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Welcome to MS Youth Camp 2009!

Check out all of the fun events and activities that took place during the week of MS Youth Camp 2009. Click here for more photos.

Friday, June 19

The final day of camp is always bittersweet. Every camper had so much to celebrate this week.

Purple group counselor Ty Gangelhoff had a special treat for his campers today. Ty sent his GPS with each camper on the zip line at the end of the ropes course to track their speed. Most ranged from 15 to 20 mph, though two campers who went together reached a speed of 24.5 mph. “Many of the campers have done this course many times before so I wanted to add a new element to it,” said Ty.

The big event of the evening was Youth Camp’s Got Talent, the all-camp talent show. Acts included piano performances, juggling, skits, hand jives and dance routines. A very special hip-hop dance routine performed by counselors and staff was especially well received by the campers. A slideshow of pictures throughout the week was shown after the talent show and resulted in lots of laughs and fond memories of new friends...like Thistle the porcupine!

Campers showed their theatrical skills at tonight’s campfire. Each group performed their “mythbuster” skits and educated everyone about common myths about MS, such as it is a fatal disease, it’s contagious, it’s hereditary and everyone’s symptoms are the same. In this picture the Blue group are being “evil MS bugs.”

Thursday, June 18

Campers spent Thursday learning about birds, fish, mammals, canoeing, weather and wetlands, along with adventures on the rock wall and the ever-popular ropes courses. “I love the adrenaline rush,” said Doug F. “My blood was pumpin’ and it felt great!”

The Red group learned about the variety of small mammals that live on Wolf Ridge. They set live traps to catch voles, mice and shrew. They also discovered habitats and signs of these different animals. I liked finding animal tracks because it was weird to think we are standing in the same places where they do stuff,” said Alyssa T. The group also found a grub in a hollow tree trunk, as shown in this picture.

The Pink group hoisted packs on their backs and hit the trails for their overnight at Raven Lake. Check back for an update on their camping adventure.

Dr. Gary Beaver and Missy Rosin, R.N. from St. Mary's Duluth Clinic visited camp this evening to talk to campers about MS and advances in research. “Dr. Beaver was cool!” said Pat O. “I learned just because my mom and dad have traits for diseases it doesn’t mean they’ll give them to me.”

An all-camp campfire wrapped up another action-packed day at Wolf Ridge. The campfire ended conveniently before heavy rain hit camp.

Did you know...

Wolf Ridge contains 2,000 acres of land...none of which contain poison ivy.

Wednesday, June 17

Another fun-filled day at Wolf Ridge!

Campers from the White group returned this afternoon from their overnight adventure at Timber Frear. The group learned there are lots of creative ways to manage if you forget to bring silverware on a camping trip. They spent their afternoon learning about and forecasting the weather. Emily R. wore a “sun” on her head during the interactive weather story. Speaking of weather…it has been awesome up here!

In Climate and Phenology, the Teal group learned what factors influence climate change and also learned how we can do little things to prevent climate change. One way is using solar power. The group baked a cake in the solar stove. There were mixed reactions about the finished product. “She said it would be moist and gooey, but it was dry and crunchy,” said Mac L.

This evening campers had the opportunity to choose their own activity. Activities included volleyball, arts and crafts, bellydance, hiking to Marshall Mountain, big field games and more. Kelly D. from the White group led Arts and Crafts and taught campers how to make their camp T-shirts into masterpieces that Heidi Klum would love. “It’s more of an experiment than anything,” she said. Popular designs include ties along the sides of the shirt and beads for added flair.

Tonight each group was given a myth about MS. Their job as a group is to come up with a skit to “bust” the myth and educate the other campers. The skits will be performed at Thursday night’s campfire.

Did you know...

If you walked around the perimeter of Lake Superior, it would be like walking from here to Miami. Becca K. from the Gold group learned that on a hike today.

Tuesday, June 16

What a lovely day at Wolf Ridge! Even though there were threats of rain, campers stayed dry all day…except for the few who were brave enough to swim in Wolf Lake. In addition to canoeing, swimming and hiking by the lake, the Teal group had the opportunity to test the health of the lake. “The pH of the lake was about a 7.7 and the temperature was 74,” said Claire R. “Yeah, and we saw really cool bugs that I didn’t even know existed,” said Macy M.

Campers from all groups experienced adventures throughout the day. From the ropes course to the rock wall, awesome hikes and the 244-step staircase, there were many exciting stories shared in the dining hall.

Campers took a whirlwind tour of the North Shore at tonight’s Wolf Ridge program. Wolf Ridge naturalist Ben dressed up as different characters and shared stories to help campers understand the history and culture of the North Shore.

National MS Society president and CEO Joyce Nelson and Minnesota Chapter president Maureen Reeder visited camp today and became honorary camp counselors! Joyce told stories about her 18 years at summer camp and led the group in camp songs and games. Maureen and Joyce both talked to campers about ways young people can get involved with the MS movement.

“Not much has changed since I was in camp," she said. "I think the best thing about camp is the people and friends you meet."

As always, the night wrapped up with a campfire. Campers sang the ever-popular "Froggy" and made s’mores. YUM!

Monday, June 15

Campers excitedly jumped off three large coach buses around 2:30 p.m. and checked into their rooms. Boys headed over to the East Dorm while girls checked into the West Dorm.

After a few icebreaker games and a tour of the Wolf Ridge campus, the campers lined up for dinner which consisted of meatballs, mashed potatos and gravy, salad, corn and raspberry sherbet. Mmmmmm!

All nine color groups gathered in the Science Center for a welcome and orientation from MS Society and Wolf Ridge staff. Wolf Ridge Liasons Cori and Claire talked to the group about what to expect during the week.

They also told campers about the Conservation Challenge - an ongoing competetion throughout the week to conserve resources such as water and energy. If groups leave lights or water on, forget to close windows or throw away recyclables they will be issued a "conservation violation." "This motivates us to be more conservative with resources," says Autumn K. from the Orange group.

The evening campfire was full of silly skits, songs, screaming competitions and lively dances.

Lights out came early for campers as they prepared for their big week.

Did you know...

Wolf Ridge is completely surrounded by anorthacite - one of the hardest rock in the world. 95 percent of the world's anorthacite is found in northern Minnesota.