Letters From Camp Magazine - Spring 2025 - Issue No. 5
As you take your seat around our spring bonfire, we want to call out a handful of things you may want to explore.
First, check out the new Camp Alumni Network page at ymcanorth.org/adventure/alumni, which is dedicated to you, our wonderful Camp Alumni, where you can do several things. First, take a minute to enjoy the archives of our Letters from Camp magazine.
Next, get the latest and greatest by going there to read our posts, where alumni stories and camp updates are shared regularly, outside of what is published in this magazine.
Lastly, we know that you have a story to tell. We all do! Visit our new Camp Alumni Network page and take a few minutes to share your unforgettable story.
It’s what makes our time at this fire all the more special.
WITH US
ymcanorth.org/adventure/alumni
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
My camp career got its start at YMCA Camp Guy Robinson. I spent six years there, followed by two years as a day camp director at the Shoreview YMCA. I left the Y to go to Catholic Youth Camp, rapidly ascending from program director to executive director within just six months. I dove into that position with the unbridled confidence of a 24-year-old, claiming “nearly 10 years’ experience in managing a camp...”
Needless to say, the board of directors wasn’t quite sure what to do with me. They appreciated my energy, but I cringe a little when I remember those first meetings. I don’t think they were prepared to be led by someone a fraction of their age, and I was surely not prepared to lead people who were the same age as my parents and grandparents.
Luckily, I had Ted.
When I became executive director, Ted had served on the board in a variety of roles for more than 24 years (my entire lifetime, at that point). He had also been on the original 1947 staff team. He was a walking history book on the camp.
Ted told hilarious, sometimes harrowing stories that almost always included something that would have violated modern American Camp Association accreditation policy. He offered advice when I asked and words of encouragement every time we spoke. He was a cheerleader, a problem solver, and a wonderful mentor to me. I was so grateful to have him in my life, particularly during those early stages of my career.
This past fall, I got the call that Ted had passed away. At his funeral, I looked around the packed church filled with people there to celebrate his life. Over 92 years, he accomplished a tremendous amount, both personally and professionally. Saying my final farewell to someone who impacted my life was sad, of course, but it also kept me thinking about the incredible, widespread legacy this man left behind.
Shortly after attending his funeral, I began work on this issue of Letters from Camp. Like the previous issues, I didn’t go into this one with a specific theme in mind, but as we brainstormed story ideas and interviewed subjects, the word “legacy” came up over and over.
We have stories about counselors who had a defining impact on their campers’ lives, campers who left lasting impressions on their counselors, and donors who made transformational gifts to the camps that had a transformational impact on them.
In the case of each, I found a “legacy” — sometimes individual, sometimes institutional, sometimes both. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoyed hearing and writing them.
If these stories inspire you, or prompt a memory from your camp experience, please give me a call or send an e-mail. I’d love to hear your story, too!
King
NATALIE KING Director of Alumni Philanthropy and Editor of ‘Letters From Camp’
Natalie King when she was Executive Director of Catholic Youth Camp.
Natalie
YMCA OF THE NORTH 651 Nicollet Mall, Suite 500 Minneapolis, MN 55402 ymcanorth.org
NOV 9 Camp Northern Lights Community Social at the Maplewood YMCA Community Center
TBD Coffee and Carharts with Menogyn, location TBD
DEC 14 Breakfast with Santa at Camp St. Croix
Editor and Lead Writer Director of Alumni Philanthropy
Joe Pollock Latner
Reid Bauman Photographers
Lily Cartier Guest Writer
Gretchen Heim
Ben McCoy Design Team
Monica Kenney
Shane Hoefer Editorial Team
Michelle Edgerton
Executive Vice President of Advancement
JAN 17-20 Adult Winter Camp at Camp Warren
Camp Ihduhapi Y She Skis
Candlelight Ski and Hike at Camp St. Croix 25-26 Ice Fishing Winter Camp at Camp Icaghowan
FEB 20 Camp Northern Lights Alumni Social at Lake Monster Brewing
MAR
Widji Winter Warm Up, location TBD APR
Maple Syrup Festival at Camp Ihduhapi
Work Weekend at Camp Icaghowan TBD Work Weekend at Camp Widjiwagan
MAY 3-4 Widji/du Nord Garage Sale Drop Off 9-10 Widji/du Nord Garage Sale 12-14 Adult Pickleball Camp at Camp St. Croix
23-26 Memorial Day Work Weekend at Camp du Nord
Lily, 11, just finished an all-camp game and, as kids do, began running full speed to the beach, ready for some much-needed cooling down in the lake.
Her severe asthma surely didn’t slow her roll!
Already in her young life, she knew to be cautious and avoid certain risks. It made regular day-to-day “kid things” different and sometimes challenging for her.
But not on that day. On that day she ran fast, with the confidence that she could and with less worry, which was exactly the point at Camp Superkids.
Beloved by many but known to relatively few, Camp Superkids is one of just a handful of overnight camps around the country that serve children with asthma. For 60 years, the camp program has taken place for one week every summer at YMCA Camp Ihduhapi.
Camp Superkids was established in 1966 by the American Lung Association and landed at Ihduhapi in 1968 as a partnership, becoming a legacy program at the camp over the years.
been involved since 1989.
“Camp Superkids helps kids with asthma feel more independent and confident,” she shared.
“It’s a life-changing overnight camp experience that teaches young people and their families about how to better manage their asthma. Campers enjoy all of the traditional camp activities like swimming, sports, canoeing, and ropes, while also having daily educational activities that help kids learn about asthma. Lessons are taught about what happens in your lungs when you have an asthma attack or what kinds of things trigger an asthma attack, but in a fun and active way.”
In addition to the educational aspect of the program, Dr. Brottman discussed another goal of camp, which is to give kids a sense of belonging.
“Kids want to fit in and not be different. At camp, they get to feel like they aren’t the only kids that use inhalers. They get to do all the things kids without asthma do — they get to do campfires, run around outside, go swimming, and we also help
“I love the idea of camp specifically set for kids with asthma, allowing health education and development, while they also have fun,” said the parent of one recent camper. “I feel confident sending my daughter to camp, knowing she will be kept safe and healthy by both the counselors and the team of medical professionals.”
Another key detail that sets Camp Superkids apart from a regular camp session is the extensive volunteer medical staff that are onsite to help run the program. A 24-hour staffed clinic is set up with a physician and nurse on hand at all times. An onsite pharmacy with a pharmacist is also there to help with medication. Every cabin group is assigned a nurse or a respiratory therapist who manages medications and does daily assessments.
Ihduhapi staff run the camp programming, allowing the kids to experience a traditional week of camp, just with the
support of extra medical professionals to ensure every camper has what they need to stay safe and healthy during their time there.
In 2020, the CDC cancelled all camps because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and during that time, the American Lung Association ended their support for the program, putting Camp Superkids in jeopardy. Passionate supporters of the camp rallied and, working closely with the YMCA, transformed the partnership so that the program could continue. In 2021, Ihduhapi took over and has run Camp Superkids as its own program ever since.
