Another Meeting in the Books 🗺️

We had another productive meeting today- only 11 more days until trail!! Our crew is learning the last of the skills we need before leaving and becoming great kettle packers. Here’s Rose’s rundown of the meeting:

Today we started off our meeting by going to Claire’s house to dehydrate the tasty beef jerky, and after that her dogs helped us wash our hands... yummy slobber. Then we all went back to base camp to REDO THE MAPS 😤 because of the wildfires, but it’s okay because nobody explored the places we will go and we all got excited to name our portages. Then Clara and Sara set up a little scavenger hunt outside so we all learned how to use the compass with little tips and tricks to stay on track during portaging. We learned how to use the stove, but our matches weren't working (we dont talk about how many we used🤫) But it was super cool to see how everything worked. And we did Harper’s favorite, packing the kettle pack to end the day!

🥩🥩🥩

Jerky day was a busy day! From a visit to the er, being asked on a crew date, lots of pushups, and a dip in the lake, this calls a two part recap! Here’s Esther’s and then Lily’s take on Jerky day:

Beef jerky day was a unique experience. It started out with fifty pushups and a few little table problems and ended with one casualty and a whole bunch of meat donations to our crew. There were only four of us cutting up meat most of the time as compared to the other crews eight or nine. 🫨🥴 Despite this set back, the sweltering heat, and Owen the Inspector picking through our scraps, we finished up in record time. 💪

After jerky we went back to base camp for our meeting. We had lunch then washed out old spice bottles making a little spicy soup and Harper, three stitches later, rejoined us after her quick visit to the ER. We learned how to set up and take down the tents. After that we got the kettle pack and reviewed putting the tarp up, we were all pretty zapped from the heat and tired so it was a little rough and then putting the kettle pack together also to a while🫤. But then we took a nice and refreshing jump into the river to end the meeting😙

Live, Laugh, Paddle, Camp🏕️

The water was perfect for a morning paddle- the perfect start to our busy week. After, we learned how to set up tarps and packed a gorgeous kettle. Shoutout to Lily for showing up early this morning to portage to the mailbox! Here’s Harper’s recap of the meeting:

Today we started off the meeting with a quick little crew paddle, the inner elbow soreness is definitely starting to kick in, but I guess it's always a good time to try something new 🤷‍♀️. After paddling, we learned how to put up a tarp and after trying, and failing, we eventually figured out the truckers knot 🪢 . We finished off the with packing the kettle and received an A from Jack 💪 I think kettle will be our strongest thing for the Olympics 🤭 and we'll be able to get under 10 minutes.

First Paddle 🛶

Thursday night was beautiful so we decided it would be a great time to start paddling as a crew now that everyone has had their individual lessons. Here’s Claire’s recap of the night:

Today was a great meeting!! We started off the night by going for a paddle with the whole crew which got me excited to start our trip! though my arms are definitely going to be sore 😫💪 After we finished the paddle we started to learn how to pack the kettle pack. We practiced relay style to get ready for crew olympics and at first our pack was looking good, but at the end we took most our time wrapping P-Cord and our pack did not stand up (we will get them next time). Then we brought another dehydrator to my garage and worked as a crew to put in corn 🌽 and peas 🫛!! I think everyone is excited for summer 🥳

More Route Planning + Packs

Things are starting to get real around basecamp with trip prep in full swing. Our route is now planned and packs are put together- in less than 3 weeks we will be on trail! Here’s Grace’s recap of our meeting:

“Today we started off our wonderful meeting with putting the maps together, little bit of confusion as only a couple maps did not want to find their place in the order of maps. After putting them together we revised our first half of the route, before starting on the second. Many jokes and night paddle confusion later we have a stupendous rough draft route plan ✨✨✨✨. Then we started the absolutely, positutely torcherous task... of putting the PACKS together 😵😵😵. We strained our hands and the fabric to the highest degree, and finally managed to put almost all of them together ✨👍. Then we tied up some p-cord and went to go put some soon-to-be bean brittle in the dehydrator.” - Grace

Route and Dehydration Station!

