Spring/Summer 2013 - YMCA Camp Manitou

For those who love Camp Manitou and its Mission...
To create lasting friendships and unforgettable memories
X Eau Claire Camp Manitou X
Spring/Summer 2013
Page 1
what’s inside...
Page 1
X Director’s Thoughts
X 2013 Camp Apparel Day Photos
Page 2
X Adventure Awaits on the Brule
X Experience the Peshtigo this Summer
X Images of Manitou’s Past
Page 3
X Lessons Learned at Camp
X West Marine Grant
X New Tent Site
X Camp Wabi Success
Page 4
X 2013 Camp Sessions
Camp Committee Members
Paula Caucutt Sam Seymour
Dave Farr
Tom Stolp
Athena Moseler Greg Tolander
Len Seyberth
Camp Staff
Carol Fahrenkrog-Camp Director
Brian Moore-Assistant Director
Jeremy Cowell-Facility Director
Jen Zwicky-Camp Registrar
director’s thoughts...
Dear Friends of Manitou,
Well, we can definitely say that this has been a crazy spring up north! Record spring snowfall, 18 inches of ice on the
lake for opening fishing weekend, and a heavy snow on May 2nd that unfortunately brought down branches and split
some of our beautiful pines created havoc with our traditional springtime plans. Jeremy Cowell, our Facility Director, is
fast at work playing catch up and enjoying the use of our new tractor and all its abilities to get camp ready for the 2013
camping season!
As you read through this newsletter, you will see that we have had a lot of support given to Manitou in recent months -
our Christmas at the Lodge fundraising efforts were at an all-time high and grants were written and accepted with gifts
going toward new restoration projects and remote camping upgrades. Additionally, a grant was recently submitted for
a promising new waterfront program at camp – stand-up paddleboarding. These boards are a fabulous new way to
work on your core strength while observing all the natural beauty that Long Lake has to offer. We are hoping to add this
exciting new program to our waterfront this season and can’t wait to share pictures with you.
New building hopes are underway for a new 40’ x 90’ maintenance shed that will have 2/3 cold storage and 1/3 heated
storage and workspace. Unfortunately, we have outgrown our current shed and this new building would allow for our
large boats to be stored in the winter, more storage capacity, and much-needed year-round workspace. This large project
is only in its beginning stages right now, but if you have an interest in supporting this project, please don’t hesitate to call.
We are proud to share our offseason success – Brian Moore, our Assistant Camp Director, has a well-booked spring and
fall ahead of him. Rental groups started coming up to camp in wintery May and will continue coming until the end of October. We are
hosting multiple school groups, family gatherings, and UWEC groups, in addition to a birthday celebration for Pat Andress which had guests attend from
around the United States and an upcoming wedding planned for 2014. Sharing Camp Manitou with all of these exceptional individuals is a pleasure and
we are thankful that they love Manitou as much as we do.
As we approach our five weeks of Main Camp, two weeks of Mini Camp, two weeks of Teen Week, seven weeks of Adventure Camp, Sailing Camp, Manitou
Music Week, Water Ski Camp, USA Football FUNdamentals Camp, and Family Camp, I pray for our campers’ long summer days, brilliant starry nights, cozy
campfires and endless songs, laughter with new friends, many Long Lake dips, the thrill of the a sailboat ride, discovery of nature, and the dream of
more to come.
We thank all of you for your good wishes and we at Manitou promise to carry out our mission, goals, values and traditions to the fullest.
Here’s to another fabulous summer of Manitou memories. Cheers!
Very truly yours,
Carol Fahrenkrog, Camp Director
2013 Camp Apparel Day Photos
Top: Winner Carly and Mackenzey
Middle: Staff Winner Briana
Bottom: Bottom: Runner-Up!
Camp alumni Erik Fisher’s son
Manitou: Building leadership & character through
the appreciation of nature….The tradition continues!

Page 2
adventure awaits on the brule
Long before French explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur Du Lhut traveled up its tanninstained
waters to its headwaters near Lake St. Croix, the Bois Brule River served as
an important trade and travel route for American Indians from the early woodland
people to the Ojibwa. After serving French trappers and Jesuit missionaries as a
reliable method of transportation to the Mississippi River and the American interior,
the river soon found its waters burdened with soil, eroded from the great timber
harvests of the 19th century. Demonstrating the extraordinary resolve of nature,
the Brule has since become one of the world’s foremost fisheries, noted for its giant
steelhead, which make their annual run up the river’s rocky bottoms every spring
to spawn before returning to their Lake Superior home. This feature of the Brule is
perhaps its most noted, for located on the river’s southern end is the Cedar Island
Lodge, a fully restored cedar cottage and boathouse which former President and
avid fly fisherman Calvin Coolidge kept as his summer White House (despite much
public scrutiny). Today, the Brule’s 44 miles falls more than 418 feet in elevation over
relict granite outcroppings left over from the Precambrian Superior Rift Valley to its
mouth at Lake Superior.
