Camp Nebagamon

Updates

News of the Camp Family — March 2021

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Mud season has arrived in Duluth. That means it’s time to put the skis away, shelve the ice tools, and take off the studded fat bike tires. What a great winter this was for being outside! The trails rode really well, I got many more laps on some vertical ice, and had many a campfire to stay connected and engaged with my friends in the region. It’s sad to see it go but every season has its rewards.

I got back into a canoe this weekend and that felt really good. Paddling season has begun! A couple friends and I paddled the Nemadji River, a large, muddy tributary of Lake Superior. It’s muddy because it runs through the clay basin of the headwaters of Lake Superior. It’s particularly muddy this time of year when the water is high from the snow melt at higher elevations and spring rains. With the high water, we were able to knock out 12 miles in a short two and a half hours. It was a beautiful stretch of water that none of us had paddled before and we all thoroughly enjoyed the float. At one point we came around a bend in the river and were greeted with a convocation of Bald Eagles flying above with their annoying friends, the crows. We also spotted some mallards and mergansers in their spring plumage. The last bit of wildlife that we saw were a couple beavers waddling along the shoreline…they are definitely more eloquent in the water. The other great surprise was a couple of beautiful cedar groves. We spied a particular nice one that we were able to pull over and take a break to stretch the legs and eat some trail snacks.

I loved exploring a new river. Our curiosity drove us to paddle a new section and explore a little bit of the unknown (to us). Our campers every summer aren’t the only ones that get to have the great reward of exploring something new to them. I really seek out these new experiences up in the Northwoods, and am still finding new places to explore. And one of the great things about Nebagamon is the opportunity for our campers to go exploring too. I hope all of you choose to search out something new for yourself. I’m sure all of you have these areas a short drive or bike from your homes. Let your curiosity guide your adventure. Then sit down on the computer machine and email me about it…I want to hear!

I’ll be here in Duluth, waiting to hear from all of you (alumni as well!). Get outside, breathe in some clean air, push yourself to bike up that steep hill and get excited for the never-ending days of summer to be on us soon! Just shoot news over to me via the interweb at fornear@campnebagamon.com. Be well and have a great day!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Atlas Barnes (Chicago) joined the Chicago Rowing Foundation last year and has been really getting into rowing crew. Atlas is also spending more time playing tennis and ping pong. Atlas – I’ve been playing a fair amount of ping pong as well. When you get up to camp this summer, I’d like to challenge you to a game. Sound good? Sebastian Alderman (Tulsa, OK) passed his drivers test on his first try – Nice Work!

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Charles Meyer (NYC ’06-’11,’12) recently released his first single, “Love” on streaming platforms. I had a chance to give it a listen and its cool…check it out at https://linktr.ee/CharlesOnTV . Isaac Weiss-Meyer (NYC ’10-’13,’15-‘17) is the manager for Charles Meyer Music.

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a girl, Effie Lynne, for Karla Bright (Chicago) and Ryan Glasspiegel (Chicago ’96-’02,’04-’07,’09). It’s a boy, Weston, for Natalie Mandel (Lutz, Florida) and Jeff Schram (Boston/Lutz, Florida ’97-’02,’04-‘06).

News of the Camp Family – March 2021

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Right now, I’m in a really good routine of enjoying another winter in Duluth and I don’t want it to end just yet. Currently it is 38 degrees, the snow is melting and every meteorologist on the local news (except Adam Lorch on KBJR – who’s really into ice fishing) is saying how nice the weather is right now! Noooooooo!!! Winter is supposed to be windy, cold and snowy…period. It has always made me a bit puzzled when about this time of year when some folks in my region start wishing for spring to arrive. Well, I say, no thank you… Keep winter rolling right along. Skiing has been a blast, ice climbing a thrill, and adventuring up frozen rivers with the nephews has been a hoot!