Joe Cottew knows the impact of Camp Superkids firsthand. He was a Superkids camper from 1985-94, a Camp Ihduhapi counselor from 1995-2000, and then served as the camp director of Ihduhapi from 2006-11.
“Camp Superkids allowed us to run and play and be normal while always having medical staff nearby to help us out if we had an asthma episode,” Cottew stated.
“Camp Superkids was still Camp Ihduhapi, completely. We were a part of that camp, its culture, and its traditions. We never realized we were any different than other campers. Ihduhapi counselors made sure we had the opportunity to have a great outdoor summer experience and let the Superkids staff do their thing to manage our asthma education and treatments. Later, as a counselor, working with the
so much fun. To see the impact of this program on other kids was a full circle moment for me.”
Dr. Brottman added to Cottew’s sentiments about the truly unmatched opportunities provided through the Camp Superkids program, sharing the fact that five to seven percent of the population of children in Minnesota have asthma and yet, “This program is the only one of its kind in Minnesota.”
Nationwide, the number of camp programs focused on serving kids with asthma is small. Maintaining Camp Superkids at Ihduhapi and the few other similar camp programs in operation in other states is crucial because, “It’s so important for kids to be able to come back year after year and make friends and really get a unique experience that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
Camp Superkids allowed us to run and play and be normal while always having medical staff nearby to help us out if we had an asthma episode.
YMCA Senior Vice President of Adventure and Camp Operations Michel Tigan summed it up best by explaining, “Camp Superkids is an incredible opportunity in making adventure safe and accessible for campers with asthma. Being outdoors can be scary when the environment can trigger symptoms and the structure of this program, the additional training and support for staff, as well as the onsite medical team work beautifully in collaboration with the exceptional program Camp Ihduhapi provides. Campers go home feeling empowered, inspired, connected and excited about adventure.”
YMCA SPECIALTY HEALTH CAMPS
YMCA Camps have long had a tradition of hosting specialty camps to serve people with specific healthcare needs. Three examples other than Camp Superkids, current and historic, include:
CAMP NOT-A-CLOT at YMCA Camp Ihduhapi: A traditional summer camp experience for campers with chronic bleeding disorders.
CAMP NEEDLEPOINT at YMCA Camp St. Croix: A partnership with the American Diabetes Association, offering both day and overnight camp sessions for kids living with diabetes.
BURN CAMP at YMCA Camp du Nord: A one-week experience for burn victims and their families to spend time together, building relationships with others who have similar circumstances.
CAMP AVANTI at YMCA Camp St. Croix and Camp Icaghowan is an intensive program for children ages 6 to 15 who have learning delays, sensory processing challenges or neurodivergence in an outdoor setting.
1. Joe Cottew at Ihduhapi. All other photos: Campers having fun at Camp Superkids.
Camp Ihduhapi
Camp Ihduhapi has provided enriching camp experiences since 1929. Situated on 165 acres of vibrant maple forest along the shores of Lake Independence, Ihduhapi is the perfect place for youth and adults to learn new skills, build confidence, and create lifelong memories.
Joe Cottew
BEYOND THE NAMETAG:
THE MEMORIES THAT STICK WITH US
Campers often flip the script, making just as lasting an impact on their grownup guides as the other way around
Giggles. Nonstop giggles.
When Georgia Ellingson thinks back on her time as a camp counselor, she hears the chortling joy of the kids, over and again.
“I remember leading my first river trip with campers and the excitement they shared! They were so nervous and also so excited at the beginning of the trip. The entirety of our 10-day Challenger trip was just nonstop giggles. By the end of the trip, recalled Ellingson, now the executive director at YMCA Camp Icaghowan, they were so proud of what they had accomplished and full of joy.”
Counselors and campers come together as strangers at the beginning of a session and then spend nearly 24 hours a day together in a cabin or out on trail. Eating, sleeping, navigating differing personalities and backgrounds; learning, growing, communicating, and, in a short time, bonding in a way that only happens at camp. And then the session ends and everyone goes their separate ways. For some, they return to camp subsequent years and see each other again. But often, especially over time, despite the closeness that happens at camp, the connection is lost.
And yet, the memories from camp remain for years or even decades.
Three former Camp Icaghowan counselors took a trip down memory lane, sharing cherished photos and stories about some of the campers who left a lasting impact beyond their camp experience.
Camp Icaghowan
Founded in 1908, Camp Icaghowan is Wisconsin’s premier overnight camp for kids seeking a small community environment. Set in 120 beautiful acres of oak savanna adjoining Lake Wapogasset, Icaghowan features three tree houses nestled in the forest canopies and a 44-acre island.
“This photo was from my first year at camp in 1999. I was entirely new to Minnesota, but I saw an ad in a Colombian newspaper from the YMCA in Bogota looking for people who knew English to work with kids at camp, so I applied and, long story short, I ended up at Icaghowan. I went to camp without knowing exactly where I was going or what to expect. The people were very welcoming to me, a complete stranger from another country.
“I don’t remember the names of these kids, but I remember faces, smiles, laughter and all the love they gave me. I remember the fires, the small canoe trips and overnights, the lake, the activities in the ‘A’ field, all the meals in the dining hall. The Icaghowan philosophy, the core values, the staff, and of course the kids. More often than anything, I remember I was always smiling and happy, thinking about the activities, trying to be a role model, trying to bond with them, and of course, many times learning from them.
“Icaghowan changed my life because it gave me another perspective on life, of who I could be because of how I was with kids, which was something completely new to me at the time. It showed me lasting values, friendships, and ideas. It gave me love, happiness, and a sense of fulfillment.
“I spent four summers on staff. And every single summer I felt that same joy and happiness.”
Dave Weiman, Counselor (1969-70)
“I often wonder what happened to my Pioneer campers of 1970. This group was exceptional. I’m sure they excelled in whatever pursuits they chose.
“These young men listened to and followed instructions well, did an excellent job preparing for the trip by developing camping and canoeing skills, worked as a team on the trip, and cooperated with one another. They looked for adventure, seeking to learn something new like whitewater canoeing and camping skills, and to meet new friends outside their neighborhoods back home. We became a family for two weeks and then the session ended.
“I think that’s the hardest part of being a counselor — saying goodbye when the campers go home and you go your separate ways, knowing you will likely never see them again. You always hope you do, but that’s not often, unless you and the campers return the following year, or the campers become counselors.”
1. Felipe and campers 1999. 2. Dave Weiman, left, with his Pioneer campers in 1970, before heading out. 3. Erika and campers 1998 and Erika’s scrapbook list of campers.
“These girls right here. Hands down my most memorable group of campers. Such an incredibly challenging two weeks for me in the summer of 1998. This was a group that fought constantly except for polar bear swim time and snack time.
