Established 1910 Fall 2013

In This Issue

Sunday Circle Speech 3

Scenes from Summer 6

“Steve’s Trail” Dedication 8

The renovated Stauff’s Lodge in Wiantinaug was a big hit this summer.

continued on page 2

continued on page 2

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Mother Nature: A Story in 2013

I am not a particularly superstitious person, but given that the year was 2013 and that this was my thirteenth summer as Director, I did wonder if any calamities might occur this sum-mer. Little did I know what Mother Nature would have in store for us! Thunderstorms circled around Lake Dunmore for the first two weeks of camp, dumping buckets of rain and keeping us on high alert to pull boats off the lake when the ODs heard loud rumbles from the sky. The lake level rose so high we had to anchor down the docks with canoes filled with water. The lagoon expanded into the marshy area below the Multi-House. Puddles grew and became semi-perma-nent features of the campus.

More menacing than the rain was the windstorm that hit us on June 28. Forty-five years to the day after the Big Blow of 1968, we suffered another Big Blow, which struck at the break of dawn and lasted till mid-morning. Though not as damaging as the original in 1968, fifteen tents blew down and all the sailboats capsized. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the camp was put back together again by the evening!

Climatic challenges notwithstanding, it was another fabulous Keewaydin

summer! We had high expectations from a new staff comprised primarily of former campers, and, with the guid-ance of their Wigwam Directors and a very strong veteran staff, they did not disappoint.

On June 25, we dedicated the newly renovated Stauff’s Lodge in Wiantin-aug. The building is named for Matt Stauffer ‘84, camper and staff in the 1980’s and 90’s. Julie Stauffer, board member and mother of Matt, was on hand for the ceremony. Alhough the original foundation remains (built by campers and staff in the 1920s under the direction of General Breed), most of the rest of the building is new. The fireplace, though rebuilt, consists entirely of the original stones. The

Keeping Lake Dunmore Pristine!

A familiar sight on Lake Dunmore these days are two 18’ long pontoon boats, festooned with orange tubing all along the perimeter of the vessels. The tubes are not decoration,

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Keewaydin Dunmore950 West Shore RdSalisbury VT 05769

Tel 802 352 4770 Fax 802 352 4772

Peter HareCamp Director

Board of directors

Stuart Fraser President John W. Frazier IVVice President Sam Scovil III Treasurer Julie B. Stauffer Secretary Bob DeLaMaterJoe FeelyNathaniel FoggMolly O’Neil FrankDavid GatesTerry HolcombeCasey HuntThomas Jarecki Dan KunkleMarshall MortonMatt PierceJohn ReimersJohn SheehanRobert F. Wilson

Peter HareExecutive Director

www.keewaydin.orgpete@keewaydin.org

Tam StewartDesign & Production

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Summer of 2013continued from page 1

Milfoilcontinued from page 1

roof, floor, benches, light fixtures and cabinets are all new. A covered porch and an 18’ x 12’ “bump out” on the east side were additions to the original foot print. The east side addition also has a stone foundation, the stones of which were gathered from the lake last summer by Wiantinaug campers and staff. The Lodge–especially the new porch and east side addition–was a huge hit with campers and staff this summer.

The activity program saw the expan-sion of one activity and the addition of another. Disc golf, played on a lim-ited basis at camp over the past several summers, took a big step forward with Tim Tadlock’s creation of a nine hole course on the lower part of Mt. Moo-salamoo. Red Dows introduced “knife craft” as an activity. Aiming to teach safe, handy and creative knife use, it was wildly popular in Annwi through Moos; over 70 campers participated.

The final week of camp was full of fun, magic, excitement and high emotions. Though the white face-paint didn’t wash off our faces for a few days, we all survived the “Zombie” Hi-Jinks–an extremely creative and entertaining affair that involved all campers and staff over the entire campus on Old Timers Day.

The Final Show, a masterpiece of frolic humor, was highlighted by the musical pieces “Annwi Point” (by Annwi, of course), “While My Canoe Slowly Leaks” (by Waramaug), and “Bohemian Rhapsody” (by Wiantin-aug). At the Banquet, the new staff blew off the roof with their “Battle of the Bands” theme! After we filled our-selves with cordon bleu, we honored several staff: Johnny Clore and Ron

Hardt with ten-year green jackets, Lynne Pirkkanen and Mike Thornton with 20-year canoes, and Victoria Gutfreund with her 25-year chair.If every summer is as “unlucky” as the summer of 2013, Keewaydin’s future is definitely bright! What a camp!

