Camp's Garden of Eatin'

By Peter Grunawalt
May 29, 2016 (comments)

The following post was written by veteran counselor Ned Yonkers, who has spear-headed the gardening movement at Camp Voyageur this summer. He writes... Phase one of the project involved setting the posts for a fence and planting the garden. "Being at camp invokes the feeling that we are living in a community independent from the outside world. It is a place where no matter what is happening everywhere else, we’ll all be fine here. To enhance this feeling of independence, this year’s staff have worked on expanding camp’s garden, bringing in more herbs and vegetables than ever before. Nothing says...

"Make Camp Great Again"

By Peter Grunawalt
May 26, 2016 (comments)

Camp is what you put into it. This has been true since its founding in 1951. In fact, most of the structures and facilities around camp have been built up not only under the direction of the Erdmann family, but with the combined foresight and initiative from our counselors. Without them, few of our favorite in-camp facilities would be around, and even fewer traditions that generations of campers have enjoyed would exist. In recent years however, we’ve had to focus more on maintenance than lofty projects. Many an alumni can testify after a quick tour of the facilities that camp...

Introducing Wandering Elk Radio: The Podcast

By Peter Grunawalt
May 08, 2016 (comments)

Veteran counselor, educator, and author John Burgman writes from South Korea... "A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to write a book about camp. Over the years, camp has produced so many memorable moments, characters, and captivating trip stories—and I thought those aspects of history deserved preservation. I wanted the book to provide a chronological narrative of camp’s past, but also contain adventurous tales told from the alums (and current campers) themselves. Very early in the planning stages for the book, I realized that the project would entail hefty research. I would need to interview and record dozens—if...

Dear friends and families of Camp Voyageur:

By Peter Grunawalt
April 10, 2016 (comments)

Imagine. The camp peninsula, with nearly 10 cabins full of boys each session. The Mess Hall so full of life at meals that there are tables set up on the stage. From a big game on Pine Stadium to the sailboats in the bay, from the swim docks to the archery range, practically every sport and activity is happening simultaneously. Campers on their way to lunch cheer as another Voyageur crew returns from a week in the Boundary Waters. Trips come and go constantly. That was camp about 30+ years ago. Camp to me was an incredible place to do...

Trip Stories: "Atop the Boundary Waters"

By Peter Grunawalt
March 07, 2016 (comments)

This trip story comes in from first year camper Chris during his 8 day trip in the Northern Boundary Waters. Although it was his second trip here at camp, it was his first canoe trip. He writes… On my eight day trip from Snowbank Lake to camp, we took a lot of time to savor the great land that lay before us. We basked in the splendor of breathtaking overlooks, massive cliffs, crystal clear water, and brilliant green forests that surrounded each lake and river that we traversed. We were constantly rewarded for our hard work with these magnificent views,...

Our Own Little Civilization

By Peter Grunawalt
January 14, 2016 (comments)

In an interview with Vicky Erdmann Burgman, we explore the relatively unknown history of camp, which features the ice house, the generator hut, and a few other quirky things about camp from the 50s and 60s that we bet you had no idea existed! We had our own generator. Back in the 50s and early 60s, camp electricity ran off a generator, which at best worked half the time. We used kerosene lamps for lighting as well. In a sense, we were our own little civilization in those days. The generator only ran at night, when we needed lights. My...

Camp Legends & Lore: "Nature Boy"

By Peter Grunawalt
December 01, 2015 (comments)

Many an alumni have fond memories of Nature Boy, a mysterious log that floated vertically in the camp bay. But few campers within the past 30 years know the full story of Nature Boy, or that he still may live just beneath the surface… The following interview took place with Vicki Erdmann Burgman in the summer of 2015. The story goes that “Nature Boy” is from the logging era, and that at least one or more people died chaining it to the bottom of the lake. You could take the log and spin it, and it would unwind, which is...

Archiving the Past: Photo Gallery Updates

By Peter Grunawalt
September 16, 2015 (comments)

When we created the Camp Voyageur photo gallery, we envisioned not just being able to upload full-resolution images and videos from recent summers. We also wanted to go back in time and upload the photos of previous years and make all that content available to download. It'll be an ongoing project, but during the off-season, we'll begin to upload all the photos we have readily available and some of the summer videos that have been produced over the years. In doing so, we hope that the website will become a more valuable source for alumni and campers alike, and that...

Trip Stories: "Moose!"

By Peter Grunawalt
September 10, 2015 (comments)

This trip story comes in from veteran camper Andy. He joined five others on a 9 day Grand Portage trip from Moose Lake to Lake Superior. He recounts his encounter with not one, not two, but three “Meese.” What, meese is a word, right? Anyways, here’s the story… “Alright you can get out of the boat now,” Peder said. Naturally, I was already halfway out, getting ready to stop the boat from running into the portage landing. Inquisitive as to whether this portage would be a hop skip or a long stroll, I asked Peder. “I think this is about...

CVNN: "Voyageur Radio is Always Live"

By Peter Grunawalt
August 27, 2015 (comments)

About once every session, regional talent scouts pay Camp Voyageur a visit. Why, you may ask? Well, throughout the years, word has gotten out that we put on a radio show, featuring talents perfect for radio entertainment like miming, martial arts, and juggling. In fact, these radio shows have become so popular that we've begun attracting quite the characters, such as celebrity news hosts Donny Frontback and Clint Matthews. As these hosts put it, "we have a valuable partnership with Camp Voyageur where we use their audience to further our own careers with no regard for the actual content of...

Peter Grunawalt

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