Experienced Voyageurs pride themselves on being some of the fastest portagers in all of canoe country. It takes more than just grit to get over rocky pathways with breakneck speed. Follow these 8 rules and you too will be cruising over portages in no time!
You spend the day paddling over placid water mirroring the sky, looking for moose along the shoreline. You throw a line in and the fish practically jump into your boat. After a delicious meal over the campfire, the sunset presents brilliant hues of orange, purple, and blue you never knew existed. It’s not quite time to crawl into your completely waterproof tent; you must stay awake a little longer to catch glimpses of the mysterious Northern Lights. A wolf howls in the distance. What is that whining sound? It’s the sound of the mosquitoes arriving at your campsite to wake...
Here are 10 things I learned as a first-year camp counselor at Camp Voyageur.
The huge Canadian wilderness park known as the Quetico is just a 15 mile paddle from Camp Voyageur. A few old Voyageurs who ventured into the Quetico several years ago recount the 10 things they loved most about this remote paddling destination.
“How would you like to go to tech-free summer camp for a month, son?”
I love to play sports. I’ve participated in, coached, watched, and learned about sports my whole life. I even have a degree in physical education. I’m not denying the beneficial role of sports in our lives. Many of us believe that sports play an integral role in developing fundamental values in our children such as teamwork, commitment, and effort. They build character and keep kids out of trouble. Certainly, participating in sports has its merits. It’s easy to glorify sports and professional athletes. They dominate the media. Athletes are constantly in the limelight and one who has made it to...
Hi from the Trip Director! Winter is flying by and summer is fast approaching. In a couple of weeks, the National Forest Service will open wilderness reservations for the 2020 summer season. In addition to our most popular wilderness routes, CV will offer an array of options for traveling outside of our region. Please note that each trip has age and other requirements. Each permit we make requires the names of four registered campers, so we ask that you select your son’s preferences from the options listed below. Please to sign up or if you have any questions!
Experiential education programs like wilderness adventure camps have ways of inspiring kids in ways that are not possible at home, school, or through traditional sports. Canoeing, hiking, and kayaking with a group through wilderness environments like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) of Northern Minnesota is much more than just fun. It can be a profound experience with lifelong lessons. By banning electronics, detaching participants from their normal patterns and behaviors, and connecting them with nature in a supportive group setting, wilderness adventure camps are designed to cause participants to confront their self-concept and motivate them to explore and...
As we came back across the portage to get the next load of gear, I came up behind Tom who was standing with hands on his hips looking as one of our canoes was drifting about fifteen feet away along the shoreline. “Well, that sucks,” I, quite the wordsmith, said as I sidled up to Tom. “Yep,” replied the ever-chatty Tom. At this point the rest of the group came up behind us and there were a number of stifled laughs as they figured out what we were looking at, and one gasp, I heard to be wrought with shame,...
The passing of the Fourth of July marks the quick upcoming of the end of first session, and the halfway point for our second round of trips. Whether you’re on a 6-day or a 10-day trip, all campers experience and reflect on the remarkable bonding agents of the trail. The first day back home at camp is a surprisingly confusing time for campers. Many are happy to be sleeping in a soft bed, under the warmth of their covers in a cabin sheltering them from rain and bugs. Greeted with a home cooked meal from Deb’s kitchen, it’s easy to...