This past weekend was no exception. We had another great crew of friends down at the local ice park. Being the rookie that I am, I’m continuing to work on my footwork and learning the sounds of good ice so when I swing the axes in so I can step up. Sunday, I found myself down on the shores of Lake Superior at 6:30 am for a bike ride out on the lake. I love sailing, fishing and ice skating on Lake Superior, so I knew biking out on the big lake would be bring the same smile. The sunrise was a disappointment, but fresh snow was an acceptable substitute. My friends Dave and Jon saddled up on the aluminum ponies and started pedaling up the shoreline towards Two Harbors. Not much flatter surface out there to ride on then a frozen lake — I didn’t get winded once. There were some larger pressure cracks that we had to find the right place to cross over but there was on average about eight inches of ice, so we felt relatively safe. After a while we turned back and rode back into downtown Duluth. It would have been great if the Portland Malt Shoppe was open, but we had to settle for some homemade shortbread that Dave’s wife made for us. Again, another satisfactory substitute. All in all, it was a beautiful morning be out on Lake Superior.

I’d like to circle back to our local meteorologist and their excitement for spring to arrive. A week ago, there was a cold snap with lows at about -25 degrees for days on end and highs not breaking -10 degrees. It was cold. Real cold. But many Duluthians still got outside for a ski, snowmobile or ice fishing. What’s the saying??? When in Rome… That’s winter and we cannot change that, so might as well enjoy it. I learned many years ago that you can be a tiny bit miserable and a tiny bit happy all at the same time.

I think many of you who have been on our wilderness trips at camp can relate, whether you were knee deep in mud on a portage with a canoe on your shoulders, paddling across Rose Lake in the pouring rain, or knocking out a 13-mile day hiking in Pictured Rocks. There are times out on trail that are physically challenging but at the end of the day you were smiling and laughing about the experience. An experience that you get to look back on later in life, smiling and laughing all over again. Most importantly, you finish the trip with a sense of accomplishment that will carry you through any tough times in the future. Yes, it is possible to be miserable and happy at the same time. So, keep the wind, cold and snow coming for a couple more months!

This COVID-19 is just beating me up in the news reporting. I need our reunions back so we can catch up in person and of course to get news from all of you. Please help me with making you famous in the Arrowhead! Perhaps I need to sweetn’ the pot with leftover Briggs Surprises or spots on Derby Pie day…but until I check with our legal department on that, send me some news! Shoot me some news via email at fornear@campnebagamon.com. Till next time, keep on smiling when times get tough!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Jen Daskal (Washington D.C. ’91-’92,’96,’99) has been named Deputy General Counsel (Cyber and Technology) at the Department of Homeland Security. Dan Feldman (Washington D.C. ’80-’81,’83-‘85) has been named as Chief of Staff and Counselor to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. Evan Dorfman (Chicago/Brooklyn ’99-‘04) and Ben Cronin (Chicago/Brooklyn ’04-’04,’06-‘12) of Gilligan Moss have a new single out, Slow Down. Check out the sweet new video here.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Louis Levin (Northbrook/Detroit ’05-’10,’12-’15,’17-Present) and Maggie O’Hara (Detroit) — and they just got a kitten named Winnie. Congratulations to John Nevins (Hampsted N.C./San Diego ’00-’06,’08-’12,’14) and Kate Davis (Hampsted N.C.).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a girl, Mara Annabelle, for Jessa DeGroote (Austin/New Jersey ‘10) and Joshua Bernstein (New Jersey).

BAR MITZVAH CONGRATULATIONS go to Micah Rosenbloom (Nashville).

News of the Camp Family — February 2021

Compiled by Adam Fornear

The Brule looks familiar!

What a winter this has been for getting outside. The thing is, it really hasn’t been that different from the past couple of winters. The biggest difference really for me is that my brother isn’t able to take advantage of free babysitting… which for me, is a big loss. While I’m learning less about Pokémon from my nephews indoors, I’m still able to enjoy the outdoors with them. We’ve had a great cross-country ski and a very cool snowshoe adventure up a frozen river that included cooking hotdogs over a fire, tree climbing way too high off the ground and about four pounds of marshmallows.