“I didn’t want to get up early, but we got talked into going to polar bear plunge one day. The whole cabin got up and put their suits on. And they loved it! They took turns clinging to us as we floated in the water. I think some of them were really craving that physical contact. We got up every morning of that session to swim as a group. It proved to be a respite from the chaos of the week, and it is one of my favorite camp memories. I still smile every time I think of them. At camp I learned about who I was as a person, developed confidence, and had so much fun. I grew up there.”
Do you see yourself in one of these photos (literally or metaphorically)? Do you have a memorable counselor or camper group?
We would love to hear from you! Go to ymcanorth.org/adventure/share_your_story to share your photos and memories that could be featured in a future issue.
Erika Nordgren Dayle, Camper (1991-95) and Counselor (1996-99)
A NEW GOLD STANDARD FOR BOLD LEADERSHIP DRAWS YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE WILDERNESS
An innovative program builds on decades of leadership traditions in the camping world
When Omar Torrez Bravo told his parents he was going to go on a Boundary Waters trip for two weeks in 2023, “They thought I was crazy. I had never even heard of the Boundary Waters, and it was wildly different than anything I had ever done.”
At school, Omar had learned about, applied for, and was accepted into the BOLD GOLD program, a leadership development and wilderness adventure trip through YMCA Camp Menogyn. ”It changed my life,” Omar said.
The official YMCA program description reads as follows:
BOLD/GOLD (Boys/Girls Outdoor Leadership Development) provides young people with a wilderness experience, partnered with an intentional curriculum. Expeditions allow teens from different economic, ethnic, religious and social backgrounds to build leadership, communication, and decision-making skillsusing the wilderness as a classroom. Learn more at: www.ymcanorth.org/adventure/experiences/bold_gold
YMCA leaders have been quick to celebrate the program’s strengths.
“BOLD GOLD is very intentional about leadership development,” explained Angela Wunderlich, BOLD GOLD program director from 2021-24. “There is a leader of the day and everyone rotates through that position. Each night closes with a ‘Courage Circle’ where campers share and reflect. These elements are structured within the larger leadership development curriculum of each BOLD GOLD trip.”
BOLD GOLD is a national program built on a strong local
Leadership Development — got its start with the YMCA of Greater Seattle in 2011, the local version blossomed with the support of grants at YMCA Camps Menogyn and Widjiwagan beginning in 2014. Then in 2017, YMCA of the North further strengthened BOLD GOLD and merged it with the King Leadership Camp, a program that originated at YMCA Camp St. Croix in 1996.
The Y works with partner organizations and parents to set up participants for success, especially given the reality that many have never spent time in the wilderness before the trip.
“We work with youth-serving organizations in order to increase access and make sure young people have what they need to have a positive experience,” shared Angela Wunderlich, “We meet with parents to explain how we teach skills on trips and make sure they know their child will be safe.”
For Omar, his first impression of Menogyn ignited a whirlwind of emotions. “I was anxious, excited, and taken aback by the beauty. It was challenging, exhausting, and pushed me to my limits. Our group came from different backgrounds, but we worked well together and became buddies.”
We work with youth-serving organizations in order to increase access and make sure young people have what they need to have a positive experience.
Angela Wunderlich
SUMMER 2024 AND BEYOND
During summer of 2024, the Y of the North served 180 BOLD GOLD campers and 16 Interns, for a total of 196 campers/leaders at YMCA Camps Widjiwagan, Menogyn, St. Croix, and Ihduhapi. Funders and donors provided over $82,000 in scholarships, including monies from the BOLD GOLD endowment.
“The power of BOLD & GOLD is the three to four year continuous programming for our BOLD GOLD camp-leaders. I can say [BOLD GOLD camper-leaders] have a toolbox, backpack and suitcase full of skill sets and assets to be successful in life” said Fotsch, the King Leadership Camp that merged with BOLD GOLD and now a YMCA of the North General Board member.
LEARNING TO DIG DEEP
After Omar’s first trip in 2023, he was invited to return to Menogyn for a 32-day Nor’wester trip in 2024. In 2025, he will spend 50 days in the Arctic, a trip that will have an emphasis on guiding as his focus.
“Camp taught me to lead a group, manage different skills and interests, address conflicts, and work as a team,” said Omar. “The experience has helped me mature and helps me at school and work. I’ve learned to dig deep, not give up, encourage others, and trust that no matter how challenging a day is, it will work out in the end.”
GOING DEEPER ON OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP
BOLD GOLD creates a unique opportunity to build bridges between young future leaders who happen to come from different backgrounds and who love nature and adventure.
We engage groups of youth from a wide range of backgrounds so that they learn how to lead and be led by people that are different from them. Our experiences give them a deeper understanding of their own lives so they know how to be effective changemakers within an ever-evolving global society. Our participants go home as leaders with a new perspectives on the world and what they uniquely bring to a group.
1. BOLD/GOLD campers on trail. 2.-3. Omar in 2024 on his Norwester, Berens River trip. 4. BOLD/GOLD campers on trail.
THE LIGHT THAT CARRIES ON
A Tale of a Lasting Legacy
By Monica Kenney, YMCA Team Member
Sarah Crump may have passed from this life too soon, but she’ll have a presence at Menogyn forever
In August 2000, it was fi nally her turn. Sarah Crump would follow in the footsteps of her dad and her two older siblings, Becky and Dan, setting out on her first YMCA Camp Menogyn adventure.
At the age of 13, after just completing seventh grade, Sarah’s fi rst trip was to Rose Lake via the beautiful but daunting Stairway Portage. Just as so many Menogynites had done before, her group stopped halfway for lunch on a large, flat rock overlooking the lake — and with that moment, a new chapter in Sarah’s life had begun.
Sarah’s father, John Crump, had worked at Menogyn as a guide in the summer of 1973. That one summer was life-changing, and John passed on his memories from the trail and his love for the outdoors to his children. Of the three, Sarah was the one who took to Menogyn most passionately. She went on Menogyn canoe trips every summer, with progressively longer and more challenging trips — culminating in 2005, the summer after her senior year of high school, when she completed a 43-day Femmes du Nord trip.
After graduating from high school, Sarah studied geology at Carleton College. She chose geology largely because it aligned with her Menogyn experience: doing fi eld work and learning more about the earth while working and studying in the outdoors. Some of her academic work included studying sediments from lake bottoms, extracting plant DNA, documenting plant life from 125,000 years ago, and studying pre-Ice Age vegetation. Sarah published meaningful work that helped people understand climate and climate change.
During her college summers, from 200610, Sarah was back at Menogyn working as a trail guide. Each year, she led longer and more challenging trips, just as she had previously done as a camper, culminating in leading a 40-plus-day Femmes trip into the tundra of the northern Canadian wilderness.
Hannah Larson was on both Sarah’s Nor’Wester and Femmes trips and served on staff with Sarah from 2007-10. She reflected on her time working with Sarah and said:
Sarah’s light seemed to shine on everyone she met. She made hosts of friends and always had some new, fun
adventure in mind. She was a sincere and dedicated trail guide who had a positive impact on dozens of campers over her summers on Menogyn staff.
