Songs of the Paddle: Fall Issue Out Now

By Johanna Ernst

It was a summer of firsts for Ogichi. My first summer as director. The first time we had operated during a pandemic. The first time we sent trips to the Boundary Waters instead of Canada. The first time we used stoves on canoe trips, thanks to a fire ban in the Boundary Waters.

Yet despite the challenges of a leadership transition, a global health crisis, unfamiliar canoe routes and finicky stoves, I have been hearing the same refrain from campers and parents alike: “It was the best summer ever!” And I think, how could that possibly be?

When I look back on the obstacles we overcame this summer, I realize that if there were ever a test of our community, this was it. And we passed. We dug into what it really means to be strong spirited, and with every new protocol, pivot and reroute, the magic grew. This issue of Songs of the Paddle seeks to capture the struggles and successes that were experienced this summer, individually and as a community.

Ryanne Clough (Girl Boss) walks us through a moose-filled backpacking trip on Isle Royale, and Alice Pea- cock-Haller describes her first summer as a boatbuilding instructor in a new workshop. Georgia Nix recounts how, at camp, she grew from a little sister into a big one, while Ann Simmons elevates expectations for 2022 with her description of the new climbing tower. Finally, three staff members share the spotlight: Emmy Krill and Sally Walsh reflect on their transition from camper to counselor (without the benefit of a CIT summer), while I trace Phary Woods’s journey from Cambodia to Kooch-i-ching and, finally, Ogichi.

Each of these pieces holds a little bit of the magic that made this summer so special. I hope you enjoy them.