Every year, ‘trippers’ from Camp Manitou travel the length of the river in loaded
canoes, much in the spirit of the river’s early travelers. Running class II rapids,
portaging through cedar swamps, and trying their hand at catching an elusive
steelhead are everyday elements of these wilderness travelers’ agendas. Each day
begins with a voyageur breakfast of bacon and eggs, always cooked over the fire
with cast iron. After taking down camp at one of the river’s three campsites, the
boats are loaded for a day on the water. Winding their way through narrow sprucecovered
banks and avoiding ancient boulders, the travelers work to keep their boats
upright – though a capsize is often a much needed relief after a day in the sun.
As evening approaches, the trippers find their way off the river and make camp.
The central place of any campsite is the fire ring, and those on the Brule are no
exception. As trippers surround the warmth to cook their dinner and partake in the
voyageur’s greatest pastime, storytelling, they may find themselves looking into the
flames and hearing the ancient, untold stories of past travelers. As the flames die
down, the trippers retreat to their tents and cocoon themselves in their sleeping
bags. They will go to sleep to the lulling sounds of rolling rocks in the streambed
down below to be only wakened by the midnight howl of a Wisconsin timber wolf
and ready for another day on the historic and rugged Brule River. -Tyler Peterka
experience the peshtigo this summer
This season, camp is offering a new adventure
trip on the Peshtigo River. This trip will combine
calm water river canoeing and whitewater
rafting on some of the finest class III rapids
in the Midwest.
images of manitou’s past
If you follow Camp Manitou on Facebook, you’ve probably seen our daily camper quotes
and photos that we’ve been posting since last year. Recently, we have been displaying
old photos (1940s-1960s) that we’ve found in our archives. Not only are these pictures
really cool to look at, but we’ve also heard some pretty amazing stories as a result. For
example, Liz Wiechert wrote the following as a comment on one of the the photos:
“I love these ‘vintage’ pictures.
Years ago, my niece sent me a
postcard from Manitou. What she
didn’t know was that the vintage
postcard she picked to send to
me had my dad (& her grandpa)
on the front. She only picked
it because she thought the
picture was cool. My dad died
when I was a girl, so it was pretty cool to get a
picture of him in the mail from long long ago. Now, whenever I see these
old Manitou pictures, I always scan them to see if his young face is staring back!! :)”
We think that Liz’s story is amazing! Do you have relatives who attended or worked
at Camp Manitou 50, 60, 70 years ago? If you get a chance, check out the photos
we’ve been posting and see if you recognize anyone...you never know! While you’re
at it, take a chance to “Like” us on Facebook in order to get all of our updates!
Do you have old photos or stories? Send them our way so we
can put them in our archives and share them with others!
Celebrating Fun!

Page 3
lessons learned at camp:
the value of place
This story was a struggle for me to write, as I wanted to encompass all of the diverse perspectives
I have on camp: my friendships and family bonds that have been nurtured by my experiences
at camp well past my direct experiences there, the students I see every day in and out of my
classroom who are or have gained responsibility and life lessons from their experiences at Manitou,
and the graciousness and countenance it can provide to an individual. It is impossible to put into
words, but I think I can boil it down to one simple statement. My eight summer weeks at Camp
Manitou were a learning experience. Through all of the camp games and campfires, the songs sung
and meal graces given, there was an inherent lesson to be learned.
The first anecdote that comes to my mind is the first time I was ever thrown in the lake. My
counselor and good friend, Shawn, had to draw the line on the battle ball court when my ten-yearold
self decided that it was a good idea to wipe his dirt-caked hands off on his counselor’s shirt
even though Shawn had clearly directed me not to. I was promptly escorted to the dock, where I
was playfully tossed in by Shawn. Of course, he had known me since well before my camp days and
that I could hold my own in the water, but I clearly remember thinking to myself, “Ok, now I’ve gone
too far.” From this experience, I understood that I needed to perceive limitations in situations, and,
like Newton, gleaned that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
I also learned about caring for family in times of need. My brother was and still is a person who
values and has a strong connection to home. This value was embodied in his homesickness the
year he went to camp with me. It was a time that I knew my brother needed me, but it was also a
time when I saw my parents’ compassion for their children. They had prepared letters to send to my
brother the whole week he was there in advance so that a letter arrived every day during his stay
at Manitou. He made it through the week and continues to push himself outside of his box every
day in his early adulthood. This illustrates the power of the many first experiences one has at camp.
