Camp Nebagamon

Updates

News of the Camp Family – June 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

First, I just want to give a Lake Superior size THANK YOU to our camp family for being there for not only us but for everyone that has been fortunate to call Camp Nebagamon home for any amount of time. The Camp Nebagamon family is simply amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you…

A young Fornear, reflecting…

These past couple days, I found myself looking back over my 21 summers at camp. To that first summer as a silent 17-year-old junior counselor in Logger-6 with Randy Needlman (who I still get to go to the BWCA with every fall). To early morning fishing trips for the fishing project. To shakedown trips of the early 90’s with alumni that now have campers at camp. To the five pound blocks of Velveeta packed out for snacking… And of course, there was the bike trip that Dan Rontal and I packed out couscous for every breakfast and dinner. Breakfasts were couscous egg glop, pan fried couscous with butter and brown sugar, and couscous pudding with blueberries (or maybe that was dessert… it was a really long time ago). Not sure what we were going for there but it didn’t work. Then there was a trip to the Quetico were we cooked up fresh walleye for breakfast at the base of Chatterton Falls on Russell Lake. Or seeing the first trips out at the beginning of the summer returning back to the Big House after a great time out on trail. Paddling the Brule River during counselor training week with my trippers for training and some good laughs. The list goes on and on. Memories that will last a lifetime with people that to this day I can call good friends, friends that I am thankfully stuck with for the rest of my life.

Sure, I won’t get to see the first round of trips roll into the turnaround behind the Big House this summer, I won’t get to fillet fish with campers down at the fishing dock or sit in silence at the beginning of a Sunday Service. Thankfully though, I will have the memories of all my summers at Camp Nebagamon to carry me through this off season. Thank you camp family for those memories and I look forward to creating many more with you all in the summer of 2021!

I would love to make you famous in the next Arrowhead so please send me news…any news of you! For example, if you cooked a meal from the MOCA cookbook, went paddling on local river or lake or even played some fortnight with your camp buddies please send it my way! I’ll get you in the next publishing. Just send to [email protected] Enjoy the day and I hope you are all able to get outside for some exploring and fresh air!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Jonah Rontal (Detroit) has been tearing up the single- track mountain bike trails in Northern Michigan with his dad Matt Rontal. Ari Weiss (Memphis) will be coaching lacrosse this summer for the Backyard Sports Lacrosse Experience in Memphis this summer for 5th-8th graders. Griffin Scissors (St. Louis) has really gotten into biking and is logging a ton of miles. Judah Callen (San Francisco) and Ori Radwin (San Francisco) have been hitting up a local dirt bike track. Milo Solomon (Chicago) has been doing basketball practices via zoom. While different, it is kind of working. Eli Terman (Chicago) is currently staying active with dry land training for swim team and Zach Riven (Peoria Heights, IL) is playing basketball to stay active. Jacob Rolfe (Chicago) recently adopted a very cute puppy.

News of the Camp Family – May 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Green grass!!! Yes, it’s finally here in the northland and I could not be any more excited for this sign of summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love a solid winter, but more than winter, I love enjoying all four seasons. Time to switch gears and get after what the spring season offers.

Socially distant smelting

Smelt… it’s what’s for dinner!

One of the classic signs of spring here in Duluth is when Lake Superior temperature hits 38 degrees, and the smelt start “running” up and down park point to spawn in the shallows. Smelt are these little silvery fish that range anywhere from three to nine inches long. While they’re “running” people throw on a pair of waders, grab a couple of 5-gallon pails, some friends, a seine net that is at least 20 feet long and head down to the beach in the dark of night. So, this year our group only consisted of three people and we used the length of the net to keep our social distance from each other. We met up at our access point down on Park Point and hopped on down to the beach. The scene was weird to say the least. In a normal, non-COVID year the beach would be packed with folks all in the hunt for “running” smelt. There we were (20’ apart) staring out onto a whitecap crested Lake Superior… and not a soul near us. The weather might have also assisted in keeping people away because it was not too pleasant! There was a northeast wind blowing down the length of the lake, and air temperature was 35 degrees while the water was a tad warmer… at 38-39 degrees. It was spectacular! As Sam Cook said in one of his stories…”Taste the wind, feel the rain…” We were out in the elements, all smiles and soaking up yet another magical night on Lake Superior. The first hour we sat on the beach trying to hear each other over the roar of waves crashing on the beach (and because we were 20 feet apart), laughing and waiting for the sun to finally set to the west. Once it did, we were in the water dragging the net in the lake, along the beach and capturing those “running” smelt. The run was on and each pull of the net brought us five to twenty fish. In one hour, we found ourselves with just enough for a couple meals each and called it a night, at least for catching the smelt – we still needed to clean the fish. After a couple more laughs, we all headed back to our places for the next phase.  I’ll spare you the details in cleaning the smelt, but the next day I had an amazing dinner of lightly battered pan fried smelt with some roasted broccoli.

