Menogyn
Encyclopedia
The YMCA Camp Menogyn is a wilderness youth camp located off the Gunflint Trail
near Grand Marais
, Minnesota
The mission of YMCA
Camp Menogyn is to provide transformational experiences for young people age 12-18 through the practice of wilderness travel and the emphasis of the four core values of respect, honesty, caring, and responsibility. More information is available at Menogyn
, in the Arrowhead region of Northeastern Minnesota
. Camp literature states that the word Menogyn is derived from the native language of the Ojibway people, and in translation, means "to grow more fully." Founded in 1922, Menogyn is administered by the Camping Services of the YMCA
of Minneapolis, along with camps Icaghowan, Ihduhapi, and Warren.
Menogyn is located on the border of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
(BWCAW). Menogyn is not accessible by automobile, and nearly all visitors reach camp by crossing West Bearskin Lake
. Menogyn's physical location and facilities are used almost exclusively as a base camp where small groups are outfitted for their wilderness trip, logistics are arranged, and groups are welcomed upon their return. Exceptions include programming during the off season (September through May), when Menogyn is often used as a base camp for day trips and shorter overnight trips in the surrounding wilderness. In addition, Menogyn offers introduction to winter wilderness weekends, which include dog sled
ding, cross-country skiing
, and snowshoe
ing.
, while 8-14 day backpacking sessions utilize the nearby Superior Hiking Trail
and Isle Royale National Park
. Rock climbing sessions climb at sites at Tettegouche State Park
, on the Superior Hiking Trail
, and within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
.
In order to provide young people with ongoing and appropriate levels of challenge in their wilderness experiences, Menogyn offers a series of invitation-only trips. Youth who exemplify the Y core values of respect, honesty, caring, and responsibility are invited on these trips upon the recommendation of their counselors. These trips range from 21-day sessions (canoeing in Quetico Provincial Park
of Ontario
, as well as backpacking in Yellowstone National Park
and in the Rocky Mountains
), to Nor'Wester sessions of 30–31 days.
Nor'Wester sessions take their name from the French-Canadian voyageurs
of the late 18th and 19th centuries, whose part in the fur trade
took them Northwest of the Laurentian Divide (separating the watersheds of Lake Superior
and Hudson Bay
). Nor'Wester canoe sessions travel wilderness waterways of northern Manitoba
and Ontario
, and backpack Nor'Westers have travel to different wilderness areas of the Rocky Mountains
. Nor'Wester sessions are designed to offer greater challenge and responsibility to their participants, who also learn new skills such as the navigation of class I-II whitewater
for canoe Nor'Westers.
The culmination of Menogyn's invitation-only long trips is a series of 50-day sessions that travel in some of the most remote and austerely beautiful wilderness areas of North America
. Canoe sessions include Hommes du Nord (Men of the North) and Femmes du Nord (Women of the North), which choose historic wilderness rivers of Canada's Far North. Backpack sessions include the Wahkanee (for young women) and Waputik (for young men) trips, which like Menogyn, take their names from the first people of Menogyn's area. Wahkanee, for example, translates loosely into "sacred walk across the land."
Special programs include a wood canvas canoe building program as well as a cedar strip building program, started and run by compassionate employees of the camp. The designs are adaptations of what the camp has been using for 80 years, and culminates into the best craft for the job. Currently the camp has 3 cedar strip canoes with one in progress, and then a fleet of 17 wood canvas canoes with another in progress.
Camp Menogyn employs three full-time, year-round staff, in the positions of Director, Program Director, and Caretaker, as well as a summer staff of approximately 40 people. Summer staff includes trail counselors, or guides, who work directly with youth to facilitate wilderness travel experiences, as well as in-camp support staff. Support staff include a Trips Coordinator who manages equipment and travel logistics, a Trail Department coordinator who oversees the packing out of food for all Menogyn's trips, a kitchen staff of four cooks who provide made-from-scratch, family-style meals that are a camp signature, a Canoe
Master, charged with the upkeep and repair of Menogyn's fleet of classic cedar-canvas, whitewater, and aluminum canoes, as well as the rotating volunteer position of Health Officer, a Registered Nurse
or Medical Doctor who oversees the physical well-being of campers and staff.
Gunflint Trail
Cook County Road 12, also known as the Gunflint Trail, is a paved roadway that begins in Grand Marais, Minnesota and ends at Saganaga Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , near the US border with Ontario, Canada.-Route description:...
near Grand Marais
Grand Marais
Grand Marais may refer to:* Grand Marais, Manitoba, Canada* Grand Marais, Michigan, United States* Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States* Grand Marais, Seeland, Switzerland...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
The mission of YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Camp Menogyn is to provide transformational experiences for young people age 12-18 through the practice of wilderness travel and the emphasis of the four core values of respect, honesty, caring, and responsibility. More information is available at Menogyn
Location
YMCA camp Menogyn is situated on West Bearskin LakeWest Bearskin Lake
West Bearskin Lake is an oligotrophic glacial lake near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota, United States. West Bearskin Lake is a source of control sediment for US federal sediment toxicity studies...
, in the Arrowhead region of Northeastern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Camp literature states that the word Menogyn is derived from the native language of the Ojibway people, and in translation, means "to grow more fully." Founded in 1922, Menogyn is administered by the Camping Services of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
of Minneapolis, along with camps Icaghowan, Ihduhapi, and Warren.
