Camp Widjiwagan

Camp Widjiwagan is a YMCA camp based on Lake Burntside near Ely, Minnesota.

Mission

The mission of Camp Widjiwagan is "to develop, in young people, respect for self, community, and the environment, through wilderness adventure and environmental education." [http://www.widji.org/mission.htm] Although the Camp is under the purview of the YMCA the focus is not on religion, but instead on wilderness adventure.

History

Camp Widjiwagan was founded in 1929 by Julian Kirby, with the permission of the YMCA as an all-boys wilderness camp. In 1947, it held its first sessions for girls as well. It has, over the course of its existence, gained national recognition for its excellent canoeing and backpacking programs, as well as developed a strong Environmental Education Program, started in 1973.

When the YMCA purchased Camp Du Nord in 1961 and Camp Northland in 1981, Camp Widjiwagan helped set them up as YMCA centers on Burntside Lake.

Wilderness Adventure Trips

The wilderness trips are organized as single sex canoe trips, usually consisting of five campers and a counselor with the exception of the first trip, which is normally 4 campers and 2 counselors. Campers start attending when they are 12 or 13. Trips gradually increase in length and difficulty; the first trips (entitled "Intro" trips) last around 10 days and rarely venture outside of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness while the final trip (entitled "Voyageur" trips) lasts around 45 days and involves travel to Nunavut or Alaska and often go north of the Arctic Circle. Trips in between travel to Quetico Provincial Park and the Crownlands in Canada.

In 1972, a parallel backpacking program was started. Backpacking trips are similar to the canoeing trips, except that time spent on trail is typically 2-3 days shorter, due to the need for travel days to and from camp. Backpacking trips take place in the mountain ranges of Isle Royale, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska.

Environmental Education

Camp Widjiwagan also has an Environmental Education Program during the fall, winter and spring seasons. This program, started in 1973, allows schools to send up groups of students to the camp for a week. During this week, campers undergo some basic environmental education, including studying wilderness survival, plant and tree identification, basic hiking skills, and more. During the winter months, classes include animal tracking, the night sky, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

Notable alumni/staff/friends

Ann Bancroft

Joe Seliga

Coleman Laffoon

Other Camps with the same name

* [http://www.girlscoutsllc.org/camp/camp.htm Camp Widjiwagan] located on Lake Springfield in Springfield, Illinois, used primarily by girl scouts
* [http://www.ymcacampwidjiwagan.org YMCA Camp Widjiwagan] located on Percy Priest Lake in Nashville, Tennessee

ee also

*YMCA

References

* Jerry Stelmok: "The Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga", MBI Pub. Co., 2003 (ISBN 0-7603-1241-9) — has a major section on Camp Widjiwagan

External links

*http://www.widji.org
*http://www.ymca.net