In the 1980’s Camp Voyageur’s founder and director Charlie Erdmann wrote an article in the local Ely Echo. We believe his words are as relevant now as they were back then, and would like to share them with you. Here is the word-for-word article:
Have you read the latest Camp Voyageur Paddle Post? Be sure to catch up with the latest summer happenings with the 2017 digital edition. As always, we've collected stories from both our campers and counselors. I bet there's a few in here you haven't heard of yet! Click here to check it out!
Uhhh, so what is this about? I’ll stop with the click-baiting. The purpose of this post is to share a video which I feel speaks to some tendencies in not just teens, but in many of my own peers, that can become reinforced as habits that ultimately undermine our own happiness. It follows closely the work of psychologist Randy J. Paterson, who wrote the book “How to be miserable: 40 strategies you already use”. By necessity, summer camps intervene Many of the points addressed in the video are simply impossible at camp. You live and eat with your peers everyday,...
Given the historic precedence of computers and the internet and how integrated technology has become in our children’s modern education, spending a month or two away from screens is a much bigger commitment than it used to be. In fact, if I had to describe the largest cultural shift in the last decade, it would have to be that what we consider “normal” amounts of exposure to screens and computers has perhaps tripled in length. But taking this even further, I’d argue that for our kids, the internet is much more than just a tool. It is increasingly becoming a...
An Exclusive Interview with Filmmaker John Behnke [as told to John Burgman] Anyone who has attended Camp Voyageur knows that embracing the past—and understanding history—is an important aspect of the summer experience. It’s why we still sleep in the same rustic cabins as campers did in the 1950s; it’s why we hit the trail with a purposefully low-tech approach; and it’s why there’s still a chair at the Fire Circle that is reserved every Wednesday and Sunday evening at dinnertime for Charlie Erdmann—camp’s founder. At camp, we appreciate the past, and we like to keep old memories and stories alive...
As the long awaited first day of camp approaches, our staff are wrapping up their training and preparation. While the staff this year have a breadth of experience at the helm, it’s still important to have a thorough refresher, brushing up on everything from safety protocols to the “art” of making sure all campers feel included in the program. But still, two weeks to do that?! Well, there’s more to it… What is “pre-camp”? Preparation has always consisted of a wide array of topics that include everything we could possibly encounter up here. Of course, that includes a healthy number...
Have you read the latest Camp Voyageur Paddle Post? Be sure to catch up with the latest summer happenings with the 2016 digital edition!
There are leaders, and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. We follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead not for them, but for ourselves. And it’s because we want to that we let them influence us and those around us. Though I never met the founder of Camp Voyageur in person, I've seen glimpses of his life and leadership in this place we seem to seasonally gravitate towards. It radiates from the leadership that continues...
Were you ever yelled at as a child to have good posture at the dinner table? Or at your desk in school? While it hasn’t fallen off everyone’s radar, posture is certainly not an emphasized issue. Gone are the days of being chastised for not sitting up straight. But is posture really that important? Yes, it turns out. Poor posture in children is the greatest predictor of postural issues later in adulthood, manifesting as pain in the head, neck, back, hips and knees (Widhe, 2001). Poor posture is also compounding, meaning that if one link in the chain is out...
Time is surely relative. This summer has seemed to pass in the blink of an eye as we welcome our campers in from their last trip for the season. And yet for them, life on the trail can make each day seem like three. Only on a wilderness trip can you truly comprehend the distance you’ve traveled, knowing the shorelines of each lake you paddled through and each uphill section on the day’s portage. A few inches on a map is measured in hours, sometimes even days. Be sure to check out the latest photos.
