Before Camp – Registration
Our goal is keep canoe tripping as accessible as possible for everyone to participate. With the except of Bay Trip, Voyager I and Voyager II, we require little paddling experience. Our staff are all exceptional teachers on top of being exceptional outdoorspeople and guides. They are ready to teach your camper the basics of paddling, camping and tripping. With our senior trips, we ask that campers come prepared with some whitewater experience before they come to camp. For those interested in registering for these programs without experience, we recommend a whitewater clinic at either Madawaska Kanu Centre or the Paddler Co-op.
Many of our programs are offered in two lengths. For Trail Blazers, we offer one-week and two-week programs and we offer two and four-week programs for both our Wayfinder and River Runner programs. Generally, the shorter length is preferable for those new to canoe tripping or to summer camp. However, that does not mean you should discount our longer programs. You know your family best, and if you think that your camper is ready to take on a bigger challenge, our longer programs are great for creating an even more immersive and connected experience.
Deciding whether child is ready for camp is a big step. You know your child best, so any guidelines we provide are ultimately that, guidelines to help you figure out what is right for your family.
Questions to ask yourself:
“How independent is my child?”
“How do they cope with being away from the adult in their life?”
“Have they been to sleepover before, if so how did they handle it?”
“How does my child work in a group?”
“Are they excited about the idea of camp, if not what worries them?”
As always, our full-time team are always happy to talk through this decision with you.
The Wanapitei Site
Camp Wanapitei is off km 28 of the Red Squirrel Road, which lies just north of the town of Temagami off highway 11. For more specific instructions, follow the guide here.
At Wanapitei, our site has limited electricity, plumbing and internet access. Currently, cellular service is not available on our site though our administrative staff have access to the internet and a camp phone. We do not have flushing toilets on our site, and electricity is powered by an onsite generator to power our camp hospital, dining hall and office, among others. Camper cabins do not have electricity.
During Camp – Updating
Generally, we do not provide scheduled updates for our trip groups outside of our VII trips. While we understand that everyone is keen to find out more about their camper’s trip, to preserve the immersion of the experience we encourage our leaders to focus on trip. Leaders still are expected to check-in with a Spot or In-Reach GPS coordinate every few days so we can make sure they are on schedule and safe. We also keep track of dynamic scenarios across Canada, like forest fires and severe weather and will update families as situations progress.
At Wanapitei, we appreciate that a camp is a place for many to unplug from the world back home. As a part of that commitment, we want to make it easer for our staff, campers and families by limiting our access to social media during the summer, and keep folks immersed in the experience of not being watched and photographed at all times.
Generally, we cannot let groups know where they will be going on their canoe trip before they arrive at camp as we have to adapt routes based on a variety of factors (group experience, climate, previous trips the group has been on). For River Runners and older, we will send your family an email confirm the route your camper will be on along with some information about the route itself. If you have any questions about the routes we run, locally or remotely, please reach out to Jacob at [email protected].
Medical
While your child is at camp, their medications will always be administered by the hospital staff or their leaders. While they are in camp, their medications will be locked in the camp “hospital”. When it is time for the camper to take their medication, the leaders will bring them to the camp hospital and the hospital staff will administer the medication. While they are on trip, their medication will be stored with the emergency equipment and the leaders will administer them.
We understand that at home, your child may self-administer their medications. However at camp we hold onto them to make sure that they are not lost and that other campers do not take them.
At camp, we always have a medical staff onsite. They are a nurse, doctor, paramedic or healthcare student. Additionally, unless the onsite medical staff is a doctor, we always have a doctor on call.
If they are in camp, your child would be evaluated by the onsite medical staff who would contact the on-call doctor or send them to the hospital for further assessment or management as needed.
On trip, the leaders are highly trained to manage medical situations. If there is an issue that falls outside of their scope, they will contact the onsite medical staff to assess the camper and advice for management. Again, the onsite medical staff will contact the on-call doctor as needed and if the team believes it is necessary, the camper can be evacuated for further treatment at the hospital or to recover at home.
At camp, we always have a medical staff onsite. They are a nurse, doctor, paramedic or healthcare student. Additionally, unless the onsite medical staff is a doctor, we always have a doctor on call.
If they are in camp, your child would be evaluated by the onsite medical staff who would contact the on-call doctor or send them to the hospital for further assessment or management as needed.
On trip, the leaders are highly trained to manage medical situations. If there is an issue that falls outside of their scope, they will contact the onsite medical staff to assess the camper and advice for management. Again, the onsite medical staff will contact the on-call doctor as needed and if the team believes it is necessary, the camper can be evacuated for further treatment at the hospital or to recover at home.
Staff
Camp Wanapitei’s speciality is the qualification of our staff at all levels of our organization. Our trip leaders are all heavily certified. All staff are required to receive their First Aid, Mental Health First Aid and Life Saving Society Certifications and all whitewater staff are also required to receive their Wilderness First Responder, Whitewater Rescue Technician and Paddling Level certs. All our tripping staff are over 18, have robust experience working with children and years of canoe tripping experience that will ensure that your camper has a safe and exciting time at Camp Wanapitei.
All of our trips are staff with either two or three leaders depending on the needs of the age group and the trip. With our youngest groups (Trail Blazers and Temagamis) we use a ratio of 1 staff for every 2-3 campers or better while on canoe trip. These groups also have extra program support while in camp. For our older campers, we use a ratio of 1 staff for every 5 campers or better. We believe that a good ratio of staff to campers ensure that each campers get enough individual attention to make their canoe trip successful.
For any further questions about our programs, please reach out to Jacob at [email protected] for general inquiries. If you have any questions about camp finances
(payments, bursaries, payment plans, etc.) please reach out to Trish at [email protected].