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  • August 24, 2010 4:28 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Holry,


    Another summer is rapidly winding down.  The final crews at the Base are headed home.  Cooler temperatures are behind weather fronts and before we know it, the first signs of fall’s colors will be showing on the maples in Canoe Country.


    Join us at the campfire.I wanted to take this final opportunity to invite you to the 2010 Rendezvous over Labor Day weekend.  Allen Rench and his team of organizers are putting the final touches on a fun-filled weekend.  Whether you can visit for the weekend or just Saturday’s banquet, we hope you can join us.


    We’ve invited fur trade re-enactors to set-up camp in the old canoe yard (the volleyball area for younger members) to take us back to the era when the Ojibway and French voyageurs exchanged trade goods for valuable beaver pelts.  On Saturday night, the kids get to sleep-over with Ted, Honey and Lucky, three black bears at the North American Bear Center (Survivors will be returned to families in time for Sunday service in the Lodge.).  The rest of us will gather Saturday evening to dine at the Grand Ely Lodge.  Tom Widney will share his inspirational experience as an adaptive paddler.  We’ll also be entertained by renowned voyageur auctioneer, Cory Kolodji, who will auction a restored Seliga canoe and Real Berard painting. 


    Whether you are interested in a paddle on Moose Lake, sitting back and exchanging stories with fellow Charlie Guides, or spending a quiet moment with a child or grandchild in the Lodge telling them of your days on staff, the Rendezvous is a great time to step back, relax and have fun.  If your calendar’s still open for the upcoming holiday weekend, please consider making the trip.  We’ll see you soon.


    Redeye,


    Mike Holdgrafer
    SAA President  

  • July 31, 2010 11:05 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    This is just a reminder that Sunday, August 1st is the last chance to order the SAA polo shirt.  Then the shirts go into production!  In addition, this deadline applies to the option of ordering the shirt when registering for the Rendezvous reunion.

    This shirt is being offered once biannually.  The base polo shirt price is just $25 – this includes the cost of handing and shipping the shirt to you.  However, you can save an additional $5 per shirt when registering for the Rendezvous reunion by August 1st.
  • June 13, 2010 1:41 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)


    Hol-Ry!

    As members of the PSA, SBAFA, and SAA, you are extended the great privilege and opportunity to voyage by canoe into God's country -- no roads, no phones, no electricity, with only the few other humans who are willing to test their abilities. Worthy adventurers who seize this challenge will embark upon a grand adventure into the lands of the great north of this continent.

    Pierre Radisson, who dared to traverse these lands in the 1600's, is reported to have said: "Out there we were kings, the richest men in all the world." You'll find that a trail sauna followed by a simple dip in the cool lake or a shower under a great waterfall will make you feel as though you are king of all that you survey.

    You will brave winds, hear the call of the loon, explore new territory, and experience and do things you have never imagined were within your ability. For those of us fortunate to have been there before you, it is a return home that calls us to lakes and waterways of the great north. For the new adventurer, it is an experience never forgotten.

    Join us on this Voyage August 28 to September 4 and you will have memories that last a life time.

    -- Patrick Cox, Past President, Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association


    Canoe Voyage
    ...
    Your day on the water
    Hopefully, your socks are dry when you wake up. Breakfast is hot -- oatmeal and coffee -- maybe fish caught early and fried over a wood fire. Camp is struck, the huge Grey Whale canoe packs carefully packed and balanced. The food pack weighs 100 pounds. The gear packs are lighter, but just as hard to pack. Gear seems to expand a bit each day. The crew consists of a maximum of eight Voyageurs plus the Interpreter, three to a canoe. On a portage, one Voyageur carries the canoe, one Voyageur the gear, and one Voyageur the food or kettle pack.

    When all is ready, a final look at the map and today's route, and last policing of the campsite -- Leave No Trace is the rule. Canoes are carefully loaded and checked for balance. Much of the day is on the water. The horizon is low, just a fringe of trees on the shore. The lowest point is usually a portage. A quick conference and study of the map: is that the right portage? Approach the shore carefully. Kevlar canoes are light, but easily swamped when one exits the canoe in too-deep water.

