Photos from Second Session I

Capture the Flag Part 2

Capture the Flag Part 1

The Bus Rolls In....

...the spaghetti is served, and Sam Ch. wins the first scatterball game of the session. Second session is underway and all is quiet after TAPS. A perfect start!

The Big Finish...

....of 1st session. What's happening in the last 60 hours? Riflery Tournament, Fencing Tournament, Cass Lake Sail Trip, Canadian canoe trip reports, Counselor Hunt, European Cup Soccer, Awards Ceremony, Chippewa Triathlon, Trap Shooting contest, Banquet and Campfire. Whew! Last two days, here we come!

PS- Hey second session campers....pack your bags!

The Musical Men of Muir Triumphantly Return!

Adventure, tradition, character. All three in abundance on the Gammon River. Our trip was an epic odyssey from Red Lake to Lake Winnipeg, with more rapids, portages, and high adventure than you can shake a stick at. Upon our arrival back to camp we exited the van sporting our beautiful new Lindsay Tams, to be greeted with handshakes from old friends and counselors, and the wide eyed wonder of the young campers as they heard the tales of our adventures on the trail. After that, we headed down to Knutson Hall, to engorge ourselves on a spectacular Sunday lunch of pork, mashed potatoes, fried zucchini, and to top it off, we all ate ice cream sundaes of biblical proportions. We had an unbelievable trip and were welcomed back with open arms.

-posted by campers Alex Haft and Spencer Dillon

The Chippewa Regatta

Our friends from Camp Kamaji are joining us today for a friendly regatta. Sailing, archery and tennis are on the schedule. It's a beautiful day for some friendly competition! (The Chippewa teams are listed below the photos.)

Sailing Team : Spencer D., Spencer O, Henry M., Will M., Jondall N., James W., Alex K., Carter O.

Tennis Team : Lars F., Magnus F., Miles A., Paul M., Paul R., Jake E.

Archery Team : Channing C., Joe H.W., Max T., Zylon A., Christian M., Byron A., Bryer T., Ben K.

Chippewa in the News

The local newspaper, Bemidji Pioneer Press, recently interviewed JP and me, along with Mike and Kathy Jay at Camp Kamaji, about our camps. It's a fun article so take a look!

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/article/id/100029922/

A First View of Trap Shooting

Update from 1st Session

What a fantastic week we've had! While camp has shrunk with so many canoe trips, fish trips and sail trips scattered through the northwoods, many are now beginning to return with wonderful highlights. Among them, the Apostle Island sail trip shared stories of adventure aboard the 38-foot Dragonfly on Lake Superior. The crew had excellent sailing winds, explored the caves and tunnels of Devil's Island and watched the fireworks of the 4th of July from the deck of their vessel. James W., Augie A., Magnus F., Spencer O., and Jordan L. made this their first voyage under sail with Chippewa.

As I type this note, the shots from our new trap shooting program can be heard echoing through the forest. It's exciting to bring in new activities that reinforce the camping philosophy and program and provide unique opportunities for the boys. I'm excited to hear the full report from the "potato patch" after lunch!

It looks like our weather has finally broken. The last several days have provided shining blue and cloudless skies. As we sneak up to the final week of camp, we'll welcome home Muir, Marshall and Manitou cabins from their Canadian canoe trips down the Gammon, Sanford and Eagle Rock respectively. We will also be looking for the Athabascans to return from their trip to Hudson Bay, navigating the North Knife River for 19 days in remote northern Manitoba. This is true adventure and this is truly camping!

More soon......

Posted by MKT

1st Session Photos V

Cliff jumping at Hook Island

Kaleb G. shoots for his Bowman

Zylon A. at full draw

Bradley S. arrived to camp late, but jumped right in!

Off to Cedar Island

There's nothing like a trip across Cass Lake to Cedar Island's sand bar!

Happy 4th of July from Camp Chippewa!

Goodbye, Badger Campers!

Hi! I am Andrew B. I am a camper at Camp Chippewa. I am very sad to leave camp today. Next year I will be a four-weeker! We did archery, riflery, swam and also, if you are a two-weeker, you get to camp on Star Island, play tennis and table tennis. You will always have a great counselor. You get to have lots of fun with Skit Night, have grilled cheese and you get to make a lot of friends too.

Post by Andrew B., two-week camper from Tulsa

1st Session Photos IV

A Logger's Tale

The hushed-quiet of a traditional silent breakfast with Paul Bunyan-sized pancakes was broken by the sound of two chainsaws this morning as we prepare for Paul Bunyan Day. It is truly the year of the lumberjack at Chippewa. It should be an exciting afternoon of log tosses, match splitting and a few other surprises.

The time is flying at camp! Our two-week campers head home on Saturday, but not before the annual Black Tie Dinner and a shadow puppet play on Friday evening. The week has been a busy one for all of the campers as the Trip House was buzzing. Sooner cabin returned from a 3 day trip down the Crow Wing, Demonia cabin is fishing at Hook Island in Canada and Muir and Marshall are exploring the canoe trails of Ontario. Later this week, our sailors head to the Apostle Islands and more local trips will come and go down the Mississippi or across Cass Lake to Star Island. Undoubtedly, those evenings around the campfire will provide some of the most exciting memories of camp.

It looks like the rain has finally given way to a few days of sunshine, so everyone is thrilled about the blue skies. Despite the rain, the activities have been running on all cylinders. Just a little bit of random news of interest around camp which demonstrates the point : Henry M. shot a perfect 50 on the rifle range. Wow! Chippong has grabbed the imagination of the table tennis enthusiasts (details best left for an evening at home), Olson cabin garnered Honor Cabin for the first week with the coveted green paddle now hanging in the window, Badger and Bunkhouse cabin had their first spin tubing behind the Beluga last night with Jake S. a highlight with airborne antics and Christian M. and Nicolas M. were top fisherman with Sam during quick fish trip to Moose Lake yesterday.

