Tumpline June 2014
Published: Fri, 06/27/14
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Jim Tilley New Seasonfrom "Lessons from Summer Camp" Jim Tilley earned a doctorate in physics from Harvard and worked on Wall Street for twenty years. The first two collections of his poetry were published by Red Hen Press - In Confidence in 2011 and Cruising at Sixty to Seventy in 2014. During the summer of 2013, he returned to Camp Nominingue for the first time since the 1960s. A result of that return visit is his forthcoming collection, Lessons from Summer Camp, from which this poem is taken. New Season Like a horde of young wizards headed to Hogwarts (those stories still decades from being written), we gathered on the platform at Montreal's Windsor Station in late June, fathers pushing our trunks on trolleys, mothers fighting back their usual tears, to board the train for the four-hour voyage into the Laurentian Mountains and our summer-long stay at camp. The "new boys" were hesitant, bewildered; the "old boys," together again after a year apart, smacked each other on the back, more joyous than they would ever be at any school reunion. We were looking forward, not back, and the end of summer was infinitely far off. There was little catching up-- talk of school tacitly off-limits--but banter about canoe trips instead, and though we'd never admit it, we, the old boys, some of us anyway, had become drunk on the camp motto, not realizing then, not having been told (it would've been too much like school), that those words we chanted around the ceremonial fire at Council Ring had been lifted straight from Thoreau: Rise free from care before the dawn and seek adventure. Let the noon find thee by other lakes, and the night overtake thee everywhere at home. Some of us had been homesick all year. Manuan Canoe Trip Part IV 1936Canoe tripping has been an important part of the Nominingue experience since 1925. Although many of the routes are no longer available and some elements of the experience have changed, the essence of the canoe trip remains the same - learning to work together as a team; enduring difficulties caused by inclement weather; travelling through the Canadian wilderness and meeting the challenges that each new day brings. Bill Stobo, Duncan Duclos, Herb Owen, John Hay, Stewart Hamilton, F.M. Van Wagner Canoes weighed 80 lbs when well-dried and over 90 lbs wet. Total weight of packs and all equipment was 350 lbs. A double blanket was carried for each person, each weighing up to 8 lbs. Travelled 60 lakes in 14 days. Tuesday August 18 We were up at 7:15 am. After breakfast, everyone wrote a letter or two to friends at home. As we did not expect a very difficult day, we took our time packing up and cleaning our cabin, then bidding our host goodbye, thanking him for his hospitality and assuring him that we hoped to return in a year or two, we took our departure at 9:35 am. The sun was shining brightly as we paddled up the lake on our way to Lake Nemikachi. There was a carry of a few yards into a small swampy lake. Next, our course led up a little stream for about a half mile to another unnamed lake. He we trolled, catching a small pike and a large chub. A portage of perhaps a third of a mile led us to lake Cypress. Having crossed a height of land, we now followed another small stream on its downward course where, only a short while before, we had been paddling upstream. Coming to some rapids, we were forced to portage and, at the beginning of this portage, we had lunch at 12:35. After lunch, there was a half mile carry over a height of land and we put our canoes into the stream again. We were now to paddle for three or four miles through a big swamp before arriving at Lac Vera. At the end of Vera, which is a shallow lake with weeds growing over most of its area, the map is somewhat deceiving, which caused us to miss a short portage. Once over this short portage, we had a paddle of three miles before reaching the portage to Lake Nemikachi. This short portage into the extreme southern end of Nemikachi brought us back into the Lièvre watershed. We were now following the course taken by Bob Hamilton's party, a few days earlier and were planning to make use of their campsites whenever possible. Our destination was the north end of a large island, about five miles up the lake. A hurricane had swept across the lower end of this lake the previous summer and most of the trees had been blown over. It was really a most unusual site for these parts! We found a nice campsite as we had expected, with poles for our tent, boughs for our beds and a fireplace ready for use. All this was most welcome. It did not take us long to make a comfortable camp here, which left some time for trolling, with a few small doré being caught. This was where a party from camp had taken two 20 lb. pike two years before and we had high hopes of a good catch, but fishing was really poor. All were in bed at an early hour with plans for early rising and another try at fishing. Library donations Colin Robertson Staff 2014Over my years at Nominingue, I have had many opportunities to take advantage of the small but wonderful library present in the Main Lodge, and have seen others use it for the same purposes. When I came to camp, I was a shy and quiet child, and I often found peace in the stories I was able to borrow from the camp library. Some of my fondest memories are thumbing well-worn pages while relaxing in the Intermediate Lodge. However the library is limited, its books are old, worn, and few. As such, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask the parents and supporters of Nominingue for your help. The biggest thing that every library needs is books, used or new, of any shape or size, as long as they are appropriate for children. Donating books would be as simple as sending them to camp with your children, or arranging for them to be brought up on one of the buses. The library had a strong influence on my camp life, and I'd like to cement its place in the camp experience with your help. Building an Adirondack ShelterDuring the second half of July this summer, upper camp campers will have the opportunity to help build a new adirondack shelter on the edge of the athletic field. David Kayll, father of two campers, will be leading the construction, and using camper assistants throughout the building process. We are hoping that this building project might be repeated in future years. Au cours de la seconde moitié du mois de juillet, les campeurs du « upper camp » auront l'occasion d'aider à la construction d'un nouvel abri « Adirondack » sur le bord du « athletic field ». David Kayll, père de deux campeurs, dirigera l'effort avec l'aide des campeurs intéressés. Nous espérons que