The region that camp’s 77 acres is located in is just packed with things to do. On the last day of 2020 a couple of friends and I were able to paddle the Bois Brule river from the Winnieboujou Landing down to the Ranger Station Campground. It was a beautiful float with some snow flurries, blue sky and a high temperature of 7 degrees. Nearly all of our campers will be familiar with this stretch of river right near camp, and while the conditions were a bit colder, the experience was almost identical. There were lots of laughs, smooth rapids and a great cookout over a fire at the end. I believe this is our seventh year getting out on this paddle and I look forward to it every year.

Now to take a moment to brag about the city I call home (Duluth) during the winter. As long as you embrace the cold and snow there are some great activities to take advantage of to fight off  COVID fatigue. Driving 10 minutes in any direction from my house, I can be pedaling amazing snow-covered mountain bike trails on my fat bike (four-inch-wide tires), go ice climbing (this has been really fun and challenging) and cross-country ski on well groomed trails. Aside from the health benefits of getting out on local trails, and of course the adrenaline rush of winter mountain biking or ice climbing, there is a greater reward: the friendships that I’ve formed through these activities. Now more than ever, I cherish these great friendships, as we all feel we can safely get together (outside in the cold) and laugh to stay positive during the past year of COVID. How lucky am I that I get to ice climb with a couple of friends who’ve climbed the Eiger, paddle the Brule with old professors, and bike with college friends from way back in the 90’s! I’m loving it and more important, I am thankful for these friendships.

That’s what is great about our camp family and I share this with all staff applicants during the application process. You will get a chance at new adventures in these beautiful Northwoods, but more importantly, you will make friends that will last a lifetime at camp. Just last week during a zoom call with the classes of 1999-2004, I was able to catch up with old camp friends. We hardly see each other anymore, but as soon as we see each other via the interweb, we are all smiles and I’m instantly traveling down memory lane, laughing, smiling and thankful for all of these alumni that I can call friends.

As you can see, the news is a bit skinny. I could really use your help with bragging about yourself or your friends and allowing me to make them famous in next month’s Arrowhead! Shoot me some news via email at fornear@campnebagamon.com. Get out there and explore those hidden treasures in your city!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Micah Rosenbloom (Nashville) has been taking ice skating lessons and has recently begun hockey lessons.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Sarah Kerr (St. Paul/NYC ’08-’09,’11) is a video journalist at The New York Times, where she has worked since 2017. She covers politics and national news. You can follow her on Twitter @sskerrr. Chelsea Tom (Hawaii/Los Angeles ‘13) is a pediatric oncology nurse at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Chelsea Tom (Hawaii/Los Angeles ‘13) and David Kosareff (Los Angeles) and to Ben Cronin (New York, ’01-’04, ’06-’12) and Julia Livick (New York).

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Trenton Flegel (Duluth ’18-‘19) and Tenille Jacobson (Duluth).

News of the Camp Family – January 2021

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Wild Ice…It’s a thing. I’d never heard of the term until one of my old professors mentioned it a couple weeks back in a text. It was a simple text: “Wild Ice in the Boundary Waters. Load up your ice skates and meet me at Seagull Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail tomorrow morning.” I was game for a road trip north, so the next morning I made the three-and-a-half hour drive to the end of the Gunflint with my skates, snacks, lifejacket and some really good cheese. When I saw Seagull Lake and its “Wild Ice” it all made sense.

“Wild Ice” is the moment in time when the lakes freeze over smooth as glass and there is no snow, allowing you to freely ice skate into the Boundary Waters. I’ve backpacked in the BW, paddled the BW, skied in the BW and now I can say I have skated in the BW. I’m not talking about skating on a rink that someone shoveled off either, we had a huge part of the lake at our feet. All told we skated 22 miles that day on the most pristine, glassy ice I have ever seen. We skated along large rocky bluffs and over drop offs that played games with your eyes. We spied on insects and minnows swimming beneath us under the crystal clear two or three inches of ice. It was smooth, fast, and eerily enchanting.

