A True Well-Rounded Education
Don’t trust the gradebooks.
Posts tagged with outdoor education
Wise Words From Our Past
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
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 Photo Worth 1,000 Words
Behind each and every photo you see at camp, there's a story, though they're not always so apparent. In fact, some of the most meaningful photos to our campers may simply look like, for example, two teenagers building a fire to boil water in a rusty coffee grounds can. Little do you know how powerful this image is to those who partook in the Voyageur Olympic games several days before this photo was taken. I'll explain. Every summer, once per session, we host what is called the Voyageur Olympics. I talk more at length about what exactly goes into the...
Aloha! Session 1 Ends, Session 2 Begins
Just as campers from Session 1 started making their way home on Saturday, new campers from around the world started journeys both long and short to the peninsula. It's quite the experience to say farewell to a group of boys and young men that you've come to know so well, and then welcome another 30+ campers the next day. But of course, after a GREAT night of rest (and sleeping in a little, maybe), we're ready to turn our full attention to Session 2 and some of the amazing things we have planned for our campers. By the end of...
The Staff Trip: Camping Like It's Your Job
Once per summer, some of the most qualified wilderness leaders of the century gather in one location to test and hone their skills. That place happens to be Camp Voyageur. And these wilderness leaders I speak of? Why, they’re our camp counselors of course! Over the past two weeks, our counselors have been put through the ringer. They’ve been trained and tested in risk management, wilderness first aid, life-guarding, CPR, aquatics and water safety, behavior management, counseling techniques, transportation safety, healthcare, and a number of specialized activities we do here at camp. That’s not including the other certifications they need...
Summer Camp: An American Tradition
Author, traveler, and veteran counselor John Burgman writes from South Korea… Over the weekend, a low-pressure system that had lingered for days and dropped nonstop rain on my town finally dissolved. When it did, the landscape emerged in a seemingly new state: grasses appeared with deeper greens than before; flower buds spiraled open to reveal the beginnings of their colorful blooms. Even the soil somehow looked healthier—it was no longer that dull, moon-like gunk of winter. As I stepped onto my deck and took in the scene, I took a deep breath of fresh air and something clicked inside of...