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Reflections III of our Reflections Series

Dear Friend,

As the summer camp season draws near, the longing for wilderness can be almost palpable. We hope the continuation of our Reflections Series, where former campers reflect on the pieces of themselves that grew out of their time in the wilderness, brings with it that sense of anticipation and expectation for the summer season…

I simultaneously learned self-reliance and having to push myself to learn what it is to persevere, and also reliance on other people, the importance of others, and the importance of needing others, being there for others, being flexible for others, putting others’ needs before your own… Being a bowman especially taught me this, because I went through so many muskeg pits with another 14 year old girl behind me struggling with a canoe on her head. Being there for her –  before myself – was extremely formative.” – Lucy Watson

Something I've missed these past couple years is the confidence I gain after a summer at camp. I don't think there’s anything that can really come close to replacing that feeling of completing weeks of hard work that you don't usually do. Being on trip made it easy to talk and connect with people, and the organizational skills from being on trip definitely carry into my everyday life. I can find ways to solve problems that most of my peers wouldn't have thought of, and it’s easier to be a leader and step up to tasks after each summer spent at Wabun. It’s incredible, too, how much my grades and anxiety levels improve after the summer, because I think being on trip is a perfect time to really reset any and all aspects of yourself.” – Angie Forbes

I think being in such a loving and welcoming community has taught me to be selective with the people I surround myself with, in a really good way, to recognise what a healthy and supportive relationship should look like, and to not only emanate that myself in how I treat other people, but to think about how other people treat me, and how our relationship compares to those I had on trip. What I miss most about canoe tripping is this sense of comfort that’s unparalleled. It’s really, really incredible. It’s funny, because when I look back at my time on trip and I think about all these challenges that we went through, and all these difficult things I had to to do, I think about it all fondly and I can say genuinely there are so many times where I would give anything to be back in that setting:  I'd rather be in an awful mosquitoe-y portage and be there and just have that comfort and joy around me. And it's such an incredible experience, and so unmatched.”   – Avalon Hinchman

Sincerely,

Josephine Moore, Advisory Panel

Board of Directors
Phoebe Knowles, Chair
Maddy Vertenten, Vice-Chair
Susannah Ross, Treasurer
William Porter, Secretary
Hardin Coleman, Director at Large
Christopher Foster
Jason Lewis 

John Moses
Louise Moses
William Nuckols
Ben Simmons
Kathryn Stauffer

Advisory Panel
Howard Barnebey
Tammy Cole
Katherine Finnegan
Bill Green

Josephine Moore

Staff
Gail Coleman, Executive Director

Emeritus Circle
Libby Moore, in memoriam Founding Director & Chair

 
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Red Canoe Foundation | 608-469-4752 | gcoleman@redcanoefoundation.org

 
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