Midway through the day we pulled up to a Boundary Waters campsite for lunch. Rather than pulling up to the site in a 17’ canoe we rolled up in our 20” Nordic skates. Cutting firewood to cook the brats in a pair of ski boots (Nordic skates have a cross country ski binding and you use your ski boots), sitting on the logs around a fire, just enjoying this great moment in time and the beauty of the BWCA.

It was a rather quick lunch as we came to skate, and skate we did. We racked up a bunch more miles, checked out another lake and skated well after the sun had set. It was a glorious day in the BWCA…one that will go down in history.

If you want to see a video from my best day in 2020 check it out here. It literally looked like we were skating on open water.

I would love to hear from all of you via email (fornear@campnebagamon.com). Send me some news about yourself, your kids or your friends and I will make them famous in our newsletter…Promise (send a picture too). I’d love to hear about any of your mini adventures as well. Get outdoors and keep on laughing!

IT MAY INTERESTE YOU TO KNOW that Nicolas Kallos (Chicago) is building a scaled model of a ’69 Camaro Z28…now that is a sweet set of wheels! Ari Held (Kiev, Ukraine) has been staying active playing basketball with his brother Oliver Held (Kiev, Ukraine). Seth Lambert (Bloomington, IL) is taking care of his seven-month-old basset hound and is still growing the lemon trees that he started from seed over the summer. Addison Burvall (San Diego, CA) performed in The Nutcracker Re-Imagined last month. I watched it via the internet and can say that Addison has mad skills!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Cathy Fries (Lake Nebagamon, WI ’99-Present) would like to say hello and Thank You to the Camp Nebagamon family! Michael Kaplan (Evanston/L.A. ‘01-’05,’07-‘08) is an Investigative Producer for CBS News.

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Paul Schutz (Chicago ’97-’02,’04,’06,’08,’10) and Lauren Schutz (Chicago). Congratulations also go to Adam Scharff (Glyndon, MD ’00-‘04) and Kayleigh Scharff (Glyndon, MD).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a girl, Nola Jane Berger, for Andrew Oshman (Dallas ’85-‘88) and Amy Oshman (Dallas). It’s a girl, Vira, for Kathryn Korchak (Gallagher) (Lake Nebagamon/Minneapolis ’09-’11,’15) and Kostiantyn Korchak (Minneapolis). It’s a boy, Jack, for Elisa Noble (Minneapolis ’09-‘11) and Luke Noble (Minneapolis).

News of the Camp Family – December 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Adam Fornear is a perfect 10!

With the cold evenings becoming the new norm as of late, our small lakes around Duluth have started to freeze over, giving us some more solid surface to explore. You could do this by foot, or take to the ice on Nordic skates like I did last weekend on Eagle Lake. There’s always this small window of time to get out and ice skate on the lakes in my neck of the woods. The lakes finally freeze over and before the next accumulating snow arrives you can get out and glide over the frozen waters.

There’s a sense of adventure going out on the first ice of the season. You bring ski poles (to help you go faster/better workout and as a rescue tool in case your friend falls in) and a lifejacket (the ice is only 2-4 inches thick). Every so often, the groaning and cracking noises the ice makes underfoot cause you to cringe. Thankfully, my childhood winters were spent ice fishing, so I feel comfortable with the difference between good ice sounds and the less good, ice-deterioration sounds. Back to the skating…It was a beautiful morning. No wind, snow falling from the sky and not another soul on the lake. Just two good friends who enjoy a skate just as much as I do. The skates were on and soon we were doing laps around the 20-acre lake, laughing, conversing and just enjoying the splendor of the newly frozen water. There were frozen otter tracks in the ice, you could see some weeds through the clear ice and a couple of small flocks of song birds passing by searching for their next meal.