Still keeping the fun local and enjoying the spring season as I can. I hope the same is going for you all. Would love to hear from you all – alumni and current campers alike – so feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. Be well and have a great day!

Just replace Ric Best with Heather… and Max’s silly shorts for a tux… and Horse ‘n’ Goggling with exchanging vows…

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Seth Lambert (Bloomington, IL) has been preparing to plant around 12 different types of plants and hopes to be completely self-sufficient living off the land. Jake Finklestein (Evanston, IL) made a suggestion that we serve up red snapper for a camp dinner this summer. Griffin and Dylan Scissors (St. Louis, MO) seemed to have hiked in every county and state park  less than an hour’s drive from home.

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT:  Chole Ahmann (Maryland/Cornell, NY ‘12) has joined the faculty at Cornell University as an Environmental Anthropologists. Ryan Glasspiegel (Chicago ’04-’07,’09) is a sports writer for OUTKICK THE COVERAGE. Ryan was recently a guest with TNT NBA host Ernie Johnson’s live show on Twitter this past week discussing the path he took to become a writer.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Max Sapiro (Denver/Park City ’09-‘12) and Heather Cook (Park City).

News of the Camp Family – April 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

This month, I’ve been keeping the fun local and attempting to update my digital knowledge…one is for sure easier than the other these days. With that said I’ve been using Zoom video chatting for the past two years now for interviewing international staff so it’s been great to be ahead of that learning curve.

This past weekend was the Brule River Steelhead fishing opener, and I was not able to go. I respected the wishes of Wisconsin’s Governor, Tony Evers and the Wisconsin DNR, and stayed at home. While I was bummed that I wouldn’t be wading waist deep in the Brule, freezing and generally being miserable and happy all at once (the true essence of fishing for Steelhead: the more miserable the conditions the better the fishing), I was still able to get outside. I headed out to a friend’s old farmstead just outside of town. I don’t need to stop the car anywhere, just drive to the farm, have fun and relax, and drive back… no shopping, and more importantly at this time, no people. There was a ton of mud which made riding my four-wheel ATV around the land super fun. I worked both days of the weekend, cutting trails through the 120 acres with the chainsaw, and of course hitting every muddy hole with the four-wheeler! It’s just like my days of playing with Tonka trucks in the back yard growing up… but with a little more adventure. Today, after the clock strikes 5 p.m. I’m headed out to the local ski hill in Duluth to earn some turns. The “mountain” shut down last week, but since it is owned by the city of Duluth it operates like a city park. I’m going to throw my telemark skis on and slowly (very slowly) skin up the hill, and then free heel my way down.

7th Graders on a call last week!

I’m thankful that my home city has many options for getting outside and that my internet connection is still working! Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to participate in the awesomely hilarious camper meetings we’ve been setting up via Zoom. Our first calls were last week with last year’s 8th and 7th grade classes, and afterwards I was smiling for the rest of the afternoon. It was a refreshing/recharging moment that just, once again, confirmed how great our camp family can be in strange times. Thank you all for those moments and I look forward to seeing others soon – current campers should keep an eye out on our social media and in your email for when we’re scheduling calls with your grade!