Pete HareSeptember, 2013

but rather an important piece of suction equipment used for a critical mission: keeping Lake Dunmore pristine! From late May through late September head diver Troy Carr and his crew of seven divers comb Lake Dunmore in search of milfoil and then remove it through a process of hand picking and a suction machine. Lake Dunmore, widely known as one of the cleanest lakes in Vermont, is fighting to stay that way! This summer, Keewaydin campers were able to see the milfoil picking process up close. Exploration head, Red Dows, brought campers via Keewaydin canoes to the picking sites, where the boys then had the opportunity to board the pontoon boats and watch the divers and suction machine in action.

The aggressive measures taken by the Lake Association, with great support from Keewaydin, have been very successful. Clearing the lake of over 40 bushels of milfoil daily, the milfoil team is keeping the invasive weed in check. But the cost of the program is steep ($125,000 in 2013), and is only partially funded by resident dues and state and local taxes.

In order to continue the milfoil abatement program and ensure the

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Establishing a Lake Preservation Endowment will allow Keewaydin campers to enjoy the clear, clean waters of Lake Dunmore.

long term health of Lake Dunmore, the Lake Association has launched a campaign to raise $1.7 million to establish a lake preservation endowment. Keewaydin has pledged the lead gift to this campaign of $300,000.

As would be expected, many Keewaydineesi have stepped up to take this challenge. Five individuals have agreed to contribute, collectively, up to $150,000 in a “dollar for dollar” challenge; meaning every dollar given by others will be matched by them up to $150,000, in order to reach the $300,000 goal. Join the fight! We are asking all Keewaydineesi to consider doubling their Annual Fund gift this year in order to get us to our goal of $300,000.

To make a donation, please go to our website and look for the “Donate” button or contact Keith Wilkerson, our Development Director at keith@keewaydin.org.

Keewaydin: Community and Experience

The following is an excerpt from Ben Jacoff’s 2013 mid-season Sunday Circle speech.

My first year at camp was in Waramaug in 1996. I still remember my first day as a camper. I had grown up in New York City, and on that first day, sitting out on the Waramaug Ballfield, looking around at the mountain and the trees, and the lake, I distinctly remember thinking, “What the heck have I gotten myself into?”

That summer was a struggle. Many years later, while on staff, I came across a binder of old trip reports. Intrigued, I started looking through them only to find, to my amazement, a folder from that first year in Waramaug. Leafing through it, even more amazing still, I found a trip

report from a trip that I had been on! I remember flipping through the pages with great anticipation, knowing that on the last page there would be a paragraph, written by my trip leader about my performance on the trip. I remember thinking about what a great camper I must have been, how that had been the start of something so important in my life... only to find my name, followed by six words, “not at home in the woods.”

I also remember leaving at the end of that first summer and trying to figure out the number of days I would have to get through before I could come back to camp. I was hooked. What had changed? What happened to that boy who was sitting all alone on the ballfield?

The answer is that I had become part of this community. Out of the history, and the language, and the traditions, I had discovered a place where I belonged, and that was an amazing feeling. The underlying base to that belonging, the glue that held it all together were those core values that all members of the Keewaydin community share. So what are those values?

Looking around the circle I am reminded of many of them.

I see loyalty and commitment in the staffmen with whom I went on my wilderness trip as a camper, all of whom are now assistant directors, or even directors, and who, after three summers absence, welcomed me back with a warmth that made it feel like I had never left.

I see helpfulness in the Annwi campers behind me, who despite

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Ben Jacoff delivering his Sunday Circle speech at mid-season

Communitycontinued from page 3

working towards individual scores every morning, make sure to help their tent mates clean up.

I see sportsmanship in the camper who, through the tears of frustration at losing his wrestling match, made sure to catch his opponent’s attention and congratulate him on his victory.

I see honesty in a staffman who, after attempting to earn his All Trails in one day, came down the mountain around 10:00 p.m., only to admit that he had missed one small trail and so would have to try again another day.