    The shore is often rocky. Load and unload canoes in knee-deep water. Good wet boots are essential; jungle boots work well. The portage trail is measured in rods. One rod equals 16 1/2 feet. Maybe the only contact you'll have with another crew all day will be at a portage. The portage may be 50 rods, or 150. Some days there may be two portages, others 5. After a while, the crew develops an easy routine for portaging.

    In the afternoon, paddle to shore to find a campsite. Most have a fire ring and open air latrine called a "grumper". Set up camp and lay out clothes and boots to dry. Fish for walleye, northern pike, lake trout, and bass. Explore, swim, or hunt for eagles with binoculars. Cook a one-pot meal for dinner, clean up before dark. More time to explore or fish.

    When night falls, stare at the stars, look out over the water...

    The Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area is truly wild. It's changed little since the glaciers melted. There are over 1,500 miles of canoe routes, nearly 2,200 designated campsites, and more than 1,000 lakes and streams. After your first portage out of Moose Lake the first day, you won't see or hear an outboard motor. Even airplanes are prohibited from flying lower than 30,000 feet. You'll see bald eagles, and maybe moose. You might hear loons, grouse, and if very lucky, a pack of timber wolves.

    "Wilderness is more than lakes, rivers, and timber along the shores, more than fishing or just camping. It is the sense of the primeval, of space, solitude, silence and the eternal mystery." --Sigurd Olson


    Thank you to Rick Touchette of the PSA for writing this email and to Lee Huckstep of both the SAA and PSA for composing the previous emails sent. This concludes our email series about the 2010 Wilderness Voyage. We hope you can join us this summer, if not hopefully in 2012. Red-eye.


    Checkout the Latest Northern Tier Promotional Video

    Click the image below to watch the video in your Web browser.



    Watch the video: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=626332183813


    Questions?

    Contact your facilitator below:



    Registration

    Registration deadline is July 1, 2010. Get the crew you want by recruiting your friends and Voyage-eligible family members and signing-up now!

    Registration, $400 per person, can be done using the form below (Mail to: SAA -- Alumni Voyage, PO Box 428, Ely, Minnesota 55731-0428). Checks should be written to "Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.". 

  • June 10, 2010 12:45 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Hol-Ry!


    By popular demand, it’s here:  The SAA Polo Shirt!   Perfect for wearing at a SAA event or work.

    This short-sleeve polo is available in both Dark Green with logo embroidered in stone (khaki) and in Stone (khaki) with logo embroidered in dark green.  Available in men’s (S-4XL, including tall) and women’s sizes (S-XL).

    This shirt is being offered once biannually with an order deadline of August 1st.   The base polo shirt price is just $25 – this includes the cost of handing and shipping the shirt to you.


    Hey!  Going to the SAA Rendezvous Reunion over Labor Day weekend?  It will be great fun, at a great price!  Register in advance for the reunion and order your polo shirt at the same time to save $5 per shirt ($20 each). Pick-up your shirt when you check-in for the reunion.  Register for the SAA Rendezvous and order your shirt today!

    Red-eye!
  • May 24, 2010 11:40 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association - 2010 Rendezvous Reunion

    Join us at the campfire.Hol-Ry,

    How long has it been since you heard that word, Hol-Ry, or even been around friends that knew what it meant? If it has been more than a couple of years then you are way past due for a Canoe Base Fix.

    Labor Day weekend is quickly approaching and it is time for the "Rendezvous" reunion once again. You are thinking "quickly approaching"? It's true we haven't even celebrated Memorial Day yet. But if you don't reserve September 3-6 on your calendar right now for your trip Up North then before you know it the Rendezvous will be over and Thanksgiving here.

