I was a Chippewa at Camp Mishawaka!
When I was younger, I used to spend my summers here in Northern Minnesota on the shores of Lake Pokegama. This summer camp has been a family tradition, as my uncle also attended.
This camp is a boys camp, but there's also a girls camp down the road. It was here that I learned how to fish, canoe, swim, hike, and be a boy! Attendees stay in cabins by the lake, eat in the mess hall, live most of their summer without electricity or showers. It's a great time! I got to attend with boys from around the world- this isn't just some local camp. The campers came from as far as Spain, Russia and Mexico to attend! The camp counselors were advocates for us, and were more like one of the boys than an authority figure. Our camp counselors even took us out of the country to Canada for a week long camping, hiking and canoeing trip. It seems so strange now to skip the country like that at such a young age, I guess times are different.
The campers are divided into Indian Tribes for competitions, with a winner chosen on the last week of camp. They have a track meet, a swim meet, and of course the battle royale, capture the flag! So much fun. read more