Menogyn is located on the border of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , is a wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service...
(BWCAW). Menogyn is not accessible by automobile, and nearly all visitors reach camp by crossing West Bearskin Lake
West Bearskin Lake
West Bearskin Lake is an oligotrophic glacial lake near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota, United States. West Bearskin Lake is a source of control sediment for US federal sediment toxicity studies...
. Menogyn's physical location and facilities are used almost exclusively as a base camp where small groups are outfitted for their wilderness trip, logistics are arranged, and groups are welcomed upon their return. Exceptions include programming during the off season (September through May), when Menogyn is often used as a base camp for day trips and shorter overnight trips in the surrounding wilderness. In addition, Menogyn offers introduction to winter wilderness weekends, which include dog sled
Dog sled
A dog sled is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing.-History:...
ding, cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
, and snowshoe
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
ing.
Programs
Menogyn staff lead groups, usually of four to six campers, on wilderness canoeing, backpacking, and rock climbing trips. Combination trips are also offered. Canoe sessions of 8 to 15 days visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area WildernessBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , is a wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service...
, while 8-14 day backpacking sessions utilize the nearby Superior Hiking Trail
Superior Hiking Trail
The Superior Hiking Trail, also known as The “SHT,” is a 275-mile long footpath in Northeastern Minnesota, which for most of its length follows the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior. The path is 18-inches wide and is set in the middle of a 4 foot clearing. The footpath travels through forests of...
and Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park is a U.S. National Park in the state of Michigan. Isle Royale, the largest island in Lake Superior, is over 45 miles in length and 9 miles wide at its widest point. The park is made of Isle Royale itself and approximately 400 smaller islands, along with any submerged...
. Rock climbing sessions climb at sites at Tettegouche State Park
Tettegouche State Park
Tettegouche State Park is a Minnesota state park on the north shore of Lake Superior 58 miles northeast of Duluth in Lake County on scenic Minnesota Highway 61. The park's name stems from the Tettegouche Club, an association of local businessmen which purchased the park in 1910 from the...
, on the Superior Hiking Trail
Superior Hiking Trail
The Superior Hiking Trail, also known as The “SHT,” is a 275-mile long footpath in Northeastern Minnesota, which for most of its length follows the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior. The path is 18-inches wide and is set in the middle of a 4 foot clearing. The footpath travels through forests of...
, and within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , is a wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service...
.
In order to provide young people with ongoing and appropriate levels of challenge in their wilderness experiences, Menogyn offers a series of invitation-only trips. Youth who exemplify the Y core values of respect, honesty, caring, and responsibility are invited on these trips upon the recommendation of their counselors. These trips range from 21-day sessions (canoeing in Quetico Provincial Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Quetico Provincial Park is a large wilderness park in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, renowned for its excellent canoeing and fishing. This park shares its southern border with Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is part of the larger Superior National Forest...
of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, as well as backpacking in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
and in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
), to Nor'Wester sessions of 30–31 days.
Nor'Wester sessions take their name from the French-Canadian voyageurs
Voyageurs
The Voyageurs were the persons who engaged in the transportation of furs by canoe during the fur trade era. Voyageur is a French word which literally translates to "traveler"...
of the late 18th and 19th centuries, whose part in the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
took them Northwest of the Laurentian Divide (separating the watersheds of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
and Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
). Nor'Wester canoe sessions travel wilderness waterways of northern Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and backpack Nor'Westers have travel to different wilderness areas of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. Nor'Wester sessions are designed to offer greater challenge and responsibility to their participants, who also learn new skills such as the navigation of class I-II whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
for canoe Nor'Westers.
The culmination of Menogyn's invitation-only long trips is a series of 50-day sessions that travel in some of the most remote and austerely beautiful wilderness areas of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Canoe sessions include Hommes du Nord (Men of the North) and Femmes du Nord (Women of the North), which choose historic wilderness rivers of Canada's Far North. Backpack sessions include the Wahkanee (for young women) and Waputik (for young men) trips, which like Menogyn, take their names from the first people of Menogyn's area. Wahkanee, for example, translates loosely into "sacred walk across the land."
Special programs include a wood canvas canoe building program as well as a cedar strip building program, started and run by compassionate employees of the camp. The designs are adaptations of what the camp has been using for 80 years, and culminates into the best craft for the job. Currently the camp has 3 cedar strip canoes with one in progress, and then a fleet of 17 wood canvas canoes with another in progress.
People
YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Camp Menogyn employs three full-time, year-round staff, in the positions of Director, Program Director, and Caretaker, as well as a summer staff of approximately 40 people. Summer staff includes trail counselors, or guides, who work directly with youth to facilitate wilderness travel experiences, as well as in-camp support staff. Support staff include a Trips Coordinator who manages equipment and travel logistics, a Trail Department coordinator who oversees the packing out of food for all Menogyn's trips, a kitchen staff of four cooks who provide made-from-scratch, family-style meals that are a camp signature, a Canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
Master, charged with the upkeep and repair of Menogyn's fleet of classic cedar-canvas, whitewater, and aluminum canoes, as well as the rotating volunteer position of Health Officer, a Registered Nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
or Medical Doctor who oversees the physical well-being of campers and staff.