The Highlands ARchives Since 1904: Oldest camp west of the alleghenies
 
 
Meant to be. In 1969, Mike and Sharon Bachmann were already camp veterans, with 45 CH summers between them!! 40 summers later, they have a combined 122 summers at Camp! Mike has been to Highlands every summer since 1950, when he started as a 10 year old camper. Sharon has been to camp every summer since 1944 (age 2), when her Father Orville (‘Snow’) Nothdurft joined the staff. ‘Snow’, his wife Miriam (‘Mim’), with little Sharon in tow, fell for the place. Later, sisters Jan and Jill came along as well. Snow and Mim went on to spend 57 summers at CH. To see early photographs of the Northdurft family at camp, see the tail end of “The Monilaw Years”. In college, after many fleeting glances as kids, Mike and Sharon fell in love at CH; Sharon came over for a visit from neighboring girls camp, Campo Fiesta (since closed), and that was that. Their love of Camp, and love for each other, has enriched the general atmosphere at HIghlands ever since. Andy Bachmann’s first summer was as a 4 month old in 1974. He has been every summer since. Andy is now joined by his wife Tracy and their children Judah and Stella. (Please see the Andy Co-Directs section of the site.) Also on the scene is Sharon and Mike’s nephew, Ross Freeland, our Senior Head Counselor. Highlands means the world to the Bachmanns. So much so that all three children (Tim, Laura, and Andy) chose to be married at camp, as you will see below. Like previous eras, we see today’s staff members returning summer after summer, decade after decade. Any visitor will notice; there is a coterie of old pals at CH. Doctor Byron Shinn, Camp’s world class sailor, has been on the staff since 1952!! Kent Overbey and Dave Baker, both still anchoring Cub Row, have been on the staff since 1963. And there is a whole host of ‘lifers’ from the 70s, 80s and 90s, most, starting as campers. Names like Kent and Peggy Taylor, Jim Ott, Shawn Trenholm, Matt Stepanich, Craig Erickson, Art Kuesel, Dan Bender, Martin Miller, and Todd Stelzel. There are also people we miss; names like Butch Berwanger, Peter Julius, Dan Winzenreid, Steve Rodriguez, and Mark Ulfers come to mind. Come on back, friends! In the meantime, there are young men like Eric Simpson and Kent Overbey Junior getting their feet wet in the field of education, putting them in a position to return summer after summer, to live the life they grew to know and love as boys. And finally, there are those who have left us prematurely. Tom Conforti, Andrew Craig, John Knight, and Kip Jensen are all pictured below. The paths at Highlands are full of wonderful memories. And as we walk these paths today, the same paths walked by Harry O. Gillet, Doc Monilaw, Norvil Beeman and Bob Mannschott; we remember our past, and the imagery is soul stirring...full of friendship, beauty, and love for life. In 2010, in celebration of Mike's 40 summers as Director, 60 as a Highlands Man, and 70 summers as Mike, a compilation of 65 staff and alumni submissions, Mike's best photography, classic CA-HI-BO pages, and much more was put together in the form of a large format coffee table book. To view and/or purchase a copy of this 402 page collector's item, click on the badge below. The book (a surprise) was presented to Mike after first term banquet. He was VERY surprised. Above: Mike and Sharon, Post-Camp Sailing with Family, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, 1985 Please double click on any image to view these photographs in a larger format. Andy_Co-Directs_2007_-_Present.htmlAndy_Co-Directs_2007_-_Present.htmlshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1
The Mike and Sharon Bachmann years, 1969 - 2006
 

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plumlakekid@gmail.com