Birchwood Wilderness Camp - Grand Marais, Minnesota

Trey B.

Our son has attended Camp Birchwood for Boys for 5 summers. It would be difficult for me to overstate the positive impact that this camp experience has had on him. We have seen a big boost in confidence and independence.

In addition to the normal summer camp activities that one would expect, he has been able to sail on Lake Superior, fish and canoe in the Boundary Waters, mountain bike and hike in the Superior National Forest, and meet kids his age from all over the country.

My wife and I have met the directors, Dan and Melissa as well as some of their staff on numerous occasions. I have been really impressed with them and how they run their camp.

We have just signed our son up for another summer, and I can't wait to hear the stories about his adventures!

Patrick C.

I have been to Camp Birchwood for Boys for four summers - on each occasion I have had the most fantastic experience. When I first arrived at camp I could never have imagined what it would eventually mean to me.

During my time in Northern Minnesota I have learned many skills as well as developing existing ones. Learning about a respect for the wilderness and each other lies at the centre of everything. I believe that this is an invaluable principle acquired by campers and staff alike through all the activities and teaching provided by the camp. One of the things that has impressed me most is the genuine desire of the campers to ensure that everybody has a great time. The overwhelming experience is one of fun and laughter, which is underpinned by a very strong culture of community, respect and individual responsibility. Over the four years I have been there, the camp has got even better. Every year there are more activities to take part in and new trips to choose from.

Everyone who goes to camp, including me, becomes part of the tradition. I've seen old traditions continue and new ones emerge. Each year there are many returning campers as well as staff, which is always a highlight for me. Camp has become an important part of who I am and how I act. I often find myself telling people from other aspects of my life the stories and experiences I have had at Camp Birchwood for Boys and I can't recommend it highly enough.

kristy W.

My summers at Camp Birchwood were the best of my life. I spent 10 years at camp as both a camper and a counselor. Each summer brought a chance to get away from the stress and grind of everyday life as a teenage girl, and into the rhythm of Birchwood, which is something I still long for to this day.

Camp taught me lessons that undoubtedly shaped who I am as an adult. It taught me confidence as I learned unique skills like how to portage a canoe, or start a campfire in the rain. It taught me flexibility as I learned what it was like to share a cabin with other kids who weren't exactly like me. It taught me independence as I left my family and friends back home, and learned who I really was. The lessons I value the most came from the Senior Leadership Program, as I still carry those experiences with me today as I run my own business. Learning the tenants of leadership at age 16 put me leaps and bounds ahead of my peers, and I owe that to camp.

All of this, while having a total blast with my best friends in the world. You'll hear anyone who went to Birchwood say it - there's nothing like the "magic" of camp. When I get together with other Birchwood alum, we tell stories from the 90s like it was yesterday. It brings me a happiness that is second to none. And now that I'm a mother, I can't wait to pass that legendary feeling on to my soon.

Alex W.

I speak as someone who experienced Birchwood not just as a camper for four glorious summers, but another two summers as a camp counselor leading trips into the Boundary Waters (BWCAW/Quetico) when I say that this is a great place to gain knowledge of the wilderness, leadership experience and lifelong friends.

Kids come to Birchwood for all sorts of reasons; whether to grab a paddle and canoe down the popular and scenic Alpine Loop and do some fishing or to brave the grueling Grand Portage, all ambitions are welcomed, and accommodated! Those who are interested in Camp can expect to improve their fitness, learn how to reduce their impact on the environment by Leaving No Trace (yes, there will be an informational video) and have plenty of fun. There's always something going on, whether you're out on trail or back at the home base.

Personally, my experience at Birchwood for Boys has allowed me to grow in my confidence, independence and character. You'll never meet a more jubilant crowd of people excited to teach kids a thing or two and have a ton of fun doing it.

Hagie Bah Bah from your friendly neighborhood counselor, Hyde.

Russell P.

I attended Birchwood for Boys back when it was called Gunflint Wilderness Camp (I think the name has changed back and forth a few times over the years) for five summers between 2002-2006.

