The Benefits of a Small Summer Camp

By John Burgman
November 01, 2025 (comments)

Years ago, at the onset of a camp session, a weighty proposition was made: A candy bar would be awarded to the first person who could memorize and recite the names of every kid at camp. To my surprise, in just a few hours, several campers and counselors had done just that, learning everyone’s first and last name, along with their cabin numbers. Instead of splitting the candy bar into several pieces, the stakes were raised: Two candy bars would be awarded to the first person who could memorize and recite everyone’s hometown, in addition to the names. Sure enough,...

27 Minutes

By CV Staff
October 01, 2025 (comments)

Google shows a 27-minute drive from Judge C.R. Magney State Park to Cascade River State Park. It is a short trip. A drive you wouldn’t think about. A drive with sealed windows and air conditioning where the radio murmurs its dull drawl. Quick, neat, efficient. Like driving to work or taking the bus. Instead, our group left the van for the Superior Hiking Trail. Instantly, the world shifted. Every step demanded engagement. Cedar roots grasped at my boots as friendly but firm reminders to look down and pay attention. Rocky inclines sapped my calves, gently challenging me to slow down,...

The Temptress of the Boundary Waters

By CV Staff
August 01, 2025 (comments)

Having travelled across the Atlantic from Australian Eucalypt forests to the boreal, Minnesotan north, I (vainly and foolishly) fancied myself something of a Marlow in Heart of Darkness or a Fowler in The Quiet American; the stoic, intrepid flaneur upon foreign shores. Little did I know that she had other ideas. The “she” of whom I refer is, of course, Pagami Creek. Maybe you haven’t been acquainted. Nestled with innocent treachery between Clearwater and Lake One, the Pagami Creek shortcut holds a dual mystique of nigh-unnavigability, as well as being the bearer of a lightning-struck burn scar, decimating 90,000 acres...

Trip Stories: Record River Monster

By Alex Kvanli
July 01, 2025 (comments)

Intrepid explorers Jack C., Luke C., Charlie J., Browning G., and Chuck J. led by nurse Elena Richardson and assistant director Alex Kvanli hit the trail on Lake One one hot summer day on a fishing trip for the record books. Chuck J. navigated the crew with occasional assistance from Jack “Gouverbolt” while Alex guided them to secret fishing holes he’d uncovered from a dozen Little Triangle trips spanning nine summers. Alex shared that sometimes river fishing is simple: Keep your line wet, cast near moving water, don’t get snagged, and use wacky worms. A few failed attempts casting into...

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.

Trip Stories: Canoe Rescue on the Basswood River

By CV Staff
May 01, 2025 (comments)

By: David D. Cass (camper 1953-1959), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada In 1960, three friends and I took a canoe trip on the Basswood River. We started at Camp Voyageur where we spent one night in cabin 3. The next morning, we had breakfast in the Mess Hall. After breakfast, we packed and loaded our canoes and launched in Home Bay. Sam Stegman and I were in one canoe; Ron and Dave Horn were in the other. We paddled north through Garden Lake until we reached the falls between Garden Lake and Fall Lake. We paddled through Fall Lake and turned toward...

Lessons from the Father of Modern Conservation

By Alex Kvanli
April 01, 2025 (comments)

Sigurd Olson is recognized as a driving force behind the protection of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The renowned writer and environmentalist helped inspire people to care more about protecting wild places. However, his accomplishments were made possible by the work of others who came before him, or as they say, “he stood on the shoulders of giants.” One of Olson’s giants was Aldo Leopold, often called the father of wildlife ecology and modern conservation. Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac is a collection of essays rooted in observation and deep ecological understanding. The book helped shape the...

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...

The Character-Building Power of Summer Camp

By Alex Kvanli
February 01, 2025 (comments)

What is character and how can it be “built?” Most people have an intuitive sense of character but find it difficult to define. Great thinkers have pondered this subject for centuries. Aristotle defined good character as “the life of right conduct—right conduct in relation to other persons and in relation to oneself.” Thomas Lickona described it as “operative values, values in action—knowing the good, desiring the good, and doing the good.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that “intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” The American Camp Association defines it simply as “intentions and actions that...

9 Voyageur New Year's Resolutions

By Alex Kvanli
December 31, 2024 (comments)

Since 1951, Camp Voyageur has been a place of renewal and reflection. Kids leave feeling strong, resilient, and mindful—perfect goals for the year ahead. Here are nine ways to harness the rejuvenating power of Camp Voyageur in 2025. 1. Embrace the Great Outdoors Whether you spend five days in the Boundary Waters or five minutes at a small park, the outdoors offer perspective and peace. 2. Unplug More Often Resolve to set aside tech-free hours each day to reconnect with family, friends, or yourself. Trade doom-scrolling and brain rot for storytelling around a fire pit or over a board game....