To the staff,
The strangest day of my year is the day when the summer staff pack up their belongings, empty their mailboxes, gather in one final circle, and sing the final Grace and Peace of the season. In the hugs and tears that follow, the final paragraph is written; the summer chapter concludes.
In the hours that follow, the pockets of noise and excitement created by staff, which replaced the constant motion of campers, gives way to a muted stillness. Woodchucks and butterflies confidently stake their claims to the field, and a quick wander through camp reveals name tags left on bedroom doors, stray Birkenstocks under dressers, a mug of tea forgotten on a picnic table, and the lights left on in the back in the Dining Hall.
As has become tradition, the 2019 staff spent a night of closing on an adventure in the White Mountains. The trip brings a different feeling and experience each year, and is always unforgettable. In the lead up to the 2019 trip, I had been tracking the weather obsessively; four, six, ten times a day for a week plus, hoping for clarity as we looked for a suitable date. Finally, on Saturday, with the encouragement of the staff, it was decided that the possibility of rain and thunder was also the possibility of a great story. We are camp staff. We camp in the rain. We make memories no matter the weather.
So, we loaded up on Sunday afternoon and headed North. We stopped at our traditional rest stop in search of the glorious golden retriever, Buckley, who we met in 2017 (no luck again this year). A couple hours before sunset, we hiked the 15 minutes to the ledge, arms full of pillows, cameras, Oreos, and Avalon. Though the place where we spend the night feels like the heart of the wilderness, it’s 2019; there’s a cell tower hidden nearby - the weather checking continued.
After sunset, the sky started to cloud, and the darkness revealed flashes of lightning south and west of Mt Washington, 40-80 miles away. The wind got more and more intense, the air more and more humid. Some of the staff were nervous, even half-packing up their bag and nervously gazing back down the path to the vans. There were weather systems on three sides of us. We confirmed the possibility of getting rained on, noted the distance to the closest shelters in the event of nearby thunder, and decided to stay on the ledge.
Weather checks continued well past midnight, when at last the exhaustion of the summer settled in and everyone tucked in for the night. I finally accepted that refreshing the radar was pointless and silly among such beauty and community. What would be, would be. I turned my phone off. We laid down to roaring winds, which seemed to accelerate by the hour. “We’re probably going to get rained on,” someone muttered as flashlights flickered off. Eventually, sometime after 2 AM and countless sudden awakenings to the roar of the wind, I fell fitfully, if somewhat fearfully, asleep.
Shortly after 5AM, I woke up, confused. Everything around me was completely and totally motionless, the wind nowhere to be found, the sky a gentle purple hue. Clouds rested along the valley floor, surrounding us on three sides, the ridge line of the mountains curling above. I gently lifted my head, trying not to wake my neighbors, and felt the profound peace that this time of fellowship has always held, magnified after the uncertainty and anticipation of the night prior. Nearby, 21 good and faithful servants continued to rest, unaware of the transcendent beauty that awaited them when they awoke.
In this adventure, I sensed the arc of a summer of camp. In the 4o weeks leading to June, constant preparation is peppered with uncertainty and nerves. How could all of these logistics possibly come together so that 500+ people can be welcomed and experience life-changing community? Permits, contracts, facilities repairs, registrations, t-shirt designs, internet service, changing regulations, volunteer recruitment, camper family support, staff training, rain 6 out of every 7 days all spring long...
Staff sunset swim after Allelus on a hot Friday night
When the staff arrive in June, they arrive with the skills, dedication, energy, sense of adventure, and sheer force of will necessary to carry out Wanakee’s summer program. On our overnight, for the last time, they lived into those qualities; “let’s sleep out - we can handle whatever comes our way, and it will be meaningful and memorable no matter what.”
Each summer is beautiful and blustery, memorable and uncertain. Our night on the ledge was too. Ultimately, a sense of adventure, a desire to be together, and a confidence that “we can make this work” kept us together and kept us outside. The worrying mattered to a point - we had a plan if needed - but ultimately, we had to trust that we were prepared for what might come.
In the morning, the metaphor and reality became one; we awoke from the night the same way we ended the summer. In peace. Rooted in one another. On holy ground. Wrapped up in beloved community.
The community built by the staff during summer 2019 will live on in the hearts and minds of 500+ campers and volunteers and staff. What these staff lived and breathed for 10 weeks will serve as fuel for campers as they go forth and make the world a little bit more like Wanakee - richer in love and acceptance and peace.
Summer 2019 would not have been possible without some exceptional individuals. Specifically;
Amelia - for pulling together profoundly moving Celebrations, knowing about roast beef, ropes course leadership, and total dedication to Wanakee and its people, thank you.
Andrew - for jumping into a full summer of counseling after 3 years of service on maintenance, inventing monochromatic Mondays, teaching magic tricks to campers, and caring deeply for your fellow staff members, thank you.