So, keep the fun local, keep in touch with friends and family and please shoot me any news about you that I can put in next month’s Arrowhead! Just send news over to me via the interweb at [email protected]. Be well and have a great day!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that while on Zoom last week with our 9th graders for the 2020 season I learned that eight guys are really wanting to do a 21-day long trip! I too, would love to be paddling the canoe country for three weeks right about now. In other news, from our Zoom chat, Nick Fleisher (New York) mentioned that he really loves camps frozen grapes and was wondering if I could send him the recipe. I’m guessing Nick was pulling my leg a bit, but just in case he wasn’t: Take Grapes, open freezer, place said grapes into freezer (next to the four gallons of ice cream), let marinate there for 24 hours, open freezer and place grapes in cereal bowl and serve. Adam Eberhard (Chicago) has been eating a ton of steak and instant ramens while Nelson Mendels (Atlanta) has been Zoom chatting with lots of friends. Nathan Starhill (Boston) has been practicing juggling rolls of toilet paper and Josh Marcus (Chicago) started an investment club at school before it went to distance learning. Josh – I’m still waiting for some suggested good buys, get back to me at [email protected]. Andrew Condrell (Chicago) and Adam Eberhard are in a band together. They have some music out on Apple Music and Spotify. They’re called Brand New Shoes…Check them out. Andrew and Noah Stein are also trying to learn a cool guitar part for a Dire Straits song called Sultans of Swing. James Wimmer (Knoxville) requested the Nebagamon Trip Cookbook to get the recipe for NoBake to share with his siblings. Lastly, Zac Scandura (Minneapolis) has been accepted to Cornell University’s Architecture, Art, and Planning School in the fall. He believes that all his time spent at the Art Shop and making comics at camp contributed to getting him in at Cornell.

 

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Josh Goldman (St. Louis ’87-’91,’93-’95,’98,’00,’02-‘04) is the Director of Community Engagement in the School of Education at St. Louis University. Cathy Fries (Lake Nebagamon 1999-2020) is feeling loved and appreciated by the alumni of Camp Nebagamon while she prepares for her 22nd summer in the Big House.

News of the Camp Family – March 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

At the beginning of February, I found myself loading up the pack with two camping stoves, the big pot and a mountain of hot chocolate. Myself and four others (all members of the Duluth Climbers Coalition, the local climbing club) were taking out eight middle-schoolers from West Duluth to let them experience ice climbing for the very first time. Luckily, we have great ice right in the city limits and the DCC who are taking steps to close the adventure gap with youth from Duluth.

It was a beautiful day with temps topping out in the upper 20’s and no wind. The kids were nervous, Tik Tok videos were made, and perceived fear was overcome! With the help of the UMD Climbing program we were able to get everyone into some stout boots, crampons and ice axes that would keep them all sticking to the frozen waterfalls. There was nervous excitement and none gave up. Soon, one by one, we tied them into the system with figure eights, went through the climbing commands and they all got off the ground. Some went higher than others but that didn’t matter to any of us. We were just living for the moment before us. Whether its climbing on rock or ice it’s about challenging yourself and problem solving while off the ground. Sure, it’s nice to get to the top of the climb, but it’s not necessary. That’ll happen eventually…and when it does, you’re going to move onto another challenging climb thus starting the processing/problem solving all over again.

We climbed for three hours that afternoon. It was all smiles till the end…though brewing up some hot chocolate and a bottomless bag of cookies was an added bonus. The ice is starting to peel off the rocks in town. Soon though, we will be back at it with more kids from city climbing the local crags and taking another step toward closing the adventure gap in this sweet city.

The rest of the month cruised ahead and had a couple more memorable events outdoors. The first was the Book Across the Bay. The Book is a 10K ski “race” from Ashland, WI to Washburn, WI in the dark of night across Lake Superior. This year there was 3900 skiers, snowshoer’s and walkers and the weather was perfect. The wind sat down, the clouds pushed south and we were greeted with an amazing night sky. The skiing was smooth and the aid stations were spot on. Seriously though, these aid stations that were at every kilometer had it dialed in…I mean, at the 5K mark I had a hot dog with all the fixin’s, taco dip and chips and at least four or five cookies to boot. This is why I put quotes around RACE earlier…not really a race to our crew. So much fun and so many people out enjoying this one great lake (and supporting the library in Ashland)!

