whistles from the waterfront staff arriving early for our Wilderness Water Safety course, and “On-Belay!” from our climbing staff here for our climbing training. As we get close to the official start of staff week, our administrators arrive at camp, making whatever sounds meetings make(?!), and then the rest of our staff, new and old arrive, as we prepare for staff training. And the sounds of introductions, reunions, laughter and, yes, the sounds of more meetings fill the grounds.
Staff arrivals ramp us up slowly but surely. This steady transition builds our enthusiasm, energy, and most of all, anticipation. Our community grows, both in number and volume, as more people voyage to the Northwoods to prepare for the ultimate arrival: the buses arriving at camp, and campers pouring through the gate to truly light this place up with the glorious sounds that this place was built to generate…children at play. As you’re reading this it’s T-16 days, and the group of us up here at camp, and those arriving in the next week, can’t wait for it all to begin. Because while the peace and quiet is nice for a little while, the sounds of laughter, of joy, of singing songs in the Rec Hall and Taps in the evening is what makes this place feel alive.
Our news section will be on hiatus until the fall, but if you have anything to share with the camp family, please reach out to me at louis@campnebagamon.com and we will publish when we return in a few months!
IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT… It’s a boy, Shael Kaius Slosburg for Tucker Slosburg (Seattle, 1993-’99, 2002-’11) and Krista Slosburg!
WEDDING CONGRAUTLATIONS GO TO… Jimmy Scharff (Reisterstown, MD, 2002-’08, ’11-’12) and Bri Scharff!
WHERE ARE THEY NOW… Danny Sickle (Chicago/New York, 2009-’15, ’17, ’23) joined SCOPE – Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education’s Associate Board, helping fund summer camp experiences for under-served kids. Michael Philips (1983-’88) just published his new children’s book “The Ice Cream Tree,” written with his son Logan, about creativity and building connections.