    Rendezvous is for the whole family: In addition to your chance to revisit and explore what has changed at Northern Tier's Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base, there will be hands on activities including re-enactors of the fur trade era, tomahawk throwing, logging encampment, coopers, black smith, and much, much more. For the children (ages 10-15), on Saturday we will have an overnight stay at the North American Bear Center in Ely. On Saturday evening join us at the Grand Ely Lodge for the Rendezvous Banquet for an evening of activities and auctions. I even hear there will be a restored Seliga canoe on the auction block!

    This is a time and the place where you can reconnect with your friends and meet their families. You can taste again what it was like to be able to step off the waterfront and leave the modern world behind even if for just and instant. The best part of it all, you have the opportunity to improve, embellish and downright stretch the truth a lot about your canoe trek stories to a different generation of listeners.

    I invite you to come spend some time Up North. Hang out with old and new friends. Take a canoe out on Moose Lake and just exhale.  Register online at www.holry.org. Get the word out to all of your friends and invite them to join in the fun. As always there will be a hot pot of coffee waiting for you at the campfire.

    Register today!

    Red-Eye,


    Allen Rench


  • April 25, 2010 4:18 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association - Alumni Wilderness Voyage

    To be a kid again…
    You gotta’ have the right gear!

    Portaging
    Paddling the Boundary Waters requires the right gear. Gear requirements for canoe country are unique. Some of this unique gear you’ll bring, most will be provided by the Northern Tier. In this e-mail we will continue your journey to being a kid again on the 2010 Alumni Wilderness  Voyage by discussing the gear you’ll use when paddling the Boundary Waters August 28 – September 4.


    Gear you will bring

         --Wet boots are boots that let the water that flows into your boots, flow out of your boots. You will need wet boots because your feet will be wet. You will get out of your canoe in knee deep water and you will get into your canoe in knee deep water. In addition, some of the portages will be covered with pools of knee deep water and mud. “Dry-footing” in canoe country is not an option.

    Water sandals do not work and are not permitted by the Northern Tier. The most common injury in canoe country is foot and ankle injuries caused by sharp, slippery rocks. You will encounter lots of sharp, slippery rocks while getting into and out of your canoe, and on the portage trails as well. Water sandals do not offer the necessary protection.

    The most recommended type of wet boots is American-made jungle boots—the imported jungle boots are poorly made and will not hold up. American-made jungle boots can be purchased at surplus stores or may be purchased directly from the Northern Tier.

    Wet boots can also be made by taking an expendable, but still serviceable, pair of hiking boots and installing grommets along the in-step and out-step and around the toes.

         --Waterproof compression bags are highly recommended. These bags allow you to compact your personal gear and sleeping bag very tightly. This is important because you will be sharing a Duluth pack with 2 other Voyageurs, and if everyone is using compression bags, getting the personal gear into the Duluth packs will be easy.

    Waterproof compression bags also offer the assurance that, in the event of a canoe swamping, your personal gear will remain completely dry.

         --Rain gear is essential, both for wind and rain protection. The Northern Tier does not allow the use of ponchos. They are dangerous because they make it difficult or impossible to swim in the event of a canoe swamping. You will need a lightweight rain jacket and pants. These can serve double duty as a second layer to protect against the cold.


    For a full list of the personal gear you will need and to order forms for wet boots:


    Gear the Northern Tier provides

    Kevlar Canoe     --Canoes (and your feet) are your only means of transportation in the Boundary Waters. The Northern Tier offers the choice of aluminum canoes or Kevlar canoes. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

    Aluminum canoes offer maximum stability and durability (they can take a few dings from submerged rocks) and make it easier for beginning canoeists to paddle in a straight line. The downside to aluminum canoes is that they are heavy—they weigh about 90 pounds—and you gotta’ carry them across the portages.

    Kevlar canoes are light (about 60 pounds) and fast. The downside is that they are tippy, hard to control for beginning canoeists, and easily damaged by submerged rocks.

         --Duluth packs are issued by the Northern Tier for your personal gear. Each Duluth pack is shared by 3 Voyageurs. (This is easy if you are using compression bags.) Duluth packs fit well into the tight spaces of a canoe. Your personal pack will not work well. It will upset the distribution of the crew’s personal gear and will not fit well into the tight spaces of a canoe. Your pack frame may well get damaged if you try to stuff it into a canoe, or the canoe itself may get damaged.

