YMCA Camp Warren

The Cabin System

Warren campers are divided into three sections (Cub, Intermediate and Senior) by age, with trip campers usually staying in Intermediate and Senior cabins.

Cub Section campers are approximately 6–11 years old, Intermediate campers 11-13, and Senior Section 13-16.

Counselors in Training (CITs) stay in an Intermediate or Senior Cabin, depending on the year. CITs are 16 or 17 years old (the oldest CIT to date was 19 years old), and use the CIT program as preparation for being on the Camp Warren staff in the future.

Layout

Camp Warren is built around Half Moon Lake. Two of the cabin rows, Intermediate and Cub, are stretched along the side of the lake, with Cub Row to the south and Intermediate Row to the west. The first three cabins of the intermediate section are close to Homaji, while the other three are nicknamed "narnia" because of a long path separating them from the other intermediate cabins. To the northeast is the Senior Row, located next to the A-Field and Horse Barn.

Buildings

Other Notable Location

A Day at Camp

A usual day at camp warren usually looks like this:·

Activities

Camp Warren is home to many different, rich-in-tradition activities.

Sailing

The sailing program at Camp Warren is based out of the Robbie M, a small building near the dining halls and the hitch deck. The Half Moon Yacht Club, as the program is referred to by the sailing enthusiasts around camp, has a wide variety of sailboats including:

Camp Warren has a ranking system for its sailing campers. It usually takes a dedicated sailing camper upwards of four years to get all the way to the esteemed rank of "Admiral." Campers start off on the smallest, most stable boats (Ninja 2000s) and work their way up, learning how to control and command each boat until they can pass a high-wind check out on the Magizi (C-Scow) and pass a written test to achieve the rank of admiral.

There typically is one regatta per session on a high-wind day in which the campers can compete on a variety of boats including Ninjas, X-boats, M-boats, and Butterflies in a friendly manner.

Boating

Camp Warren's boating program consists mainly of windsurfing and kayaking. The boathouse is home to over 15 windsurf boards and 10 kayaks. A popular boating activity includes paddling around on windsurf boards without sails and jumping off of them. Camp Warren gives its kayakers ranks: Yak, Yakity Yak, Yakity Yak Don't Talk Back, and Jedi Knight.

Fishing

Campers are able to fish in Half Moon Lake, though the activity is more popular during the boys sessions. Equipment owned by the camp includes rowboats, a pontoon and fishing gear.

Archery

Camp Warren's archery rank system ranges from Yeoman to the Master Archer. Campers practice with a variety of bows and a variety of target distances in the secluded archery range.

Athletics

Many activities take place on the Athletic Field, including Medic, dodgeball, kickball, football, Frisbee Elimination, Ultimate Frisbee, cheerleading Big Base, and many variations on the game 'Tag'. The field is also often used for the All Camp Game evening activity, where every camper participates in the chosen game. Medic is a general favorite.

Tennis

Camp Warren is home to four tennis courts and many items of equipment. Every summer there is an Andy Kakela tennis tournament during boys' session.

Arts & Crafts

One of camp's most popular activities, Arts & Crafts is all-inclusive, and now takes place in the newly built Program Center. Favorite camper crafts include: lanyards, tie-dye T-shirts, candles, friendship bracelets, and watercolor paintings.

Photography

The new program center also houses a dark room. 35mm cameras and film, as well as chemicals for developing photos, are provided to campers, with which they take many nature photos and develop them throughout the session.

Pottery

New to camp for the first time in 2010, and also housed in the program center. Five pottery wheels are available for camper use.

Wilderness Exploration

The only activity that never does the same thing twice; often hikes and edible plants are involved, with the culmination of a 'Mud Walk' event at the end of the session.

Music

Thanks to numerous donations, Warren is host to several guitars, pianos and jimbae drums, as well as the odd trombone etc. The program is very dynamic, but usually focuses on group practices or 'jam sessions'in preparation for a big performance at the talent show.

Drama

Held in Cub Lodge, campers prepare and write a 20-minute play that they perform for all of camp. New last summer was the Drama Emphasis program.

Singing

Is a major activity at YMCA camp warren. It is not a tradition activity but there are many times of day were staff and CIT's will lead songs. ( after breakfast and dinner, at camp fires, during community time, before meals etc.)

Ropes

ACA-Accredited program features many climbing activities.

YMCA Camp Warren offers a ropes activity only for campers ages 13+. In this activity many separate obstacles are faced that help develop campers' courage, pride, teamwork, self-confidence, and more. Some of these obstacles are:

Paddle Sports

Started summer of 2014, any sport that has a paddle will be in this activity. Pingpong paddles, Pickel Ball paddles, etc.

One-Session Wonders

Inspiration comes in many places, and often doesn't last long. These activities have appeared and disappeared over the years:

BORP!

