"Songs of Canoe Lake"

I hope you enjoyed every post of my blog. I hope the love of the camp was felt by each veiwer and pray that you will one day find memories and this camp. This will be my last post and I felt i should leave you with these pleasant songs from my favourite place on Canoe Lake.

Photograph taken by Chloe LeClair

When we get up to Ahmek

When we get up to Ahmek,

What a riot we will make

Good-bye home for awhile

Hello, Canoe Lake

We'll be there all summer,

We won't be back till fall,

If we had our way, we wouldn't go back at all.

We're on our way, we're on our way

We'll go make whoop, whoop, whoopee night and day

And any time you want us,

Tracks you'll have to make,

To good old Ahmek, up on Canoe Lake.

I want to go back to Lake Canoe

I want to go back to Lake Canoe,

On Wapomeo Isle

Back to the days of camping trips,

Back to the days of skinny dips,

I want to go back to Lake Canoe,

On Wapomeo Isle.

Oh, I want to go back, I've got to go back to Lake Canoe.

Oh! Father and mother pay all the bills

And we have all the fun,

In friendly rivalry on Lake Canoe.

How! How!

I wonder how they're getting along

At Ahmek when we've gone

Oh, I want to go back, I've got to go back to Lake Canoe.

Evening Grace (Hymn of Thanks)

Let us give thanks that life is high adventure,

That unscaled heights await us, await us every day.

Let us be glad for work and love and laughter,

For loyal friends and comrades, and comrades on the way.

The evening shadows gather round the sunset,

This day will join our long lost yesterdays,

As builders of a better world we seek,

May we be wise to use each newborn day,

Let us give thanks.

http://www.firesoffriendship.com/SongBook/SongBook.htm

The History of Taylor Statten

Taylor Statten was Boer War veteran who in 1906 became the full-time Boy’s Work Secretary for the national YMCA. He established the Canadian Standards Efficiency Training program. This program gave children an opportunity to be rewarded for the development of their intellectual, social, physical, and religious skills.

Taylor Statten found canoe lake while he was on a vacation with his family. He became infatuated with this piece of land and dreamt of a place for men and women to live in its natural habitat. " In 1921, Taylor’s dream was realized as a summer camp that focused on teaching wood-craft and natural lore. He named the camp “Ahmek” after his Ojibwa name meaning “Great Beaver.” Having to mortgage his home to fund the camp, Taylor opened Ahmek for six weeks that summer and welcomed 60 boys. As the director of the first Canadian owned private summer camp in Algonquin Park, Taylor became affectionately known around camp as 'The Chief' " (http://www.taylorstattencamps.com, 2012)

All Photographs and information taken from http://www.taylorstattencamps.com

September Camp

Every summer after the boys and girls of camps Ahmek and Wapomeo go home, Ahmek is the host of the annual September camp. Families of previous staff and campers return to Ahmek and relive their camp days. September Camp is held from August 23rd to the 2nd, but families can choose how long they wish to stay.

The staff and Councillors of the summer stay  to help out with many activities and duties to the serve the families staying at September Camp. Families are situated in the cabins and cottages that are used by the Ahmek boys during the regular camp period.

Activities at September Camp include:

·         Tennis

·         Canoeing

·         Sailing

·         Boardsailing

·         Kayaking

·         Horseback Riding (from August 27 to September 4 only)

·         Arts & Crafts

·         High Ropes

·         Climbing Wall

·         And many more family-oriented activities

Information retrieved from http://www.taylorstattencamps.com/
All Photographs taken by Chloe LeClair

50 day

Only the most experienced and dedicated campers want to take on 50 days out in the woods of Canada. Fifty day is the longest possible trip a camper can take. Each trip is different because councillors get to choose the route they would like to take. More often than not campers will start somewhere in northern Ontario and travel back down to end at camp.

Every 12 days campers get a food drop to restock their packs. The trip is very intense as campers will be traveling through the hilly and rocky terrain. 50 day trip is the last trip that campers will go on. In the next year they will become councillors and staff at the camps.

Photograph taken by Chloe LeClair

All Photographs taken by Emily Van Valkenburg

Bisco Trips

The Biscotasing area is a historic and diverse place to travel through, similar to Temagami and Kipawa its terrain consists of waterfalls rivers and long lakes. For many years the town of Biscotasing was the home of Grey Owl, one of the earliest leaders of the conservation movement. Since 1979 campers have called Bisco "the trip of a lifetime".