I see a love of the outdoors in the campers and staff who do the seemingly impossible for two months by turning off their phones and computers because they know the value of watching the trees and the

wind rather than a computer screen.

And I see a desire to grow and improve one’s self in everyone here

today who went out to a new activity, or tried a new food, or perfected their k-stroke.

Loyalty, commitment, helpfulness, sportsmanship, honesty, a love of the outdoors, and a desire to grow – these are the values that define our culture at Keewaydin, and that create the community to which we all belong.

The vehicle through which we become a part of this community is experience. You have all spent the last month learning new skills, facing challenges, overcoming obstacles, and playing games; but, more importantly, you have gained a set of experiences that you would not otherwise have gone through. They have changed you, and while, during the off season, those specific memories may indeed fade–your bow rudder may become

Visit Ojibway Family Lodge“An Experience You Never Forget!”

There are lots of outdoors activities, with great swimming, nearby nature trails, plenty of canoes and kayaks to use, fantastic fishing, and opportunities for multi-day adult and family canoe trips and all levels of trip outfitting.

Located on pristine Lake Temagami, Ojibway Lodge offers all-inclusive lodging in a beautiful setting with simple, comfortable lakeside cabins or platform tents.

Come for a few nights or stay a whole week, and enjoy social time on the docks and three delicious meals a day in our dining room overlooking the lake.

We look forward to having you visit Ojibway!

For further information, contact Ojibway Manager, Tanya McCubbin at tanya@keewaydin.org.

Or go online to www.keewaydin.org and click “Ojibway” (Ojibway is now on Facebook too!)

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We Had an amazing Time leading THe 2013 adulT men’s Trip! WHy you sHould join us in 2014:

• Experienced,capable,talentedstaffmen:GarrettKephartandJeffTanz.

• TheRupertMartinRiversysteminQuebec:uniquegeography,flora&fauna,superbfishing.

• FollowKeewaydinhistory–50yearsagoHebEvansledthefirstKeewaydintripdowntheRupertRiverandinthefollowingyearstheRupertRiverhostedcountlessBaytrips.ThisregionwasalsotheoriginalchoiceforasiteoftheEvansOutpost.

• Achallengingrouteopentoallagesandexperience.

• Relaxation,reconnectionandadventure.

logisTics:

• July25-ArriveDevil’sIsland5:00p.m.

• July26-SpenddayonDevil’sIslandgettingorganizedandoutfitted

• July27-Traveltoput–inatMisstissinionLakeMisstassini

• July28-August7–ontrip

• August8-ReturntoDevil’sIsland

• August9-Travelhome,ormovetoOjibwaytorelaxandenjoyfinalpaddleinforKeewaydincampers.

Formoreinformationonthisonceinalifetimecanoetripexperience,contactBruceIngersollatbruce@keewaydin.orgor802-352-4709.

men’s adulT Trip 2014 ~ July 25 - August 9 ~

rusty, your ability to make a fire may slide away into some unreachable part of your brain, and you might forget that hilarious joke that kept you laughing and your staffman awake all throughout rest hour–that change will stay with you. You are stronger, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. You have confidence, you have persevered. You now belong to this community.

Here is the answer to that question: why do we keep coming back to camp? We come back because we belong here. Because we are proud members of a community that shares values and traditions and a language that non-members don’t understand. And because we have had experiences together that have changed us and made us better.

And so, if you are leaving today, you should ask yourself: what can I do to hold on to that change–to bring this community home so that I can start this new school year as the man I am, and not the boy I was?

And for those of you who will be spending another month in this place, your question should be: What can I do to help the campers who will be arriving later today find their place in our community?

Either way, be conscious of that change. Think about the boy who came to camp all those weeks ago and the man who sits in this Indian Circle today, and think about what it means to be a part of this community – bound by history, and tradition, and steeped in those values you have now internalized.

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SceneS from the Summer of 2013!

Mounting the moose at the dedication of Stauff’s Lodge

A big day for morning dips in Waramaug!

Planning on the porch of Stauff’s Lodge

The Auk strikes again!

A typical trip scene on Verendrye

First call Wiantinaug swim!

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Israel Ramos, Colin Ahearn and the Verendrye trippers being welcomed back after their 17 day trip

Tallman judges looking serious: Ben Jacoff, Charlie Sotir, Sam McGraw, Cameron MacDonald, Ben McGraw, and Bill Souser

Pete Hare presents Johnny Clore with his 10-year jacket

The Annwi sandbox: where engineers are born!