       --Tents (four men) are issued by the Northern Tier. The four man tent is perfect for three adults.  The use of personal tents is discouraged because the four man tents make the best use of limited tent space available in many campsites.


    For a video view of Northern Tier gear, click the image below to watch the video in your Web browser (22 minutes). While the video dates from 1981, it gives a fairly accurate depiction of your gear. 



    Watch video: http://www.holry.org/essays/promotionalfilms/


    “Out there we were kings…the richest men in all the world”. (Pierre Radisson, Voyageur, 1600’s, writing about canoe country.)


    BerriesQuestions?

    Contact your facilitator below:




    Registration

    Registration deadline is July 1, 2010. Get the crew you want by recruiting your friends and Voyage-eligible family members and signing-up now!

    Registration, $400 per person, can be done using the form below (Mail to: SAA – Alumni Voyage, PO Box 428, Ely, Minnesota 55731-0428).  Checks should be written to "Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.".  Please also email us at XXXX letting us know your registration is in the mail.  

    Your name: ______________________________________________________
    Phone #:________________________________________________________
    E-mail:__________________________________________________________
    Mailing address: ___________________________________________________

    Additional registrants: (List age if registrant is under 18 years old)
    Name: __________________________ Relationship to member: ___________ Age: ___
    Name: __________________________ Relationship to member: ___________ Age: ___

    Eligibility requirements: (1) Be a member of the SAA or Trek-eligible family member (2) Be a member of the BSA (3) Have a completed Northern Tier medical form (4) Be 13 years old by September 1, 2010.

    Voyage-eligible family members: Spouse, child or step child, sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, niece, nephew or in-law of SAA, PSA or SBAFA member who meets eligibility requirements above.

    Cancellation policy: (1) Cancellation prior to the registration deadline of July 1, 2010 will receive a full refund. (2) Cancellation after the registration deadline will incur a charge of $100.00, which will be contributed to the SAA General Fund, other amounts will be refunded. (3) In exceptional cases, the Executive Board can authorize full refunds for cancellation after the registration deadline.

  • March 09, 2010 11:14 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    2010 Alumni Wilderness Voyage - The Exchange Program of the SAA, PSA, and SBAFA

    Dear Voyageurs:

     Insert_01_Kevin.jpg
    Kevin Dowling

    Close your eyes and dream about the adventure that awaits you at the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base in Ely, MN. Northern Tier is the oldest of the three BSA High Adventure bases and was established in 1923. It is a diamond in the Northwoods of Minnesota -- a 1.2 million acre wilderness located in The Superior National Forest including the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area.

    Sam Cook in his book “Up North” describes the area that surrounds Northern Tier best… “Each of us has an ‘Up North’. It’s a time and place far from here and now. It’s a map on the wall, a dream in the making, a tugging at one’s soul. For those who feel the tug, who make the dream happen, who put the map in the packsack and go, the world is never quite the same again.”

    Be a kid again, come Up North, and bring your Voyage eligible family members.  It is guaranteed that a part of you will always be “Up North” after you have been delivered a wilderness adventure that will  last a lifetime by the Northern Tier staff.

     - Kevin Dowling, Northern Tier General Manager and 2009 Exchange Program Participant at Philmont.




    Be a kid again…
    Discover your own “Up North”

    In the first e-mail promoting the 2010 Wilderness Voyage of the Exchange Program of the SAA, PSA and SBAFA, we got you started on your journey to being a kid again. In this e-mail we continue that journey by discussing unique participation requirements for the Northern Tier, enticing itinerary options for your voyage, and offering you a glimpse of the remoteness you will enjoy with your crew as you discover your own “Up North” paddling the Boundary Waters August 28 - September 4.


    “Every Scout a swimmer…”

    Insert_02.jpgMany of you will remember that phrase from when you were a kid. At the Northern Tier you gotta’ be able to swim – the water is deep.

