Tag Archives: Camp Caribou

Life

Lessons Learned at Camp Caribou Part 2

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Tom Fischer, Toby Macgrath, Dave Penley, and Myself, the baseball staff 1992.

Seeing all the Camp Caribou 50 years of camping has made me contemplate my brief four years as a counselor there many years ago.  It is such a unique place and working there was full of lessons and personal growth.  I have carried these lessons along to all areas of my life and I am grateful for the experience and hope those lessons are being taught to others still today. I was just one of the thousands of employees the Lerman’s have had over the years but to me, the feeling of family and belonging at that place was individual and lasting. Here are a few more of the lessons I learned on that peninsula in Winslow, Maine. (Read Part 1 Here)

The Value of Personal Time

As much as I respect Bill Lerman, as a counselor, I thought that it was good to see him at meals and camp activities but never any other time. Bill was a business owner, and he would ride around the camp on a three-wheeler, checking up on this or that, so you could always hear the three-wheeler coming and stop doing anything you shouldn’t be doing.  I learned early to work hard and well when you are on duty,

John Hall, Mick Scarles, Brian Albers, Rich Redwine, Myself, Dave Penley and Lynn Hall in front our favorite camp nurse.

but to find places that nobody could find you when you had free time. Because if you had free time, and Bill found you, he could find something for you to do.

I developed many different places which were relaxing, quiet, and good places for rejuvenation.  I remember sitting in one of them, out of sight and hearing the three-wheeler pass by just behind me and smiling because I knew I wasn’t going to be spotted. The lesson here is that everyone needs time to themselves in order to be able to give what they have to others. I always have carried that forward and enjoy my time by myself when I need it.  There is nothing wrong with this and it makes you a better leader, worker, producer and person.  When I have been in positions of authority I recognize and respect that in others and I owe that lesson all to Camp Caribou.

Mindset Matters

I learned early that how you think matters in the way you experience camp. And that can be translated into all other areas of your life.  At camp, you are entering into a new environment and it brings with it some challenging choices.  If you focus

Me Pitching BP. My favorite pastime

on yourself, your day is going to be difficult. If you focus on what you can do for others, your day will be easy.  You have to be there anyway, so look for ways to make the experience fun and most of that comes with mindset. I worked with people with good and poor mindsets.  I know the ones with a positive mindset, lifted me up and made things better.  Those who complain all the time about everything are to be avoided because they will bring you down.

Thinking positively and performing your job with joy is easier and more enjoyable than being negative.  When you complain all the time and look for the things you don’t enjoy, you tend not to enjoy anything. Life is too short not to enjoy anything. Camp Caribou was my first real lesson in this and I have been able to carry that lesson through a lot of difficult times to find ways to enjoy life today. Your mindset matters my friends. Is it a good day? Or a bad day? Only you can decide.

All People Have Value

No matter where you come from in the world, the color of your skin, the religion that you practice, or the language you speak, underneath it all we are all the same. We are just people that are looking for a way to have our needs met and to feel a part of things.  I was fortunate to be exposed to people from all over the globe at Camp Caribou. Every year people go to Winslow, Maine arriving as individuals and if they make it through the summer they leave as part of something bigger than themselves.  I saw all people make contributions to the whole experience. Some were bigger than others, but all kept the life at camp moving and healthy.

One of the lessons all camping brings to people is that all people have value. The kitchen staff is just as important as the program director and in some ways more important.  I know that my ability to appreciate others and to always remember to thank someone for even the smallest kindness comes from Camp Caribou. It is good to be appreciated and also great to appreciate others.  We are presented with an opportunity to practice this each and every day. All people have an intrinsic value that they bring to life. Appreciate all of those you come in contact with. We are all doing the best we can.  Thank you Camp Caribou for that lesson.

Magic is There

The final lesson I will be talking about today is about the energy and joy that people bring to a place like Camp Caribou. It is a rare thing that a place is almost magical in the joy and excitement it brings to people.  There were any number of evening activities, bunk nights, Sunday afternoon activities, or intercamp games I participated in and all had a value to someone.  Each contributed an excitement to someone and made many people smile and be happy.  This happiness transcends the physical location of Caribou and is carried around with all the people who ever experienced it.  Like all great things, they only exist for a short season, then it is over and left in your memory.  At the end of the summer, one by one the people return to their homes and take that happiness with them.  Being at the camp as people continually left, it was like watching a giant fall asleep.  The magic of the place slowly drifted away with every boat being pulled from the water and every ball being put away.

Just like life, the time of a summer is finite, measurable and short. But that is what gives it value and makes it special.  The motto of Camp Caribou used to be “unforgettable summers” and I think that was true.  I have never forgotten the value that I took from the place and its people. I am sure there are many others who felt the same way as well. The good thing to remember is that even as the giant falls asleep every fall and stays that way throughout the winter, it will awaken again when the weather warms up and the people return, one by one in the spring and summer.  The magic of the place never disappears, it shows its value by coming back to life to teach its lessons to more people. As long as there are places like Camp Caribou, the world will be a better place.