Owen Gutfreund presenting Mike Thornton with his 20-year canoe

“By Keewaydin’s shining candle light”

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Dedication of “Steve’s Trail”

On July 16, the entire camp gathered in front of the Infirmary at the start what of had been the Hawkins Trial to dedi-cate the renaming of this trail as “Steve’s Trail” in honor of Steve Patch. The fol-lowing is the speech delivered at the occa-sion by camp historian Mike Vorenberg.

One of the privileges of writing and talking about Keewaydin history is that, on occasion, you get to partici-pate in the making of Keewaydin his-tory. Today is one of those occasions.

We gather here to commemorate the special place of hiking at Keewaydin, and to honor the man who has come to represent the ideals of hiking at Keewaydin and the ideals of caretak-ing of Mt. Moosalamoo.

Hiking has been a major part of life at Keewaydin since at least the 1930s, when the great Jeff Smith blazed and named many of the first trails on the mountain. Some of the trails already had names. One of these was Hawkins Road, which we stand before today. Actually, it was originally called Hawkins Bridle Path, named for the path that old man Hawkins, who once lived on what is now Annwi Point, would take his horse. Then came the age of the automobile, and it became Hawkins Road. We know it by that name today, though Hawkins himself had no Keewaydin connec-tion. Today we rename Hawkins Road, giving it a new name, the name of a man who has given more than 40 years of service to Keewaydin.

We choose this day because it is 50 years to the day that Keewaydin

Steve Patch, with daughter Stephanie, wife Becky, mother Mary, and father Dan, pose beneath the new “Steve’s Trail” sign.

performed a stunning feat of hiking that we now call the “Big L,” with L standing for the Long trail. On July 17, 1964, 31 separate Keewaydin par-ties covered the 255 miles of the Long Trail. Each camper and staff partici-pated. A display commemorating the event has just been put up in the Hare House—go check it out. A few people on the staff now participated, includ-ing Pete and Laurie Hare. Among the Waramaug campers that day was a boy who now is among you: Steve Patch. I ask that Steve come forward.

Steve Patch grew up at Keewaydin in the 1950s, was a camper in the 1960s, a Moos staffman in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, and the head of camp tripping in the 1990s and early 2000s. In the past ten years, he has become known to most of you as our resident whitewater expert—a master of keel-less canoeing, though somewhat less proficient, we found out this summer, at speed-biking down gravelly roads. More important for today: he has been our trail maintenance expert for more than twenty years. With his own sense of purpose, and with a deep love

of Moosalamoo, he took on trail maintenance in the 1980s, when those who had cared for the mountain had retired and the trails were beginning to fall into disrepair. Hawkins Road became his special project for many summers here. Not only did he clear the trail and shift massive rocks about to create a comfort-able path; he actually re-routed the trail so that it would be more convenient, coming out where we stand today.

Like all else Steve does, he undertook the Hawkins Road

project entirely of his own initia-tive—needing no guidance or orders, but taking the lead with his

imagination and willpower, and then inspiring others to join him with his Keewaydin spirit of adventure. I have been the personal beneficiary of that spirit on many occasions. In 1979, Steve was my trip leader for 10 days in the Adirondacks. 33 years later, last year, in 2012, he became my trip leader again, this time for a backpack-ing trip in Colorado. In classic Steve style, he led us on a bushwhack to an almost unknown lake that proved to be one of the most beautiful campsites where I have ever stayed.

We talk about reading maps. In whitewater, we talk about reading the river. In hiking, we talk about read-ing the trail. Steve is deeply literate in all this reading. More than that: he inhabits maps, rivers, and moun-tains—especially at Keewaydin.

So . . . from this day forward, let the word go out, let the mountain and map be changed. Hawkins Road shall be henceforward known as ...STEVE’S TRAIL (sign unveiling). Let us give a loud Kway, Kway, Kway to STEVE!

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John Watson Work Weekend 2014

WhatbetterwaytoreconnectwithcampthantotakepartintheAnnualJohnWatsonWorkWeekend?

Help get the Keewaydin and Songadeewincampusessetforthesummer.

