How does one mark the passage of time during a camp summer? Is it a matter of acknowledging the days? Sunday services, Monday cookouts, Cruiser Day, Paul Bunyan Day… Is it weeks or sessions? Four-week campers, eight-week campers… No, when I really think about it, and when most of us look back on our Northwoods summers, I would suggest that it’s mostly a matter of moments. Here at Camp Nebagamon, we’re in the business of making memories — one moment at a time.
Years later, those moments come back into our thoughts in various ways. It may be a discovery of long-forgotten camp artifacts, a spark of recall regarding an unforgettable trip to camp, a past-and-present encounter that calls for a discussion of camp’s highlights, or photos that bring us back years or decades to a particular time and place. You can find all of those in this MEMORIES-themed issue of The Keylog.
But each of us has those memory moments filed in our brain. Password: 54849. Sometimes they reflect seminal moments in our camp experience; sometimes it’s just a recollection of something goofy or spontaneous or life-affirming. By way of example, off the top of my head, here are a handful of moments that rush into my mind when I open the floodgates:
Moment #1: Despite the fact that I have turned into a relatively nice adult, I was not always a nice kid — so much so, that one of my most important and detailed memories of my camp experience…of my childhood…was a meeting in the Lumberjack Push Shack during my 8th grade summer with Nardie and Sally. I vividly remember being summoned there by my village director that afternoon. I had a small sense of dread as talks with him were never pleasant. But when I opened the door and saw Sally and Nardie sitting there, a whole new level of dread set in. This was the big one…I braced myself to hear a litany of examples of what I had done wrong and an order to pack my bags. As it turned out, this was not a meeting to enumerate my numerous incidents of poor behavior. Quite the opposite really. It was a meeting in which my camp directors told me that they saw within me the makings of someone special and a good leader. They wanted me to know that they saw the potential in me and really challenged me to find that potential and live up to its promise. My Nebagamon career — and without exaggeration, my life — changed in that moment. I promised myself, and my camp directors, that I would do better….be better. And ever since that day, I have tried to do so. (And it didn’t hurt that they also informed me that if I didn’t start to move in the direction of reaching my potential, I would be sent home early and not be welcomed back to Nebagamon again!!)
Moment #2: I was not a big tripper by any stretch of the imagination. Truth be told, I used to take one trip each session just to keep my counselors off my back. By the time I was a 9th grade camper, I had never even ventured into the Boundary Waters. I finally decided to go. As anyone who works in the camp office will tell you, to this day, I remain proud of my Round-to-Kawishiwi six-day trip. I can tell you where we camped, the length of the portages, and all of the members of the trip. It is a memory burned into my brain. I specifically remember an afternoon at an island campsite on Little Saganaga Lake….when nothing special happened. Just a group of guys sitting around on the rocks all afternoon having fun and telling stories. Again, not a particularly remarkable experience, but, to this day, one of my most important experiences in nature.
Moment #3: Cruiser Days are always punctuation marks in a camper’s experience. Having said that, by the time one becomes a Lumberjack, it can be hard to fully buy into yet another Star Wars Day on Cruiser Day! Our counselors that week decided that we would try something new. A true CRUISE-er Day. We would paddle across Lake Nebagamon and up the Minnesuing Creek all the way to Lake Minnesuing itself. To be clear, the Minnesuing Creek is very much that… a creek. It is not really conducive to paddling. So the day was a challenging one. From portaging over countless fallen logs, to mosquito infestations, to more leeches than any of us had ever experienced, the day was full of things to test our mettle and dampen our spirits. And yet, when we finally reached Lake Minnesuing, we felt as though we were Lewis and Clark (except that we actually found what we sought!) Our celebratory feast of soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches was one of the best meals I have ever eaten.
Moment #4: My full circle memory as a counselor involves a very challenging camper from Denver. He was a bright guy and not without charm and promise, but he just seemed to have trouble being kind to the others around him. From bullying episodes, to unkind jokes that were meant to hurt, to acts of vandalism around camp, this guy just was not cutting it as a camper… So, I invited him to meet with me in… the Lumberjack Push Shack. It was there that told him that I saw within him the makings of someone special and a good leader. I wanted him to know that I saw the potential in him and really challenged him to find that potential and live up to its promise. He took what I said to heart and had a great final two summers at camp, working to be that person that he knew was inside. He became an outstanding counselor, and we are still close to this day. (And it didn’t hurt that I also informed him that if he didn’t start to move in the direction of reaching his potential, he would be sent home early and not be welcomed back to Nebagamon again!!)