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March 19, 2013, 1:18 pm
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March Break is over sadly, but we had a wonderful time with the families that attended March Break Family Camp at Wanakita this year!

The weather was warm on Monday but after that it cooled down and even snowed some more, which made for perfect winter conditions! Take a look at some of the photos from the week!


Our Iron Chef cooking competition!








 Fun at Low Ropes!


 Mom helps her daughter on Low Ropes


 14 year old Adam helps lead an activity for the younger kids.

 Mom and Dad help their daughter along the Low Ropes course.




 Mom and son zoom down the toboggan hill!


 A family friendly broomball game on the lake!

 Staff member Julian teaches a kids ski lesson!


 Family portrait during our "Through the Decades" theme dinner.

 Dad being silly with the kids!

 Staff member Joya creates art with a camper!

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April 11, 2013, 11:12 am
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 Happy Spring!




Spring is almost here and boy are we ready for it! Although we still have some snow and cold weather- and ice on the lake- we’re ready to get the boats in the water and our hiking boots on! Our busy winter is quickly turning into a busy spring! We’re experiencing a lot of new changes this spring, including opening our brand new renovated Dining Hall (“the Core”), and welcoming our new acting Summer Camp Director, Rankin Middlebrook! He brings with him a wealth of summer camp experience and wisdom from both Wanakita and other camps!  Welcome Rankin!


Below are some news and updates about what’s going on with Wanakita lately!

  • Father-Son Camp: Introducing our brand new Father-Son Weekend! May 24-26, fathers, sons uncles, and grandfathers will enjoy a weekend of fun and bonding in the outdoors! Come explore with hikes, paddling and camping! These are just a few of the activities we will be offering during this new annual family weekend! Help spread the word!

  • Dining Hall: Our brand new renovated dining hall will be opening in early spring, with a completely renovated kitchen! We will post photos of all the bells and whistles of this exciting new make-over!

  • Spring Work Weekend: We have lots of eager volunteers lined up to help us out with opening up and rejuvenating our site! We will transform it from winter activities to spring and summer, and even work on site maintenance tasks like shingling and painting!

  • Strawberry Social: Come one and all to our long-running annual Strawberry Social open house! On June 23rd, 2013, Wanakita will be open for to the public to enjoy our site and facilities, including participating in camp activities like canoeing and archery, as well as enjoying a delicious buffet meal (with lots of in-season strawberries!) in our new dining hall! Contact us for more information.

  • 60th Anniversary Celebration: Join us in Hamilton on September 21st2013, to celebrate 60 years in camping at YMCA Wanakita! This celebratory event promises to be memorable, with opportunities to reconnect with old friends and reminisce about the ways that camp has shaped us all. Stay tuned for more information.    
  •  Our Facebook page has been updated recently and we have some fun weekly posts as well as regular news updates there. Check it out and "like" us! www.facebook.com/campwanakita.
  • 2013 Program Availability:
    • There is still room in our Summer Camp Program! Contact us for availability. 
    •  There is still room in our Summer Family Camp Program! Contact us for availability. 
    • There is still room in our annual Mother-Daughter Weekend, May 10-12, 2013!
    • There is still room in our fall Women’s Weekends in September and October.Contact us for more information.
For Family Programs contact sarah_bell@ymca.caor 1800-387-5081 ex 245
For all other Program inquiries contact wanakita@ymca.caor 1800-387-5081 ex 100
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Spring is Sprouting at Wanakita

April 17, 2013, 1:57 pm
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Spring is coming to Wanakita! There's always an in between time, between winter and spring: the snow is melting, the mud is abundant and the water is too cold for activities - or still has ice in our case! Walking around Wanakita right now might look a bit ugly to some, but if you look closer, there's lots of beauty! 

 Some bulrushes seeding

 A view of the lake and islands from West Beach a week ago

Ice on the lake


The famous trees growing out of the rock cliff on the Forgotten Fores Trail


Brilliant colours in some of last year's Wintergreen


Reflections of cabins in the SC field

The ice is finally breaking up on the lake!


A beaver swimming in the swamp


Last year's maple leaf clinging to a sapling


A shelf of ice over a puddle; and its reflection


A beaver lodge


Some spring melt water running over ice and branches


New buds on a tree


The beaver dam along the Forgotten Forest Trail


 Bright red buds on a maple tree
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Spring Work Weekend was a Huge Success!

May 1, 2013, 8:43 am
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Wow! We have some fantastic, dedicated volunteers! This weekend we had 75 enthusiastic volunteers made of up staff alumni, current and past campers, and their families and friends make the trip to Wanakita for our Annual Spring Work Weekend!