Seven days later it was a crisp morning out at the Boedecker Aid Station (the 20.5 K mark of the 55K race) for the Birkeibeiner Ski race in Hayward, WI. We were getting the flamingos out, hanging up parrots, cranking Jimmy Buffet, cutting oranges and making the foulest smelling Nuun energy drink (tasted great but man the smell was horrific!). This was my eighth year volunteering here with my folks. While we mixed energy drink, served up fruit and drank coffee, my brother Ben was chugging away for his 23rd Birkie. On top of that there were some Nebagamon alumni skiing this great event. I got to see Emily Prud’homme, Mitch Cohen, Chris Willett, and Elizabeth Becker pass by our station. It was a hoot of a weekend…the day before there is the Korte (29K) race and while spectating we got to cheer on Amy Mack, Steph Tomasky and Mitch Cohen. All in all, the Birkie weekend was a blast and enjoyed by our Nebagamon crew.

Michael (bottom left) first found his appreciation for renewable hydroelectricity in the Quetico, circa 2007

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW in While in Denver, we learned that Alexander Zander Aronoff has been playing the Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano and also playing soccer. Zander also made his first turns down some double black diamonds this past weekend as well. Right on Zander! Billy Galpern has been put on the injured reserve list for baseball as he is nursing a herniated disc injury.

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Michael Berler (San Francisco ’12-’16,’18-‘19) is playing Division 3 baseball for the Carleton College Knights. Michael Blonsky (Denver ’05-’07,’09) works for the National Renewable Energy Lab, working on renewable energy integration. Michael Freeman (Denver ’98-’03,’05-‘09) is spending a semester teacher in Madrid on a Fulbright Scholarship. He is teaching a data visualization course.

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a boy, Charles Farris Hopkins, for Kyle Hopkins (’02-’06,’08-’09,’12) and Emily Farris.

News of the Camp Family – February 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

That tiny speck is Fornear climbing…

Winter in Duluth has been absolutely magical this year! Waist deep snow, great ice for ice climbing, perfectly groomed cross-country skiing trails, and smooth flowing fat bike trails zigging and zagging through the forests. It’s great to see how a community fully embraces the winter up north in Duluth. Of course, there is the occasional local newscaster who frowns upon the next storm rolling into the region but then in the same 30 minute news block there is always a story about people who are out skiing and snowmobiling on city streets. Love it!

Alright — back to the wide world of winter sports in Duluth, MN. Last night I met up with two friends and Daisy the dog and went out mountain biking on the trails at Hartley Park. These are the same trails that we take the campers mountain biking during the summer for field trips, with a whole lot more snow! Wonderful single track that flows smoothly through stands of red pines, across wide open bogs and dense deciduous forests. There’s about three feet of snow on the ground but our local mountain bike chapter, COGGS, has a groomer that packs the snow down in a 18 inch wide path. The path is smooth, solid as a rock and very fast and fun during the colder days. Outside of the path the snow is soft, deep and makes a great cushion for crashing. Add in a 750-lumen bike light on the front, and you are ready to rip these trips in the dark of night.

…and that tiny speck is Fornear belaying!

Biking these trails at night, in the midst of winter is an unforgettable experience. The weather varies… last night was amazingly quiet with no wind and temperatures hovering around 20 degrees. The other plus to trail riding at night? Your friends don’t get to see you wipe out, and crashing on a bike into three feet of snow is pretty fun.

The fun continues with a cross country ski this evening and then we are having the Duluth Ice Climbing Festival this weekend.  Excellent ice at our local crag right now and great temps this weekend so the festival should be a hit. If you’re looking for something to do, hit the road or hop on a plane and head to Duluth!

I trust your winter is going well and that you are getting really excited about the upcoming summer. Camp is shaping up to be a great summer once again. Trip permits are in the works, program gear is being purchased and most importantly staff are getting hired on for the summer! Remember, if you have any news please shoot it my way and I will get you in the next arrowhead. Email me (Fornear) at [email protected]. Have a great day and I hope you are all getting outside for some recreation!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that in Chicago, Michael Bayer has started driving the streets of Chicago. Will Needlman plays center for his basketball team and had a solid fall football season. Brady Rivkin plays trombone for the Northshore Honor Band. Will Gray is staying busy playing basketball. Ben Shacter is an important member of the technical team for his school’s theater program. He has been working on their most recent play, Oscar Wilde’s, “The Importance of Being Earnest”.

