City Kids in the Woods

Wilderness Canoe Base was originally designed for city kids. In the fifties, the camp was built in order to give tough kids growing up in the rough part of Minneapolis a real taste of the wilderness and give them experiences that they might not be able to have on their own. Going into the wilderness, especially going into the Boundary Waters, gives kids a chance to reconnect with their truly wild spirits and the chance to connect with the truly wild spirit of God. That spirit was rekindled this weekend when a group of North Minneapolis inner city kids came up to the camp on a retreat this weekend. The atmosphere around the camp was absolutely electric with activity and fun!

The kids did almost everything that you can do at camp for a weekend. They canoed around on the lake, took many hikes, took pictures all over the islands, sat around the fireplace at night, and consumed huge amounts of hot cocoa and s'mores. They were completely worn out by the end of the weekend and it looked like they had a fantastic time. It was really a privilege to see this place really make an impression on them. Being away from the busyness and distraction of the inner city really gave them time to relax and have fun. It was also really special to see kids that have a high potential to be involved in drugs, alcohol, and gang violence, just have the chance to really be kids again and play hide and seek (I do not kid!), be freaked out by walking alone in the dark woods, and appreciate every little squirrel, frog, and loon. It is a kind of energy you don't see as often with suburban white kids who get to go camping every so often. I do not mean to critcize the suburban kids who come up here, their background being very similar to my own, but it is just especially neat to see kids who grow up in cities most of their lives experience the environment that I truly believe that we were created to live in. This weekend all I did was guide them on the lake, cook the food, and hang out with them, but they managed to pull me and the other staff into their community and make us one of the family. For that I feel truly blessed. Maybe we all need a little wildness in our lives, whether we live in log cabins or high rise apartment buildings.