Apparently, I could write all day about this place that has had such an influence on me and my outlook on life. I know that the Lerman family all helps run things and the next generation is taking over, I am sure that the camp is in good hands for years to come.  There are good people all over the world who have been affected in a positive way and I hope that continues for campers and staff for many years to come. I was very fortunate to have had the experience and hope all others are as grateful for the time there as I am.  (Read Part 1 Here)

 

Life

Lessons Learned From Camp Caribou, Part 1

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caribou staff photo 93
A staff photo from one of the years I worked there, I think 93. Big Bill in the middle, our fearless leader.

There are places you experience in your life which leave an indelible mark etched on your soul. You may even know it at the time but I am not sure you can appreciate it until years later.  When I was in college, I had the great privilege to work for four summers at a summer camp in Central Maine called Camp Caribou.  To describe the whole experience would take a book, but suffice it to say I learned many lessons of life there I still think of today.  Bill and Martha Lerman were the owners and operators of the camp and they were the major lesson teachers there. I am sure that thousands of young people have benefitted more than I have from their kindness, honesty, and consistency, but none appreciate it more.  These are a few of the lessons I learned at Camp Caribou in Winslow, Maine.

First, to set the scene, Camp Caribou is located on a peninsula on Pattie’s Pond. To access the camp you have to travel down a half mile long dirt road. I remember the first time I drove down it, not really knowing what to expect, a little fear and excitement mixed together. What story would this road reveal? I am sure that every kid of all ages felt something similar the first time they traveled that road.  It is windy, and people honked as they got to some curves to alert anyone coming the other way.  And then suddenly out of the woods, it opens up and brings you into the middle of the camp.  A playground of fun, with all kinds of activities kids, love.  It was enchanting and my education was just beginning.

Leadership Bill Lerman Style

Leadership is a skill some come by naturally, and others develop through experience. I know that I learned how to be a good leader from Bill Lerman. It is a story I tell often about digging a ditch. If you want to get five people to dig a ditch, do it quickly and enthusiastically, you get in the ditch with them and work like hell for about 5 minutes. All the others will fall in line and dig like hell too. Then you can back away and let them finish because the momentum is already set.  I was fortunate enough to observe Bill do this with me as one of the workers, and to later be able to lead others to the same ditch digging task. (different ditch)  Lead by example, and never ask anyone else to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. That lesson has proven to transcend all of the many careers I have participated in over the years.  I am continually grateful for the lessons Bill taught me. It has proven invaluable.

That is just one of many things that Bill taught. He probably doesn’t even know that he does it. He has a very unique voice and style of speaking so, his stories resonate with you and I do believe I developed a pretty good imitation of the man.  Pre-camp, before the kids came was a lot of work, getting everything ready for the kid’s arrival and training for the staff. All camps I am sure have some form of this, but with Bill, it was a one of a kind show.  Have a look at the video and listen to him talk.

Kindness Martha Lerman Style

One of the lasting memories I carry from my Camp Caribou days is the kindness that Martha Lerman always brought to everyone. And I mean every one. It didn’t matter if you were a camper or a counselor, she would find a way to make sure you felt like you belonged and were important to what was going on.  It could be taking the whole staff out to a movie during pre-camp when everyone had been working hard. Or making sure there was some kind of “treat” for the staff during staff

I am in this picture somewhere, but honestly have no idea where. My first year at camp.

meetings.  When I was in that first year of being a counselor, Martha often checked to make sure that I was doing OK.

It could be a run down the road with a kid who needed some encouragement, or just a quick conversation with someone who needed to be uplifted. Her kindness never shuts off.  I have seen the power of being kind over the years and its alternative.  I now try to treat people with the mantra of “kindness first”, and I have been fortunate to have many good role models in that area, but Martha Lerman was definitely one of the most powerful examples of consistent and powerful kindness I ever experienced, I am eternally grateful for that.

Brotherhood

There are two types of family in life, the ones you are born into and then there are the ones you grow into.  At Camp Caribou, it was the kind you grew into.  All of the staff members came from all over the world and had different skills, backgrounds, religions, and philosophies about life.  Yet, enter the peninsula of Camp Caribou and all that is washed away. It is your character and ability to work together that separates you. I value all of the people that I worked with and the unique skill set they brought to the table. Some were singers, some were great athletes, others got the job done every time they were called upon.  Above all other things, there were people who I could rely on for encouragement, a joke, to get out of the camp every other night, or to endure an evening activity or bunk night with.

Camp places you in a 24 hour, intense experience, so you bond with others quickly and it is a unique thing that will stay with you forever.  Two summers ago I was able to reunite with a few of the people I worked with at Camp Caribou. Although we are all much older, the relationships were still the same and the laughs just as genuine.  I learned the value of sharing an experience with someone and remembering the good things about them and it. All of my Caribou brothers are valuable, those I was close to and those I worked with for years. I see them now on Facebook and wish them all the best of everything that life has to offer.

There are too many lessons to include in just one day, so like the second half of the summer, tomorrow will carry us to the end when everyone will go home.