By: Eli Foulton

My first experience in Northern Minnesota was a late night in June of 2008. My flight from CVG airport in Cincinnati had been delayed which consequently resulted in my missing the Minneapolis-Shuttle, the classic commute on the camp bus between Minneapolis to Deer Island. Fortunately for me Jay Hunsche, a prep counselor and Indian Crafts department head, was able to save me. We arrived to Rainy lake after sunset that night.

By: Sam Moulton

I started at camp in 2018. Before camp I was a different person. Camp changed my entire life in ways you may not be aware of. My father was in the military growing up and was on active duty from my birth to age 10. He was on overseas tours for a majority of my adolescence. Therefore, there was a missing Father figure in my life growing up.

By: Drew Schrage

Growing up as a Kooch camper is something that my friends from home never fully understood. It is impossible to describe the magic of a canoe trip. The way it brings you together with people you may have never been friends with before. The relief of huddling around a smokey fire after a brisk day of storms. A hot meal after hours spent on the water looking for a campsite. The rush of narrowly making it down a huge rapid. In these moments you learn so much about yourself and the people around you, although they may not be the best talking points on the recruitment front.

By: Noah Imm

“You cant take it all with you when you go.” You cant always take the seven extra pair of socks. You cant take two pairs of pants and an extra pair of shoes. No, you cant bring four books. You can only take the memories you have and what you can fit in your dry sack. Don’t forget your toothbrush and your raincoat, or your sleeping bag. Please don’t forget your sleeping bag. These are the words I remember hearing on my first canoe trip. Maybe I was just an overdramatic kiddo but I am glad I brought a raincoat down the Turtle river in 2010. I remember it rained a lot that year. I think every day on the trip and a lot back on the island. I remember swimming in rapids for the first time ever among the vastness of the Canadian wilderness.

By: Mick Geehan

“My love is stronger than my fear of death” - Marty Robbins (El Paso)

Camp Kooch has meant many things to me over the years, it was the place my parents were sending me, the island of crazy cowboys, a new home, where all my real friends were, a sandbox of creativity. Kooch is responsible for my highest highs and my lowest lows, and I'm not talking about being wet and freezing. Kooch made me the man that I am today.