I gained an understanding of the transcendental power of nature and spirituality in my time at
camp. I experienced my first sweat lodge during one summer, I learned to respect history through
stories told in the chapel, and I learned that there was an inherent good stoked within all of the
souls I encountered throughout the summers there. I remember the first time that I saw canoes
lit by handheld torches crossing the calming tides of Long Lake and the wonder I gained through
thinking about the past of Wisconsin for one of the first times in my life.
Lastly, I found an understanding of the importance of community and belonging during my tenure at
Manitou. Many of the friends who have made me who I am today and impacted my life in ways that are
indescribable (Colin, Shawn, Jon, Sarah, Brian, Josh, etc.) are all people whose friendships I’ve fostered
through a connection to this place. It is in this community that people learn to become themselves, to
truly experience the world in a way that is meaningful and substantial. The ultimate lesson I learned
at camp was to better appreciate the way our lives intertwine, the fact that we are connected to the
places we encounter for the rest of our lives, and that a place like Camp Manitou, in all its holistic beauty,
is something that is always worthy of being sought out. -Brendon Hertz
Embracing Friendship!
west marine grant
Camp Manitou is once again a recipient
of the West Marine Youth Boating
Grant. Boating supply store West
Marine granted us $750 of store credit
to be used as needed. The funds will
go towards new life jackets and
replacement parts for sailboats.
new tent site
camp wabi success
Camp Wabi has been a rewarding
camp and has embraced our
mission and Mayo Clinic Health
System’s mission to their fullest.
During our three camp reunions
this year, we have seen healthy
lifestyle miracles and are ready
to create more during this
third year of Wabi.
The John and Betsy Kell Family Fund and the
Robert R. Southard Memorial Fund of the Eau
Claire Community Foundation gave a total of
$3300 to fulfill a grant request for camping
gear. This gift will allow us to expand our offsite
tent camping opportunities at camp.We
will now have a third site on camp property
where cabin groups can go for an overnight trip.
Donations are essential to the operations of Camp Manitou and we are
extremely thankful to those of you who are able to donate at any level.
Below is a list of items that are current needs - thank you for your consideration!
$600: Stand-up paddleboard (each) | $1,000: Archery shed
$15,000: South end electric & trip shed re-siding
Priceless: 40’ x 90’ maintenance building
Donate: Suburban or similar type of vehicle

X Eau Claire YMCA Camp Manitou X
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 198
Eau Claire, WI
27960 137th Street, New Auburn, WI 54757
Phone: 715.967.2126
Fax: 715.967.2161
Direct: 715.839.4607
Email: camp@eauclaireymca.org
Eau Claire YMCA
700 Graham Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54701
Check out our website at:
www.ycampmanitou.org.
X Here’s what’s happening at Manitou for the 2013 Season X
2013 Summer Camps
Session 1, Girls Teen Leadership Week,
& Manitou Music Week...............................6/16-6/22
USA Football FUNdamentals Camp..............6/16-6/19
Mini Session 2A..............................................6/18-6/22
Session 3 & Boys Teen Leadership Week......6/23-6/29
Mini Session 2B..............................................6/25-6/29
Session 4 & Sailing Camp................................6/30-7/6
Teen Week Session 1........................................7/7-7/13
Session 5.........................................................7/14-7/20
Teen Week Session 2......................................7/21-7/27
Session 6...........................................................7/28-8/3
Camp Wabi.......................................................8/4-8/16
2013 Teen Adventure Camps
Peshtigo River Canoe Trip..............................6/16-6/22
Brule Canoe Trip.............................................6/23-6/29
Extreme Camp..................................................6/30-7/6
Apostle Islands Sailing Trip..............................7/7-7/13
Apostle Islands Sea Kayaking Trip.................7/14-7/20
Boundary Waters Canoe Trip.........................7/21-7/27
Isle Royale Backpacking Trip...........................7/28-8/3
2013 specialty programs
Family Camp.......................................................6/7-6/9
Women’s Wellness Camp...............................8/17-8/20
Fall Camp....................................................10/12-10/14
X Manitou’s Mission X
Camp Manitou is a safe, natural, faith-based environment devoted to
providing youth with new and fun experiences to develop self expression and friendships
while strengthening one’s Mind, Body and Spirit.