Sarah was an instigator of constant fun and silliness on our Femmes 2005 trip, including “spirit days” like “Lion King” Day or Prom Day, where we would don ragged tutus and bandanas as we paddled down the river. She brought our group the card game 500, which became a nearly everyday activity inspiring fierce competition. She was also incredibly strong and tough, sterning our large canoe through wind and rapids, portaging through the tundra, or keeping the group’s spirits up on tough or especially buggy days.
I still can’t believe how much she packed into her 35 years and how many people she touched.
These attributes continued to shape Sarah’s next steps in life. After completing her PhD at the University of Colorado, she moved to UC Santa Cruz to do postdoctoral research with Beth Shapiro, PhD, an internationally known ancient DNA scientist. While there, in January of 2022, Sarah interviewed for and was off ered a
very competitive assistant professorship position at the University of Utah — her dream job. Sarah had big plans for her future.
As Sarah began to prepare for this next great chapter in her life, she and her partner, Nordin, purchased a house that following April. The very next day, they received a shocking call that would have stopped many people in their tracks.
On that day, Sarah received news that she had an aggressive form of colon cancer. While the call was a shock, it didn’t slow Sarah down as she continued to pursue her dreams. She began her job in July and prioritized the things that brought immense joy to her life: camping, swimming, climbing, skiing, and doing field research.
Later that fall, on Oct. 8, after just three months in her new job and while undergoing chemotherapy treatment, Sarah delivered a ground-breaking presentation at the Geological Society of America’s international conference in Denver on her research team’s work in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. This presentation showed that her team was able to document a sudden drop in the temperature approximately 14,000 years ago in the Teton mountains — a degree
of change which had only previously been documented on the Greenland Ice Sheath — supporting the theory that this temperature drop broadly a ff ected the entire Northern hemisphere across America.
A month later, on Nov. 18, 2022, Sarah passed away.
Much of Sarah’s life was dedicated to care: care for her family, her friends, the outdoors, the animals, and the land’s resources. Menogyn inspired much of this focus, which she then carried on into her career and the final days of her life.
As Sarah thought about her life and the legacy she would leave, caring for others and the environment again shaped her choices. With close support from her family, Sarah established a graduate research fellowship, providing salary and tuition for one Colorado UniversityBoulder graduate student each year. She rallied friends and her social network around the launch, and so far, over 1,300 donors have helped her raise $400,000, solidifying the fellowship and ensuring that the role would have stability and funding.
In addition to creating the fellowship, Sarah valued passing on what Menogyn had given her, so the family established the Sarah Crump Memorial Endowment to enshrine Sarah’s bright light and ensure that her legacy would impact many others who would come after her.
Just as John Crump’s Menogyn stories inspired Sarah’s Menogyn journeys, Sarah helped shape many others’ Menogyn experiences — both as a fellow camper and a trail leader, and now through her legacy endowment.
1. Sarah and her group on their Femmes trip. 2. Sarah and her Femmes group dressed in costume while on trail. 3. Adventure climbing in the Colorado Rockies. 4. Collecting rock sample from a glacial moraine close to the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island. 5. Leading her research team in an Apollo 13-esque nocturnal troubleshooting mission to salvage crucial equipment stuck below the ice in a high-altitude lake on Grand Teton Mountain.
Camp Menogyn
Since 1922, Camp Menogyn has provided transformative small-group wilderness experiences including canoeing, backpacking, and rockclimbing trips. Only accessible by water, Camp Menogyn is uniquely situated on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on West Bearskin Lake.
SARAH CRUMP MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
While any single Menogyn adventure may feel like an isolated experience, each journey is a thread that binds this community together, year after year, from one generation to the next. Sarah’s life so perfectly captures that Menogyn spirit. While her life was short, the impact that she had and continues to have is farreaching, and her legacy will be a light that shapes many more Menogyn stories for many years to come, perhaps even inspiring some of the future’s next best scientists and stewards of the environment.
In 2025, the first recipient of the Sarah Crump Memorial Scholarship will benefit from her legacy of giving. Applicants were asked to share the impact Menogyn has had on their lives and why they want to return. One camper shared, “The roadblocks I’ve overcome through this program are something I am truly grateful for. You’ve helped me through difficult times, and I always leave with a better outlook on life. And in moments of loneliness, I always seek the memories of laughter from camp, the one place I feel most authentic.”
ANCHORED IN CAMP
Where lasting friendships and a lifelong love of boats set sail
In his poem “Ships,” Robert Rose describes the beauty of sail boats, saying, “Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made, for somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid.”
YMCA Camp Warren’s sailing program is “robust and engagement level is high” according to Executive Director Jeanna Nesbitt. “Camp Warren has long had a tradition of teaching sailing, which began decades ago and continues today.” She shared that the current fleet includes over 30 boats and in 2024, 40 percent of campers participated in sailing as a daily activity.
She said, “I love talking about the sailing program, it’s really a well-built program! I got on a sailboat for the first time at Camp Warren, and eventually did sailing emphasis camp every year. I was a camper and a counselor on the 50/50 trips. It’s a hands-on program that teaches people how to handle stressful situations, communication, problem-solving and teamwork.”
CAMPER, STAFF, SAILOR
Brad Konkler’s earliest childhood memories are from Camp Warren. His dad Bruce was on staff from 1964-89, and his mom Marilyn served as the first female director when camp piloted a 5-day session for female campers in the 1980s. From 8-16, Brad was a camper and from 1980-84, he was on the Camp Warren staff as the sailing director for 2 years.
When asked about his memories from camp, he said, “Learning to sail as a kid under the careful guidance of the incredible staff at camp boils down to this one maritime rule learned at Warren: a captain’s first responsibility is for the
safety of the crew followed by the safety of the ship. Now, many decades after my camper and staff days, I’m reminded this code served me well in nearly all aspects of my life including raising a family and leading professional teams throughout my career.”
As he spoke of his memories of camp, he was excited to reference a painting that he said, “captures the essence of my favorite memories of sailing at camp.”
In 1978, John Hagen (camper 1971-74, staff 1975-76) painted himself, David Katkov, Tim Brandow and Gregg Brandow sailing a D Boat on Half Moon Lake in the early 1970s.
Brad shared his memory of sailing:
On Half Moon Lake in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, the two wooden 20-foot Class D scow sailboats were the largest in the fleet and maximized the “learn to sail” experience for campers and staff.
On windy days the joyful shouts of the skipper and crew echoed in the breeze as these mighty sailboats tacked back and forth across the lake within the boundaries of Cub Point and the highway buoy.
The sound of the sails luffing in the breeze raised excitement as the D boats naturally heeled over to one side as the crew “hiked-out” to windward for a memorable ride.
The cedar wood D boat hulls skimmed across the water and wooden masts strained in the breeze as the crew worked in harmony perfecting sailing skills and cementing lifelong Camp Warren friendships on the water.