Early in the morning, several brave souls rise from their slumber to make their way down to the swimming dock where they prepare themselves. After a brief trumpet solo, the campers simultaneously scream "BORP!" and plunge into the icy depths of Half Moon Lake. If a camper Borps every day of one session, they get a special polar ear pin and are recognized as part of the Borp Club. The activity gets its name from the sound that a polar bear makes when it enters cold water.

Flag Raising

At Flag Raising, one cabin is chosen as the Cabin of the Day. They start by selecting a word to raise the flag to. While one of the campers in the Cabin of the Day raises the flag, the other campers sing the one word in the flag raising song. Then, the Cabin of the Day selects a word of the day, and for the rest of the day,whenever someone hears the word said, the must say "Ahhhh!" Next, theC abin of the Day selects a quote of the day. Finally, they chose a walk of the day, and all the other campers must walk the walk of the day to breakfast.

Waiters

Each cabin selects a person in their cabin to be waiter for a meal at the beginning of the day. When the waiter hears the Waiters Bell, they must head to the Dining Hall, where they set up the tables and get out the food. At the beginning of the meal, the waiter grabs any other food for that meal from the kitchen and brings it to their table.

Meal Time

All Meals open with a grace, which is usually a silly song of a sort. Then, the campers make their way into the Dining Hall and stand in front of their seats until the hall is quiet, then they sit down to eat. During the meal, if any camper or counselor takes the last of the food, they must take the orange tray that is placed next to one of the counselors seats and refill the respective food or drink item.Taking the last of any food or drink is referred to as"killing it." Any non-water drink is called "Hooch." At a random time during the meal, a waiter for that meal will put his/her finger on his/her nose. Everyone else at the table must notice and do the same. The last person to put their finger on their nose becomes the scraper. The scraper has to scrape any excess food off of their cabin's plate into a bucket, and bus all the dishes of their cabin. At the end of dinner, a contest set up by a counselor is held to see which cabin may leave the Dining Hall first. Each cabin picks a representative and they are sent up to the front of the hall to compete with the other cabin members. The winner's cabin gets to leave the hall first.

Cabin Reflection

In the evenings, a candle is lit on the floor of a cabin and the cabin members sit around it. The counselors then set up a meaningful reflection, an activity that helps to bond cabin mates and bring everyone closer together. A common example is "Roses and Thorns," where each cabin member picks their favorite and least favorite part of the day and shares it with the rest of the cabin.

Last Two Days and the Fire Walk

On the Thursday evening at the end of every session, a camp sing-a-long is held. After that, the campers slowly file from the Indian Circle to Cub Lodge. There, Each camper is given a patch for their year at Camp Warren that has the Camp Warren symbol on it. Then, the campers each write two notes, one to an individual counselor. The counselors mail their responses around Christmas to resurface old memories of camp when you miss it most. The counselors then sing "Stay Low To the Ground," followed by the whole camp singing "Camp Warren Trail." Finally, the Fire Walk occurs, where each cabin is released one at a time to say goodbye to the staff. It is called the Fire Walk because of the trail of lanterns that each cabin follows. The next day, the campers pack up after breakfast. The store is open during the last few hours of camp. In the last hour, an outdoor potluck is held with burgers or hot dogs after another "House of the Rising Sun" and "Amazing Grace" mashup. Then, the staff sings one final song which is a Camp Warren-ified version of "Country Road."Finally, the campers walk to the greyhound bus under an archway of counselors.

Lore

General Sherman- General Sherman is the legendary 100 foot fish that lives in Half Moon Lake. He was brought into the world as the mutant son of a northern pike and a muskellunge. He came into contact with radioactive waste and grew to the size he is today. Of course, this is a legend, and it is unsure whether he exists or not. Some campers and counselors believe to have sited him, but their testimonies have made little difference.

Cub 9- In Cub Row towards the end is a scorched chimney, sitting in an empty lot where a cabin used to be. This cabin is known as Cub 9, and it has quite a few ghost stories surrounding it.

Short Border

Campers, typically age 12-15, can choose to attend this five-day canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Cabin groups are driven from camp to their drop-off site after a few days of camp, and return with a few days remaining. Campers participate in normal activities while at camp.

Long Border

Campers are invited on this 10-day canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, spending very little time on camp. The Long Border Salute, which occurs every time a Long Border group returns to camp, is one of the camp's most hailed traditions. Each group typically gets a different bandana and a paddle commemorating their trip.

50/50

This is Warren's only sailing trip, a 5-day journey around the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. It was reignited in the early 2000s by female campers, and is only offered two times per summer, one trip for each gender. Each camper must have the sailing rank of Skipper One to go on the trip, but exceptions have been made.

Staff

Fact: Garrison Keillor once worked as a dishwasher at YMCA Camp Warren.