[Part 2 of 3] The Magic of Christmoose

Click here to read part 1


Sure, the counselor in the tie-dye T-shirt had a name.


But anyone who’s ever attended Girl Scout Camp knows counselors aren’t called by their “real” names. Everyone has nicknames, or “camp names” until the last day of the session when “real” names are revealed.


Her camp name was Eek.


And during my final summer as an eligible camper — in between weeks spent working in the kitchen, the trading post, and cleaning toilets — I got the news I’d been waiting nearly a decade to hear:


Eek would finally be my trip leader.


It. Was. Happening... for the better part of three weeks, we’d be backpacking through Isle Royale.


Flash forward: The trip exceeded all expectations. Earning my suspenders may have been an accomplishment... but Isle Royale felt like a rite of passage. I learned so much about leadership, outdoor stewardship, and what Eek calls “Trail Magic.”   

One of her genius plans, inspired by a ranger program our first night on the island, was orchestrating a celebration for July 25th, aka: Christmoose in July. She and our co-counselor, “Karpy”, sat us down after our nightly debrief and said:


“Alright — now that we’re on the island we need to embrace the culture here. The culture of the Moose. The ChristMOOSE. Tonight everyone is going to pick a ‘Secret Moose’ and over the next few days you are going to make a gift, from your heart and from nature to share on ChristMOOSE morning.”


We were STOKED. And we stayed that way for the next eight days as we anticipated this upcoming holiday.


We wished fellow hikers on the trail a “Happy Christmoose” at every opportunity. We worked hard on our gifts. And then our longest hike on the trail was Christmoose Eve, so by the time we arrived to the campsite, it was getting dark... but we still made time to scout the perfect Christmoose tree in our campsite. We had decorating to do…


To the delight of our neighbors in camp, we sang Christmoose carols — changing the words to “moose” at every opportunity.


Then on Christmoose Morning, the universe conspired to give us one of the greatest gifts; Eek woke us early to see a moose, chomping away at vegetation in the lake — a safe distance from our campsite.
​

By the time we turned to our Christmoose tree, we realized we’d been on the “nice list” because Santa Moose had come bearing gifts, nestled under our tree! Our neighbors had come through overnight with king-size Snickers bars and a $10 bill to buy sodas at the Ranger’s Station when we looped back. 

We were riding high on holiday cheer...  but as the days passed, and the end of our trip drew near, our mood and motivation started to wane. Emotions start to bubble to the surface.


And then it started raining. (And if you read my Arctic Hive newsletter this past week, you now know my strained relationship with rain goes wayyyy back!)


Just when we all thought our allotment of “Trail Magic” had run out, I experienced one of the most serendipitous moments in my life.  

I’ll tell you about it tomorrow — I saved the best part of the story for last!

Hugs,
​Mollie