As a camper, Brad developed a love of sailing while at camp. He also lived near Johnson Boat Works on White Bear Lake (sold and renamed in 1998, now called White Bear Boat Works) and spent time learning about boats and sailing.
2
1. John Hagen, David Katkov, Tim Brandow, Gregg Brandow sailing a D Boat on Half Moon Lake in the early 1970s. Painting circa 1978 by John Hagen, Camper (1971-74) and Staff (1975-76). 2. Historic photo of campers sailing at Warren (note, life jackets were not a requirement at the time, but they are today). 3. Campers sailing at Camp Warren.
In the late ‘60s-’70s, the sailboats were mainly all wood boats. Most were 16-foot Class X training boats, but Warren had also acquired a few 20-foot class D Scow boats. “They were few and far between. They never took off as racing boats in the Midwest. But they were cool — they were as big as you’d want on Half Moon Lake and required a lot of participation. It wasn’t just a ride.”
Brad remembers that “when you got to be a top ranked sailor as a camper, you could take one out. It was a coveted rank to achieve.” And when there were enough campers who could sail the D Boats, there was a regatta called The D Boat Challenge.
FUTURE D BOAT REGATTA
In 2004, Brad and Dave Erickson located a beat-up D Boat in a barn in North Dakota. “It was rough, but solid.” Along with his children, and Warren friends Dave and Rick Searl, he spent 300 hours restoring the boat. (David Searl would go on to become Camp Warren’s executive director from 2014-19). Since that time, he has found two additional boats that he has been restoring and plans to have completed by Warren’s 100th anniversary in 2027.
Brad had the idea to use the D Boat in a regatta at the reunion. Executive Director Jeanna Nesbitt as well as several of Brad’s camp friends all loved the idea, and he’s been excitedly planning and working towards that goal ever since. After the reunion, he hopes to find homes for two of the three restored D Boat.
Camp Warren is seeking out past and present sailors to join in the fun. If you are interested in volunteering or participating in the regatta, e-mail Camp Warren. Information is below.
LOOKING FOR WARREN SAILORS
Calling all Warren Sailors! Tell us your sailing story, get on the regatta list, be part of pre-regatta fun, volunteer to help at the regatta!
Camp Warren
Camp Warren is nestled amongst white pines on 600 acres near Eveleth, Minnesota. Warren provides the ultimate setting for participants to develop self-reliance, build life-long relationships, and receive mentorship from caring adults with a curriculum focused on skill progression.
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100th Anniversary
100th anniversary, coming in 2027 (date TBD). We are looking for reunion committee members and decade leaders. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, email info@campwarren.org
Adventure is always in season with year-round events and opportunities FROM SUMMER TO SNOWFALL: CAMP NEVER SLEEPS
By Natalie King, Editor
In movies featuring camps, it’s not uncommon to see camp staff hop off the bus on the first day of the summer, arriving for duty at the same time as the campers.
The number one question I got when I was a camp director, a question I answered hundreds of times (not an exaggeration) was: “What do you do the rest of the year?”
“I get ready for camp” was my standard answer. Budgeting, program planning, fundraising, property updates, marketing and recruiting, hiring and training staff — that list barely skims the surface of all the things a camp director does to keep a camp operating.
And did I mention year-round programming?!
When you think of camp, do you typically think about hot summer days? I do. But the other nine months of the year, camps are still bustling, filled with energy and lots of activity.
FROM SNOWFLAKES TO SUNSHINE: A SNAPSHOT OF SEASONAL ADVENTURE AT ST. CROIX
In November 2024 alone, YMCA Camp St. Croix hosted 37 events, serving over 799 people.
Some of these seasonal offerings include Christmas with Croix, Children’s Food Fair, Harvestfest, pizza nights, barn dances, candlelight ski and hike, winter camps, retreats, school release days, pickleball camp for adults, weddings, the list goes on and on.
Theresa Douglas, Camp St. Croix business development manager, said, “We are temporary stewards of this incredible resource. We work hard to keep the lights on and the paths trampled in every season to make the most of this beautiful property generations before us worked for!”
These photos are just a sampling from a few of the 2024 events at Camp St. Croix. Events vary in activity, size, and time, but all involve laughter, fun, and community-building — people simply coming together to enjoy their time at camp!
Camp St. Croix
Founded in 1909, Camp St. Croix is situated on 400 acres of woods, prairies, gardens, and pine-covered bluffs overlooking the St. Croix River National Scenic Riverway. Camp St. Croix is a perfect place for kids, teens, families, adults, and organizations to connect with nature and each other.
THE BIG BOARD: ‘SUBJECT TO SUDDEN AND CATASTROPHIC CHANGE’
Widji’s high adrenaline rush of organizing a summer of wilderness trips
Due to unforeseen circumstances, a group of campers was not going to make it to the takeout point by their scheduled pick-up time. A satellite phone call for help to YMCA Camp Widjiwagan’s office kicked off a flurry of activity.
It was time to evacuate a group.
Kurt Simer was Widji’s wilderness program director at the time and Amy Hadow was on trail staff. They recall huddling in the office and studying a map, searching for a road where they could pick up the group, and working to direct the counselors to that location.
“In that part of Canada, it’s possible [we were looking at] an old logging road, so we weren’t 100 percent sure if it would be passable or even there anymore,” Simer said. Because of that, in addition to the van and canoe trailer, at that time, they also packed bikes and a hand saw. “If we found the road wasn’t drivable, the staff could bushwack and bike in to reach the group.”
“All we could think about were the million details we needed to solve to help that group,” Hadow added.
This particular story is from summer 2012 and serves as just one example of the types of challenges that happen every summer, multiple times. Often, though the care and safety of people are always at the center of camp’s priorities, these sorts of problems come down to a Tetris-like game of logistics.
In 2024, Camp Widjiwagan had:
• 719 campers,
• 84 trail staff, and
• 207 trips.
Which required:
• 112 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permits,
• 13 vans driving over 50,000 miles,
• 68 airplane tickets, 12 charter flights and six food/ equipment resupply flights.
And those lists don’t even include the thousands of pounds of food, gear, replacement gear, satellite phones, gas, and so much more. Groups are on trips in remote areas and while camp maintains an impressive amount of information about the area the group is traveling, there are always unpredictable aspects that can pose challenges. And when one thing has to change, it has a ripple effect on many other things.
ORGANIZING WIDJI’S SUMMER: THE BIG BOARD
So how do these complex logistics come together, you ask?
In the early 1990s, Rolf Thompson, executive director from 1990-99 introduced the Big Board. After working at YMCA Camp Menogyn where Skip Wilke had created such a board, Thompson knew it was a necessity for Widji too. For the next 30 years, camp’s program directors would come together in marathon scheduling sessions during staff training. After observing staff during training, and factoring in age, experience, availability, gender, and countless other details, the leadership team would spend hours assigning staff to each trip. That schedule, as well as driving assignments, would be arranged on a large, black board with hundreds of tiny rectangular magnetic labels — together making the Big Board.
