The Comeback Camp

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This article was published 28/06/2018 (2639 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Immersed in nature year-round, Camp Wannakumbac’s new leadership is only a few months in, but they already consider their new roles as being a culmination of their life’s journey to now.

Mitch Gustal grew up at the camp, which his parents Darren and Janet managed from 1992 to Darren’s death in 2014 and Janet passing the torch to her son and daughter-in-law on Jan. 1.

This daughter-in-law, Sarah-Anne, married Mitch during a ceremony held at the camp site two years ago. While her Camp Wannakumbac roots aren’t as deep as Mitch’s, they’re nonetheless passionate.

The two have taken over as managers of the Riding Mountain Conference Centre and its Camp Wannakumbac summer program, situated at the southwestern edge of Riding Mountain National Park.

Although the couple has bonded over their shared love of nature, the two met as city residents, through mutual friends outside of a bar in Winnipeg.

Both reflect on their time in the province’s capital city as positive, and at one time even considered purchasing a house there, but now look at their city years as a phase they’ve moved past.

It’s in nature, where they can walk out of their backyard to a network of trails, where the lake is a short stroll away and where the aurora borealis shines bright, that they have found their happy place.

It’s an environment they’re intent on sharing with as many other people as possible, through the efforts of the Riding Mountain Conference Centre and its Camp Wannakumbac summer program they now manage.

Their journey to the 70-year-old not-for-profit camp, situated at the western edge of Clear Lake, dates back to Mitch’s childhood, during which he said that his time at the camp — particularly, bonding with camp counsellors — stuck with him.

“The counsellors were always my role models,” he said. “From the beginning, camp felt like a place where I was accepted no matter what.”

A camper from the ages of nine through 15, a counsellor in training at 16 and then a counsellor for three summers, Mitch said that he was “taught the value of community, leadership, public speaking … compassion and patience,” among other valuable skills.

Helping his parents and other staff throughout this time, Mitch said that he also remembers working hard, but rarely feeling put upon to do the work.

Sarah-Anne said that she experienced a similar such feeling whenever she’d pop by the summer camp while they were dating, in that there was always plenty of work to go around, which she always eager to assist with.

“You feel guilty just sitting down,” she said, adding that there always seemed to be something to do.

Meanwhile, both Mitch and Sarah-Anne were heading down life paths that was leading them away from the summer camp and conference venue.

Mitch trained as a graphic designer, landing work in Victoria, BC, where Sarah-Anne joined him.

Unable to work in the western province as a massage therapist due to a licensing disconnect between Manitoba and BC, she spent her year in Victoria employed as a nanny.

Although Victoria is a city, it’s one that remains well connected to nature, with parks and the ocean remaining a short walk way from their residence.

At a “crossroads,” they realized that their next step would have to be closer to nature. Continuing to live in a city would have felt like taking a step backward, Mitch said.

With his mother firing on all cylinders running the conference centre and summer camp following her husband’s death, he said that filling the centre’s management role felt like it would be the right fit.

The not-for-profit organization’s board of directors agreed, with Mitch and Sarah-Anne taking over effective Jan. 1, and Janet remaining on board as a financial manager and mentor.

Having lived in cities for the past several years, it’s been a bit of a culture shock, but one that both of them consider a forward progression that has helped them inch toward becoming the people they wish to more closely resemble.

“I’m not going to say it was all rainbows and butterflies, because I’m used to living in a city where you walk block to get groceries, and here it’s a trip into Brandon to get groceries,” Sarah-Anne said.

“I think the lack of convenience makes you appreciate things more and value using your money as a vote instead of spending it because it’s there.”

Mitch said that whereas when he was bored in the city he’d likely head out somewhere to spend money, now he’ll head out into the wilderness to engage in a recreational activity like cross-country skiing or hiking.

“We’re doing something physical and releasing endorphins because of it, and feeling better,” he said. “It’s a little bit like a spiritual thing for me, being outside in nature.”

It’s this love for nature that they aspire to help bring out in people as a result of their management of the Riding Mountain Conference Centre.

Camp Wannakumbac appears good to go, Mitch said, adding that they already have about 400 of their 500 available spots filled out.

Maintaining their tradition as a general nature-themed summer camp, he said that there’s enough inverted interest from past years to carry it forward for some time. Even so, he said that the hopes to improve upon its marketing, and like anything else continue to allow the summer camp to evolve with the times.

On this front, he clarified that technology would remain off-limits to those attending the camp, since the camp’s intention is to have participants connect with “actual human beings.”

It’s the off-season — the 10 months outside of the summer camp season — that the new management duo hopes to better fill out for the not-for-profit organization.

They’ve already put the nurse’s cabin available for rent on Airbnb.ca, and have plans to improve upon another space to make it available during the off season.

They’re also hosting the centre’s first-ever adult summer camp during the September long weekend, called “Adults Wanna Come Back.”

Similar to a condensed summer camp program, they’re incorporating live music and other activities for adults to enjoy during their time in the area.

“Our generation; it’s hard to meet people in person anymore, so it was an opportunity to help people our age, who aren’t in university anymore, not in high school where you’re constantly being put into social situations,” Sarah-Anne said. “This gives you a situation where you can meet people face to face instead of on an app or Facebook.”

Another effort, a Mother’s Day Wellness Weekend, failed to gain traction, but rather than look at is as a failure they’re striving to learn why it didn’t take off, and how they might make a similar such effort in the future a success.

It’s all about adding new ideas to the 70-year-old centre, which the young couple, both in their late 20s, are energized to do. Inspired by their love for nature, they’re both intent on breathing new life into the centre, and while some ideas might fall flat, others might take off.

Mitch said that it’s innovation that will keep the camp running into the long term.

With overnight school groups becoming increasingly difficult to book, ebbing away at their bottom line, it’s booking retreats, field trips and efforts such as their Airbnb.ca effort that will allow them to keep efforts such as their summer camp program alive.

Maintaining their traditions while moving forward remains a challenge, he said, but is one fuelled by the Gustal couple’s passion and creativity.