As the morning went on, so did the accumulation of the snow. A few hours later, the window closed for the season of skating on Eagle Lake. While it was brief, just a morning or so, it was great. Time to wait for the larger lakes to freeze up and hit that next window of frozen lake skating.

I would love to hear from all of you via email (fornear@campnebagamon.com. Send me some news about yourself, your kids or your friends and I will make them famous in our newsletter…Promise (send a picture too). I’d love to hear about any of your mini adventures as well. Get outside and enjoy our great outdoors!

IT MAY INTERESTE YOU TO KNOW that Josh Marcus (Chicago) has started two new clubs at his school, the Spanish Club and Investment Club. Trevor Harriman (Naperville) started a legit shaved ice dessert trailer in Naperville this summer with his sister and parents. Sno Problems Shaved Ice was a hit, so be sure to hit it up next summer!

Contrary to what it looks like in the 2019 Specialist photo, Sophia and Eli are not expecting a giant pinecone child anytime soon

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Jill Kiersky Marcus (Chicago ’89-‘95) started a new job as Assistant Professor, Family Medicine at Rush University in Chicago. Kim Swenson (Superior, WI/Hong Kong ’89-’97, ‘01) is the Communications Lead, in Corporate Real Estate, Hong Kong at HSBC.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS to Maggie Horvath (St. Paul/Boston ’10-’11,’15) and Alex Stone (Boston).

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Elijah Fromm (Kansas City/New Haven, CT ’06-’10,’12-’15,’17-‘19) and Sophia Gatzionis (Greece/New Haven, CT ‘19).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a boy, Max, for Brian Neil (Denver ’95-’00,’02-‘04) and Jessica Neil (Denver).  It’s twins(!), Jennie Mitchell and Quinn Natalie, for Daniel Abrams (Deerfield ’99-’05,’07-’08) and Rhonda Abrams (Deerfield).

BAR MITZVAH CONGRATULATIONS go to Ben Laytin (Chicago) and Aaron Levi (San Francisco).

News of the Camp Family – November 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

I was lucky enough to get out to camp the other day to work with our caretakers Andy and Joe. The main project was cleaning up some downed trees we’d had to remove this summer (don’t worry, we still have plenty on the property). I love getting the chance to do some chainsaw work. With the smell of burning oil, cutting through giant logs and cleaning up the area…it just brings a smile to my face. Hard to compare the punching of keys on the keyboard (my other day job) to ripping through a massive old pine tree. So, I’ll keep on punching away on the keyboard and jump at every opportunity to fire up the saw when I can.

Adam Fornear, a real life lumberjack

Now, my skills as a modern-day lumberjack are still developing. I took every chance I could to fire up a saw this summer, and more importantly, I asked questions of Andy and Joe. Although I’ve done some chainsaw work before, these two guys really know their way around a tree, how to work safely and efficiently, and have a bit more experience than I do. No shame in asking a couple questions so I do the job right, and between that and getting more hours on the saw, I can only get better. This is one of the philosophies I love most about our culture at camp, particularly in our project areas. You find a project that really grabs your attention and you pursue it with curiosity and time. We try to foster a safe place for campers to ask questions and gain experience at all sorts of skills (although, we haven’t given any campers a chainsaw yet…). And by the end of the summer they feel confident in something new!

We have so many cool projects at camp. Our climbing wall is awesome, the mountain biking project is sweet, and of course our sailing program gets campers hooked for life. I could go on and on about all of our projects (I want to do them all next summer!) but those of you who have been here know that there is no shortage of great activities. For those of you that are planning on attending next summer, I hope you are getting excited to hit up your favorites and try some new ones. As for our alumni…I trust that you are still enjoying those projects today in your everyday lives and have fond memories of learning new skills on our 77 acres!

