Camp Pathfinder: Parent Interview with Jodi Laginki

Watch our Parent interview with Jodi Laginki and her family, to hear firsthand what children experience and how they grow at Camp Pathfinder.

Transcript of the interview

What’s unique about Camp Pathfinder that made you want to enroll your child there?

Melanie (aunt)

We chose Camp Pathfinder because we felt it was the right camp that would introduce the kids to a rustic, simple way of life on an island. I've always had a great love for Algonquin Park. I find it a spiritual place for me, and I find that it rejuvenates my love for nature. I was the one that initially looked into different camps and did research on the internet.

I find the lodges and the tents are very traditional and have been around for many, many years. And the traditions have always remained the same. I feel the counselors and the headmen there instill the same values that they learned when they previously went to camp as kids themselves. So in that way, as much as things change, some things also will always remain the same at Camp Pathfinder.

What would you highlight about Camp Pathfinder’s programming, counselors, or facilities?

Child 1

The best thing is just the variety of the things you can do. There's so many things you can do. You're never bored. You always do something that you like when you go to the camp. And the best thing of all is when you go tripping because it's the big thing there. Everybody wants to go.

Basically, you go out in your canoe, usually with two or three counselors and then with some other kids with you. And you go to different lakes. You paddle on different lakes. You portage with all your stuff. And then you stay on different lakes at campsites, and I find it really fun, and I'm sure all these guys do too. The counselors are always there to help you with anything that you need.

How and when did you know that Camp Pathfinder was the right fit for your child?

Jodi

The outdoor feel to it and the grassroots of being on an island looked amazing. Melanie had done some research and came up with a few different options, and Camp Pathfinder just looked amazing. When I went there, I loved it.

For the boys, they could be totally unplugged and just be with nature. The camp's been there forever, since like 1914 or something. And so it has such a history to it that I was really excited that I thought, okay, this is the right thing for them. Totally out there, unplugged, not hooked up to anything, it was great.

Was there any change or noticeable personal growth you saw in your child after time at Camp Pathfinder?

Jodi

The first time all of them came back from Camp Pathfinder, there was this whole independence and a respect for the people around them, and they spoke differently. I remember when Nathan came back, we were somewhere and he introduced himself to someone and he shook the man's hand. And I've never seen him shake somebody's hand. So obviously this was something that they teach the boys there, that this is a sign of respect. And I just thought it was so cool.

The things they wouldn't do before, they did when they came back. Owen jumped in freezing cold water at eight o'clock in the morning in the polar dip. I was so proud of that. And when Josh came back, he showed me how he could paddle in the canoe. Meanwhile, he wouldn't get in the boat with me before. So it showed all kinds of independence in the stuff they could do. It was really cool.

How can parents overcome hesitancy to send their children away for a week or longer?

Jodi

Give your kids that freedom and put them in a safe environment to learn and to explore, and you'll see leaps and bounds. I think that these guys have grown and developed because they had that independence. You couldn't have done in a year what you see can happen with their independence in a couple of weeks.

No Wi-Fi, they can't get anything, they can't bring electronics, it's not part of the program. When they know they can't, they get into everything else that's going on. They just think, okay, well, if that's what we can't do here, then I guess we got to do something else. It just worked well that way.

Child 1

The counselors are there. If you're worried, homesick, anything like that, the counselors are there to help you, and they do help.

Melanie (aunt)

Whenever you call, the phone's answered. Mary answers it, or Slad answers it, or somebody answers the phone when you call. So if you ever feel you need to call, check in, ask how they're doing, somebody's there. You have that feeling that you just don't go into a voicemail world and never know when you're going to get a callback.

What would you tell other parents about the overall value of sending kids to this camp?

Child 2

It's always at the beginning, your first time, it's always hard. You always think it's too much. It is a lot the first year, but you sort of get over it. And then the second year comes, it's like, wow, why was that so hard last time? But it's so much easier, and it just takes time. It's different for each kid. But I would just get into it and start somewhere. Because if you're not going to start somewhere, you're never going to get anywhere.

Child 1

There's always going to be people supporting you along the way. They gradually get you into it. So people who are first years, usually if you're doing something, they're going to say, oh, you don't need to do as much. But the people who have been there for a while, like me, seven years, they're obviously going to make me do a little bit more.

The counselors are always there. They're able to see if you're struggling, they're able to see if you're doing well, and they're always able to see if you need something new or you need something else to help you. If there's a large group of first years, the counselors will carry a lot of the weight and they'll do a lot of the stuff. And then they teach you how to do it.

Jodi

For me as a parent, when he says that, it makes me think about how they're grooming him for leadership, and it's very difficult to find camps or environments where your kids are kind of groomed for leadership. And he's looking forward to every year when he gets to be a counselor in training and then a junior counselor and then a counselor, which is something important for me as a parent to see happening.

What do your children say about Camp Pathfinder?

Child 3

Honestly, I really like the canoeing and the tetherball and the trips. On the trips, every day you ate different things. You ate a variety of things.

Child 2

It took me a long time to get used to tripping. My first year it was hard. Second year I was like, still don't like it. And then you realize, wait a minute, this was not that bad. It's just that fear, you're overcoming that fear.

My first year, it was swimming. I'm a great swimmer. I would swim in pools. I would not jump in a lake. Now I'm jumping off the tallest tower there. It's just so fun. It takes a bit to get used to. It took me two years. It took Nathan not even a year and he was fine. It's different in every kid, but it just takes time. And finally you get to that point where it's like, yeah, I can do this. Oh yeah, I could do that. And you're just like, whoa, I never knew I could actually get to that point.

Child 1

It's just a good place to be. You go there and you're always having fun.

Any other final thoughts about Camp Pathfinder?

Melanie (aunt)

I just think overall that Camp Pathfinder is a wonderful camp for the kids, and I really like the fact that there are no creature comforts there for them. They're just allowed to be themselves, be with new people, learn new things, and make decisions with new people and different people. And I think that really overall helps their development, their independence, and their confidence in themselves. I think that's all part of what happens at Camp Pathfinder.