30 | DECEMBER 2 • 2021

CAMP GUIDE

F

ounded in 2008, the
Aggressive Deer
Adventure
Club is a group of
proud Tamarack
Alumni from the
’70s, ’80s and ’90s,
who lead normal
lives as doctors, lawyers
and business owners. Every few
years, using the camping skills
they learned at Tamarack, they
take backcountry hiking trips to
beautiful destinations in North
America: Yosemite (Half Dome),
Kings Canyon (Rae Lakes), Mt.
Assiniboine Provincial Park (The
Nub), Mt. Robson Provincial Park
(Berg Lake) and Maroon Bells-
Snowmass Wilderness (4 Pass
Loop).
Aggressive Deer is led by two
former board presidents, Joe Lash
and Darren Findling, who “bicker
for months before each trip about
the destination, and then blame
each other when something goes
wrong,
” they joke.
Members are former Tamarack
campers, counselors, supervisors,
Western and Alaskan trip staff,
Fresh Air Society Board Members,
and parents of Tamarack campers.
They include Mitch Rosenwasser,
Robert Blacher, Joel Smith, Dr.
Joel Topf, Dr. Noah Siegel, Dr.
Jefferey Michaelson, Daniel
Findling, Dr. Jeffrey Zonder, Marc
Nakisher, Dan Tucker, Matt Egrin,
Darren Findling and Joe Lash.
Lash explains: “It’s not real-
ly a club. Although we have a
logo, we’re really just a bunch of
Type-A Jewish guys, who have
been camping together since our
Tamarack years. We now use valu-
able vacation time to sleep on the

ground, often at high eleva-
tions, in frigid tempera-
tures, and at ages and
in declining physical
conditions that are
probably better suited
for the golf course.
And we wouldn’t have it
any other way!”
So why do they call themselves
the Aggressive Deer? “We are
named after a harrowing encoun-
ter with a precocious deer (think
Bambi, but smaller), who menac-
ingly walked through our camp-
site and wouldn’t leave, until a few
brave souls stepped up to defend
our group,
” said Daniel Findling.
This September, the group
completed a four-day, 26.5-mile
backcountry hiking trek near
Aspen, Colorado (the iconic Four
Pass Loop), where they traversed
four 12,500-foot passes with full
packs. “It was one of the most
challenging trips that many of
us have ever taken,
” said Robert
Blacher.
“Tamarack Camps and the
outdoor experiences we enjoyed
as campers and staff fostered our
love for nature and adventure,
”
said Darren Findling. “We learned
valuable leadership and prob-
lem-solving skills as young adults
that we still use today in our jobs
and as parents. Like many oth-
ers in the community, we made
some of our closest friends in the
world during our summers, while
proudly celebrating being Jewish
in a fun and joyful way. Quite
simply, Tamarack made us who
we are today.
”

This story was originally posted in the

Camp Tamarack newsletter.

Tamarack alumni get together
for back-country hikes.

Fun is Not
Just for Kids

This fall, the
group hiked the
iconic Four Pass
Loop near Aspen
Colorado.

The
Aggressive
Dear Club in
Colorado.

Beautiful
scenery was
was enjoyed
during the
challenging
hike.

The
Aggrressive
Deer Club is
made up of
Tamarack
alumni.