5 Things Every Prepared Parent Needs to Know About Summer Camp

By Alex Kvanli
March 28, 2022 (comments)

Sending your child to an overnight summer camp is a big decision and may be overwhelming at times. Being prepared helps! 1. Your child will adjust, so relax and enjoy your freedom. Adults see children tethered to their screens and reliant upon them to manage their lives. Suddenly they are dropped off at a screen-free, overnight summer camp, not to return home for two, four, or sometimes eight weeks. How do we do it? Well, actually, kids are naturally resilient and able to adjust to change, especially when they feel cared for. One big way we help them adapt is...

2022 Trip Options

By Alex Kvanli
January 14, 2022 (comments)

Hi from the Trip Director! In a couple of weeks, the National Forest Service will open wilderness reservations for the 2022 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!

Celebrating 70 Years of Camp Voyageur

By Alex Kvanli
April 30, 2021 (comments)

The triangle rings, followed by a familiar voice echoing through the trees, beckoning you: “Rise and shine, it’s a great day in the Northwoods!” Soon thereafter the ringing of the bell invites you and your cabinmates to the Mess Hall for hot cereal and pancakes. Your buddy from Cabin Eight walks with you down the wooded path under the towering pine and birch trees wearing his new red toque, eyes brimming with excitement as he recounts for the fourth—and not the last—time his trip stories and how he sterned and carried a canoe for nine days on his trip to...

2010s: A Timeless Capsule

By Alex Kvanli
April 26, 2021 (comments)

Voyageur rode the wave of technology into the 2010s, expanding its emphasis on documenting the summer with photos and videos to a greater degree than ever before. Growing alongside Camp’s burgeoning online media output was its draw as a screen-free outdoor experience, a rustic oasis in a media-saturated world. Camp’s growing enrollment attested to the rising need for kids to experience the simple life immersed in nature—the physicality and camaraderie of adventuring on the trail, the social togetherness of sitting around a campfire, and the create-your-own-fun style of playing that always fuels Voyageur’s in-camp program.

Alumni Launch COVID Relief Campaign

By Alex Kvanli
March 13, 2021 (comments)

A group of former campers from the 1960s and 1970s banded together this winter and hatched a plan to assist Voyageur’s recovery from the 2020 summer camp hiatus (resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic). Alumnus Greg Lippert is hoping that former campers, counselors, and friends can pool together to raise $200,000 by April 31st to ensure Camp Voyageur’s mission prospers into the next generation.

2021 Trip Options

By Alex Kvanli
January 15, 2021 (comments)

Hi from the Trip Director! In a couple of weeks, the National Forest Service will open wilderness reservations for the 2021 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!

Most Popular Blog Posts of 2020

By Alex Kvanli
December 29, 2020 (comments)

It’s the final days of 2020 so it’s a good time to round up the most popular blog posts of the year, in case you missed a few! First, check out #10 through #6: Update from the Peninsula 2020 Trip Options Meet the Staff: Mikey Meves A True Well-Rounded Education These Old Shoes

9 Food Hacks You Can Do in the BWCAW

By Alex Kvanli
December 16, 2020 (comments)

Having spent over 200 days guiding teens and adults in the Boundary Waters in the summer months, I’ve learned a lot about packing and preparing food. But I’ve also come to realize that one of the most important trail skills is doing things as easily and as resourcefully as possible. If you want to be quick across the portages…and cover miles on the water…and feel good at the end of each trail day…you will want to take a minimalist approach while exploring the BWCAW. Economy is key. To that point, as a trip leader, inefficiently handling food is frustrating and...

Give the Gift of Camp Voyageur

By Alex Kvanli
December 02, 2020 (comments)

Looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? Consider giving a Minnesota summer camp experience that will not only be fun and memorable, but will teach life lessons like responsibility, leadership, and goal setting. Register before December 15th and receive our Early Registration Discount! Space is limited.

8 Golden Rules of Efficient Portaging

By Alex Kvanli
November 17, 2020 (comments)

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!

Alex Kvanli

Blogger & Wacky Worm Aficionado