On the shores of Gitche-Gumee

We have arrived at Northland College on the shores of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin. There is so much to learn about the area from its rich cultural history to the clean-up of the Superfund site. We will have a very busy last four days!

Our first order of business was to learn about the Big Lake, “Gitchee-Gumee” so we launched the voyaguer canoes and took off across the bay. Of course, our competitive juices were flowing and it became a contest. As one canoe held 10 people and the other 15, you can guess the victors! But it was a beautiful paddle and the sun began to set as we paddled home. Enjoy the pictures – the small boat is giving you a canoe salute!

View from on High

Here are some pictures of the High Ropes Challenge Course at Camp Manito-wish! We love the Flying Squirrel!

Reflections from the Porcupine Mountains

While at Camp Manito-wish, we spent 3 days backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains. Here are our thoughts:

I loved hiking through the Porkies and by Lake Superior. – Wil

My favorite part of the Porkies was watching the waves crash on the shore of Lake Superior. – Royce

I finally faced my fear of heights! – Yoselin

My favorite part was being on top of the mountain and looking at the awesome view. – Maya

I liked walking along Lake Superior and through the forest. It was really beautiful and magical. – Woody

I loved hiking and camping in a new place and seeing the different ecosystems within one place. – Emma

My best part on trail was seeing the pretty view, and on the last day eating the chocolate chip pancakes. – Da’Nell

My favorite part of the Porcupine Mountains was the view at the lookouts. – Caroline

I liked the food. – Morgan

I loved the view from the lookout point on the Porcupine Mountains before and after the fog. – Jess

I loved our trip to the Porcupine Mountains because it was an amazing experience like nothing I had ever done before. – Amanda

My favorite part of going on trail was stopping for lunch on the 2^nd day on the mountain because the view was beautiful. – Jessica

I really enjoyed getting to know everyone in my trail group more. – Missy

For I saw walking across the road a little baby black bear. It was happy and just seemed to prance across slowly unaware of danger that lurks everywhere; a rare site for it is target the hunters would prize. – Arisa

My favorite part was listening and laughing when Alyssa and Tempel sang a lullaby every night. – Maddie

I loved the view up on the Porkies. The first day was too misty to see anything up there but the next morning the mist cleared and the view was amazing. –Trenton

I had a great time hiking in the woods with my team and also learning how to be a leader. – Tempel

On the last night in the Porcupine Mountains our trail leader, Kara, said she would tackle our tent when we were sleeping… which she did. After we got it back up, we went to sleep. In the morning, I woke up to Tempel screaming and our tent was completely destroyed with the help of Maddie and Caroline. I do admit that it was hilarious. – Gilberto

Pictures from Camp Manito-wish

Preparing for camping

Hi there. My name is Alyssa Wintermute and I am one of the counselors for the three weeks here at CCL. We’ve been super busy the last couple of days, so none of the students have had the opportunity to blog about today, but we really want you to hear about all the cool things we’ve been doing here at Camp Manito-wish!

 

Today the group was really put to the test. The morning started out slow because when we got to breakfast we got hit with a big storm! This meant we were not able to leave the dining hall and had to hang out there until the storm passed. Luckily, song books were passed around, and we all got to sing along with all the summer campers. Once we left breakfast it was time to get down to business. We were split into groups and taught important trail skills. These included fire building, fire starting (without lighters or matches!), and knots/creative tarping. After lunch, they were put to the test as they had to navigate around using clues in order to receive information on how to complete their final task. After they had finished the initial tasks they were to prepare a cup of tea for the staff. This tea had to be very hot, made with limited supplies, and, of course, had to come directly from nature. It was very cool to see the three separate groups join forces and work together to prepare 3 delicious cups of tea!

 

After dinner it was time to pack. This meant we had to be fitted for equipment (rain gear, back packs, etc.) and fill up our bags with food, tents, and cooking equipment. The students were instructed on what to pack for trail and some rules that must be followed in order to leave no trace. Tomorrow morning after breakfast we head up to the Porcupine Mountains for our 3 day adventure! Everyone is very excited and will need to be well rested for the trip.

 You may not hear from us for a while, but when we return I assure you that we will let everyone know just how awesome it was!

Camp Manito-wish

I am Jessica Hoffman and the writer of today’s blog. It is Monday and we arrived at Camp Manito-wish yesterday. 

Today we played many games at Camp Manito-Wish that challenged our leadership skills. One of the challenges was where a group had to get across an area without touching the ground. There were blocks of wood on the ground that we could balance boards across so we could walk zigzag across the area. At first it seemed easy, until one person could not see, and only three people could talk (I was one of those people). I usually don’t lead in groups, but I was the one who lead the group across. We had to make multiple trips to get everyone across because the first board had to be used as the last board as well. It was difficult to balance, and I went first on the trips, as well as leading the person who was blind-folded across the boards. I learned that I can be the leader of a group, and have us succeed.

 

We also worked on becoming naturalists, by identifying certain trees and bird calls. In the morning, each of us picked a spot to sit in for awhile and just observe. There, we wrote in our journals, drew pictures, and recorded things we noticed. Then at the end of the day, we went back to that same spot and wrote/drew the things that were different about that spot since the morning. It was interesting to realize how much you can learn about nature by watching and listening. Camp Manito-Wish not only teaches us important life and leadership skills, but also challenges us with tests. One of my favorite sayings I heard here is that in school your are taught a lesson, then given a test. But at Camp Manito-Wish, you are given a test, then taught a lesson.

Day 6 Art Projects PowerPoint!

CCL Art Projects

Please enjoy some of the group’s art presentations!