They were busy spicing up our site to get ready for the spring; though it doesn't look like the lake got the message that it is SPRINGTIME! There was still some ice floating around out there !


Here's our regular crew of roofers who help keep our cabins in tip top shape! 





We had an energetic group of excited Pathfinder girl guides who helped with raking, cleaning and general site maintenance! 




Here are some brave summer campers and staff that helped to paddle all these boats across the lake still covered with slushy ice! 





We had our regular firewood crew, splitting and stacking wood for campfires and fire places! We even had a group working on making our own wood chips this year!

 This wood pile was split and stacked in two days: its 15 log-lengths deep! Good work everyone! We're all set for spring, summer and fall!

Here are some wood chips from dead/dangerous trees from our forest! We will spread them around camp on trails and our high and low ropes areas.

Thank you so much to everyone who came to help out this past weekend! We appreciate your help more than you know! Without you, our site just wouldn't be ready for our school groups in spring and would probably start falling apart! Thanks a million!
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Mother's Day Weekend at Wanakita!

May 16, 2013, 6:28 am
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On Mother's Day weekend weekend we had 70 wonderful, enthusiastic mothers, daughters, aunts and grandmas up to camp for a weekend of fun and celebration! Here are some photos from the festivities!

Taking a hike in the "Back 9" (900 acres)

 Staff, Maddy, helps the girls across a stream

 Staff Lisa and Maddy take a group of ladies on a hike to the Falls!

 Helping out at Low Ropes

 Nothing bonds a family like safety! :)

Mothers Day Love!

 Going on a Voyageur Canoe paddle!

 Sometimes it just slips!

 Theme Dinner: Through the Decades!

These ladies are re-living the good ol' days at our theme dinner!

 Campfire Talent Show preparation!

 Campfire?! We love campfires!

 A colllld morning dip!



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Father-Son Weekend was a hit!

May 30, 2013, 11:36 am
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Our very first annual Father-Son group this past weekend was a huge success! Though we only had three families attend this first year, they had a blast! We had fathers and sons ranging from 3 to 75 years young!

One family brought three generations of boys. It was a great bonding experience for everyone to get to know each other- whether through outdoor activities like climbing, hiking and canoeing, or indoor social time like meals and our popular "How well Do You Know Your Father/Son?" game! Here are some photos from the weekend.



The gang making a fire in the woods!

Learning how to build a fire with flint, steel and sticks from the woods!

Conquering the climbing wall!

Reliving childhood!

 Having a great time in the puddles!

 Having a chat on a hike to the beaver dam!

Father and son enjoy a walk in the woods

  Staff member, Matt teaching an archery lesson!

Dad and son do some bonding while climbing the ropes course!

 Three generations of men do some archery!

The whole gang hanging out by the lake on the last day. We had a blast boys!
Thanks to Matt and Mike who led the weekend, and showed these campers an excellent time!


We plan to host this event next year too, and in years to come- so stay tuned to the website or contact us for more information!

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Eagerly Awaiting Summer!

June 20, 2013, 6:36 am
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Today marks the last day of our spring season! We can't wait to welcome our summer staff tomorrow for another exciting and event filled pre-camp. The cabins have been tidied, the boats have been assembled, and everyone is excited and motivated for another great summer season here at Wanakita. Some of our pre-camp events will include an auction to raise money for YMCA Strong Kids, some fun early morning risers, and a few competitions in our pre-camp staff teams. We're looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and welcoming new staff to our home! 

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Strawberry Social!

June 24, 2013, 3:54 pm
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Yesterday we hosted our annual Strawberry Social! We welcomed well over 600 visitors to camp throughout the afternoon. We had a lovely all you can eat meal and visitors could participate in all of our program areas. We were lucky to have hot and sunny weather that allowed everyone to swim, canoe, kayak, and sail throughout the day. Strawberry Social is a great way to familiarize new campers with Wanakita before the summer begins. In addition, we love welcoming the community to participate in our activities and dine. The food was raved about and everyone left thanking the staff for an amazing afternoon! Thank you to everyone that attended and we hope to see you all again next year, as well as others!



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Session A is well under way!

July 2, 2013, 8:18 am
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The day we've been waiting for finally happened - Session A has started! All the campers have settled into their cabins. Our counsellors are so happy and excited for a great session.

