French: Les Voyageurs
Family Week (6 days/5 nights)
Jul 23-Jul 28, 2012
Aug 06-Aug 11, 2012
Aug 20-Aug 25, 2012
Get ready for the rendezvous!
All ages learn to appreciate and enjoy the beautiful outdoors on this week-long expereince. Families embrace the life of the French-Canadian traders and trappers who explored the beautiful North Woods of Minnesota in the 1800s at our base camp on Turtle River Lake near Bemidji, Minn.
Even today, nearly 200 years after the height of the beaver fur trade, many people enjoy learning about that historical time and re-enacting it in outdoor museums or re-enactment festivals.
Learn More Than Language Skills
Adventure and exploration define every day as you work with your family brigade mastering basic wilderness skills. You’ll spend lots of time in l’eau and every night ends around le feu de camp. Given the outdoor nature of the program, participants learn a great deal of French orally and through the practice of repeated tasks.Participants will be taught and are expected to canoe, cook and live outdoors in all weather, including rain.
Learn About Native Cultures
One of the many things we love to do here chez les Voyageurs is eat amazing food that we cook ourselves over an open fire each day. With native foods available like wild rice and maple sugar, voyageurs in the 1800s learned to live off the land like their Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) neighbors. And since the true voyageurs made meaningful and lasting relationships with the native peoples of these Northern woods, we focus heavily on learning about how indigenous communities lived and thrived on the waters we all learn to love.
All villagers, regardless of langauge level or previous camping experience, grow into a tight-knit community who can accomplish anything they set their minds to!
Typical Day
This schedule will vary from year to year depending on the age of villagers and session length, but basic activities remain the same.
8:00 Reveille
Villagers are awakened with a voyageur song.
8:30 Morning Activité
We begin the morning with singing and the Presentation de Repas around the Feu de Camp.
9:00 Dejeuner
Villagers enjoy a hearty breakfast every morning.
10:00 Leçon
A lesson or activity to learn about voyageur history.
10:30 Canotage
Canoeing is our most important activity in preparation for our Grand Voyage.
1:00 Diner
There's nothing like canoeing to work up that voyageur appetite!
2:00 Sieste
Zzzzz...
3:00 Leçon et Temps Libre
Afternoons are dedicated to free time, which includes activities and crafts, as well as French and wilderness skills lessons.
5:00 Preparation du cuisine
Villagers learn hands on how to prepare gourmet meals outdoors at our site.
6:00 Souper
Our meals are often typical voyageur dishes, but we also enjoy French African recipes and a variety of international cuisine.
7:00 Les Tâches
Villagers and staff keep up our wilderness site all by ourselves, and our evening chores include such tasks as chopping wood for the Feu de Camp or helping collect water from our water pump.
8:00 Activité du soir
Evening activities are special treats, such as canoeing on Turtle River Lake at sunset.
9:00 Chansons
We end the day with songs and a fun-filled campfire time.
9:30 La fin de la Journée
Bedtime.
* Une Petite Note:
Times are estimates. Because we live in the woods, we often change plans for weather or as needed!
To learn more about Les Voyageurs:
· Visit our Village Production Pages to see pictures of past years' villagers and camp activities.
· Meet our dean of the family program François Fouquerel.
Location
At base camp on Turtle River Lake near our other permanent Language Villages, We live in shared outfitter-quality tents and sleep on the ground in sleeping bags. We have a port-a-potty, the same kind you see at large public events. We wash in the lake or take bucket baths using biodegradable soap. Please make sure the soap you bring with you specifies that it is biodegradable.
A Note About Packing
Voyageur packing list (one week)
When packing, bring good quality gear for all temperatures and both wet and dry weather--but don't expect it to return home with you in "like-new" condition.