Dave Weber in 2002, enjoying the warmer Nebagamon shores

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Mike Maidenberg (Grand Forks/Oakland, CA ’61-’62), longtime publisher of the Grand Forks Herald who helped lead the newspaper to a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service following the 1997 flood, has been chosen to be the sixth recipient of the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s Distinguished Service Award. Ryan Glasspiegel (CT/Chicago ’96-’02,’04-’07,’09) was recently included on Sports Illustrated’s list of 100 people to follow on Twitter for sports business news in 2020. Former Nature Lore director, Bro Nat Dave Webber (IL/Georgia) is the current center director at Wahsega 4-H Center in Dahlonega, Georgia. Wahsega is trying to get 5,000 likes on Facebook, at which point Dave will have to jump into their ice-cold lake!

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Josh Weinberg (Chicago ’04-’09,’11-‘14) and Nika Arzoumanian (New York).

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to David Pilsk (Takoma Park, MD ’06-’11,’13-‘15) and Barbra Jackson (Maryland). Congratulations also go to Brandon Kaufmann (Denver/San Francisco ’99-’05,’07-‘08) and Yael Gilboa (San Francisco).

News of the Camp Family – January 2020

Compiled by Adam Fornear

What a month December has been. Yet another sweet trip to the east coast for the Nebagamon reunion tour and Duluth has turned into a winter wonderland. So, while I was absent from Duluth, we received about 32(!) inches of snow. This was the first time in my 44 years of existence that I needed to find and pay someone to shovel my sidewalks to avoid getting a To/From from the post office letting me know that it was my responsibility to clear the way for the postal carriers. Here’s the deal, I love shoveling snow, even when my back is not a fan. It’s like cutting the grass during the summer… without the fresh cut smell of grass… kind of. Luckily for the camp connections though as I was able to convince Jamey Sharp (who’s in Duluth studying at UMD) that this was his calling and that I was also paying cash money.

Fornear and Cody (and Cody’s cute one!)

Having to pay someone to shovel my sidewalks did not deter me from having a wonderful time on the east coast reunion tour. We had amazing turnouts at the D.C. camper and alumni reunions, many new camper visits, and Kaplan crushed me in a scooter race from the Treasury Department to our VRBO. After that we headed north to Brooklyn and New York City. There is something about NYC that I just love. Sometimes I tell myself that I could totally live there, then I mention it to close friends and they just laugh and tell me no way you could do that. Anyhow, I had my annual visit with Cody Zalk who I took out on trail when I was a tripper, then Cody was a tripper and now we just walk around NYC with his son. Great tradition. Also, before ending with a great reunion in Manhattan we were able to sneak in a Devils/Blackhawks game with Ben and Hugh Broder. Afterwards we headed north to see our camp family outside NYC. Sadly, I came down with strep but luckily Adam Kaplan was fully capable of flying solo at the reunion and new camper visits (and pick me up a steady diet of ramen noodles and ginger ale).

Our reunions are truly a spectacular experience. It allows me to keep in touch with Nebagamon friends near and far and it also gives us a chance to share how the summer Nebagamon experience is alive and strong. Yes, there is a lot of reminiscing of years gone buy but there is also plenty of curiosity in what is and is going to happen at camp next summer.

Winter break is upon us in the Nebagamon office. Soon though we shall be hitting the road in mid-January for more reunions (lots of jelly donuts in Chicago!), and hopefully we will be able to cross paths. If you are unable to attend please pass along news so I can make you famous in the Arrowhead! Email me (Fornear) at [email protected]. Best wishes for a great start to 2020 and I hope you all get the chance to shovel a little snow this winter.

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that in Nathaniel Kehrberg is part of his school’s LEGO Robotics league and he will be competing in the First Lego League Lego robotics tournament in Broward and Palm Beach counties. While in D.C. we learned that Ben Mack is taking drum lessons, playing baseball and will soon be starting futsol. Emmitt Gerstein plays for his schools varsity baseball team while Michael Cohen is busy rowing crew. Small world bit…one of Michael’s teachers is former camper and staff member Dale Glasspiegel. Si Kessler ran cross country this past fall and will be running the mile for his track team. Jorn White is keeping active with baseball and track. After mastering the subways of NYC we headed to the NYC reunion. There I was informed that Will Wyden is playing flag football and baseball. Benji Solomon is playing tennis and his brother Jacob is taking up climbing. Both Syd and Lazer Rosenbloom continue to pursue their passion of soccer. Nick Fleisher plays guard for his schools basketball team and was elected class president this fall at his new school. Impressive! Daniel Heller is also playing soccer while Daniel Sabados continues to spend many hours at the climbing gym. Daniel was also in a recent play called “Names That Hurt” written by the students.