Join old friends to help rake, prune, saw andpaint.Interestedinjoiningusin2014?

ThedatesareMay30-June1,2014.Wehopeto see you! For more information, contactdaria@keewaydin.org.

Women’s adulT Trips 2014Trips for Women Led by Women

After another hugely successful women’s trip in 2013, we are planning two trips for 2014!

Joinusforanunforgettableadventureinthenorthwoodsof Canada! You will experience the beauty of Ontarioin the company of experienced female guides on anunforgettable journey. After spending a day on Devil’sIslandgettingorganized,youwillembarkonyourjourney.Fueledbymealspreparedfromscratchandcookedoverawoodfire,youwillpaddleandportagethroughsomeofthemoststunninglybeautifulwildernessinOntario.Eveningswill be spent swimming in the cooling lakes,hangingoutandsleepingdeeply.

Eachtripislimitedto9participantsandapplicationswillbeacceptedonafirstcome,firstservedbasis.

Option 1: 5 day Temagami Trip (Arrive Devil’sIsland August 1, depart August 9) – This is the idealintroduction trip in thestunningTemagami region, theperfectadventureforfirsttimetrippers.Cost:$1,000.

Option 2: 12dayRiverTrip(ArriveDevil’sIslandJuly25,departAugust9)–Thistripisgearedtowardexperiencedandadventurouspaddlers lookingto further theirskillsandbroadentheiradventures.Cost:$2,400.

For more information on joining us, contact Bruce Ingersoll bruce@keewaydin.org or 802-352-4709

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~ Alumni-fAmily reunion, AuguSt 22-25, 2013 ~

Over 80 alumni, family and friends attended the Reunion this summer. Enjoying the typically spectacular late-summer weather, those in attendance frolicked on lake, mountain and field; delighted in evening campfires and games; and, in general, reveled in

the camp life of Keewaydin.We are already looking forward to next year’s Reunion from August 21-24, 2014!

John Mattio (former three-time Tallman winner) expertly guides the war canoe to shore at the end of an afternoon outing.

Pete Hare presents Julie Stauffer with a plaque at the dedication of Stauff’s Lodge.

A “T-K-D” for the Reunion!

Joe McVeigh, Andy Coney, Tom Griggs, Ian Sotir and Charlie Sotir do a song and dance routine at the Frolics.

Never too young to start learning how to paddle!

The Rattlesnake Point crew: Andy Coney, John Papageorge, Joe McVeigh, Alexis Dubief, John Mattio, Caterina Mattio, Sam McGram, Dave Gates and Luke Menard

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Erich Hodges with his Waramaug Tent 14 campers in 1987

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Noah Borun ‘96, Sammy Politziner ‘87 (top row) and Scott Thomas ‘96 and Jed Herrmann ‘87 (bottom row) pose with Temagami Director Bruce Ingersoll before embarking on a week-long trip in the Temagami region last May. Friends Geoff Goldstein and Ben Lorr came along too.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Erich Hodges passed away on September 27, 2013 at the age of 48. He was a camper at Keewaydin from 1973-1981 and was on the Waramaug staff from 1983-1987. Mike Vorenberg, who was both a camper and staff with Erich, remembers him well: “Erich and I were campers and staff together for nearly a decade. He was more than a close friend. He was an inspiration: a determined competitor in all sports, a graceful canoeist, a model tripper.

I’ll remember most his loyalty and compassion. I knew him since he was ten years old, and in all that time, I can’t remember him saying an unkind word about anyone.” Erich is survived by his wife Colleen and daughters Katie and Grace.

950 West Shore RoadSalisbury VT 05769

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PAIDMiddlebury, VT

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Help Keewaydin Preserve Lake Dunmore!

Consider doubling your Annual Fund gift this year, designating half to Lake Preservation to help Keewaydin

and the Lake Dunmore Fern Lake Association combat invasive Eurasian Milfoil. Make a gift now, and help

protect Lake Dunmore now and for generations to come!

In addition to protecting our lakes, gifts to the Annual Fund also ensure that, each summer, Keewaydin can

provide financial aid through camper scholarships and address critical facility needs that are beyond our

operations budget.

Go online to www.keewaydin.org/donate/

Preserving and Protecting Our Lake~ Keewaydin Annual Fund 2013 ~