A Vital Piece of Camp Tradition Lost in Hurricane Helene
The pier at Camp Kanuga’s outdoor chapel plays a central role in one of camp’s most meaningful traditions. At the start of each session, a canoe carries a lit torch across Lake McCready to the pier, where it is brought ashore to light the opening campfire as campers sing “Light the Fire.”
Following Hurricane Helene, that tradition was at risk. High winds brought trees down onto the pier, destroying much of the structure. At the same time, heavy rains caused significant erosion, depositing sediment near the shoreline and making the water too shallow for a canoe to reach the landing. With summer approaching, restoring the pier became a priority.
Elise Croak, Program Director and a lifelong member of the Kanuga community, reached out to Andrea Jackson, a family friend she had grown up with during Guest Period, to begin imagining what restoration might look like. Andrea’s connection to Camp Kanuga also runs deep. Her parents, Jack and Anne Larson, spent many summers at Kanuga alongside Elise’s grandparents, Walter and Mabel Brice. In 2009, Anne Larson gifted the cross that now stands in the chapel in memory of her husband, Jack, and their dear friend Mabel.
Moved by both the history and the importance of the tradition, Andrea generously funded the reconstruction of the pier in honor of Anne Larson, her mother, and Elise’s Grandfather, Walter Brice–both of whom have both since passed on. What emerged was not simply a replacement, but a thoughtful reimagining — preserving the arching sourwood branch above and creating space for campers to gather.
Because of Andrea’s generosity, her parents, and Elise’s Grandparents are memorialized in a beautiful and meaningful way at Kanuga, the opening ceremony torch once again reaches the shore, and a cherished tradition continues for generations to come.
Heavy winds from Helene uprooted trees that fell and crushed the original pier at the chapel. Additionally, heavy rain caused significant erosion, depositing large amounts of sediment around the pier meaning that it would be too shallow to row a canoe there.
The new pier stretches further into the lake, accessing deeper water where a canoe can reach the end of it. At the farthest point of the new pier, there is space for bench seating to allow groups to sit and gather by beautiful Lake McCready.
Program Director Elise Croak and longtime Kanugan and donor for the pier project are pictured standing on the newly completed pier. The plaque in between them says,
SURELY THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD IS IN THIS PLACE
I CAN FEEL HIS MIGHTY POWER AND HIS GRACE
I CAN HEAR THE BRUSH OF ANGELS WINGS
I SEE GLORY ON EACH FACE
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
OUR MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER
ANNE KOENIG LARSON
1935-2022
AND OUR DEAR FRIEND
WALTER MILLER BRICE III
1933-2019
I HOLD YOU IN MY HEART
FOR WE HAVE SHARED GOD’S BLESSINGS
GIVEN BY THE JACKSON FAMILY
Walter Brice (left) pictured with his family in 2009 next to the Chapel cross given in memory of his late wife, Mabel Brice, and Jack Larson, Andrea Jackson’s father (the spouses of who the pier was given in memory of).
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