Trip Stories: "Moose!"

By Peter Grunawalt
September 10, 2015 (comments)

This trip story comes in from veteran camper Andy. He joined five others on a 9 day Grand Portage trip from Moose Lake to Lake Superior. He recounts his encounter with not one, not two, but three “Meese.” What, meese is a word, right? Anyways, here’s the story… “Alright you can get out of the boat now,” Peder said. Naturally, I was already halfway out, getting ready to stop the boat from running into the portage landing. Inquisitive as to whether this portage would be a hop skip or a long stroll, I asked Peder. “I think this is about...

Trip Stories: "The Secrets of Devil’s Cascade"

By Peter Grunawalt
August 04, 2015 (comments)

This trip story comes in from Anthony after his first round trip of Session 2. An iconic part of their route was the series of rapids known as the “Devil’s Cascade.” However, unlike most groups, they went out of their way to explore the full extent of the cascade, hiking off the beaten path a ways to get to a swimming hole. He writes… Perched atop a campsite in the northern Boundary Waters we saw the roaring waters of Devil’s Cascade. Like a great thunder strike echoing throughout a bay, the waters were roaring with ferocity, still carving out the...

Trip Stories: "Stopping to Smell the Roses"

By Peter Grunawalt
August 01, 2015 (comments)

This trip story comes from Session 2 camper Charlie as he reflects on his first round trip experience. He remarks on a unique kind of tripping philosophy here at camp, where the daily objective isn’t always the distance one paddles, but rather the amazing spots one ventures out to see. He writes… When many people think of a trip through the Boundary Waters, they envision a long and arduous journey that involves many miles and difficult portages. The often overlooked side of tripping is the part filled with relaxation - a sort of “stop and smell the roses” kind of...

Trip Stories: "The Shortcut"

By Peter Grunawalt
July 21, 2015 (comments)

This story comes in from camper Keenan about his first round trip (and first trip with Camp Voyageur) in the Boundary Waters. What had initially started as a pretty regular route ended up becoming arguably the most adventurous trip of the first round to go out! I went on my first trip at CV with Harrison, Stephen, Nick and Dylan. We spent most of our time on the Lac La Croix lake region in the northwest Boundary Waters. On day four, we attempted to reach Contentment Lake. Stephen the counselor Dylan the ‘big man’ exclaimed, “We should take a shortcut....

Trip Stories: "The Perfect Storm"

By Peter Grunawalt
July 19, 2015 (comments)

This trip story comes in from camper Max on his first round trip of second session with a little editing help from his trip counselor Ethan Shafron. Max experienced one of the fast-moving, hard-hitting storms typical of the Boundary Waters during July. It was just before dusk, about 9 PM, when it hit all of us. We scuttled into the tent as the rain hit the rocky ground surrounding us, kicking up mud and pine needles. Our crew banded together to watch as the yellow sky swallowed our campsite from the west, signaling the start of what was to come....

Trip Stories: "Big Man by Surprise"

By Peter Grunawalt
July 17, 2015 (comments)

The trip stories blog series will feature hand written accounts of campers on the trail. Camper Ethan B. writes this one, recounting his first trip of second session and his experience as a “Big Man,” a term reserved for the older campers who are not only expected to carry and stern a canoe, but also assist the counselor on the trip. It’s a chance for them to pick up some responsibility and learn about what it means to be a leader. Of course, the circumstances of Ethan’s story are different than usual… My three day camp to camp trip with...

The Adventure Begins: First Round Trips

By Peter Grunawalt
July 09, 2015 (comments)

The first round of trips at Camp Voyageur have returned! Here's some of the video that came back from this first round, as well as a little music from counselor Evan Pydych. Enjoy!

Green-head Gossip: The "Throne Poem"

By Peter Grunawalt
June 04, 2015 (comments)

On the right, Gary Dexheimer, Ft. Wayne, IN, counselor for two years. Photo taken in the summer of 1971. Former counselor Gary Dexheimer brings us the story of the mysterious throne poem. He writes: For far too many years, I have carried a poem in my wallet copied from the underside of a box-toilet lid from a camp site on an island with the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area). I spent two wonderful summers during college as a counselor at an outdoor adventure canoeing based camp in Ely, MN. On one memorable trip, I found this note inscribed on the...