Alumnus & Friends Paddle Broken Skull

By Alex Kvanli
February 01, 2026 (comments)

By Eric Thum, CV Years 1966-71 The Broken Skull River is a small alpine tributary of the South Nahanni River. It starts high in the Mackenzie Mountains, the traditional home of the Dehcho First Nations. Before 2015, there were just two known groups who paddled the entire river. The South Nahanni River is famous for several reasons, one being that its spectacular Virginia Falls is higher than Niagara Falls. There are stories abound about gold prospectors who never returned from searching the upper regions of the river. The entire watershed is now the Nahanni National Park Reserve. And in 1978,...

Growing Up in the Anxious Generation

By Alex Kvanli
December 01, 2025 (comments)

By: John E. II, age 14 The Anxious Generation is a book by Jonathan Haidt that tries to explain why so many young people today struggle with anxiety, depression, and stress. Haidt believes that the world has changed quickly, especially because of smartphones and social media, and young people have not had time to get used to it. The book says that these changes have taken away important parts of childhood, like face-to-face friendships and chances to explore the world. Haidt says that before phones, most kids spent a lot of time playing outside, talking to friends in person, and...

Trip Stories: Record River Monster

By Alex Kvanli
July 01, 2025 (comments)

Intrepid explorers Jack C., Luke C., Charlie J., Browning G., and Chuck J. led by nurse Elena Richardson and assistant director Alex Kvanli hit the trail on Lake One one hot summer day on a fishing trip for the record books. Chuck J. navigated the crew with occasional assistance from Jack “Gouverbolt” while Alex guided them to secret fishing holes he’d uncovered from a dozen Little Triangle trips spanning nine summers. Alex shared that sometimes river fishing is simple: Keep your line wet, cast near moving water, don’t get snagged, and use wacky worms. A few failed attempts casting into...

Dancing with Wabakimi Rapids

By Alex Kvanli
June 02, 2025 (comments)

By: Jack Casebolt, camper 2021-2024 Shortly after New Year’s in 2024, an anticipated email message arrived stating I’d been invited on the 14-day Wabakimi Canoe Expedition. My excitement filled the room. Eager to see who else was invited, I texted my Camp friend group and discovered that the other campers attending would be Anders Malmberg, Ben Hummel, John “Huck” Ginn, and Peter Harris. Assistant Camp Director Alex Kvanli was slated to lead the canoe expedition and Billy Idol’s Greatest Hits CD would provide the eight-hour soundtrack for the van ride.

Lessons from the Father of Modern Conservation

By Alex Kvanli
April 01, 2025 (comments)

Sigurd Olson is recognized as a driving force behind the protection of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The renowned writer and environmentalist helped inspire people to care more about protecting wild places. However, his accomplishments were made possible by the work of others who came before him, or as they say, “he stood on the shoulders of giants.” One of Olson’s giants was Aldo Leopold, often called the father of wildlife ecology and modern conservation. Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac is a collection of essays rooted in observation and deep ecological understanding. The book helped shape the...

What's in a Name?

By Alex Kvanli
March 01, 2025 (comments)

Sitting around the family table in the Mess Hall one night John, Deb, and Vicki Erdmann and Bill Burgman were engaged in one of their favorite pastimes–sharing stories of Camp connections. Between the four of them, I believe they can recall almost every camper who’s attended Camp Voyageur since 1951; Where they’re from, how they found out about Camp, and pieces of their families’ backgrounds. Listening to them debate over which city someone was from, where his dad owned that gas station (It was 1st street. No, it was 2nd street right across from that old market. They sold the...

The Character-Building Power of Summer Camp

By Alex Kvanli
February 01, 2025 (comments)

What is character and how can it be “built?” Most people have an intuitive sense of character but find it difficult to define. Great thinkers have pondered this subject for centuries. Aristotle defined good character as “the life of right conduct—right conduct in relation to other persons and in relation to oneself.” Thomas Lickona described it as “operative values, values in action—knowing the good, desiring the good, and doing the good.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that “intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” The American Camp Association defines it simply as “intentions and actions that...

9 Voyageur New Year's Resolutions

By Alex Kvanli
December 31, 2024 (comments)

Since 1951, Camp Voyageur has been a place of renewal and reflection. Kids leave feeling strong, resilient, and mindful—perfect goals for the year ahead. Here are nine ways to harness the rejuvenating power of Camp Voyageur in 2025. 1. Embrace the Great Outdoors Whether you spend five days in the Boundary Waters or five minutes at a small park, the outdoors offer perspective and peace. 2. Unplug More Often Resolve to set aside tech-free hours each day to reconnect with family, friends, or yourself. Trade doom-scrolling and brain rot for storytelling around a fire pit or over a board game....

Few Places Like Camp Voyageur Are Left

By Alex Kvanli
December 01, 2024 (comments)

How many places are left where kids can disconnect from modern distractions for a month, immerse themselves in nature, create lifelong friendships, AND build character? Camp Voyageur offers an increasingly rare and valuable experience at a time when day camps are replacing overnight summer camps, year-round sports are displacing exploratory summers, and glamping is often mistaken for real camping. While learning wilderness camping skills can take people to extraordinary places, the true outcome of a summer camp program lies in fostering the growth of the whole person. Each night in camp, two different-colored floodlights and (sometimes) one soft-white lightbulb bring...

Trip Stories: Fishing Along the Border

By Alex Kvanli
November 01, 2024 (comments)

By: Henry, 13 years old, 2nd year camper We started our trip at the Angleworm portage–Mitchell, Whit, Owen, Ben, our counselor Kevin, and me. The intimidating 640-rod (two miles!) portage to begin the trip was rough but satisfying once we had completed it. It dropped us right into the heart of the Boundary Waters. That night, we camped on Home Lake where Kevin caught a walleye. The next night, we found a great campsite on Friday Bay, and I caught a 20.5-inch plaquer walleye! We paddled to Saturday Bay, where we set up a base camp and went on a...

Alex Kvanli

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