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: John Robert Allman (Houston ’05-‘06) has a new book out called “A is for Audra: Broadway’s Leading Ladies from A to Z”. It can be found here. Max Setteneri (CT/D.C. ’15-‘16) is now working for the EPA in Washington D.C. Ben Huston (Denver, CO. ’09-’12, ’16-’19) moved to Israel to join the IDF.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Dan Klonowski (Chicago ’07-‘10) and Jenny Wardrup (Chicago)

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to Mike Samuels (Youngstown, Ohio/D.C. ‘50-‘58) and Lena Auerbach (Washington, DC)

News of the Camp Family – December 2019

Compiled by Adam Fornear

It’s amazing how fast the off season goes…where did November go?! This month has been a busy one. Outside of my Nebagamon responsibilities, I have found myself swinging a hammer and doing a bit of chain-sawing on a friend’s hobby farm. The work on “80 Mile Farm” has been a project for the past couple years that I’ve been able to devote a fair amount of free time too. The farm has 120 acres, about 40 acres of it are designated agricultural, and the other 80 are forested with oak and popple trees. Currently there are two main projects that we are working on to bring this neglected farm back to life. We are working on making it a healthier forest by thinning out many of the popple trees so the oaks can get more sunlight to flourish. While we did our fair share of chain sawing, it’s now in the phase of real loggers. The difference though is that the loggers themselves are not 20 feet tall like Paul Bunyan, but the machinery they use is gigantic. Those of you that grew up with Tonka Trucks back in the day would really dig this machinery. Sadly, they won’t let me drive the skidder so I just have to pretend. The second project that’s in full swing down on the farm is rehabbing the farm house that was built there in 1908.  We gutted the entire inside of the cabin (that was home to every bat, pigeon and feral cat in Pine County), and have been slowly rebuilding it in our vision. Amazingly, it was a log building and after sandblasting and staining it has really come to life. It’s been an interesting process how this farm house has taken shape. “80 Mile Farm” comes from an old sign found buried in a junk pile on the property… and that’s it.  Much like our 9th graders naming a big trip… it’s something simple that happens on their trips and it just feels right to name it after that. Anyhow, we’ve been harvesting materials from old, non-standing buildings on the land an using them inside the house. Not to brag, but the finishing work on the inside is really sharp! 80 Mile is now about fifty percent done, but it is livable, even during a harsh Minnesota winter.

80 Mile, lookin’ spiffy!

There is something satisfying about construction. Taking raw materials, having a vision, and seeing it to the end. When that project is done, you step back and look at the finished product…and just smile. Making the cuts with the saw, hanging tin on the ceiling, and just being exhausted at the end of the day. It’s rewarding. It’s an end of one project and the beginning of something new. You see it down at our craftshop, campers focused hard on the lump of clay on the wheel, bracing wood legs on tables they built. If you watch them closely enough you can see them processing what is before them and seeing those thoughts come to life in the form of whatever they’re working on. It’s quite magical to watch.

Soon I will be joining Adam Kaplan on the East Coast for the second reunion tour of the season.  Hopefully you can join us in your respected city and share loads of those great camp memories with us.  Till then, send me some news for the next publishing of the Arrowhead and have a great day! Email me (Fornear) at [email protected].

Mayhem crushing it on Paul Bunyan Day

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that in Chicago, Jack Gordon place in the top 12 for his cross-country conference. Myles Rontal (Detroit) is playing basketball and his team recently made the playoffs. Eli Zelvy (Cincinnati) is swimming for a year-round club team and his school. While, his brother, Aaron “Mayhem” Zelvy is on a diving team. Mayhem is also crushing it in lacrosse.  He scored seven goals in his last game.

