“In my experience, Duluth Packs are somewhat bomb-proof. We put our packs through significant stress and they always hold up. We have hundreds of packs, including the #4, #3, and #2 styles. You just know that your Duluth Pack is going to last forever.”

“He really just lives and breathes this stuff,” says Foundation President Hugh Haller. “I started talking to him about this program years ago. I told him to be patient and to get involved and that’s what he’s done.”

Back in May, with second session still in limbo, a small group of staff men came up to get the island in shape and knock out some major campus improvement projects. Altogether, these projects are sure to make 2021 the best summer ever.

Not even the absence of camp could stop our community from coming together and carrying on the traditions we would normally have shared on Deer Island. Our staff made it their mission to keep our campers happy and engaged—just as they would have at camp.

In the final episode of First Bell’s first season, Pat, Zach and Matt rendezvous with Assistant Director Tim Downey for an off-the-record interview about his ambitious long-term vision for camp: solar power, Coca-Cola and a battle for the directorship decided in Little Council.

Reconnect with fellow campers and staff members. Share photos, updates and memories. Introduce, employ and mentor young alums. Advance your career through inside connections working in top companies. All in one place.

In this episode, we find Pat and Matt down at Red Lodge on Jimmy Buffett night, snarfing chicken burgers and swapping polar bear tales. Bill Johnson, a charter member of Red Lodge, joins the boys inside the iconic log building to answer some questions about its early years. Who built Red Lodge? Where did the Red God come from? Has the Pop Shack always been there?

On January 6, 1999, then-Ohio Congressman Rob Portman stood before his colleagues in the US House of Representatives to pay tribute to one of Cincinnati’s “finest citizens.” He was speaking about longtime Kooch-i-ching Director John Holden, who had recently succumbed to cancer at the age of 75.

We join hosts Pat and Zach in the Prep Biffy, brushing their teeth before bed. A sudden squall blows in and a mysterious howl pierces the night. Prep counselor Quinn Pinaire invites the pair into Cabin 8 for a bedtime story: a Cheyenne myth about the hubristic Coyote and his desire to dance with a star.