Alex Kvanli

Assistant Director & Blog Editor

Alex is our year-round assistant director, blog editor, and fitness guru. He is a teacher with a Masters in Experiential Education, an avid world traveler, and enthusiast for all things outdoors. Alex’s favorite activity at Camp is catching bass on wacky worms.

My First Minnesota Summer Camp Adventure

My First Minnesota Summer Camp Adventure

By Alex Kvanli
February 19, 2024 (comments)

This summer I stayed at Camp Voyageur for two weeks. The reason I went there is because my dad went as a kid. After four days in the cabin, I went on a six-day canoe camping trip into the Boundary Waters. We had to pack food, pots and pans, gear, and clothes. The next day we tied the canoes to the van and loaded packs, fishing gear, and paddles in the back of the van before heading to Moose Lake to begin our trip. On the first day, I did the longest portage of my life, 195 rods carrying a...

Winter Daydreams of Summer Camp Adventures

Winter Daydreams of Summer Camp Adventures

By Alex Kvanli
January 22, 2024 (comments)

The holi-daze is over. I’m still full of lefse and green bean casserole, but starving for something else. Winter coziness and unlimited streaming are losing their luster. I haven’t seen the sun since it shattered high-temperature records on Minne-Snowta’s snowless Christmas. Did I really just order boots for my dog? And where are the colorful birds by the feeder? I couldn’t tell you– the three-and-a-half walls of my living room have dulled my senses. Scan social media and you may find your friends’ “#ThrowbackThursday” selfies captioned, “Miss this,” featuring bodies of water or high altitude. The seasonal shift to restlessness...

Voyageur Lingo Everyone Should Know

Voyageur Lingo Everyone Should Know

By Alex Kvanli
December 18, 2023 (comments)

“We were eating GORP in our dry clothes on a duff day on my GP trip and we saw this bimbler lily dipping over to an island just to build a cairn.” Camp Voyageur’s jargon may sound like a foreign language to some. Hold your own around the next campfire by learning these terms: Big Man Camper who helps the counselor coordinate the trip. He helps plan the menu, pack food, and cooks several dinners. He navigates for two full days on the trail, while sterning and carrying a canoe. He must be a proficient campfire builder. A Big Man...

A Voyageur's Odyssey

A Voyageur's Odyssey

By Alex Kvanli
November 24, 2023 (comments)

The journey of a child at summer camp in Minnesota is a transformative experience that evolves as kids age. The progression–from the bright-eyed 10-year-olds, eager for their longest sleepaway adventure, to the seasoned 18-year-olds contemplating roles as Voyageur counselors-in-training (CITs)–is underlined by a narrative of growth, camaraderie, and self-discovery. Over my last 9 years working at Camp, I’ve noted distinct tendencies and developing interests that depict each age group’s experience to better help parents, kids, and staff prepare for the overnight summer camp experience at Camp Voyageur.

Paddling Through Time: History and Fishing along the Four Mile Portage

Paddling Through Time: History and Fishing along the Four Mile Portage

By Alex Kvanli
October 16, 2023 (comments)

Deleterious drought conditions with the summer solstice fast approaching foreshadowed a rugged but tolerable four-day fishing adventure. We kicked off from Fall Lake and paddled two miles to the Four Mile, or Truck, Portage, leading to Hoist Bay of Basswood Lake. The portage was built in 1901 by the Swallow and Hopkins Company as a railroad for a 40-ton locomotive to serve the logging industry. After World War II, the rough road was used to bus tourists to resorts and houseboats on Basswood Lake. Alas, the last motorized vehicles to cross the portage were removed in 1984, so we had...

Building Character Through Canoeing: Life Lessons from a Wilderness Adventure Camp

Building Character Through Canoeing: Life Lessons from a Wilderness Adventure Camp

By Alex Kvanli
September 18, 2023 (comments)

Adventure is an efficient teacher, and the ancient waterways of Northern Minnesota offer a unique platform for building character in kids. The journey across the Boundary Waters isn’t just about paddling; it’s about personal growth, teamwork, resilience, and learning invaluable life skills. Here are some of the ways canoeing builds character at Camp Voyageur:

Liquid Gold

Liquid Gold

By Alex Kvanli
April 07, 2023 (comments)

What do asparagus, brussels sprout, waffles, granola, and hot cereal have in common? They’re excellent means for transporting Sugar Shack pure maple syrup from the plate to your mouth. Our family has been making syrup for 29 years and I bring a couple of gallons up to Voyageur each spring. Work camp volunteers in mid-May especially enjoy the sweet, rich tree juice at breakfast before John pulls out the daily chores list.

Trip Stories: The Pagami Creek is Always a Good Idea

Trip Stories: The Pagami Creek is Always a Good Idea

By Alex Kvanli
January 11, 2023 (comments)

There are several infamous “shortcuts” in the Boundary Waters. Morris Creek from Saganaga Lake to Granite River eliminates several miles of paddling along the U.S./Canadian Border. The rugged Beartrap River offers an alternative route to Iron Lake. The Angleworm entry point could be considered a shortcut to the fishing-hotspot Crooked Lake. All of these routes have three things in common: (1) They may be less in miles but not in time or effort, (2) that is no secret, and (3) it doesn’t stop people from trying. The Pagami Creek shortcut from Lake One to Clearwater Lake is no exception. Below...