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Zach Sullivan (Chippewa Falls, WI/Duluth ’16,’18) is the Program Director for the Duluth Folk School. Sully is responsible for creating and implementing classes with both children and adults in Duluth.  Next week he is running a canoe paddle making class. Zayla Asquith-Heinz (Haines, AK/Duluth ’17-‘18) is a Tax Site Supervisor for Community Action Duluth in Duluth, MN.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to Peter Soroko (Los Angeles ’02-’06,’08-‘09) and Kristen Kalkin (Los Angeles).

BAR MITZVAH CONGRATULATIONS go to Rafa Posen (Los Angeles)

News of the Camp Family – November 2019

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).

News of the Camp Family – October 2019

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Objects in picture may be closer than they appear

I am truly jealous of our campers and wilderness trip leaders every time they load up in the van (with canoes in tow) and head north for an adventure in Boundary Waters. Now, while I cannot head out on trail during the summer due to my responsibilities as the Wilderness Trip Director, I do manage to get out too many of the same locations during the off season. I love getting to these places just as much as our campers do – and also hovering over the whisperlite stove brewing hot water for coffee or whipping up a great dinner over the fire in the Boundary Waters.

Fornear says he saw some live moose too… Sure, Fornear!

At the end of August, I had a great four-day fishing trip out to Isle Royale. I motored out on my 20’ fishing boat at about 30 mph, getting me there in under 45 minutes… just a bit quicker then when our campers take the Voyageur shuttle. Sure, we had coolers with ice on the boat, steaks, real milk, and of course fresh Lake Trout every night, but it was still great to get out to Isle. The scenery is amazing, moose everywhere we looked, and most importantly amazing night skies of stars and a Milky Way so vivid you feel like you can walk on it. As I sit here typing, I’m also thinking about my Boundary Waters trip next weekend. Most importantly…the food. If you’ve ever been to a trip physical the night before a trip, the one thing that the kids are most interested in is the menu. Well, it’s no different when you go on a Boundary Waters trip with a bunch of retired trippers from the early 90’s. Hardly any talk among the grew about gear or a route…just what are we going to eat! Funny thing is though is that we have the same meals year after year. First morning out will be egg glop (it’s delicious), first night supper is mock duck stir fry and loads and loads of cookies. Lastly, at the end of the month I will be packing up the fly rods and heading out to Jackson, WY to chase trout. I’ll let you know how that goes next month.

As you can see below, I don’t have a ton of news to share as of yet. Reunions don’t start for a bit and I can only spend so much time on Facebook in the office, so PLEASE help me out and send me news of you!  Please email ([email protected]), text, carrier pigeon, Facebook (sorry – I don’t tweet…yet) or IM any awards, athletic participation, theatrical roles, or other accomplishments that you want to share, and I promise you will make the next edition of “In the News!” Until next time, get outside and create some mini adventures this off season for yourself!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Ryan Mack (Bedford Hills, NY) is staying busy playing soccer for his school and also flag football. Jonah Rontal (Detroit) is competing in USA Climbing competitions with the team from his local climbing gym, Planet Rock. Jonah has also been tearing up some single track dirt trails on his mountain bike. Levi Whalen Stewart (Portland) plays center defensive midfielder for his soccer team.

Noah and ACo laughing their way to Colorado for the winter

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Noah Stein (Chicago/Denver ’05-’10,’12,’14-‘19) is and Instructional Assistant at the Joshua School in Denver.  There he works with students with autism and developmental disabilities. Andrew Meyer (New Paltz, NY/Bahamas ’05-’10,’17-‘19) is teaching environmental education at The Island School in Eleuthera, Bahamas. Ben Kersten (Chicago’03-’08, ’10-’12) is starting a post doc in Art History at UCLA. Andy Cohen (St. Louis/Breckenridge ’04-’10,’12-’15,’17,’19) is the Dual Property Director of Housekeeping for Vail Resorts in Breckenridge, CO.

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE RECENT ENGAGEMENTS go to: Jeff Schram (Boston’97-’02,’04-‘06) and Natalie Mandel (Boston).

WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS go to: Joel Saslawsky (Memphis ’02-’08,’10,’12) and Stephanie Saslawsky (Memphis).

BAR MITZVAH CONGRATULATIONS go to: Leo Susser (San Francisco).

