Canoeing: A Lifelong Pursuit

By Alex Kvanli
May 29, 2024 (comments)

Alone at the end of a portage long after nightfall, a young Jim Nicholson vividly remembers looking up at the stars feeling astonished at the beauty of the natural world and realizing just how small he was. “It was an awe-inspiring experience we all have from time to time,” he recounts in our interview for the Camp Voyageur Podcast. Jim received his first taste of the great Northwoods on a family trip to a cabin, southwest of Ely on Bear Island Lake in the summer of 1961. His father, James, had visited the area in the 1940s while in college....

Charlie-isms

By Chris Smith
November 02, 2021 (comments)

Don’t throw rocks! Use your head. Man, where do you think you’re at? Do what you can, can what you can’t. Whether you attended camp in the 20th century, or you’re a youngblood getting his first taste of the Northwoods in the last decade, you probably heard one of these utterances from one of the Erdmanns and the Camp Voyageur staff during your stay. Those of you lucky enough to attend the 50th Year Reunion may have gone home with a cleverly designed coffee mug scripted with infamous Charlie-isms. If you’re like me, you thrive on the pithy strength of...

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...

Beyond the Tower

By John Erdmann
February 19, 2021 (comments)

Believe it or not, a few years ago there were no cell phones. Hard wired phones (remember telephone poles) have been around for over a century. At first callers asked an operator to literally patch them through to another telephone. At a central office, she would plug two lines together. When rural houses shared a “party line,” if you picked up the phone to hear people talking, you’d hang up and try when the line was not in use. No biggie, but people preferred a private telephone line, eventually adding multiple telephone sets, some children even got personal land lines....

The History of the Fire Circle

By John Burgman
July 14, 2020 (comments)

There are many places on the camp peninsula that look a little different this year, and many aspects of the CV summer that feel…off. The cabins are not filled with campers; the Mess Hall lacks the typical, prevalent chatter of trip tales and activity happenings. Pine Stadium remains mostly unoccupied aside from the storage of a few boats and has not hosted a big athletic game in 13 months. Indeed, the pandemic and the resulting cancellation of a full-fledged Voyageur summer have changed much of what has become standard for the season. Yet, one area of the peninsula that somehow...

5 Things We're Thankful For

By Alex Kvanli
November 26, 2019 (comments)

Too often, we focus on what we don’t have versus what we do have. It’s important to take the time and show gratitude for some of the things we take for granted. Here you’ll find 5 things to be thankful for, Camp Voyageur Northwoods Edition.

5 Old Camp Traditions

By John Burgman
May 08, 2019 (comments)

In many ways, Camp Voyageur prides itself on continuing in much the same manner that it has for decades. Although there have been necessary changes in order to adhere to new standards set by organizations such as the American Camping Association, the rhythms of any day in camp or on the trail are very similar to what they were in the 1950s. There is a reason for that. While technology and trends change, the principles of building good character do not, and enjoyment of the outdoors is timeless. Still, there are some summer camp traditions that have fallen by the...

Wise Words From Our Past

By Peter Grunawalt
June 05, 2018 (comments)

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:

The Trail of Life - Revisited

By Peter Grunawalt
September 19, 2017 (comments)

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...

A Freedom Almost Forgotten

By Peter Grunawalt
October 08, 2016 (comments)

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...