Photograph taken by Emily Van Valkenburg

Campers who are doing Bisco will arrive at camp on June 29th and leave for Bisco on June 3rd. From there campers will experience 42 of canoeing and portaging. Campers will arrive at the Outpost in Temagami on August 12th and return back to camp until the summer ends on August 22nd.

Photograph taken by Emily Van Valkenburg

Trips like the ones that the camps offer, are hard to come by. Campers will make many close friends and important memories. Whether it is from sitting by the fire, canoeing long and hard hours, carrying heavy packs through portages, and exploring the landscape, any memory made on trip is a good one.

Quetico Trips

Like the Kipawa Trip, there are many more trips that are for a long period of time. One of these trips is Quetico. "Quetico Provincial Park, one of Ontario’s wilderness parks, preserves an area of great natural value and is of much historical significance. A rugged landscape of majestic granite cliffs, spectacular waterfalls, tangled lakes and rivers, makes Quetico a breathtaking encounter. Wildlife abounds and the fishing for bass, trout, pickerel and northern pike, is superb" (http://www.taylorstattencamps.com/, 2012)

Photograph taken by Emily Van Valkenburg

Quetico Provincial Park has a beautiful history of fur traders, Voyageurs and Ojibway traveling through its waters.

A Taylor Statten Trip

For almost all campers the most exciting part of camp is trip. Campers learn  a lot about survival while they are on trip.  Ahmek boys and Wapomeo girls pack up a few of their belongings and prepare themselves for an amazing experience out in the woods that will leave them with memories to last a lifetime. Hopping into their canoes, campers paddle through many portages, camp sites, swamps, rivers and lakes. On trip, campers will travel with their cabin mates and two or three staff members (including their counsellor). These are examples of some of the trips offered for both Ahmek and Wapomeo campers:

Photograph retrieved from http://www.taylorstattencamps.com/

Algonquin Park Trips

Algonquin Park trips give campers the chance to go on a canoe trip while being close to the camp.  Travelling either north or south, campers get to experience the beautiful wildlife and scenery of Algonquin Park outside of Canoe Lake. Trips vary from one over-night for young campers to 10 - 12 days for senior campers.

Photograph retrieved from http://www.taylorstattencamps.com/

Outpost Trips

Campers travel a couple of hours away from camp to "The Outpost". The Outpost is a remote lodge near Temagami wear campers will stay overnight before they leave for their trip. The length of the trip varies form 6-14 days depending on the age of the campers.

Photograph retrieved from http://www.taylorstattencamps.com/

Kipawa Trips

Campers will travel to  the Kipawa Reserve, located in Quebec, and paddle through the vast area of lakes, rivers, and forests. Campers will be on trip for 21 days and will end up at The Outpost in Temagami. From there campers will be taken back to the camp.

Photograph retrieved from http://www.taylorstattencamps.com/

All information taken from http://www.taylorstattencamps.com/

Wapomeo "Daughters of Canoe Lake"

Wapomeo has not been around as long as Ahmek but has still been able to provide as many great memories. Similar to Ahmek, Wapomeo provides multiple activates throughout the day. These include, arts and crafts, weaving, swimming, canoeing and many others. Wapomeo campers travel to the Ahmek to participate in other events or activities. Campers are from 6-16 and can either be a; Kiowa, Tuscie, Shawnee, Ojib, Cree or Nahanni.

(http://www.firesoffriendship.com/passage-Couchie.htm)

  A day in the life of campers include:
7:30: 30 min bell until  breakfast.
8: Breakfast.
9-12: Activities and 30 min bell until lunch
12:30: Lunch
1-2:15: Rest Hour
2:15- 5:30: Activities and 30 min to dinner
6: Dinner
After dinner: Evening Activities.

Photograph taken by Chloe LeClair


Indian Wapomeo

Wapomeo, Wapomeo

Land of Totem poles,

Home of Indian souls,

Romance of another day, hear the Indians pray,

For their loved ones all day long

When our chieftains call,

Tonakela we will fall,

Ever to thine own command, no one in the land,

Makes our life just one sweet song.

Daughter of Canoe Lake Moon

Water falls lull me to sleep,

Drifting to the sound of the loon,

Has my life and treasures to keep.

I will guard you with my life,

Happy hunting grounds we'll see

Daughter of Canoe Lake Moon

Share this life and love with me.

Indian Wapomeo taken from http://www.firesoffriendship.com/SongBook/SongBook.htm
Other information retrieved from http://www.taylorstattencamps.com/