Sam Endres has spent his summers at Camp Chippewa since 2002. He is the Camp Director, following in the footsteps of his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. The “Right” Recipe Some parents are very concerned with what their children do. I have written that sentence to carry some negative connotation, which is not totally fair. A parent prioritizing what their child does makes perfect sense. What are the things these parents want their children to do? Make friends. Play lacrosse....
15 days ago • 3 min read
Sam Endres has spent his summers at Camp Chippewa since 2002. He is now the Camp Director, following in the footsteps of his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. A Blown Tire “Sam, you might want to take a look at the trailer tire.” I glanced toward the voice coming from the back row of the 15-passenger van. Then I glanced out the rearview mirror at the canoe trailer. Sure enough, smoke was rising from where the trailer wheel, now completely rubber-free, was being pulled down the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
This edition’s writer has spent nearly 70 summers at Camp Chippewa. As a camper, counselor, and director, Mike Endres knows Camp Chippewa better than anyone not named JP. In his first summer as Director Emeritus, Mike has enjoyed teaching riflery, driving the ski boat, and pitching in as a jack-of-all-trades. Of course, his “Rise n Shine” call is still the best option for rousing campers on windy mornings. — “Life is good to those who know how to live. I do not ever hope to accumulate great...
3 months ago • 3 min read
I hadn’t worn a Camp Chippewa staff shirt since 2012. Fourteen years is a long time. Long enough for careers to change, families to grow, and life to take you in directions you never imagined. Yet as I drove back through the gates this summer, it felt as though I’d never really left; the haunting call of the loon drifting across Cass Lake. The familiar cry of “Rise and Shine” echoing through the pines. Taps signaling the close of another unforgettable day. The smell of the Trip House. Even...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Since May, when Sam first asked me to contribute to True North, I have tried to coherently put into writing what Chippewa means to me. I have struggled to do so. You see, I was never a camper and, if I am being honest, for my first few years on staff I did not truly appreciate the Chippewa mission. To paraphrase one of my geographically challenged campers on his first Canadian canoe trip, I could not see how a “Silly Swedish Hat” helped to build character. That was a long time ago. It was a...
3 months ago • 2 min read
We as humans are incurably curious. Whether there is a storm brewing, a traffic accident, or a big, fluffy dog, we will gaze out of our windows with great curiosity. However, if there is one thing that we love even more than looking out of a window, it is looking into one. We try to learn the secrets of other people’s lives by peering into shop windows, judging the cluttered interior of a stranger’s car in the parking lot, or watching people sweating it out on a treadmill behind the glass of...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Like most important moments at Camp Chippewa, a boy's last summer as a camper is marked by a rite of passage. For as many as ten summers at camp, he has launched his canoe from shore, venturing on a greater adventure each year. Now, before he begins his senior year of high school, he and his cabinmates will embark on a journey far to the north, paddling a waterway with deep historical ties to the voyageurs and first peoples before them. After being flown by floatplane to a wilderness lake,...
4 months ago • 3 min read
6:00 am. The alarm sounds, and I reach over to silence it. Before I even open my eyes, my mind begins to churn with all the tasks for the day ahead of me. I think through each meal and its many components: “Did I get the bread out of the freezer?” “Has the meat been thawed?” “Oh yes, I need to communicate with that trip leader and ask if he needs a frozen dinner for the first night of their trip.” I enter the kitchen and almost methodically open the various windows and doors and turn on the...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Camp Chippewa is special for more reasons than one can describe in a few paragraphs. In the shortest form, camp’s mission is focused around adventure, tradition, and character. They sum up camp beautifully. But I often feel a vital aspect is missing from that phrase. Adventure is found in every paddle stroke, every campfire, every morning dip, every arrow that finds its mark. Tradition flows from morning table grace songs to coveted tams earned, to Taps played each evening before lights out....
4 months ago • 2 min read
Sometimes I go online and look at camp websites. Wow, some are flashy. Waterslides. Horseback riding. Zip-lines. When I look at camps in Upstate New York and Maine, I wade through glitzy websites showing kids having lots of fun in extravagant ways. The recipe initially makes some sense; better toys should equal more fun. But, as we all know, the value of camp is far simpler than wake surfing behind a million-dollar boat. The other night, I was reminded about what’s most important at camp (and...
4 months ago • 2 min read