Camp Life in the Northwoods

“Hello hello hello TTers. Long time no see. I hope everyone is doin alright! I have a few minutes, so I thought I would give a quick summer/trip/camp report.

I have spent the last 4 weeks at two different summer camps up in Northern Minnesota (I don't remember the web site, but search for Voyageur's Lutheran Ministry and you'll find it). These are Lutheran Bible camps, and I've had the time of my life. Two weeks of training which included a canoe overnight - 12 miles of canoeing each way, camping on an island in the middle of Lake Vermilion. It wasn't exactly lightweight or LNT, but it was a lot of fun. BTW, Bacpac I like the two tents, they are working out very well - thanks. I'll be taking campers out to this island this coming week and I'm really excited. We also have a Boundary Waters Program, where our canoe guides take groups of campers into the Boundary Waters for a week. Unfortunately, I won't be able to head that direction until about the 4th of July.

Camp life is wonderful, early mornings, good breakfast, bible study (which I have never lead before and am still a little apprehensive about, but it's all good), camp activities/games, lunch, worship, more activities, dinner, worship, all camp game, and a great camp fire each night (or something along those lines). I am in heaven up here. It is so much fun, by the end of each week i am hoarse, from so much singing and shouting - I need the weekend to recover so I can be just as rembunctious with my campers for the next week.

Our camps are great. A couple things stand out though. At Camp Hiawatha, there is a loon family that lives only a short distance from our swiming area and the loons can be seen swimming back and forth all day long, and there is loon call all day long, it is beautiful (and very special to me - but that is a whole different story). We also have these wonderful saunas (say Saw-ooo-na, we're in the Northwoods). Often before bed a bunch of people will stoke the sauna and make it really hot, and we'll sit, sweat and talk until we can't bear it any more. Then we run - avoiding rocks, and roots - along the path to the lake and jump in. What a shock, but it is so invigorating. It is amazing. One of the coolest things though, is that my little sister (16 years old) is working as a kitchen assistant this summer, so I get to hang out with her quite a bit.

I'm planning on going for an overnight hike next weekend (not much time for anything more than that) and am really looking forward to it. There are lots of trails in the area. I'll also be taking some of my fellow staff members along and introducing them to our wonderful passtime (HA! A newbie leading newbies. Should be fun.).

I need to go. I don't know when I'll be able to check back, but I wanted to say hello to all of you crazy people. Take care everyone. I'll leave you with our camp cheer which we do at the beginning of every camp fire


IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE IN GOD'S GREAT NORTHWOODS!!”

“Sounds like the best time in the world, Oldie!! (now if only Ice Tea might have such a good time at his camp... harumph!1)”

“Great to hear from you Oldie!! Waiting to do some of the Superior with you when you're back!! It sounds like you're really enjoying summer camp!”

“It sounds like you`re having a great time Oldie. Good for you...”

“Sounds great. Enjoy yourself. I have a friend in Minneapolis that's dying to get out and do some camping. I should tell him to head to the North woods. Sounds like nice turf.”

“Greetings all! Family reunion weekend means I can check my email and TT! Yahoo! I just wanted to submit a little trip report.

Two weeks ago I went on a Boundary Waters canoe trip. We were out for 4 days and 3 nights and it was wonderful. I have seen few places as beautiful as some of those lakes and the vistas from the tall cliffs above the lakes. Our first day started out with a 1.5 mile portage to get to the river where we were to put in. We canoed a river (with many portages for rapids) for the first half of the day. We ended up at a good sized lake with high wind and high waves and a camp site on the far side. It was scary (and exciting)when the whole front half of the canoe was lifted out ofthe water and then crashes back down. After we made it, we set up camp and had an awesome trail dinner prepared by our canoe guide (we have a BWCA canoe program at our camps and our canoe guides take high school aged kids out for week long trips). One night and a beautiful sunrise later, we were at it again starting off with another long (mile long) portage. The weather couldn't have been nicer though. We canoed all morning and into the afternoon, crossing the border into Canada and stopped for lunch at Rebecca Falls. There is an island divided by a waterfall on each side. It was a great place to eat. Especially since the blueberries were starting to ripen! Another couple hours of paddling brought us to our next camp site. We were visited by a squirrel named Tom (named after one of our erratic highly energetic and a little odd canoe guide) who didn't seem to like us sitting on his rock, so he peed on one of our thermarests. AFter that Tom left us alone. Next morning we got up late and decided to go with the wind over to a cliff where a bunch of petrogliphs are. That was very cool. Though the large waves kept us from getting too close it was a lot of fun. After canoeing by a couple times we turned around and battled our way back to the camp site. The waves were even bigger than the ones we faced the day before. Some of the waves were easily three feet tall from trough to crest. After canoing about 4 times longer to get back than it took to get there we were ready for lunch. AFter lunch we packed up and took off again. We then canoed for another 3-4 hours before coming to our last campsite and one of the prettiest sunsets I've seen in a long time. It was after we had dinner in the middle of the rain and watched rainbows for about 45 minutes, the sun went down. Magnificent purples, pinks and warm reds and oranges were in the clouds and in the sky above the trees above the lake. It was great. Our last day was mostly river canoing again. WE pushed our way over a couple beaver dams and met one of the other canoe groups that left on the same day. We took a break and climbed "Top of the World Rock" and enjoyed the view for a while before finishing up.

It is really amazing how much paddling for hours and being in close contact with a small handful of people fora few days can really pull people together. We all really bonded and had a wonderful time. Great conversations and good comradary were shared by all. I can't wait to go on our end of the summer trip back up there.

If you have never been up to the BWCA I highly suggest you make the trip some time. It is very remote and the only indication that there have ever been people there are the trails for the portages and the occasional camp site. Otherwise it is complete wilderness.

Well, I have to sign off again. I hope this little report finds you all doing well and enjoying your summers. Take care all.”

“Great report, Oldie! make sure and post another after the next trip. and email me!”

“Hey Oldie... great report... sounds like a kewl trip. Thanks for checkin in.”

“Wow,.it sounds like you`re having a great time.....

Good for you Oldie......

Keep us posted...”

“I believe that you don't really know a person until you live with them. I had friends that I had known most of my life but I knew my college roommates better in one month!

Great report Oldie. Good to hear from you!!”

“I'm glad the tents don't leak and you are getting to use them.”