Dancing with Wabakimi Rapids

By Alex Kvanli
June 02, 2025 (comments)

By: Jack Casebolt, camper 2021-2024 Shortly after New Year’s in 2024, an anticipated email message arrived stating I’d been invited on the 14-day Wabakimi Canoe Expedition. My excitement filled the room. Eager to see who else was invited, I texted my Camp friend group and discovered that the other campers attending would be Anders Malmberg, Ben Hummel, John “Huck” Ginn, and Peter Harris. Assistant Camp Director Alex Kvanli was slated to lead the canoe expedition and Billy Idol’s Greatest Hits CD would provide the eight-hour soundtrack for the van ride.

What's in a Name?

By Alex Kvanli
March 01, 2025 (comments)

Sitting around the family table in the Mess Hall one night John, Deb, and Vicki Erdmann and Bill Burgman were engaged in one of their favorite pastimes–sharing stories of Camp connections. Between the four of them, I believe they can recall almost every camper who’s attended Camp Voyageur since 1951; Where they’re from, how they found out about Camp, and pieces of their families’ backgrounds. Listening to them debate over which city someone was from, where his dad owned that gas station (It was 1st street. No, it was 2nd street right across from that old market. They sold the...

Few Places Like Camp Voyageur Are Left

By Alex Kvanli
December 01, 2024 (comments)

How many places are left where kids can disconnect from modern distractions for a month, immerse themselves in nature, create lifelong friendships, AND build character? Camp Voyageur offers an increasingly rare and valuable experience at a time when day camps are replacing overnight summer camps, year-round sports are displacing exploratory summers, and glamping is often mistaken for real camping. While learning wilderness camping skills can take people to extraordinary places, the true outcome of a summer camp program lies in fostering the growth of the whole person. Each night in camp, two different-colored floodlights and (sometimes) one soft-white lightbulb bring...

Critters Along a Historical Boundary Waters Route

By Alex Kvanli
March 06, 2024 (comments)

We began our journey canoeing on the Little Indian Sioux River North. That afternoon, we saw a mama black bear and its cub at a campsite on Little Shell Lake. The pair paid no attention to us, but we decided to put on a few more miles until we camped on Lynx Lake that night. Day two was particularly tough because we had lots of portages. Things did get a lot better, however, when we saw a moose swimming its way down the lake, with just its head and antlers peeking out of the water! That night we stayed at...

My First Minnesota Summer Camp Adventure

By Alex Kvanli
February 19, 2024 (comments)

This summer I stayed at Camp Voyageur for two weeks. The reason I went there is because my dad went as a kid. After four days in the cabin, I went on a six-day canoe camping trip into the Boundary Waters. We had to pack food, pots and pans, gear, and clothes. The next day we tied the canoes to the van and loaded packs, fishing gear, and paddles in the back of the van before heading to Moose Lake to begin our trip. On the first day, I did the longest portage of my life, 195 rods carrying a...

Winter Daydreams of Summer Camp Adventures

By Alex Kvanli
January 22, 2024 (comments)

The holi-daze is over. I’m still full of lefse and green bean casserole, but starving for something else. Winter coziness and unlimited streaming are losing their luster. I haven’t seen the sun since it shattered high-temperature records on Minne-Snowta’s snowless Christmas. Did I really just order boots for my dog? And where are the colorful birds by the feeder? I couldn’t tell you– the three-and-a-half walls of my living room have dulled my senses. Scan social media and you may find your friends’ “#ThrowbackThursday” selfies captioned, “Miss this,” featuring bodies of water or high altitude. The seasonal shift to restlessness...

A Voyageur's Odyssey

By Alex Kvanli
November 24, 2023 (comments)

The journey of a child at summer camp in Minnesota is a transformative experience that evolves as kids age. The progression–from the bright-eyed 10-year-olds, eager for their longest sleepaway adventure, to the seasoned 18-year-olds contemplating roles as Voyageur counselors-in-training (CITs)–is underlined by a narrative of growth, camaraderie, and self-discovery. Over my last 9 years working at Camp, I’ve noted distinct tendencies and developing interests that depict each age group’s experience to better help parents, kids, and staff prepare for the overnight summer camp experience at Camp Voyageur.

10 Things to Look For When Choosing an Overnight Canoe Camp

By Alex Kvanli
May 09, 2023 (comments)

Summer camps come in all shapes and sizes. The following tips are for parents searching for a sleepaway camp where canoe camping is a primary focus of the camp’s program.

2023 Trip Options

By Dylan Jackson
January 20, 2023 (comments)

In a couple of weeks, the National Forest Service will open wilderness reservations for the 2023 summer season. In addition to our most popular wilderness routes, CV will offer an array of options for traveling outside of our region. Each permit we reserve requires the names of four registered campers. Select your son’s trip preference from the options listed below; he can pick one trip per four-week session. Please contact me to sign up or if you have any questions!

Trip Stories: The Pagami Creek is Always a Good Idea

By Alex Kvanli
January 11, 2023 (comments)

There are several infamous “shortcuts” in the Boundary Waters. Morris Creek from Saganaga Lake to Granite River eliminates several miles of paddling along the U.S./Canadian Border. The rugged Beartrap River offers an alternative route to Iron Lake. The Angleworm entry point could be considered a shortcut to the fishing-hotspot Crooked Lake. All of these routes have three things in common: (1) They may be less in miles but not in time or effort, (2) that is no secret, and (3) it doesn’t stop people from trying. The Pagami Creek shortcut from Lake One to Clearwater Lake is no exception. Below...