About Kooch


The sweet smells of the northern Minnesota fill the senses as you make your way north on Hwy 53 to Camp Kooch-i-ching. Many who have driven north know this and understand the anticipation of arriving in the Rainy Lake region. It is something special to pull into the Kooch (Heinle) Landing, run into old friends, and feel your heart pumping faster as you look out across the lake. To spend your summer on Deer Island, to grow, mature and learn something more about yourself is indeed very special.

Camp Kooch-i-ching was founded in 1925 and has been in continuous operation ever since. 2009 will be our 85th consecutive summer. Over the years Kooch-i-ching has built a national reputation as one of the premier boy's camps in North America. It is especially well known for its outstanding wilderness trips program and for its success in blending a tripping program with a wide variety of base-camp activities

We want a young man who comes to Kooch-i-ching to have fun, develop new friends, learn a host of new skills and to experience challenge, real adventure and the magic of wild places. We also want the time he spends with us to help him grow as a person and a leader. We hope that he will return home with a better understanding of himself and others, have a sense of genuine accomplishment, increased self-reliance and self-esteem, and a strengthened ability to interact with others confidently and effectively.

Kooch-i-ching is fully accredited by the American Camping Association, an independent organization that audits the camp every three years to ensure we meet rigorous health, safety and program standards. At Kooch-i-ching we make every effort to safeguard the health and safety of the campers and staff who are part of the Kooch family, and our staff understands that the safety and health of campers is their single most important responsibility.

Kooch-i-ching's wilderness trips program includes three types of trips: canoe trips, backpacking trips and climbing trips. 2009 will see a pilot sea kayaking program.

Some of our staff posing for the campers on a canoe trip. The combined years of experience for this group: appox. 35!

Our trips are much more than getting from "Point A" to "Point B." They are challenging adventures that require tremendous group cooperation and an all hands effort to succeed. Each trip member, regardless of experience or skill, is an essential part of the effort and each lends his own unique self to the experience. Among other things, we intend that a young man will return from a Kooch trip with a sense of accomplishment and success, with a greater awareness of his own strengths and weaknesses, with increased self-reliance and with a greater understanding of how to use his energy and ability in concert with others.

In today's society, there are numerous demands on our children's attention; mass media splinters our focus. This onslaught can inhibit our children from developing a deeper appreciation of our natural surroundings, our precious environment and a love of the wilderness.

Since its inception, the mission of the Camping and Education Foundation has been to provide educational opportunities in a safe, wilderness setting. As an umbrella organization, the Camping and Education Foundation fosters a sense of individual growth, support for the greater community, the ideals of service to others, respect for one's environment, the understanding of belonging and lifelong learning on the part of its campers, staff and alumni.

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"Camp Kooch-i-ching gives Dante such an appreciation of nature and life. Camp also gives him such a feeling of maturity, strength and knowledge. He always comes back on top of the world. Thank You." Mother of a 2006 Intermediate

Goals
·To insure camper participation and success in a range of activities within a safe and healthy atmosphere.

·To help campers develop a greater sense of teamwork and responsibility.

·To help campers develop a sensitivity to the natural environment.

·To create an atmosphere that develops camper leadership qualities.

·To help campers develop an understanding and appreciation of the Native American culture.

·To help campers develop an understanding and appreciation of the Camp Kooch-i-ching history and traditions.

·To provide staff who are positive examples of leadership and strong social values.

·To provide a variety of wilderness trips and camp experiences thatincreasingly challenge and educate campers.

·To foster the development of a dynamic association of alumni and friends dedicated to vigorously supporting the long term best interests of the Camping and Education Foundation.

·To foster the development of friendships within the entire camp family.

For more information on Kooch-i-ching's history read This Place is Full of Memories: A History of Camp Kooch-i-ching, by Patrick Ecker and published by the Camping and Education Foundation.

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