Chippewa Leadership Training (CLT's) at Work

CLT's take their turn to create a special day activity. This year's theme is Game of Thrones. Campers anticipate a super event!

This is just the beginning. 

Camp Chippewa for Boys

Athabasca hits the trail

While the rest of camp fished the day away, the boys in Athabasca cabin drove far into the Canadian wilderness to their put-in point on the English River for what will be an amazing 11-day canoe trip.  They will encounter challenging rapids, big lakes, swarms of flies and mosquitoes, and maybe a windstorm or rain, but by the time they return to camp, they will have experienced one of Chippewa's classic trips and wear their well-earned tams with all the pride that they deserve.

Bon voyage!

 

Camp is Rolling Along

Sunday Fish-a-thon

As far as special day activities go, the Fish-a-thon is one of the best. It may not be black marlin or yellow fin tuna fishing, but the perch fishing on Buck Lake is second to none.

Boys get instructions from JP on the greatest round-up of all time. Minnows by the thousands are captured and ready to give up their lives for the cause.

Real bait. The shine of the minnow is just too tempting for Buck Lake Perch.

It's preparation time. PFD's? Check. Sun screen? Check. Hats? Hey, Christian--where's your hat? 

Boats are in position. Hooks are baited and ready for fishing.

Emiliano has a FISH! Well done!

It was an incredible day. 388 fish were caught. That set a new record. Believe it or not, some campers have never caught a fish in their lives. So many fish were being caught that the scoring system was over loaded. Way to go fishermen!

Camp Chippewa for Boys

Faces of Camp, part 2

We're almost half-way through the second session, and camp is running at full speed ahead!

 

 Good morning, Grant!

 Blake catches the camera's eye during orientation

 

Christian and the rest of Demonia cabin perform on stage for Rock Band night

 How's it going, Logan?

A little Kamaji cabin comedy

Lights, Camera, Skit Night!

It's on the stage that some of the boys truly shine!  The campers took to the lights of Knutson Hall the other night for Skit Night, and what a great night it was!

 Michael performs a great rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

 Devon fires up the crowd

 Bunkhouse cabin shows off their real-life mirror...

 ...while Demonia cabin demonstrates how to sit on an invisible bench.

 The YouTube theme proves a hit as cabin after cabin shows us their greatest "clips"

And what would clips be without comments?

Saturday Morning

Camp has many traditions, and Saturday morning is full of them.

 Time for breakfast!

 Just like every other Saturday, it's a camp favorite: bacon, eggs, and toast.

 The men won last night's Rook game, but even though the bird is wearing blue, Mary makes sure to wear pink.

 After breakfast, it's back to the cabins to clean up for General Inspection.

 Sam sweeps off the last bit of dirt from the porch on Athabasca cabin before the inspectors arrive.

And they're off!

Second Session is already into its second day, and camp is up and running at full speed.  The boys are now going through orientation and learning about each of the activities they can choose from.  Come Sunday, they'll be choosing their own schedules.

 The whole camp gathers under the trees for the opening orientation session.

 Mike explains some of the ins and outs of life at camp.

 Luke and Bernardo listen in.

 Everybody gets fitted with PFDs and paddles from the Trip House, then they're off for the start of what will be a fantastic session.

Welcome Home Campers!

Second Session Begins

Bus arrived from Minneapolis in good shape and everyone has made their cabin their home. 

Campers are welcomed with lots of high fives! 

Camp Director Mike Endres points the way to cabins for campers and their counselors. Home sweet home.

First Session comes to an end

Four weeks have flown by.  It seemed just yesterday that the bus rolled into camp and the Chippewa boys stepped off at the start of a great summer.  And what a great summer it was!  From Capture the Flag to the Churchill, this has truly been a remarkable session of Camp Chippewa.  And fresh with all the memories of Camp Chippewa, the boys are now back on the bus and making their way home.

Farewell!  We'll see you back next summer!

 

The Churchill Returns

After three weeks on the trail, several hundred miles of paddling, and rides in planes, trains, and automobiles, the men of Athabasca cabin have returned to camp.  The adventures they shared on the trail won't soon be forgotten, and the stories they'll tell will be those of challenges and of triumph.

 Loading up the float plane in Thompson

 Robert breathes life into the fire

 Scout the rapids first

 Then shoot them

 The men arrive back at Chippewa, and the whole camp comes out to welcome them home

Then they share with us some of the stories of the trail.  From shooting rapids to paddling next to beluga whales or even taking a dip in Hudson Bay, these young men have experienced something that few others ever have or will.

Welcome back, Athabasca!

The 2013 First Session Fencing Tournament

It's the second to last day of first session, and that means two things.  The first is the fencing tournament.  

