
10 Things I Learned About CV
Here are 10 things I learned as a first-year camp counselor at Camp Voyageur.
Here are 10 things I learned as a first-year camp counselor at Camp Voyageur.
Opening camp this summer is unlike any other. Mim and Charlie Erdmann experienced a couple of relatively empty summers after retiring in 1979 while renting camp to previous counselor Dave McCracken and then to Dick Lyons of DePauw. We notified camper families in mid-May that camp sessions were canceled due to COVID-19. Subsequently, most of the Minnesota camps we have counseled with have followed suit. We will miss each and every camper and staff member who was signed up this summer and we hope that they will join us again in a year. Even in the absence of campers, counselors...
A typical day at Camp Voyageur is fairly busy. From morning inspection to the afternoon activities and the evening entertainment programs, there is not a lot of idle time for campers or counselor’s. Still, within the action-packed day are periods of downtime when campers are encouraged to relax, write a letter, or read a book. And while good books often get passed around from camper-to-camper and cabin-to-cabin throughout the course of a summer, it’s always a good idea to arrive at camp with something of a personal library. In no particular order, here are 10 books for consideration. We realize...
What is your favorite part about the trail? Reading for fun was something I never really did growing up, in fact my reading level was so poor that holding me back a grade was a consideration. When I came to camp and went on the trail for the first time, I brought a book with me, Fahrenheit 451. While on trail I got this feeling like nothing before, where my mind was fully free to picture and experience the story as I read it. I fell in love with reading while on the trail, especially fantasy, where the book brings...
Where is your favorite place in the wilderness? Laying on a rock, on an island, on Crooked Lake with the sun shining. What is your favorite part about the trail? Devouring lunch after a successful morning of paddling. What is your favorite part about our in-camp program? Evening Programs and the Big Games. Who or what inspires you? People who are passionate inspire me. What are you looking forward to most this summer? I am most excited to get back outside and see the campers again. What is one piece of advice you would give a new camper? Embrace the...
What are you looking forward to most this summer? I’m looking forward to seeing all the returning campers, and hearing about all the fun things they did with their time away from camp. Where is your favorite place in the wilderness? My favorite place to visit in the wilderness has to be Devil Track River on the Superior Hiking Trail. It’s a beautiful rapid river that links up with the SHT near Grand Marais. It’s an excellent place to spend the afternoon or night after a long day of hiking! What is your favorite part about the trail? My favorite...
Looking to mix things up at home with your family? Try one of these activities from our very own playbook! The keys to success for most of our activities is that they must be themed, hosted by high-energy quirky characters (who never break role), and the set should contain several props. Camp Voyageur’s in-camp program features all of these activities and with a few modifications, you too can catch the Voyageur Spirit with these great projects!
A good night’s sleep forms the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. The rhythm of life is all around us, but sometimes the pace of our lives can drown it out. In our hyper-connected world, there never seems to be a time when we are not listening to, looking at, or waiting for something that plugs into a wall to speak to us. We go from our connected homes with Alexa and Google Home, to our cars with music, podcasts, and/or audiobooks, and into offices that are cluttered with screens demanding our attention – all the while checking our phones every...
When a child comes to Camp Voyageur, our entire staff becomes their substitute parents. I recently stumbled upon a great parenting article by Christina DesMarais called Science Says the Most Successful Kids Have Parents Who Do These 9 Things, and realized that it mirrors how we treat our campers while they’re here at camp. Below are 9 things we do at camp – which can also be applied at home – to help raise successful kids.
“How would you like to go to tech-free summer camp for a month, son?”