More adventure means more news ahead.....

MKT

1st Session Photos III

Spot on the North Knife

View North Knife 2011 in a larger map

1st Session Photos II

I Can See Clearly Now....

The rain is gone and the sun is shining! I just arrived in Cass Lake after missing the first part of camp. It's a bit unusual for me to arrive late, since I've been here for the past 10 years to start the summer. So, I didn't really know what to expect, but I should have. Everything was how it has always been. Rounds being fired, arrows hitting the gold, and JP could be heard on the tennis court from the Ivy Bowl down to Buck Lake.

Upon arrival, the rain that had been present for the past three days stopped! In spite of the rain, activity orientation carried on and the counselors have the guys off to a fantastic start. All of the campers have taken the swim test, and some have even passed their water ski test! Ranks are starting to be passed down on the Rifle and Archery ranges and the report from the Sail Shanty is that camp may have some new First Mates to take the helm of the Chippewa fleet. The men of the Athabasca are on their way down the North Knife to the Bay with the hopes of paddling with Beluga whales. Camp is buzzing and moving full speed ahead!

Last night, the stage became The House of Rock! The Airband competition was a crowd favorite and hilarious! The boys from Kamaji cabin were crowned champions with their rendition of Queen. Nice work Jack, Ian, Max, Josh, Andrew, and Philip!

Your Chippewa update from John Olson

1st Session Photos I

The guys from Muir cabin with a song and dance.

Hank wins the Lumberjack challenge for early enrollment by lighting the match!

Happy Birthday Jordan!

First fish of the summer.

Dip time....

...then Taps. All is right with the world.

Summer 76 has arrived.

The Chippewa Staff is Ready!

Only Two Days to Go...

...and the summer will be here! Don't forget those moustaches, old timers!

A Well-Worn Tradition

The tradition begins in less than a week!

A Sight to See

And he may be headed your way. A Minnesota man is paddling the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca to Minneapolis....standing up on a paddle board. The local newspaper had an article last week and he came through Cass Lake shortly after the report. I get tired just looking at him, but what a great adventure. To date, I now count a paddleboarder, canoeists, kayakers (including some of our counselors), a swimmer and even a man on an inflatable tube descending the Mississippi from the headwaters to Minneapolis or beyond. I wonder what's next.

New Activity for 2011

The rumors are true! I would like to officially announce that Trap Shooting will become regular activity at camp this summer. Awesome!

The program will be headquartered at a rarely used site in camp near the old clay pit and will be open to all campers who have earned at least their Sharpshooter in riflery and are at least 12 years old. You can expect 20 and 12 gauge shotguns and ranks that are similar to riflery. It's gonna be great!

So get excited! It isn't too often that we add a new activity to camp, but we think that trap is an exciting addition and is consistent with Chippewa philosophy. Watch for more details in the new couple of weeks before camp starts. It's another reason to join the summer 76....I wonder who will earn the first ever rank?

Headed North to Camp

The Tulsa office and Chippewa HQ is packed and ready for departure. Moby and I will be heading out tomorrow, arriving camp on Thursday. Natalie and Logan will join the fray for the month of July!

If you have an urgent question in the next day or two, please contact me on my cell phone. Otherwise, the best way to reach me is to call the camp line, 218-335-8807.

Summer 76 is here!

A New Look at Camp Chippewa!

In case you missed our release earlier this month!

A New Look at Camp Chippewa!

Camp Quotations – Charles Eliot

I thought this was kind of cool from the President of Harvard in the '20s, Charles Eliot.

"I have a conviction that a few weeks spent in a well organized summer camp may be of more value educationally than a whole year of formal school work."

Right on, brother! BY the way, I found it here:
Camp Quotations – Charles Eliot Summer Camp Culture

New Canoes A'Comin'

Last summer, we sent Nova Craft canoes on a test-run to the Arctic. What came back were resounding positive remarks about the canoes. The result : we have ordered three more Nova Craft Prospector canoes.

Chippewa voyageurs have even more to be excited about! Check them out here!

Camping Loses An Advocate

Once again I share sad news from the camping industry. Brad Schwartz, Director of Banner Day Camp, passed away on Saturday morning. Brad was a second generation camp director and I am proud to say that he was a friend and a fond supporter of Camp Chippewa.

Brad was passionate about providing summer camp opportunities for all kids, regardless of their socio-economic background. In an effort to provide this to underserved and deserving children, he co-founded SCOPE Midwest (Summer Camp Opportunities Provide an Edge). SCOPE is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children in need by funding not-for-profit resident camps with “camperships” that offer the benefits of a safe, well-supervised and enriching summer camp experience. A few weeks ago, SCOPE honored Brad with the Lifetime Achievement in Camping Award for his years of dedication and commitment to the camping industry.

On behalf of the Camp Chippewa family, we send our condolences to the Schwartz family and the entire Banner Day Camp extended family.

Free Shipping at Lands End

Today is the last day to score free shipping from Lands End on the Camp Chippewa Land's End site. Be sure to use code FSCAMPW!

Shopping for Camp?

Well, we've just made it a bit easier to get ready for camp. Camp Chippewa and Lands End have teamed up to make shopping for camp a bit more convenient. From blankets to duffel bags, fleece jackets to swimsuits, you'll find almost all of our equipment list at Chippewa's new Lands End page. You can even add Chippewa logos to some of the items. Mom and dad might just want to add a Chippewa polo shirt to the shopping bag.

Check it out now!