    Each Voyageur will be required to present a certificate of swimming ability. The requirements are:
    • Jump feet first into water over the head in depth, level off, and begin swimming.
    • Swim 75 yards in a strong manner using one or more of the following strokes: Sidestroke, breaststroke, trudgen, or crawl.  
    • Swim 25 yards using an easy, resting backstroke. 
    • The 100 yards must be completed in one swim without stops and must include at least one sharp turn. 
    • After completing the swim, rest by floating.
    This swim classification test can be certified by one of the following people: Aquatics Instructor, BSA; Cub Scout Aquatics Supervisor; BSA Lifeguard; certified lifeguard; swimming instructor; or swim coach. This includes your SCUBA instructor.

    In addition to being able to swim, you need to be in shape. Paddling is strenuous, and you must be able to portage loads ranging from a 60 pound Kevlar canoe to a food pack weighing 100 pounds. (The food pack gets lighter as the voyage progresses.)


    Those blasted medical forms

    The medical forms for the BSA’s High Adventure Bases are similar, but each is also uniquely different. The only form accepted by the Northern Tier is the Northern Tier Class 3 Medical Form.

    Just like when you were a kid getting ready for the Northern Tier, Philmont or the Sea Base, you must see the doctor first.  One thing that is very different for the Northern Tier is that your physician is asked to evaluate you in light of the fact that, if you are injured or become sick, direct assessment and evacuation could take up to 12 hours. We don’t mean to frighten you, but when you are on the Voyage, you are really “out there”. Please evaluate your physical condition realistically and honestly.


    Canoeing experience is not required…

    …but it certainly is good to know fore from aft, port from starboard, a sweep from a j-stroke, and how to get into and out of a canoe without swamping.

    If you do not have canoeing experience, at least pick up a copy of the Canoeing Merit Badge Book and read it several times. And if you get the opportunity to try out some of your book-learned skills in a real canoe, do it!


    Itinerary options

    To save you money, you will sleep in the United States. You can paddle, portage and eat in Canada, but when it comes to selecting your campsite, make sure you are in the United States of face stiff possible fines. This is the only restriction on your itinerary.

    Your Voyage will start at the Charles L. Sommers Base on Moose Lake. You can make any itinerary you want, but popular itineraries include:
    1. Bear Loop, 55 miles, goes to the northeast, and allows for lots of flexibility. Highlights include canoeing on the international boundary, visiting Dorothy “Root Beer Lady” Moulter’s island in Knife Like and bald eagles too-numerous-to-count on Ensign Lake.
    2. Horse River, 55 miles, goes to the west by northwest. Highlights include canoeing on the international boundary, Basswood Falls, and some of the really big and famous Boundary Waters Lakes.
    Campsites in the United States have the advantage of being equipped with a fire grate and a “grumper”, i.e. latrine. (Grumpers are far more comfortable than Philmont latrines.) Also, many of the portages in the United States have been nicely improved, some by Order of the Arrow Trail Crews.


    Remoteness

    Insert_03.jpg“The Boundary Waters is wilderness: rugged, remote, and wild.  I saw a wolf, before we even got to Ely. Bald eagles, loons, and grouse in abundance, but few people, no planes, no motors after the first day. I saw things as they were when my great-great grandfather was trading for John Jacob Astor and the Hudson Bay Company.

    The landscape seemed eerie. On the water, the horizon is low and the sky is huge. You see the shore, and a thin fringe of trees is always the horizon. The dip in the horizon is the portage. You see water, rocks, trees, and sky. The Northern Tier gets in your blood and draws you back. One trip and you know you belong there.”


    - Rick Touchette, 2008 Voyageur and PSA facilitator


    Sneak peek

    If your kid-like enthusiasm is growing, or you want to experience some of the remoteness described by Rick, click the link below and select “Ottertrack to Ely”. This video shows some of the “Up North” water paddled, and portages portaged, by prior Exchange Program crews. You may well paddle and portage there, too.


    Questions? 