Juniors/Intermediates
  •  The J/I's had a Canada Day Parade last night for section program! They made banners and paraded through camp in red and white
Seniors
  • Senior Trad cabins leaving for their canoe trips this week are headed out on Wednesday! They're almost done all their packing, route planning and making trip shirts! 
  • Senior Spec had many campers welcomed from Spain this week!
Student Counsellors
  • The SC's had their first SC Challenge last night! They made cheers and team names for the month
  • The First Year SC's began swimming and canoeing yesterday morning, they are all working towards their swimming qualifications and canoeing levels
  • The 2nd Year SC's went to Umbrella Island yesterday to spend the morning reconnecting and getting to know each other 
Day Camp
  • Yesterday was the first day of Day Camp! The campers and counsellors are already having lots of fun and keeping busy

Cabin photos will be posted in the next few days on our Bunk1 website. Check out some photos from the first day and opening campfire!





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Theatre, Dance and Music

July 5, 2013, 12:25 pm
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We had a wonderful week and are sad to see all our A1 campers leaving tomorrow. Check out our Facebook page for a reminder of pick-up times and locations. http://wanakita.ymcahbb.ca/residential-camp-transportation.cfm 

Our senior specialty campers are all packed and heading out on their two night overnight tonight! 
The one week J/I's had tons of fun at the dance last night and are looking forward to closing campfire tonight! Theme day is tomorrow for the two week J/I's, this weeks theme is ZOMBIES! 

To celebrate the final day of PCA's our theatre, dance and music groups performed what they had spent all week preparing! We usually gather at Corey's Place, unfortunately the rain caused us to remain in the Core today. Take a look at some of the photos:







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Theme Day and Senior Specialty Overnight!

July 7, 2013, 3:36 pm
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Welcome to all our A2 one week campers that arrived safely today! We are looking forward to another great week. Check Bunk1 early this week for cabin photos.

Senior Trad left and is returning today! Cabin 42 girls had an awesome time in Bon Echo and Cabin 38 & 45 will be back shortly from the Magnetawan. Cabin 37, 46 & 18 all left this morning for their trips as well.

Senior Specialty had a great overnight this weekend, they all met on Umbrella Island on Saturday for lunch, check out a few pictures below of their lunch.

The two week J/I's had ZOMBIE Theme Day on Saturday and really enjoyed it! They spent the afternoon preparing to be a zombie including a craft, zombie dancing, an obstacle course and playing zombie ball. On Saturday evening they played a big game of zombie survival! Check out a few pictures below.






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Strong Kids Auction!

July 9, 2013, 6:34 am
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YMCA Wanakita raised over $10,000.00
to help send children, youth, and families to camp!
 
WHAT A SUCCESS!
 
Thanks to everyone who donated and supported YMCA Wanakita!  Together we will build Strong Kids, Strong Families and Strong Communities through the 2013 Strong Kids Campaign. Numerous gifts motivated our Wanakita Staff Members to participate in our annual Staff Strong Kids Auction.  The money raised through this campaign will give many children and youth a chance to build new skills, develop self confidence and make new friends in a safe, supportive and positive YMCA environment.
 
At YMCA Wanakita, we believe that no child or youth should be turned away from having an opportunity to participate in our summer camp or outdoor centre programs due to  financial constraints.  Your generosity and support goes a long way in providing these participants with a chance to grow in spirit, mind, and body.
 
From all of us at YMCA Wanakita thanks again for your support and commitment to helping YMCA Wanakita build Strong Kids!

Check out a few pictures from the event!








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Final Day of Session A

July 12, 2013, 11:48 am
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Today is the last full day of Session A, the summer is flying by!

Last night was the Session A Disney Stars themed dance! We saw a lot of princesses and fun character costumes. All the campers had a great time and danced the night away. Check out some of the photos from last night.

Today is Beach Day!!! All of the J/I’s, Seniors and Day Camp are gathering at the beach for swimming, volleyball, sand castles and some time to hangout before its time to leave tomorrow.

The First Year SC’s have all departed on their 6 day canoe trips! They are headed to Temagami, Chiniguchi and Kipawa. Check out some of the boys before pictures!

Looking forward to the final campfire tonight!












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Bring on Session B!

July 15, 2013, 7:58 am
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All of our session B campers have safely arrived and we couldn't be more excited to have them here for the next two weeks. We had our opening campfire last night with tons of wonderful performances, check out the photos below.

The J/I's and Seniors began PCA's this morning. They both have section program tonight and are looking forward to a full two weeks of activities.