News of the Camp Family

Compiled by Adam Fornear

Hobie Kat ready for transport

Our new Hobie Kat ready for transport

Between hiring staff for the upcoming summer (still have a couple kitchen staff positions to fill), firing up our fleet of boats and any other task that needs to happen to make the summer amazing…It’s been a bit tough to squeeze in a little recreational boating of my own. Tough but not impossible. Just this past Saturday I was fortunate enough to assist a friend transport a new boat to him from Washburn, WI to Duluth, MN. I couldn’t pass an opportunity for an 80 nautical mile boat ride…that’d be crazy to miss. So, I packed up bag with some extra clothes, snacks and phone numbers and emails for work to take care of on journey. Disappointingly, there was a strong westward wind that put up some big waves on Lake Superior that made the ride a little bumpy, but no problem for the 40-foot boat. We cut though some of the Apostle Islands, cruised past the sea caves and found ourselves 12 miles off shore at times. We did take a break from running through the heavy seas to fish a quiet bay, boating one Coho salmon, but were soon back at covering ground to make the 7pm lift of the Lift Bridge in Duluth, MN. It was a great day on the water, lots of laughter and some minor accidents that will provide some funny stories well into the future.

Crossing Mackinaw Bridge with new boat

Crossing the Big Mac with the new Hobie!

Speaking of new boats, Camp Nebagamon has added an awesome new Hobie Cat Getaway to our already massive fleet. Sadly, we had to retire our old Hobie but I was determined to find a new Hobie for this summer. So, after a nine-hour drive, lots of Cheddar Chex Mix and a crossing of the Mackinac bridge we hooked up the Hobie Getaway and hit the repeat button for the drive back. Many miles logged, but this boat is going to be so sweet to sail out on Lake Nebagamon. It has a boomless main sail, roller-furling jib, and wing seats for cruising. We’ll be able to heel it over and zip across the lake in strong winds and still be a ton of fun on those lighter wind days. Hopefully you are all just as excited as I am for getting out and grabbing some wind on this sweet new rig!

Even though The Arrowhead is going into hibernation for the next three months, please keep on sending any news of the camp family. Thank you for your contributions, and I look forward to sharing updates with you after the summer. Summer’s coming…See you soon!

IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW Ben Effress(La Jolla, CA) is wrapping up his high school volleyball season and is now in full swing of the spring football practice and strength training season. Ben Shacter (Chicago) ran the lights and sound for his school’s production of Harvey. Jason Shacter (Chicago) performed and had lots of fun with the school band at Six Flags. Jake Powers (Chicago) was the fastest runner on his cross-country team as a freshman. Jake also runs an active and successful street wear resale business.

IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT:  Spencer Brown (Phoenix ’96-’00,’02-’07,’09,’13,’16,’17,’18) is the Assistant Principal at Legacy Traditional School in Casa Grande, AZ.  Michael Deutsch (Atlanta ’06-’11,’13-’14,’16-‘18) will be starting as a data analyst at Ernst & Young in Atlanta, GA.

IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT…It’s a boy, Harrison Arthur, for Emily Jodock (Northwood, ND/Denver ’05-’07,’09-‘15) and Jason Yale (Denver ’94-’00,’04-’08,’10-‘15). It’s a girl, Oriah Vera, for Tucker Slosburg (K.C./Seattle ’93-’99,’02-‘11) and Krista Nelson (Seattle). 

BAR MITZVAH CONGRATULATIONS go to Joel Fisher (Chicago) and Sam More (Chicago).

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2019 GRADUATES

June is graduation month for many campers, staff, and alumni, and we want to say “Congratulations!” Obviously, this list is not exhaustive, so please let us know of other members of the camp family that you know who have graduated this year. We’ll include those names in the October Arrowhead. Also, this newsletter is a great place to note which college’s people are attending in order to connect with other members of the camp community at the same school. So please e-mail us that information as well.

High School Graduates: Alex Buring, Isaac Weiss, Eric Portillo, Matthew Grosman, Joey Rivkin, Andrew Guest, Michael Berler, Ben Platt, Luke Herzog, Elana Scharff, and Tiana Hursh.

College Graduates: Walter Fromm (University of Puget Sound) and Michael Deutsch (Auburn University)

Previous Page
Next Page