Prior to the introduction of the Big Board, scheduling was done in a similar way, but on a smaller scale. Over the years, scheduling grew more complex as the number of trips increased, and the Big Board presented a completely unique-to-Widji way of organizing each summer.
The Board became so popular, in fact, it became a routine stop for tours of camp; although to protect it, the staff kept it locked up at night.
It also took on layers of meaning, becoming a visual representation of Widji’s mission. Its annual unveiling during staff training has also become a momentous o ccasion.
Simer, who served as wilderness program director from 2011-15 and today is a fundraiser on the Y’s Mission Advancement team, said that he and Brian Geisler (program director 2012-16) would “spend a whole morning locked away, assigning trips.” The Big Board was “under serious, CIA-level protection so that no one could see it before it was unveiled.” When it was ready, they would make an announcement at breakfast that “the Big Board is out” and then listen to everyone react to the trips they got assigned.
Across the top of the Big Board is a note that reads, “Subject to sudden and catastrophic change,” which, according to Hadow, who went on to become the summer program director from 2015-23, “has always been the unofficial Widji motto for me.”
Now, Hadow once again works with Simer as a current member of the Y’s Mission Advancement team. (Editor’s note: We like these Widjiwaganites!)
“Brian would take a photo of the Big Board every morning. The board was magnetic, so if it got knocked over, everything would fall off. Without a photo, that was it,” Simer said. “We would have to re-assign all of the trips.”
The pictures were crucial because, as Hadow shared, “I saw that board fall more than once.”
In 2024, YMCA Camp Widjiwagan had:
207
13 68 campers trips
84 trail staff which required:
112
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permits
vans driving over 50,000 miles
airplane tickets, 12 charter flights and six food/equipment resupply flights
The Big Board may have been the command center for three decades, but that was before August Halverson. Halverson was a camper from 2013-18, a BOLD and GOLD intern in 2019, and a counselor from 2021- 24. In 2021, then-Executive Director Matt Poppleton found out that Halverson was studying computer science. He made a request to August: Bring Widji into the 21st century.
As Halverson recalled with a smile, “I was surprised Matt asked me because I was still young. I was not that qualified but knew enough to be dangerous. I was excited about the project right away.”
When he returned to college in the fall of 2021, he began working on an electronic version of the Big Board. “Written from the ground up, there was no template or other system to base it off.”
By the following year, summer 2022, the program staff was using his program, dubbed Endeavor Big Board, in place of the original magnetic Big Board. And over the past three years, and after countless hours of work, Halverson has continued to update and improve the program, creating new functions and giving the program directors the ability to run different reports.
In 2024, YMCA Camp Menogyn also started using this program for scheduling.
Camp leadership enters all of the trips for the summer into Endeavor Big Board, in addition to profiles of all the staff, including qualifications, gender, and time off requests. The program “helps facilitate the decision-making process of assigning trips,” noted Halverson.
The program also detects if someone has been double-booked or assigned during their requested time off. It knows the trips that staff have led in the past and can calculate experience as well. And when a change occurs, for instance, someone gets injured and can’t lead a trip, the program helps filter out which staff are available as a replacement.
Halverson spent his last summer on staff in 2024, leading an arctic wilderness trip. He currently works full time as a carpenter but still spends several hours a week refining the program.
“In a perfect world, this program would be used by a few more organizations, and I would be able to do this full time. But even if that never happens, I’m still happy working on it.”
In a perfect world, this program would be used by a few more organizations, and I would be able to do this full time. But even if that never happens, I’m still happy working on it.
August Halverson
Camp is grateful for Halverson and the innovative program he created, and also for all the careful planning staff do each summer, because successful logistics make for a safe summer.
CODA: SMART PLANNING LEADS TO SAFE RETURNS
Current wilderness program director Brent Saxton described the Big Board as “the best puzzle” he’s worked on, going on to share more about his experience using it:
“During my first summer in the wilderness program director role in 2022, Amy [Hadow] and I used the physical Big Board for the last time. We were already in the process of adopting August’s digital Big Board but wanted to have a physical backup as well, so the picture I sent (above) is the last one ever. We’ve preserved it in the office for the time being and it will forever be summer of 2022 on this board. Moving to the digital Big Board has been great for the admin team and trail staff alike. It helps keep track of time off, eligible drivers, and makes it easier to experiment with different scheduling solutions. Not having to physically move the magnets around when change is needed means less stress for everyone. Additionally, it makes it easier for staff to read and interpret the schedule and gives them a better understanding of how it is determined. So far, most have been thankful that their summer schedule is not as shrouded in mystique and secrecy, though the potential for sudden change remains.”
Returning to story of the unplanned evacuation from the summer of 2012, Hadow ultimately left Widji to rescue the group of campers with another counselor, Sarah “SJ” Johnson, after accounting for every possible variable.
Together, they took the van, a canoe trailer, bikes, and a saw, and headed out to try to find this group. There were a few places they
had identified on the map that the group might be able to get to. They tried biking down one road, but it was impassable. They found an alternate route and headed that direction.
Ultimately, they found a spot they thought the group could get to and set up camp. They waited for several hours as the group was paddling against the current, and eventually, Hadow heard them and went to help get them to shore. Campers and staff were safe and back to camp, and Hadow and Johnson’s magnets went back into the mix of the Big Board.
1. An aerial view of Camp Widjiwagan. 2. Amy and SJ updating the Big Board. 3. Staff looking at the Big Board at Widjiwagan. 4. August on his arctic trip to the Coppermine River. 5. Camper on trail. 6. Campers preparing to go on trail. 7. Campers preparing to go on trail. 8. An example of the main schedule (for a fake organization).
Camp Widjiwagan has been providing transformative wilderness experiences for youth from the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota since 1929. Through wilderness travel and environmental learning experiences, youth participants explore extraordinary places.
Camp Widjiwagan
CAMP GAVE ME A REASON TO KEEP GOING
A personal reflection on the unexpected healing power of nature
By Lily Cartier, Guest
This remarkable essay from Lily Cartier describes how experiences at YMCA family camps helped her heal from a traumatic high school diagnosis. Lily grew up attending YMCA camps, and today, she serves as the seasonal office coordinator at YMCA Camp Northern Lights.
If this essay inspires you to share yours, contact me at lettertotheeditor@ ymcanorth.org and I’d love to talk about it with you.
YMCA Camp du Nord was the second place I called home growing up. It was at this magical place I learned how to be myself. I learned to swim in Lake Burntside. I declared my hatred for leeches on Siam Point. I met all of my best friends while singing in age groups. In front of the old Totem Pole, I learned that one day, I could live in these woods for the whole summer. This one week of summer was the time I looked forward to the most, and I counted down the days until it was my turn on the North Arm again. It was sacred to me.
The week at camp became the cornerstone of my soul. I channeled the freeness I felt in the woods whenever the days got dark. I would write letters to my camp friends and hope to find their faces among the stars. Songbook lyrics filled up the long school days so brightly that I couldn’t help but love every single thing about this whole life. There was nothing I loved more in the world than du Nord.