    Contact your facilitator:



    Registration

    Registration deadline is July 1, 2010. Get the crew you want by recruiting your friends and Voyage-eligible family members and signing-up now!

    Registration, $400 per person, can be done using the form below (Mail to: SAA – Alumni Voyage, PO Box 428, Ely, Minnesota 55731-0428).  Checks should be written to "Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.".  Please also email us at XXXXX letting us know your registration is in the mail. 

    Your name: ______________________________________________________
    Phone #:________________________________________________________
    E-mail:__________________________________________________________
    Mailing address: ___________________________________________________

    Additional registrants: (List age if registrant is under 18 years old)
    Name: __________________________ Relationship to member: ___________ Age: ___
    Name: __________________________ Relationship to member: ___________ Age: ___

    Cancellation policy: (1) Cancellation prior to the registration deadline of July 1, 2010 will receive a full refund. (2) Cancellation after the registration deadline will incur a charge of $100.00, which will be contributed to the SAA General Fund, other amounts will be refunded. (3) In exceptional cases, the Executive Board can authorize full refunds for cancellation after the registration deadline.

  • March 03, 2010 9:48 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Hol-Ry!

    Why wait to get the latest issue of Reflections via the mail?  The new, full color Winter 2010 edition of Reflections is now on-line.



    The print edition is on its way soon!  Save trees by choosing to receive most newsletters and mailings online only. If you would not like to receive the print edition, update your profile by changing the option "Receive most newsletters and mailings by email only" to Yes.  To update your profile, log-in using your email address  and password at http://portal.holry.org.
  • February 27, 2010 8:13 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Hol-Ry,

    SAA.gifPlease join your fellow alumni and friends at Canoecopia ("The World's Largest Paddlesport Expo") in Madison, Wisconsin this March 12th to 14th. Be sure to come visit the Northern Tier National High Adventure Programs booth. 

    This expo is a great opportunity to experience the wide world of paddle sports.  Learn more about this event by visiting the Website at:  http://www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia/

    • On Saturday at 9 PM, join us for an informal gathering at "Legends Sports Bar & Grill" (439 Grand Ganyon Dr, Madison).  Upon arrival look around for the rambunctious Charlie Guides, as no advance arrangements have been made with Legends.

    Red-eye!
  • January 25, 2010 1:33 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    2010 Alumni Wilderness Voyage - The Exchange Program of the SAA, PSA, and SBAFA

    Be a kid again...

    Paddle the Boundary Waters

    While we are born with curiosity and wonder,
    And our early years full of the adventures they bring,
    I know such inherent joys are often lost...

    I also know that, being deep within us,
    Their latent glow can be fanned to flame again...

    - Sigurd Olson

    Sigurd Olson was an American author, environmentalist, Boundary Waters Wilderness guide and long time friend of the Northern Tier High Adventure Program. Olson understood well that as we grow older, the simple joys of our youth are lost, but he also knew that we can be kids again. And how do we become kids again? The same way Sigurd Olson did: paddling the Boundary Waters.

    Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.The Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association (SAA) is proud to host the Philmont Staff Association (PSA) and the Florida Sea Base and Friends Association (SBAFA) for the 2010 Canoe Voyage. The Voyage will embark from the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base nearly Ely, MN, just a few miles south of the Canadian border. This is the first High Adventure opportunity to be offered by the recently expanded Exchange Program between the SAA, PSA and SBAFA. The Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base is the "grand-daddy" of the national High Adventure program and the headquarters of the three high adventure bases comprising the Northern Tier High Adventure Program.


    Voyage basics

    The Voyage will be August 28 to September 4, 2010. The cost is $400 per voyageur. The cost includes all Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness camping fees, trail food, Kevlar canoes, paddles, crew equipment, on-base lodging and meals, and Northern Tier Interpeter. You are responsible for your personal gear and for your travel expenses to and from the Sommers Base.

    Voyageurs will form crews of up to 8 voyageurs and will travel under the guidance of a current Northern Tier Interpreter for the entire voyage. This will give each voyageur the opportunity to experience the current Northern Tier program and, if you are an SAA member or have been to the Northern Tier before, you can re-live the experiences of your past voyages – when you were a kid.