The Second Year SC's returned from their overnight yesterday. They had beautiful weather and a great time out on Koshlong Lake in Bark Bay. Last night they had a surprise PROM! They danced and had chocolate fondue thanks to their lovely counsellors. Group B started their cabin placements today and Group A is headed to the Gull River to go kayaking this afternoon. The SC's are having fun and keeping busy. We can't wait to welcome the First Year SC girls back tomorrow and the boys on Wednesday to hear all about their canoe trips!

Don't forget to 'Like' YMCA Wanakita on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
https://www.facebook.com/CampWanakita
https://twitter.com/YMCAWanakita




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Greek God Theme Day

July 22, 2013, 10:06 am
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Theme Day this session was Greek Gods! Ares (played by our director Rankin) interrupted the Greek gods lunch on Saturday and stole the gods powers, rendering them mortal. Fortunately the JI campers rose to the challenge of helping the gods restore their power! They spent the afternoon training to return the gods to immortality. Their afternoon consisted of slip and slide with Poseidon, canoe racing in the godly voyageurs, Greek god ball, and many other themed activities. 

After dinner Ares' titans escaped! It was up to the JI's to determine their weaknesses to capture them and return them to the Greek gods. Finally after they were all captured, Ares confronted the titans and they turn their back on him, pushing him into the lake - Ares is defeated!








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End of Session B

July 27, 2013, 9:11 am
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It was sad to say goodbye to all of our campers today. Session B was a huge success. Check out some photos from PCA's and SC Challenge Zoo Escape. The SC's are going home stronger leaders and all of our campers left today with new skills, challenges they met and many memories!
We are eagerly awaiting our Session C campers and August SC's!






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Jeremy Fisher visits Wanakita!

August 1, 2013, 4:21 pm
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Canadian singer-songwriter Jeremy Fisher played a concert this afternoon at Corey's Place! Jeremy is a former Wanakita staff and camper. Everyone was so surprised and excited to welcome him back to camp. The concert was awesome. He played some of everyone's favorites and we even sang along for some songs. Thank you to Cam Green for making this happen, and of course to Jeremy Fisher for a great show! We hope to see you again soon. 
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Saying goodbye to Session C...

August 10, 2013, 7:22 am
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We had an amazing last two weeks with great campers and many fun activities! Some of the highlights were:

  • Lots of laughs with our Reach for the Rainbow campers and volunteers
  • Mamma Mia and Mean Girl themed Corey's Place performances
  • Clue for Reach for the Rainbow
  • Jeremy Fisher concert!
  • Haliburton Rotary Camp Canoe Challenge, congratulations to everyone that participated we had a lot of fun spending the afternoon in Haliburton and racing against other camps
  • Dynamic Duos Staff Social, many great costumes
  • The First Year SC's have all headed out on their canoe trips to Temagami, Chiniguchi, & Kipawa
  • The Second Year SC's have left for their two day overnight on Koshlong Lake
  • A formal themed dance to end off the session
  • Some time to reflect on our experience at the session C closing campfire!
We hope to see everyone back next summer for even more fun! We are going to miss our session C campers but are looking forward to everyone headed to Wanakita for session D. The summer is flying by! Take a look at a few pictures from this session. 







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Session D Highlights

August 17, 2013, 7:53 am
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Session D is well underway! We say goodbye to our one week D1 campers today, they had an amazing time and we look forward to seeing them back again next year! Our last group of campers arrive tomorrow, we are looking forward to welcoming the Session D2 one weekers!

The session D GAMES have commenced and its a friendly rivalry between the Blue Herons and the Red Foxes! Spirits are high and cheers in the dining hall are loud! Today's theme day will consist of several challenges between the two teams to earn points. Stay tuned for more pictures from the GAME this coming week!

Reach for the Rainbow headed over to Family Camp the other day to do the Flying Squirrel high ropes element. There were lots of laughs and smiles from all of our volunteers. They have been working hard, enjoying their stay and are forming friendships.

Stay tuned for more events happening this coming week and don't forget to 'Like' YMCA Wanakita on Facebook for more updates and photos!  https://www.facebook.com/CampWanakita?ref=hl





 Cheering on the Blue Herons!

Session D Opening Campfire, the story of the GAMES!


The Blue Herons are victorious in the water trampoline competition!

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The GAMES!

August 20, 2013, 6:35 pm
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The session D GAMES are well underway! The Blue Herons and Red Foxes are engaging in friendly, enthusiastic and intense competition under the watchful eye of the West Branch. Some challenges have included Inuit games, dodgeball, relay races, a scavenger hunt and an epic match of tug of war! Everyone is getting involved in the GAMES and their is so much spirit from the foxes and herons!








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