Camp Voyageur

After a delicious home-cooked meal in the Mess Hall, alumni John Behnke and John Erdmann sit down with our hosts to recollect camp memories. Be sure to listen to John Burgman's original camp song at the end of the show!

Alumni Chris Smith joins us for a quick discussion on what motivates campers and counselors to seek challenge here at camp and why resilience building is inevitable in a wilderness tripping program. He also reflects on his own time at camp as a camper that worked his way up through the ranks to eventually become a counselor. Chris is an English teacher and kayaking instructor, and camp has played a large role in shaping his aspirations. We feature a song from former camper and counselor Blaise Schulten at the end of the podcast, so be sure to listen for it! You can find more of Blaise's music on his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeJTYV_76-bZVvI-zXLq3Wg

On the newest episode of Camp Voyageur’s podcast, hosts Peter Grunawalt and John Burgman chat with CV alum Blaise Schulten. Blaise was a camper in the mid-1990s and a counselor in the early 2000s. An accomplished musician, Blaise provided the veritable soundtrack for multiple Voyageur summers. He was almost never without his guitar—whether teaching campers how to play chords at the Fire Circle, jamming with other musicians on the Mess Hall stage, or writing his own bluegrass tunes in his cabin. Blaise is also a lifelong lover of the outdoors, but the transition to the more gritty aspects of the trail wasn’t necessarily an easy one for him as a teenager. On the podcast, Blaise reflects on his introduction to Camp Voyageur, and how he grew to appreciate—and crave—the challenges of wilderness camping. Other topics discussed include the overall value of the camping experience, particularly for at-risk youth, and Blaise’s favorite camp meals. And the end of the episode features Blaise playing the classic song, “Cumberland Gap” on his homemade banjo! Don’t miss it! To hear more of Blaise’s music, check out his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeJTYV_76-bZVvI-zXLq3Wg