Then, the unimaginable. While on my Widji trip, I spiked a dangerous fever and had to be evacuated. As it turns out, the seemingly random symptoms I had been experiencing over the past couple of years had all come to a head, and I became really sick. I was admitted to the hospital for countless tests and treatments. The memories are still hazy for me, even now at 22.
I was eventually diagnosed with lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the immune system is so overactive that it starts to attack healthy cells and organs. Typically, it is diagnosed in adulthood, not during the first year of teenhood.
I missed my first semester of high school. I learned how to swallow a serious amount of pills at once. I watched a lot of cooking shows. I had a lot of doctor’s appointments. And I dreamt of camp. This is all I remember, really. Just snapshots of things I lost as I adapted to a new way of life.
2016, the year I was 13, was big for me. I had finally convinced my wary parents to send me to the Boundary Waters with YMCA Camp Widjiwagan. The future glittered with independence in the summer and the first year of high school was just around the corner. I was in love with the life in front of me. 1
Natalie King, Editor
I was trapped inside of a body no longer my own. I do not remember much of high school.
My transcript shows I was a good student; however, I had developed such severe anxiety that I was essentially nonverbal outside of my house for two years.
What I do remember, though, is camp. Camp was consistent, amidst so much change. In the summer of 2017, the week I spent at camp was the only week I did not feel sick. It was the only week that I was able to feel my former self seep through to the forefront. My words did not get stuck in my throat as I learned to love myself again. In this new body I did not entirely recognize, camp helped me to heal from the inside out.
There is a moment during that week that I come back to when the days are hard. I was floating in the water, the sun was shining, and for the first time in a long time, I did not have the hospital on my mind. When I eventually stood up, I could feel my body standing under me in the water. I could feel the warmth soaking into my skin. I could hear the laughter on the shore and my friends calling me to get ice cream. I remember running down the trail in my sandals and swimsuit, smiling and knowing that everything was going to work out in the end.
If you have never experienced such a medical scare, it might be difficult to understand this feeling. This feeling of recognizing my body again as something strong, something that can hold me, something that can heal. “Everything will work out in the end” has been my mantra since that moment, and WOW, was I right!
I am about to graduate with honors in my major and with three minors. I started a school club, have held many jobs, made the most beautiful friends, and most importantly, I am healthier than I have ever been.
I worked one summer on program staff at du Nord. It was everything I imagined it could be, and more. Every day, I felt like I was proving to my younger self that dreams do come true. The next year, I was offered the lead art barn position at YMCA Camp Northern Lights and made the switch to a new camp. The location was different, but the love that I felt from the people around me was just as strong. I credit the clean air and water of Burntside for my healing, but I also credit the people. These people make me feel whole, no matter what is going on in life.
I say every year that it’ll be my last, that I will venture out into the real world and get a” real” job. But there is nothing more real to me than the Northwoods. So, I am headed into my fifth summer working at family camp this June, now as the office coordinator at Northern Lights.
If you ask any camp kid why camp is so important to them, they’ll say it made them into the person they are today. I say the same — camp made me into the person I am today. Additionally, I can say that camp saved me. Camp gave me a reason to keep going. Camp is how I define love.
1. Lily in 2019. 2. Summer 2019 with fellow LDPs Christina and Nicole. 3. With Olivia and HannahLily’s best camp friends. 4. Lily as a LDP in 2019 before her senior year of high school.
Camp du Nord
Founded in 1961, Camp du Nord is a family destination located deep in Minnesota’s Northwoods. Situated on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, du Nord provides access to miles of hiking and skiing trails, as well as family and group programming throughout the year.
WHERE COLLEGE MEETS CAMP
A unique partnership where learning and outdoor adventure go hand in hand
Known for its beautiful sunsets and starry expanses, YMCA Camp Northern Lights has new accolades to celebrate: It’s the site of an award-winning film.
Also: camp is the host site for a groundbreaking Outdoor and Environmental Leadership program out of North Hennepin Community College. Put differently, camp has now become college.
It all started with a dream in 2021.
IN THE BEGINNING
“When I’m in nature I feel happy, I feel alive, I feel safe. I feel like my spirit is rejuvenated. And I see that with my students too — when they’re out in the forest.”
These words from Ana Munro, current Northern Lights board member, reflect her deep connection to the outdoors, a passion rooted in her own experiences of camping and exploring the outdoors while growing up. Now, as an educator, she is dedicated to sharing that passion with her students, inspiring them to embrace the transformative power of connecting with and learning from nature.
In 2021, at the height of the pandemic, Ana was exploring ways to bridge the gap between college classes, experiential learning, and connecting college students with careers in the outdoors. She needed a host site for an outdoor classroom and to make her vision become a reality. YMCA of the North hosted an online training about
increasing access that Ana attended, and at the end of that Zoom call, she asked if any of the camps were interested in partnering. Dan O’Brien of Camp Northern Lights said, “We are!”
FROM BRAINSTORM TO PARTNERSHIP
A year of planning between Ana, Northern Lights, and other partners, including Three Rivers Park District, eventually led to the creation of the Global and Cultural Studies Environmental Justice and Nature Immersion program, a collaboration between Camp Northern Lights and a variety of partners, led by North Hennepin Community College and including governmental agencies, Elyarea nonprofits, and five Twin Citiesarea school districts.
When I’m in nature I feel happy, I feel alive, I feel safe. I feel like my spirit is rejuvenated.
Ana Munro
“This partnership is such a natural fit because the goals of this class align so much with the mission of Camp Northern Lights,” said camp Executive Director Dan O’Brien. “Creating belonging and connection to each other and to the outdoors will always be our intention. The impact the students, volunteers and faculty have had on Camp Northern Lights
will continue to have a lasting impact for years to come.”
The program brings 40 college and high school students from the Minneapolis area to Camp Northern Lights as part of an annual eight-week, four-credit college course.
Ana shares that it was designed to “engage young people, with a focus on under-represented students, in a wilderness setting for five days of handson, immersive learning in and from nature, from each other, from program staff, and from local community elders and activists.”
Throughout the program, there is a strong emphasis on educating participants about contemporary environmental issues. The program also intentionally connects students with mentors who are working for outdoor organizations, so that students can learn about internship and career opportunities from experts.
THEN, AWARD-WINNING FILMS
In 2023 and 2024 documentary films were created by Danami-Maurice Champion of BairStories about this one-of-a-kind program and its class offerings.
In “Where Paths Meet”, the introduction begins with, “From different schools, beliefs and backgrounds, into the forest and waters, a journey northbound.
For some, this class is a chance to explore leadership and for others, the chance to immerse in nature.”
The film goes on to show students bird watching, fishing, canoeing, mountain biking, hanging out and team building at camp, reflecting, and becoming closer friends.