I’m still trying to adjust to not hitting the road for the fall reunion tour. Not only am I missing a couple meals at a Waffle House, more importantly I’m not able to connect with the camp family in person. This has put a huge dent in news of the camp family that I’m able to submit into the Arrowhead every month. I would love to hear from all of you via email (fornear@campnebagamon.com. Send me some news about yourself, your kids or your friends and I will make them famous in our newsletter…Promise (send a picture too!) Hope all is well in your neck of the woods and I hope you are getting outside for some fresh air!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that in Emmitt Gerstein’s (DC) last baseball game of the season he crossed paths with a cabinmate. He was up to bat and realized that the catcher was non other than Steven Wheeldryer (DC). They started talking to each other between pitches just like MLB players do who knew each other. It was a good laugh for all.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Adam Quiat (Denver ’06-’11,’13-‘14) received his Master’s in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland. He is now working for Rhino Fire Protection Engineering. Jim Cohen (DC/Flint, MI/Ogden, UT ’89-’95,’97-’99,’04) has moved to Ogden, UT to join the faculty at Weber State. Grant Sachs (St. Louis/Vail ’05-’10,’12,’15) was a rafting guide near Vail this past summer and will be leading snowmobile tours this winter.

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Michael Weinberg (Highland Park/Madison ’02-’07,’09-‘14) and Liz Myhre (Chicago).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a boy, Joshua Elon, for Mike Goodman (Denver  ) and Amy Goodman (Denver). It’s a girl, Ava Madeline, for Clay Schmidt (NYC ) and Sam Schmidt (NYC)

Michael Weinberg (far right) picked an odd outfit for his wedding, but it’s a camp classic!

News of the Camp Family – October 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Hands down, fall is my favorite season. Sure, summer has the awesomeness of camp and warm, long days. Spring is beautiful too, with being able to witness our natural world awaken from its winter slumber. Winter is great as well with the eerie yet comforting blanket of snow and crisp, cold air. Though, in my mind, nothing compares to the beauty of fall.

Here in the Northwoods the leaves turning colors, cool, crisp mornings, and the wildlife packing their bellies before real cold sets in just sets a scene that speaks to me. On my drive to the Brule River to chase some steelhead on Sunday, I passed two flocks of turkeys, many deer grazing in the fields and of course the maple and birch trees were just popping with color! Stunning. Wish I could say the same for the fishing but there’s always next time (which will be today after work). I just love being outside in the fall.

With no road show this fall I’m going to need your help to make you famous! So, when you have a second could you please send me news on what you are up to or have accomplished in the past month or two? Hit me up at fornear@campnebagamon.com! Enjoy the fall be sure to have a couple extra snacks that with carry you over to spring.

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Jonah and Elliot Kleinman (Northbrook, IL) recently stayed on a working dairy farm and got the chance to help with chores including gathering eggs and milking cows.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Robby Balikov (Chicago/Bloomington, IN ’01-’06,’08-‘11) is currently getting his MBA at Indiana University Kelley Business School. Zach “Sully” Sullivan (Duluth ’16,’18) is making adventure bags for biking and other outdoor activities. They’re pretty sweet. Right now he is producing the Burrito Bag that attaches to your bike frame or handlebars and carries everything you need for an adventure (including a burrito). Hit him up @zsully99.

Robby is getting his dance moves ready for the reception!

CONGRATULATIONS ON RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Robby Balikov (Chicago/Bloomington, IN ’01-’06,’08-‘11) and Sadie Freedman (Highland Park, IL), and to Trenton Flegel (Duluth ’18-’19) and Tenille Jacobson (Duluth).

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Austin Christensen (Duluth ’14-‘15) and Amelia Bergquist (Duluth). Congratulations also go to Tara Ericksen (King) (Portland/Oakland ’05,’07) and Haldane King (Oakland).

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a boy, Eli, for Peter Stein (Memphis/Durham ’98-’02,’11) and Lizzy Stokes-Cawley (Durham).

