“I didn’t want to do organized activities; I wanted a true wilderness adventure.”
Camper 2004-08
Guide 2009-present
Why Campers Choose Camp Temagami
“I Choose Camp Temagami because of the unique bond it develops between myself and everyone involved.”
Camper 2006-11
Guide 2012-present
“Camp Temagami has always shown me who I am and continues to shed light on who I may be.”
Camper 2000-05
Guide 2006-present
“I had the pleasure and privilege of spending the last night of the campers’ trip talk and photo display yesterday. It was incredibly moving to hear the testimonials of these fine youth and young men and women when they described their favorite moments about their time out on the land and what the experience was like paddling and portaging with their groups.
The caring and commitment that all the staff has and pride in the work involving our kids is shown in everything that is done there. My son Mgizi was registered last minute…I was searching for a life changing experience for him this summer. After 30 days he already has plans to be back and even asked me if he could come back next month! A commendable and 5 plus stars to Camp Temagami! I will highly recommend your camp to my friends and family! Thank you for everything and all that you do for the youth!!”
”When I think of camp Temagami I think of the unshakeable friendships created and strengthened through the trips and experiences. When people ask how I deal with home-sickness, the answer is, I don’t. When I’m at Camp Temagami, everyone, and everything there is my home and family.
If I had never gone to camp Temagami, I would never have learned skills such as canoeing, tumping, preparing food, portaging, and conquering fears. Camp Temagami is unique in this experience because it lets you see who you really are, out in the wild on trip, just you and your friends holding each other up, you become yourself.
Unlike school, where you strive to fit in and create an image of yourself that doesn’t truly represent you. At camp, you never have to be something your not, and if you’ve met me in person at camp, you’d recognize the outgoing attitude that I tackle life at camp with, every day. Temagami isn’t just a catalyst for children and youth to discover themselves alone, it embraces each unique person for who they are as well.
I can’t wait until I’m old enough to be a guide, in order to have as profound an impact on new campers as my past guides have had on me. Each year I learn and grow in incomparable ways.
The worst part of Camp Temagami is leaving and saying good-bye, by the end of the experience you’ve become so attached to the people, the place, and the community that I get off the bus with tears in my eyes, not exclusively to mourn the passing of another year, but in remembrance of the amazing memories shared.”
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Routes
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Friendships Forged
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Used Compasses
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Gunn Awards
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Generations of Guides
The Story
When I was thirteen I came to Temagami to a canoe trip camp. I had been to camp already, in Algonquin Park, and I remember the trip leaders there always talking about Temagami: the size of the lake, the coldness of the water, and the seemingly endless number of canoe routes. The place was indeed wonderful. Who needed to read adventure stories when you could go to Temagami in the summer?
Within a few seasons I began to become familiar with some of the routes and landmarks. Almost everyone got to “the trout streams” at least once a summer, but your age determined the route taken. You could not go to places like Florence Lake or Sunnywater Lake or Matachewan via the Montreal River until you were fourteen or fifteen. By the time I was in my mid-teens I was firmly convinced that what was truly exciting and important happened on the trail in Temagami in July and August, and what went on from September to June was merely what had to be endured between seasons.
At first I did not fully understand why spending time in Temagami was important. It felt right, and a group of contemporaries loved the country and the life of the trail as much as I did.
Nowadays I have no idea of what has become of 99 percent of my school and college friends, but I know what my canoeing friends from the summers of my youth are doing. During my university years I began to understand why my canoe tripping times were so important to me. It was a combination of feeling physically strong and seeing myself and the younger boys with whom I travelled stripped of pretence and cover that I valued. Not all personal relationships were harmonious, but the real character of people seemed to become quickly obvious. Each fall I felt psychologically strong and mentally energetic. The summer would carry me a long way.
Camper 1959-61, Guide 1962-68, ’70
Owner 2004-present