Miriam, a student from the program, is featured as she learns to cast and fish. She excitedly shares onscreen, “I never thought I’d catch a fish, ever in my life. That was my first time catching a fish. I was screaming, ‘It’s a fish! It’s a fish!’ ”
The first film, “Belonging”, begins with Ana stating, The first film, Belonging, showcases how providing the opportunity for wider audiences to access the outdoors can open new pathways for lifelong learning and enjoyment. One student says,
“I feel like I belong in nature now. I feel peaceful here.”
“Belonging” won “Best Regional Film” at the 2023 Ely International Film Festival, and the program won the 2023 Minnesota Environmental Initiative Innovation Award. And in 2024, Ana was awarded the Minnesota Environmental Education Association’s Environmental Educator of the Year. But for Ana, the most valuable reward has been watching students grow and gain additional opportunities. Students from the program have now presented at several national and international conferences about their experiences at Camp Northern Lights, as well as travelled to Washington DC with Save The Boundary Waters to advocate at the country’s capitol.
the Trail Center at Northern Lights. Students shared their first outdoor experience with Hannah, who created a design concept incorporating pieces of everyone’s memories.
Last year, students also created an on-site pollinator garden with Ojibwe elder Robert Shimek. Ana got teary when she described how Dan O’Brien, executive director at Northern Lights, told her he had a great location in mind — where Orion used to be. “It was beautiful to see the contrast between the wreckage and the new growth,” she shared.
“If we want to be serious about protecting natural resources,” she states, “we need everyone to experience them. Because you protect what you love.”
At the end of a class, one of her students shared, “I feel like I have a sense of purpose.” For Ana, these types of accomplishments are the most meaningful, as she continues to build what has now become an official two-year degree program in Outdoor and Environmental Leadership.
LEAVING THEIR MARK
In 2024, students of the program worked together with DNR fisheries staff and artist Hannah Anema to paint a mural inside
1. Students studying insects in the water. 2. Students working in the garden at CNL. 3. Miriam with her first-ever caught fish at Camp Northern Lights. 4. Ana and her students at CNL. 5. Students arriving at CNL. 6. Students birdwatching. 7. Group photo of the students.
Camp Northern Lights
Located on Bear Island Lake near the edge of the Superior National Forest, Camp Northern Lights offers an incredible variety of seasonal activities for families to enjoy throughout the year with 130 acres of trails and woods for families to explore. Founded in 2019, Northern Lights is the perfect destination for families looking for a first-time camping experience or groups interested in trying a new experience like mountain biking or cross-country skiing.
an illustrated recap Alex drew to reflect on the Youth Outdoor Leadership Development trip from August 2022.
LETTER FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT
Dear Adventure Community,
As we stand at the cusp of another year filled with moments that will shape our futures, I am reminded of the legacies that define our camps, our communities, and ourselves. Legacy is not just the physical spaces we steward or the programs we build — it is the collective memory of countless lives touched, moments shared, and stories written together.
When I think of the legacy of Camp du Nord, I am inspired by its humble beginnings — a summer sanctuary crafted by three teachers in 1933, at a time when their leadership in such spaces was groundbreaking. Because of their vision, they created a respite where a small community of female teachers flourished against the backdrop of lakes and trees. I can almost hear the victrola playing Bing Crosby or Louis Armstrong over Burntside Lake off the sauna deck. This legacy continues, carried forward by those who find rest and connection in its pine-covered paths.
The story of Icaghowan that intertwines beautifully with Camp Menogyn, its sister camp, rooted in the dreams of counselors who yearned for a wilderness base camp — a launch point for boundless exploration and adventure into wilderness spaces. This dream gave rise to a legacy of courage, resilience, and the enduring spirit of outdoor adventure that continues to inspire staff, campers, and alumni.
Or Camp St. Croix, which carries the weight of history, mentorship, and transformation woven into the fabric of generations who have walked its trails. Stories of train and steamboat ride first days, during a time when war was changing the face of the country and boys were expected to become men. Through this legacy, Croix became a place of mentorship and growth, guiding boys into adulthood and now creating inclusive spaces where everyone can grow, learn, lead. and play.
These stories remind us of one truth: Legacies are built together. It is the camper whose smile lingers in a counselor’s heart long after the summer ends. It is the counselor whose encouraging words spark a lifetime of confidence in a young person. It is the donor who envisions a future brighter than the present and invests in making it real.
Our camps thrive because of the unique imprints each person leaves behind. Every meal shared in a dining hall, every boundary pushed on a canoe trip, and every kind word exchanged in passing adds another thread to the rich tapestry of our shared legacy.
As we move forward, I encourage each of you to reflect on the role you play in shaping our community’s story. Whether you are a camper, a counselor, a donor, or a parent — your story matters. Together, our stories weave a legacy that endures, a gift we leave for those who come after us.
Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Let’s continue building a legacy of adventure, community, and transformation together.
With gratitude,
Michel Tigan
MICHEL TIGAN Senior Vice President of Adventure and Camp Operations
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO FILL THE BUS!
My first time going to camp started in the back of a hot, dusty yellow school bus. I traveled out of the city on what felt like an endless stretch of highway and ended at the most incredible place I could have ever imagined.
Sound familiar?
That big, stinky yellow bus was a gateway to a lifechanging experience where I learned to be myself, to be a leader, to find adventure using nothing but my imagination, to respect the outdoors, and to trust my intuition.
Here at the Y, we are on a mission to fill many buses with many kids who can take that same journey.
Summer is almost here, and we need your help to get kids on buses to camp. Will you make a gift today to the Kids to Camp fund, to help kids get to camp through the Fill the Bus Campaign?
To make a difference this summer, we need your gift by April 30th.
Partnering with you, we are on a mission to fill buses from each and every neighborhood in the Twin Cities, with kids of every background.
With your help, our camps can fully focus on our role giving kids and teens the opportunity to disconnect from their normal hustle-n’-bustle through outdoor adventure and exploration, allowing them to return to their worlds with compassion and resiliency.
Throughout the history of Y camps, we have seen the magic that unfolds when we come together in support of this mission. In 2024 alone, 1,422 individuals and families were awarded camper scholarships, made largely possible through donor support.
With the summer 2025 camp season fast approaching, we are asking this amazing community to come together again and help us fill the bus! Let’s unite in our love for the outdoors and our belief that all children should have access to these empowering programs and formative experiences. Let’s fill buses across Minnesota, sending more kids and teens on an unforgettable journey.
Fill one seat for $64, fill a bench for $108, or fill a bus for $2,048!
ADVENTURE
651 Nicollet Mall, Suite 500 Minneapolis, MN 55402
PHOTO CONTEST
We’re beginning an annual photo contest. Will yours be the 2025 winner? We’re looking for photos that tell great stories, show beautiful scenery, and express the heart of the camp experience. Photos can be both modern and historic. Top submissions will be featured in future issues, including the October 2025 magazine.
To submit your photo, send the jpeg file to lettertotheeditor@ymcamn.org.
Prizes: Your photo might be published! And the top photo in each category will receive a $100 credit to a future YMCA Adventure or Camp experience. *Restrictions apply
