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...

The State of the War Canoe Address

By Peter Grunawalt
August 20, 2015 (comments)

Camp Voyageur’s trademark boat, the War Canoe, will be spending this 2015 summer season off the water. The unique eight-man, bright yellow, and fast-moving canoe has been turning the heads of Northern Minnesota’s paddlers for over 25 years. Originally manufactured by Old Town in the 1960’s, the Camp Voyageur War Canoe has been a symbol and tradition since its arrival on the camp peninsula in 1968. It was originally built for the U.S. Naval Academy at the William & Mary College in Indianapolis in 1962. The war canoe was bought (used) in 1968. It was originally painted orange. Camp Voyageur...

Going Out with a Bang

By Peter Grunawalt
August 10, 2015 (comments)

There's no easy way to end the last session of the season. By now, even the new staff are veterans of the program, and everyone is hitting their stride. And it seems just as we hit this stride, poof! Camp is over. With one last hurrah, we pack the last few days of camp full of activities, including a mini-Olympics, a talent show known as the "Gong Show" (where no talent is enough talent), and an initiation ceremony based on the historic rendezvous of the French Voyageurs. The mini-Olympics began with a series of sports, including archery, pickle ball, sailing,...

The CV Olympics

By Peter Grunawalt
August 07, 2015 (comments)

Once a summer, athletes from around the world are summoned to the Camp Voyageur peninsula to face off in a series of sports and camp-related activities. A torch is lit, the Star Spangled Banner is played on trumpets, and campers salute the flag. Let the games begin! Two team captains are selected by the Olympic commissioners from Cabin 9 - the eldest cabin on the peninsula. They’re tasked with forming and organizing their own teams to run a medley of events over the next two days, ending with the obstacle course. It’s a surprisingly difficult task and a lot of...

Voyageurs Return! Session 3 Round 1

By Peter Grunawalt
August 06, 2015 (comments)

Four of five groups have returned from trips, coming in from all over the Boundary Waters (BWCAW). Some groups headed out East along the border lakes on longer trips, ranging from 7 to 8 days. Others headed North from camp, exploring the larger lakes closer to home such as Basswood Lake on 5 day trips. The last group is still out on Isle Royal and will return this evening. They'll be featured in their own blog post, and I expect each of them will have some stories to share. This is our favorite part of camp, as the group dynamics...

Trip Stories: "The Secrets of Devil’s Cascade"

By Peter Grunawalt
August 04, 2015 (comments)

This trip story comes in from Anthony after his first round trip of Session 2. An iconic part of their route was the series of rapids known as the “Devil’s Cascade.” However, unlike most groups, they went out of their way to explore the full extent of the cascade, hiking off the beaten path a ways to get to a swimming hole. He writes… Perched atop a campsite in the northern Boundary Waters we saw the roaring waters of Devil’s Cascade. Like a great thunder strike echoing throughout a bay, the waters were roaring with ferocity, still carving out the...

Trip Stories: "Stopping to Smell the Roses"

By Peter Grunawalt
August 01, 2015 (comments)

This trip story comes from Session 2 camper Charlie as he reflects on his first round trip experience. He remarks on a unique kind of tripping philosophy here at camp, where the daily objective isn’t always the distance one paddles, but rather the amazing spots one ventures out to see. He writes… When many people think of a trip through the Boundary Waters, they envision a long and arduous journey that involves many miles and difficult portages. The often overlooked side of tripping is the part filled with relaxation - a sort of “stop and smell the roses” kind of...

Session 3 Round 1: Heading Out!

By Peter Grunawalt
July 31, 2015 (comments)

Four groups will leave camp and head out on the trail for anywhere between 5 and 8 days. Each will explore a different region in the Boundary Waters, paddling many of the larger lakes along the border of the U.S. and Canada. These same waters are known regionally as the “Voyageur Highway,” a series of lakes that the french Voyageurs used to paddle along to trade with the first nation people in the interior. Many will also paddle through a 3-year-old recovering forest from the large Pagami Creek fire. Some trips plan to focus on fishing, while others will explore...

Session 3 Expedition: Isle Royale

By Peter Grunawalt
July 30, 2015 (comments)

Each session, at least one "big trip" will head out with an older, more experienced group of campers for 10 days. This session, Isle Royale is that trip. Isle Royale is 15 miles from the nearest shore of Lake Superior, making it usually impossible to see from land. In total, it spans some 45 miles and is over 9 miles wide at its widest point. This makes it and the 450 smaller islands that surround it one of the most isolated wildernesses in the world. At it's highest point, Mount Desor, campers will ascend to 1400 ft to get a...