Every child has experiences which they look back on and realize just how important they were to who they have become. Without question, the time I spent in the woods with GWC was incredibly formative for me as I transitioned from boyhood. I learned about ethics and values there, and learned how to navigate when I didn't agree with my fellow campers. I made friends I still have, learned outdoors and life skills which I use to this day, and I cemented a life-long appreciation for nature which too few people my age have. I always tell stories, even ten years later, that begin with the words, "I went to wilderness camp as a kid, and one time this amazing thing happened." But it wasn't just that one time, it was every time. If the Bredemus family still runs the camp, it's in the most capable hands there could be.

Ryan F.

I had the pleasure of stoping by Birchwood Camp to visit friends who are/were counselors and former campers at Birchwood. All the campers young and old that were in attendance seemed to be having the time of their lives creating lasting friendships and gaining vital skills that will not only help them in the woods but also in real life.

Stuart

I was at Camp Birchwood for Boys in the summer of 2013. Unfortunately I endured a really bad experience while I was there.

The director of Camp Birchwood for Boys fired me for something I didn't do. On the day I was fired I was accused of some horrible things in regards to a homesick camper who had allegedly accused me and another counselor of shouting and swearing at him on a 3 day canoeing trip. The homesick camper was never in my canoe or tent as part of the trip, which means that this could have only been the other counselor that could have possibly done this and yet only I was fired while he kept his job. Myself and the other trip counselor were even informed beforehand by another counselor that the homesick camper was out to get us for not letting him go back to camp during the trip, This is something the other counselor suggested and what I believe was the right thing as it was a one-way trip and the only way back to camp was to keep going forward.

The homesick camper never seemed to enjoy himself during his entire time at camp and I don't remember a day where I didn't see him upset and crying, yet the director didn't send him home, which I believe was wrong and that he should have been sent home as he was clearly unhappy. Also recently who I believe to be the homesick camper has made a comment against Camp Birchwood for Boys, which I believe only proves my innocence.

Also what I was accused of on the day was different from what the director had accused me of to the organisation I applied through, where he accused me of something that he never mentioned to me and this was something that I believe another counselor was involved in that kept his job, while I was fired.

At the end of my time there I didn't enjoy a lot of my time, I felt a particular counselor had something against me where I heard him bad mouthing me, Scottish people and Scotland to campers and I also believe the director had something against me at the end as well as he seemed to react badly to simple questions I would ask.

Also during my time there and in particular the weekly trips, there was a tent that had a busted zipper, which meant its door couldn't shut. This tent was given to my group on the first trip, I put in a complaint about it and yet I was given the exact same tent 2 weeks later with the same problem, so I put in another complaint about it. On my last week there I then found out the same tent again had been given to another trip where a counselor had to stay up all night making sure the door would stay closed, so that the campers wouldn't get soaked as there was severe thunderstorms during the trip.

I believe with the broken tent and the homesick camper not being sent home show that the campers safety is at risk under the current directors.

I believe it to be clear that the director knowingly fired me for something I didn't do and I have asked for an honest answer and I have also messaged the other director last year to get some answers and yet there was no reply and I am still to this day with no answers to why this actually happened to me or as to why the director accused me of something different on the day I was fired compared to what he told the organisation I applied through. So if the director truly believed in what he accused me of then why hasn't he told or showed to me why he believes this and why hasn't he answered any of the questions that show I have been wrongly accused and show that the director may have knowingly done this to me on purpose. I believe that if the director truly believed that I had done this then he would want to clear it up and again as I have stated he and others have chosen to ignore the questions and I believe this to be because they have wronged me and know that they don't actually have anything to answer the questions.

Unfortunately I don't believe the directors to be trustworthy after what they did to me and I would recommend anyone against this camp whilst the current directors are in charge as it could happen again.

Amy S. N.

I attended BWB in the 1990s, when the camp was co-ed. This is, put simply, an amazing place and I look forward to sending my own children to this wonderful camp. BWB provides a space for children to grow, to find independence, to play, and to paddle. The camp and its staff place a strong emphasis on imagination and strength, finding the value in both. As a camper, I learned to navigate a lake andto portage a canoe. I learned how to clear a tent of mosquitoes and how to make a campfire. I also learned that I didn't fit into a social box or category. I learned that I could find friends from all backgrounds, no matter how different we may have seemed on the face. Many of best friends in the world were made BWB and I would highly recommend it to all.