    Voyageurs will sleep each night in the United States; hence citizenship documentation for travel in Canada will not be required. Sleeping in the United States also avoids the higher fees of the Quetico Provincial Park on the Canadian side of the border. However, you are likely to paddle in Canadian waters and eat some lunches in Canada – you just cannot sleep there.


    Eligiblity requirements

    1. Be a current member of the SAA, PSA, or SBAFA or eligible family member.
    2. Be a registered member of the BSA.
    3. Present a completed Northern Tier medical form.
    4. Present a completed Northern Tier swimming certification form. Non-swimmers are not allowed.
    5. Be 13 years old by September 1, 2010. (Note that to be registered, females must be 14 years old and have completed 8th grade or be 15 years old.)

    Becoming a member of the BSA is straightforward: You register at your local Scout office by explaining that BSA membership is a requirement for your participation in an event at the Northern Tier, pay nominal fees and pass a background check.

    Prior canoeing experience is not required. But if you do not have canoeing experience, pick up and carefully read (several times) the Canoeing Merit Badge book.


    Eligible family members

    You may bring your spouse, child or step child, sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, niece, nephew or in-law who meets the eligibility requirements above.


    The Schedule

    • Saturday, August 28 – Arrive at the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base near Ely, MN before 5:00 PM. Meet your Interpreter and fellow/sister voyageurs for dinner. Begin your trip preparation and planning. Spend the night in on-base cabins.
    • Sunday, August 29 – Pack your personal and crew gear. Start your voyage!
    • Sunday, August 29 to Friday, September 3 ("on water" 6 days/ 5 nights) – Enjoy the peace and solitude of wilderness canoe camping with your fellow/sister voyageurs and Interpreter.
    • Friday, September 3 – Return to the Sommers Canoe Base in the afternoon for a sauna before dinner in the Dining Hall. After dinner, share trip experiences with the other crews.
    • Saturday, September 4 – Head for home with a Duluth pack full of memories or stay to participate in the Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association Rendezvous Reunion!  The Rendezvous highlight is a rambunctious banquet at the Grand Lodge in Ely which will include entertainment, silent auction and cash bar.   For persons staying through to the end of the Rendezvous, a separate registration and modest fees apply.


    Triple Crown AwardTriple Crown Award

    Upon completion of your voyage, you will receive the participant’s award of the Northern Tier. You will be one step closer towards the Triple Crown Award, the award given to those who have earned participant’s awards at all three of the BSA High Adventure Bases: Northern Tier, Philmont and the Sea Base.


    Inspiration

    Need some inspiration to jump start your journey to being a kid again? Click the link below. While the clothing and hairstyles may seem dated, the experience is timeless – just like you!

    Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC8lcpaCJVw

     

    Questions? 

    Contact your facilitator:


    Registration

    Registration deadline is July 1, 2010. Get the crew you want by recruiting your friends and Voyage-eligible family members and signing-up now!

    Registration, $400 per person, can be done using the form below (Mail to: SAA – Alumni Voyage, PO Box 428, Ely, Minnesota 55731-0428).  Checks should be written to "Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association, Inc.".  Please also email us letting us know your registration is in the mail. 

    Print the following registration form or download a PDF of the fact sheet and registration form.

    Your name: ______________________________________________________
    Phone #:________________________________________________________
    E-mail:__________________________________________________________
    Mailing address: ___________________________________________________

    Additional registrants: (List age if registrant is under 18 years old)
    Name: __________________________ Relationship to member: ___________ Age: ___
    Name: __________________________ Relationship to member: ___________ Age: ___

    Cancellation policy: (1) Cancellation prior to the registration deadline of July 1, 2010 will receive a full refund. (2) Cancellation after the registration deadline will incur a charge of $100.00, which will be contributed to the SAA General Fund, other amounts will be refunded. (3) In exceptional cases, the Executive Board can authorize full refunds for cancellation after the registration deadline.

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