Enjoy a Wilderness Adventure

  In 1951, before Laketrails had it's first campers, the Laketrails Idea began to take form.  The Laketrails Idea: A Vision Quest and a Way of Life, is the foundational document of the camp.  There are 12 different parts to this document, today's focus is "Enjoy a Wilderness Adventure."

 Adventure is the best single word that describes the Laketrails program of activities, especially the canoe trip.  A canoe trip is an adventure in exploring, navigating, learning to tame a canoe, becoming aware of wild animals and fascinating birds, learning to fish, build a fire, cook a meal on the shore, and to open one's vision to the beauty and wonder of the world.  Adventure means learning new things, making new friends, seeing new country, and building a new vision for the future.  A big part of the adventure is learning to discover oneself better and to enjoy the success of accepting and succeeding in a new and real challenge, a challenge in new skills new knowledge, new relationships, and possibly new freedom to be oneself.  The adventure may be a new hope for living and a deeper faith in the goodness and beauty of life itself.

You Can Tell a Girl From Laketrails...

   In 1954, Laketrails Girls Camp began on Blackbird Island with the Sisters of St. Joseph as senior staff.  This summer session was sometimes referred to as,  "Baketrails Lace Camp."  The next summer, the girls were moved to Base Camp on Oak Point. They quickly proved they were able to handle the wilderness and canoe trips as well as the boys.




         As the song goes..."You can tell her by her manners,  By her appetite and such,  You can tell a girl from Laketrails,  But you cannot tell her much!"

Laketrails - it's a family thing!

After almost 60 years, Laketrails has become family to many people.  It was really a "family event" during our Middle School session this summer.  We had several second and third generation campers and staff on the island.  Families represented were:  Ditzler,  Doyle,  Flicker, Harren,  Krantz,  Lindell,  Lindquist,  Magnan,  McGarry,  McKeever, McLeod,  Miller,  Odendahl,  Thibert and Wollack.   Of course, there are scores of other families that have also sent their children and grandchildren to experience the wonders of Laketrails throughout the years!

First Campers

Where did the first campers come from? 
  Mostly from Crookston, but a few from here and there.  I advertised in our Northland Diocese that we were starting this camp for teenagers.  I had almost a year to work on this stuff.  Of course, we only had 48 kids the first summer, and not all at the same time.