What Trip Means to Me
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. Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do. Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
As a camper I loved the challenges that Kooch provided me. Carrying a canoe through knee high muskeg at 13. Paddling for 12-15 hours a day. Learning new life skills physical and interpersonal. I still credit Indian Dancing for my ability to always stay on beat on the dance floor. All these things and so much more kept my longing for the north woods alive even after I was a camper. Thankfully, it never stopped, and I found myself back on Deer Island 7 years later.
Coming back as a counselor really changed my perspective on Kooch. All the things I loved as a camper were still alive and well, but I got to see behind the curtain of what it takes to create the unique and inspiring atmosphere on the island. Being able to help create amazing memories and help shape these young men into more resilient and responsible versions of themselves has been incredibly rewarding. I am not sure there is anything else that I am so willing to dedicate my time to.
Arctic trips to me are the pinnacle of a Kooch tripping career. I sat in awe as a camper wondering how anyone could trip for that long. Listening to their harrowing stories passed on from the men who completed one themselves. This trip is a way to show these kids that anything is possible, and the unlikely bonds formed at camp can last forever. This group has come together from all diverse backgrounds and have grown so close, and that has only been possible due to the magic of Camp Kooch-I-Ching. For that I am forever grateful.