News of the Camp Family – September 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Special Interests, Wannado, All Camp Activities…just a smattering of some of the evening programming that we do during the summer…a typical summer. We’ve missed these events, the weekly, and once-a-summer programs that make camp both comfortably predictable and excitingly variable. We’re always interested in finding a new activity to add, like the revamped All Camp Birthday in the summer of 2019. A couple years back we added something new called Counselor Hunt. The staff go off and hide throughout camp and then teams of campers go on the hunt for them. Simple concept and loads of fun. The counselors come up with some great hiding spots and the campers have a hoot chasing them down.

Time to start hunting for counselors!

While there are no officially sanctioned counselor hunts this summer, I still get to do a counselor hunt for the summer of 2021! As you read this the game has already begun…I’ve already checked the usual spots: the water tower, behind the bike shack, and down spitting springs trail. The only staff I found so far was Briggs setting up his game camera and Louis zooming by on his bike. So, time for me to utilize some other tools for the counselor hunt. Time to hit the virtual highway and begin the hunt for counselors, trippers, specialists, food service, office staff and infirmary staff…everyone that makes the magic happen!

For those staff that signed on for the 2020 season, you will be hearing from me shortly. I look forward to connecting and hearing about your summers and more importantly…hear about your enthusiasm for the summer of 2021! For those of you that are looking to apply for your first summer as an employee please reach out to me via my email: fornear@campnebagamon.com. Lastly, for those alumni that have not worked at camp in say…10, 20 or 30 years…feel free to email me as well. You never know (and we have a couple of, respectfully saying, “Old Timers” that are still living the dream.)

Alright, back to some projects here at camp. As you can see below, I could really use some news of all of you! Please send any and all news to me at fornear@campnebagamon.com and I will get you in the next month’s Arrowhead. Have a great day and be sure that you get outside!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Levi Gladstein (Prospect, KY) and his baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals, won the St. Matthew’s Little League majors tournament championship. Nice work Levi! Atlas Barnes (Chicago) has been busy sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding and rowing crew all down at that awesome Lake Michigan waterfront in Chicago.

A Bull Of The Woods returning to the Northwoods!

IN THE WHERE ARE THEY NOW DEPARTMENT: Jaime Hensel (Atlanta/Anchorage/soon to be Minneapolis ’05-’09,’11-’13,’17) has accepted a job with the pain and palliative care department at Children’s of Minnesota.

News of the Camp Family – August 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

I need to borrow the following from a copy of The Fly Fishing Journal as it is so simple, yet so true… “By definition, “place” is merely a physical location, but it’s also a memory where something intangible and important can exist. The river and the dam that sits astride it have deep meaning for those who fish there in countless ways. I imagine that’s also true for my friend and his place on the Madison – and true for all anglers in one way or another. We all have our stories. We all have our memories. We all have our starting places. I’m glad this is mine.”

Well, we don’t all have to be anglers to have our place. I know we all have our places, multiple places that bring back memories, memories that have you telling stories to everyone that will listen (or at least you think they are listening…). Camp Nebagamon is one of those places for me. Just the mention of Logger 6 makes me chuckle, thinking back to my first year as a cabin counselor in 1992 or the mention of Pictured Rocks. Instantly I’m back there thinking about the first day of that trip and having lunch at Mosquito River. The memories/stories will always be there and I’m grateful to have those in my toolbox. I’m sure you all have those.

Then there is the summer of 2020. While I’ve been fortunate to spend my summer up camp, it will still be a memory of the summer that camp did not happen. It will be remembered but on the same note there is the future to look forward too. August is here…time to start hiring staff for the summer of 2021, fill out commercial use permits with the Park Service and start hunting down water filter cartridges so we can drink water from all of the amazing wilderness areas that we travel.

So, with that, we all share at least one memory of the 2020 summer, while not one that we expected, I believe it connects us all in a way that keeps this amazing camp family strong and true. I hope all is well in your neck of the woods and that you are making the most of this summer. If you have news to report, send it my way for the next Arrowhead. You can find me, as always, at fornear@campnebagamon.com.