We started out our evening with some knots, giving grades to the parachute chord wraps, Clara receiving a whopping D from sara after it came undone. We had a little knot relay Claire, Rose, and Harper vs Esther Lily and Grace the first round Claire had a little trouble and did every other knot before the one she was supposed to. But she figured them out after a little tutoring from grace. We moved on to a little route planning using the handy dandy new trick to set out the maps, very quickly 😏, and we made a rough draft until day 12. Then we brought the dehydrator to Claire’s house and started dehydrating some (a lot of) broccoli! - Lily

Harper and Rose portaged to the red mailbox!

Claire portaged to the red mailbox (and back)!

Setting up the dehydration station and putting in the broccoli!

Another great meeting :)

Tonight we had another great meeting at basecamp. Hopefully the sun starts shining so we can get out on the water soon! Shoutout to Esther and Grace, despite the rain, they showed up early to portage! Here’s Esther’s recap of the evening:

“Firstly we discussed the qualities that a successful Voyageur should work towards and possess. It was super fun to hear everyone's insights and lay out a list of qualities to bear in mind. Then we planned our menu, not without some uncertainty and indecision, but at least we have the majority charted up. Once we finished, Sara and Clara took us through four simple knots. I really enjoyed figuring them out and then seeing if I could do them the opposite way. All in all, a productive and fun meeting. :)”

Maps and More!

On Tuesday we spent our meeting inside because of the cold and rain. We first looked at maps- it’s exciting to think about these “empty” maps will turn into a route, trip, and then a lifetime of memories pretty quickly. After, we talked through the gear list together. Here’s Harper’s recap of the meeting:

“Yesterday we did a map activity where we had to connect 25 maps together. Apparently, the record of fastest time was 25 minutes but It took us around an hour and a half to do it :) Once we put together the map, the guides showed us a easy way to put them together that takes much less time. Then before the maps were put away, we talked a little about some common rivers/lakes that people go to on their trips. After the maps, we went through the gear and clothes list and learned what to and what not to bring. Overall it was really fun and I can't wait to continue on meeting everyone and doing trip prep.”

Before…

…After!!

Our First Meeting!

Today was our first crew meeting and it couldn’t have been better! It was great to meet everyone and so fun to start thinking about what our amazing summer is going to look like. Here’s Claire's recap of our meeting:

“ Today was our first crew meeting at base camp and being with the crew got me so excited for our trip! Everyone was super sweet and supportive. We all were clapping and giving high fives when we were learning how to flip the canoes. Clara and Sara guided us through the steps and showed us how to flip the canoes and made it a very positive learning experience. Pretty quickly we learned how to flip the canoes and started portaging to the tennis courts, Harper was even getting ready for crew olympics by running with the canoe which was impressive. After everyone did the portage we started sanding our paddles to get them ready to paint. I can’t wait to get close with the crew and learn together already looking forward to the next meeting!!”

-Claire

Hello Family and Friends!

Welcome to the Reuter/Schad crew page. Check back here for trip prep updates and pictures! 

Hi everyone, I am Sara Reuter, one of your guides for the summer. A little bit about me- I did my first year trip in 2022 after my junior year at Cathedral. The summer after my senior year, 2023, I went on my Far North trip. I love this program so much I came back to guide for the first time this summer. I am currently a sophomore at UW-Madison studying Biochemistry and minoring in Global Health and Disability Rights and Services. Outside of school I enjoy running, painting my nails, playing piano, traveling, and reading.

Hello! I am Clara Schad, the other guide for our crew. My first year trip was after my sophomore year of high school in 2022, and my far north trip was after my junior year in 2023 (Sara and I have yet to do a trip without each other). I graduated from Cathedral last year and am finishing my freshman year of college at Davidson College - a small liberal arts college in North Carolina (Steph Curry went here). I am on the pre-law track and am doing a unique major that is a mix of philosophy, politics, and economics, with a minor in English. Outside of school, I run D1 cross country and distance track, I am an avid movie critic, and I love love love reading Stephen King!

We are so excited for your girls and this summer- we can’t wait to get started with prep work! If you have any questions or concerns feel free to reach out to either of us.

Here’s us on Far North together!