Camp Nebagamon

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Hard not to be thankful with this view!

Well, my annual Boundary Waters trip with a bunch of retired trippers (from way, way, back in the early 90’s…) did not disappoint. Even though the weather struggled to reach the mid-40s, rained most of the time, and had strong winds from the west, we had a great trip. Food was solid, the same old stories were still funny, and the pristine wilderness was magnified in the turning of the leaves. (Seriously though, the weather was horrible.) And, because we have the skills, the proper gear, and friendships that started at our beloved Camp Nebagamon, it didn’t really matter what mother nature threw at us.

I also returned home late last night from a spectacular fishing trip out west. Flew into Jackson, WY and spent the next eight days casting streamers and dries with the fly rod.  We fished the Snake, South Fork of Snake, and the Green Rivers. I always look forward to getting out west, floating these incredible rivers and adding to my skill set with fly fishing. Luckily for me I have a good friend that has chosen the profession of Trout Bum. He has guided all over the west and as his season wraps up, he likes to get out and do a bunch of fun fishing himself. Seeing that I like rowing drift boats as much as casting streamers to the bank it works out great for the two of us. Now I’m not going to lie, having friends that are full time fishing guides is pretty sweet. Sure, I get the local knowledge on the rivers but more importantly I get more than just great fishing trips around the country, I get an education.  My friends that are guides don’t want to guide me all week long, so they teach me the ways of guiding.  I can now hold my own rowing a drift boat down any water and my casting in 25 mph winds is improving year after year.

I’m grateful for these opportunities. My parents taught me how to travel in the backcountry, good friends teach me how to fly fish like a pro (semi) and then I get to pass along those skills to campers and staff at camp. On a similar note our staff get to share their passions at camp. Whether it’s being on trip staff and teaching our campers how to travel in the backcountry or maybe rowing a scull down on the waterfront or even throwing clay on a wheel creating a coffee cup. These gifts are part of what make camp so special. You get to learn new skills, create a new passion and the icing on the cake of all of it, is that you get do that with friends that will last a lifetime!

With the reunion tour starting next week I could still use your help with news for the Arrowhead! So, if you want me to share all that you are up to please send news of anything my way! On a similar note, if you are headed out to Jackson, WY or the Livingston, MT regions, give me a shout. I’ll get you dialed in with some great guides on some beautiful rivers. Till next time, take the time to reflect on what you learned at camp and get stoked for adding onto to those skills next summer!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that in Memphis Caleb Caraway and Ben Hackney are attending high school at CBHS. Caleb is playing Lacrosse, which he was introduced to and taught by Nebagamon counselor, Ari Weiss. While Ben is wrestling for CBHS. Also attending CBHS is Kosten Goldberg and Harrison Lane.

Nevins’s “bird”, as they say

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Dan Gorenstein (Chicago/Philadelphia ’91-’92,’96-’99,’00) left Marketplace on NPR to start a podcast on healthcare. In Dan’s words…”That’s why I set out to create Tradeoffs, a new podcast that brings listeners emotionally engaging and intellectually honest stories about our toughest health policy challenges”. John Nevins (Chicago ’00-’06,’08-’12,’14) is flying the AH-1W Super Cobra for HMLA-167. John is a Captain for the United States Marine Corp.

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Max Alpert (Memphis ’03-’07,’09-‘12) and Hayley Alpert (Memphis).

IN THE BIB’S AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT It’s a boy, Judah Mark, for Logan Zinman Gerber and Ben Gerber (Dallas/Chicago ’98-’01,’04-’06,’08). It’s a boy, Gabriel Maxwell, for Justin Blue (Denver/NYC ’87-’93,’95-‘96) and Bonnie Harris Blue (NYC).