ce projet de construction sera répété dans les années à venir. Family Camp 2014 - Camp familial 2014What your plans this summer? Have you been wondering how to end your summer vacation with a bang? Check out Camp Nominingue's Family Camp, a tradition since 1984! If you are looking for a fun-filled and active outdoor program for your children while providing you with the opportunity to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of a Laurentian lake property, why not consider Camp Nominingue's Family Camp this summer? Camp begins on Wednesday, August 20th and runs until Sunday, August 24th. If you want more information, please contact the office. The best way to sign-up is by registering online. Que planifiez-vous pour vos vacances cet été? Rêvez-vous d'une expérience magique et inoubliable? Notre camp familial, une tradition depuis 1984, saura combler vous et votre famille! Si vous cherchez des vacances remplies d'activités en plein air pour vos enfants avec l'opportunité pour vous de décompresser et de profiter de la paix et le silence au bord d'un lac des Laurentides, le camp familial au Camp Nominingue est la solution rêvée. Le camp commence mercredi le 20 août et termine dimanche le 24 août. Si vous souhaitez plus d'informations, s'il vous plaît communiquer avec le bureau. La meilleure façon de vous inscrire est sur internet à partir de notre site. Informations Camp Familial 2014 Chris Shatilla 1972-2014Camper, Counsellor, Son, Husband, Brother, Father and Friend By David Meisels Hello Sons and Daughters of Camp Nominingue, I am sad to announce that on Saturday, May 17, 2014, Chris Shatilla passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. A celebration of his life was held in Toronto on May 22nd. Thank you to all who came to the celebration in Toronto of Chris' life. It was lovely to have a good presence of camp folks to represent our old stomping grounds. Thank you to everyone who posted their thoughts and memories online. Chris and I got to visit a few times in the last months. I've attached a photo.... Chris was a camper, and then staff from 1989 to the early 1990s. He was a Windsurfing Instructor when it was first cool, Head Counsellor in Section 3, Waterfront Director, Big Chief of the Huron, and the Sheriff in "Robin Hood-Prince of Prem"! To remember Chris, just listen to some Bruce Springsteen, play a round of golf, hug your family, hug a friend, hug a tree, plan a canoe trip. There is a time in our lives when we 'make' best friends. Camp gives us very intense times to forge these life-long friendships. I am lucky to have come through with Chris as my best friend. If you are grown now, find a way to get a kid to Camp. If you are young, go! There is wisdom in the words in Walden of Henry David Thoreau: Rise free from care before the dawn, and seek adventures. Let the noon find thee by other lakes, and the night overtake thee everywhere at home. There are no larger fields than these, no worthier games than may here be played... Let not to get a living be thy trade, but thy sport. This was his mantra: Live. Love. Laugh. Stay positive. Find the good in the world every day. Believe in yourself. Alumni Association News / Nouvelles de l'association des anciensPlease share with us news that you would like to include in the Tumpline that you think might be of interest to other Nominingue alumni. In 2014, the CN Alumni Association will recognize David Meisels as a Pillar of Nominingue, in a ceremony on Saturday, August 23rd at Camp Nominingue. SVP envoyez nous des nouvelles que vous aimeriez inclure dans une prochaine édition du Tumpline. En 2014, l'Association des anciens du Camp Nominingue honorera David Meisels comme Pilier de Nominingue, dans une cérémonie au Camp samedi 23 août. Alumni Weekend Our second annual CN alumni weekend will be held on Labour Day Weekend this year. The weekend will begin with dinner on Friday, August 29 and run until Sunday, August 31 after lunch. Alumni Challenge: Experienced Help Wanted John Marshall 1960-72 Last year, after 40 years, I returned to Nominingue for the Alumni weekend. Just like camp should be, it was a weekend of making new friends and reminiscing of years passed with the Big Chief. One of the fun events held was a skills challenge, and this is where I need help. My team, my wife (a non-camper) and I, held our own against teams young enough to be my children! I hadn't forgotten the skills I had learned, even from 40 years ago: canoeing, rigging and portaging a canoe, tying knots and lighting a fire. Sadly, I have to admit, our team failed miserably at the nature cabin. I had forgotten just about everything Mrs. Van tried to teach me...When I arrived home, I realized I only had a 1st in nature! Is there a 3rd in nature out there somewhere? Join me for this year's alumni weekend...Same old tents, great food (but no bug juice), council ring and friends, new and old. Alumni Weekend 2014 Enrolment Form Alumni Socials Each spring and fall, we try to hold at least one Alumni Social in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Dates and locations of future get-togethers will be posted on Facebook on the Nominingue Socials Group page at http://www.facebook.com/groups/NominingueSocials/. To get involved with CN Alumni Association, please contact John Christou at john@prospectorfilms.ca. Tumpline Submissions - Soumissions pour cette lettre de nouvellesWe are looking for submissions for our newsletters from campers, staff and parents... from this summer, as well as from recent and less recent alumni. These submissions may be general memories of camp experiences or specific memories about a canoe trip, about a favourite program or a funny experience. Please send your submissions to grant@nominingue.com. You may submit your stories and memories in English, French or Spanish. Nous sommes à la recherche de textes de campeurs, parents et de moniteurs de l'été 2013... et de souvenirs de nos anciens campeurs et moniteurs des années récentes et moins récentes. Vos textes peuvent décrire vos expériences en générale ou une excursion de canot, un programme favori ou une expérience drôle. SVP envoyez votre texte par courriel à grant@nominingue.com. Votre texte peut être écrit en français, en anglais ou en espagnol. | |
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This e-mail is destined to all campers, parents and counsellors, current and alumni. If you would prefer not to receive occasional messages from us, please unsubscribe using the link below this message. Ce courriel est destiné à tous les campeurs, parents et moniteurs, actuels et anciens. Si vous voulez vous désinscrire de cette liste d'envoi, svp cliquez en bas de la page. Winter address: 112, rue Lippée, Les Coteaux, QC J7X 1J4 | |