Time for Laskin to learn some table manners!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Nelson Mendels (Atlanta) and Adam Eberhard (Chicago) created a podcast on Anchor, What Keeps The Fires Burning? They have some great material discussing all the great things that come out of the 54849, and you can read more here!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Elizabeth Becker (Duluth ’18) has passed her boards and is now officially Elizabeth Becker RN, BSN! Elizabeth also completed a sweet three-week, 360-mile paddle from the end of the Arrowhead Trail (where the Grand Portage begins inland) to Lake of the Woods this summer.

CONGRATULATIONS ON RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Joey Laskin (LA ’00-’06,’08-‘14) and Rachel Brehm (LA). Also, congratulations go to Joel Hensel (Chicago ’03-’07,’09-’10,’12-’13,’15) and Caitlyn Bryski (Chicago). And for the trifecta, congratulations to Ben Edmonds (Portland ’93-’97, ’99-’04, ’07-’11) and Vincent Au (Portland)!

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a boy, Rye Charles, for Dylan Perry (Boston ‘07) and Liza Perry (Boston).

News of the Camp Family – July 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Late last week Andy Mack and I were chatting about how good it would be to go out on the lake and catch some bluegills to fry and make some delicious fish tacos. So later on that evening, we hit the lake searching for some eater bluegills and maybe a smallmouth bass or two. After exploring a couple of known spots, we located some big gills (as they say in the fishing world) that were hungry for worms. Andy landed the first gill, but I followed quickly with one. These were some nice-sized fish and they would’ve filleted up great for dinner that night, but it was getting a little late, and after landing the first couple of gills we just decided to let them go… ready to be caught another day.

But a week later, I’m still thinking about frying some gills up for a dinner! I’m thinking of going out tonight to catch a couple, and if I do, this is how I cook them up. I like to keep the fish frying process as simple as possible.

Step 1: Scramble up one egg in a small bowl, then “wash” the fillets in the egg.

Step 2: To make the batter: I use a 50/50 mix of Drakes batter mix (looks like box was made in 1960) and cornmeal. You can use Shore Lunch batter mix as well, but still mix it with cornmeal. I find that if you just use a mix out of the box that it collects too much oil when frying. I prefer a really thin, crunchy mix. Take a one quart plastic bag and put your batter mix of Drakes/Cornmeal in and shake up to mix the two ingredients. Then, place a couple egg washed fillets into bag and shake around, coating the fillets. Take them out and put them aside on a plate, ready to be fried.

Step 3: Heat up 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a high-sided fry pan till it’s hot, then back off the heat. Slide the battered fish into oil and cook until golden brown then flip and cook for a couple minutes longer. I always take one piece out and break open to make sure the meat is flaky.

Step 4: Place cooked fish on plate that has some paper towel over it (this soaks up some of the oil). Then immediately sprinkle some cayenne pepper on the fillets.

Step 5: EAT!

Where is he now: still fishing for bluegills on Lake Nebagamon!

I’ve been cooking fish just like this for a while now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you catch a big one this summer and fry it at home, send us some pictures so we can share them in the next Arrowhead! Alright, time to get back to work. I trust everyone is still getting outside and soaking up some Vitamin D. As you can see below there is not a ton of news to report…so for next month’s Arrowhead could you do me a solid and send any news of what you’ve been doing? You can email me at fornear@campnebagamon.com. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Ben Laytin (Chicago) has started his own website about baseball — check it out at baseballnewsnow.com. Nice Work, Ben!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Bailey Aro Hutchence (Duluth ’08-’10,’12) and Joe “Hutch” Hutchence (Duluth ’07-‘12) who met at camp 12 years ago, recently launched a new business called Cedar Bound. Cedar Bound offers buildable cabin kits nationwide. Super cool cabins that are a mix of stick-built construction with classic wall tent features. Check out their website at cedarbound.com for the full story…super cool design. Todd Ahlers (Chicago/Winter Park, CO ’16-‘18) is fighting wildland forest fires this summer for the Cedar City Hotshots based out of Cedar City, UT.

Previous Page
Next Page