Ben - for finally taking the staff plunge, sharing your humor with colleagues and campers, and trailer driving expertise, thank you.
Bethany - for working so diligently in the kitchen and on maintenance, solving problems, wrangling Celebration supplies every Thursday, and your love of paint-a-palooza, thank you.
Bradley - for creative meals from start to finish, developing new partnerships for the benefit of food quality and freshness, sharing your adorable dog at just the right moments, and early morning do-si-dos, thank you.
Emma - for the many ways you made staff feel supported and appreciated, your tireless patience and support with campers, and getting trips out of camp by 9AM (for the first time ever?!), thank you.
Greg - for letting a friend convince you to give Wanakee a shot (and jumping in with both feet), sharing your gift of music and gentle humor with campers, and songs about walruses on fleas, thank you.
Hannah - for boundless behind the scenes coordination, unique and fresh all-camp activities, leading by example, and discovering every tripping hazard in camp, thank you.
Holly - for 3 straight years of exemplary leadership in our thriving Day Camp program, heartfelt singing, and WAPAPAPAPAPAPAPOW, thank you.
Jenna - for picking up new skills so quickly, sharing your non-office passions and abilities so readily, and sorting thousands (and thousands) of photos, thank you.
Josh - for sharing the Wanakee story in compelling new ways through videos, jumping in to help whenever needed, growing into leadership on the ropes course, and letting campers put your hair in pigtails, thank you.
Karolina - for journeying to our little camp in NH all the way from Poland, working so hard in the kitchen, sharing delicious meals from home with the Wanakee community, and laughing when there were bats where there shouldn’t have been, thank you.
Leslie - for being so effective at so many things, your diligence in supporting and engaging with first-year camper families, serving this community for a 5th summer, and being a ghost (from Spook City), thank you.
LukeR - for seeing new potential in our waterfront and pushing it forward, guitar playing and song leadership that moved souls, and driving a very fast Millennium Falcon, thank you.
LukeS - for making hundreds of pots and pans cleaner than they’ve ever been, giving up breaks to play Magic with campers and make their day a little brighter, and talking to walls, thank you.
Molly - for coordinating endless cookouts with diligence, encouraging campers to “come get the food!”, supporting our adventure programming (and giving up breaks to do so), and teaching us “The Molly Face (TM),” thank you.
Nate - for being so proactive and creative in solving the endless maintenance surprises of our 227 acres, spending a 4th summer at camp, and always going 100% in on themed dinners (Michael Jackson the astronaut?), thank you.
Olivia - for providing invaluable leadership as a 4th year staff member, pushing Homecoming and the WW5K to another level (again), training our lifeguards so effectively, and *finally* understanding why you should never slam the office door, thank you.
Phoebe - for dusting off your staff skills at your summer home after a year away, consistent kindness, and gentle leadership of campers, thank you.
Robby - for serving diverse campers so effectively in your fourth summer as a counselor, providing humor and patience in all situations, and an endless supply of Milkshake Song verses and colorful bandanas, thank you.
Rose - for supporting campers in the most difficult circumstances, building deep connections with your sites, and your epic rhymes during Bingo night, thank you.
Ruth - for excitedly hopping on an airplane to experience an American summer camp for yourself, forcing yourself to eat lettuce, singing with gusto, and so quickly letting Wanakee into your heart, thank you.
Shannon - for your one-of-a-kind sense or humor, your confidence in navigating whatever curveball came your way, endless friendship bracelets, and service as the esteemed President of the Joint Loss Committee (live on radio), thank you.
Skye - for the ways you quietly role model a deeply caring spirit for campers and staff, sharing your inspiring violin talents with our community, and “effective prancing,” thank you.
Tyler - for your dedication in sharing your whole self in service to campers, karate lesson attempts, and being the most fun bandit that You ‘n Me campers have ever met, thank you.
Zach - for being a great co-counselor, your level-headed consistency, bacon themed aprons, and toilet weasels, thank you.
To serve on Wanakee’s staff, you must believe that it is better to be tired in service to others than well-rested in service to oneself. You must be convinced that it is worthwhile to dedicate most of your summer’s waking hours in support of community. You must be fueled by supporting and creating space for personal, social, and spiritual growth. You must be motivated by serving young people who are seeking meaning, seeking friendship, and seeking love. You must be confident that beach selfies, distant travels, and summer BBQs will be there on another day, and that you have more important things to do. Serving for 10 weeks at Wanakee is selfless and profound, impactful and inspiring.
To each of the devoted, faithful individuals who made up the 2019 staff: thank you. You built and sustained something remarkable this summer. You changed lives this summer. You made the world a better place this summer. You sewed your stitches into Wanakee’s quilt this summer, and in so doing, made it more beautiful and more complete. Go in peace, knowing that you did great things this summer, that Wanakee is home, and that it always will be.
Grace and Peace,
James B. Tresner, Executive Director