Eight of Chippewa's finest fencers were selected to compete in this year's tournament, and the result was something spectacular!  The field was divided into two pools, and the top two from each pool moved on to the final round.  Advancing as the first seed from the western bracket was Miles Allen, and he took on the second seed from the eastern bracket Jake Endres.  The first semifinal, played to 7 points, looked to be a blowout when Jake went up 6 points to 1.  Within seconds Miles completely made up the gap and tied it up at 6-6.  Despite the valiant effort, however, Jake was able to secure the final point and a spot in the finals.

In the second semifinal, the first seed from the eastern bracket Augie Avery faced the surprise second seed from the western bracket Tommy Mahoney.  These two proved evenly matched throughout, and this semifinal also went to 6-6, with just one point separating either one from victory.  But it was the slightly more aggressive Augie who prevailed in the end to secure the second spot in the finals.

And so in the finals it was a match-up of the number 1 and 2 seeds from the eastern bracket: Augie Avery and Jacob Endres.  Augie started out strong from the gate, going up 8 points to 2 in the first minute of action.  After the switch of ends, however, it was Jake who took control of the bout.  The gap narrowed as they reached the goal of 15 points, and once again both players arrived at a tie at 14-14--each only one point away from claiming the title of champion.  With a successful defense against a quick fleche attack, Augie Avery scored the final touch and became the 2013 First Session Fencing Tournament Champion.  Congratulations, Augie!

 Tommy Mahoney lunges at Grant Auer

 Both fencers vie for right-of-way to earn a point

 Preparing for the final bout

 Augie becomes the most recent name added to the Camp Chippewa Fencing Trophy.

Camp Thoughts by Luke Bryson

Homesick & Campsick

            Hi, I know you have already sent your son or sons, or you may be getting ready to send your boy to Camp Chippewa.  Camp Chippewa is incredible.  I consider it my third home (not counting the baseball field or In-N-Out Burger).  First is my house, second is my grandparent’s house, and third: Chippewa.  This magical place that seems to be lost in time, has become my greatest experience I have ever had in my ten years.  I feel that everything that happens at camp helps shape a personality.  My first year, last year, I brought two friends to camp, but I couldn’t spend every single second every single day with them, though I did get to spend a bunch of time with them.  So, to make sure that I always had a friend, I tried to befriend everyone I could, so no mater which activity I was doing, I always could do it with at least one friend.  I ended up with a lot of friends at camp that I can’t wait to see this year.  I think a lot of them will be lifelong pals.

            Going to this camp had me learn things about me that even I didn’t know; like that I could water ski.  I felt like giving up at first, but the counselor driving the boat gave me encouraging tips and cheers that made me want to go on.  I kept practicing, and I eventually got the hang of it.  It not only taught me patience but it taught me to not give up, and that if you really try hard, you can do it.

            There was one hard thing though, homesickness.  I still think that it is good for me though because it makes me tougher and braver to go through that.  I didn’t know that I could get homesick.  But it was mainly just when I read letters from home.  I really only got homesick when I thought about it.  All the other time I was out doing activities.  I have so much fun, that I forget about being homesick.  When I was down or homesick my friends made me laugh and cheered me up.  When my friends were down, I would make them laugh and cheer them up, it matched perfectly.

            One of my favorite things at camp is the special days where it’s capture the flag, pirate day, scavenger hunt or something like that.  I have had a lot of fun sharing my adventures with my parents, little brother, big brother, friends or even grandparents.  I think adults would love laughing about funny things, or listening intently to intense fun camp adventures.  Camp Chippewa has definitely changed my point of view of life, in a good way.  I’m about to go to camp in two weeks, and I think I might get homesick, but about three days after I get home I know I’ll be campsick.

Luke P. Bryson

July 3, 2013

Luke is Front row right

Images from the Quetico

They're back!  As first session begins to wind down, the Canadian trippers roll back into camp, fresh from the wilderness with bright new tams upon their heads.  They have plenty of stories to tell and lots of adventures to share, and they won't soon forget the fun they had on the trail.

Along with all of the stories that the trippers can tell, here are some of the images from Olson cabin's Quetico.

 Catching a quick rest on Pickerel Lake

When the wind dies down, the lakes turn to glass.

 

 The crew works together to carry a canoe across the portage.

 Davis proves himself an excellent baker.

Tommy looks out at the final sunset on the trail.

 The proud young men of Olson cabin

Caught being a Camper

 Here are a few moments of boys doing what campers do.

Hank W. is able to walk on water? 

Henry in the bow and Jake in the stern make a great team. Here they are completing one leg of their Mississippi River trip. 3 days and 2 nights. They'll be ready in a few years for their Dress Gordon Tam.

Sandford Lake trip gives their trip report. It looks like Gandalf has found some Hobbits from Scotland.