Born and raised in Columbia, Missouri, Kier has been coming to Kooch-i-ching since he was 9 years old. He is currently a junior at Missouri University’s School of Journalism, where he is double majoring in strategic communications and business management and serves as treasurer for the school’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Over the past three weeks, our community reflected on the Lamp of Love, whose precepts—Be kind, Be helpful, Be joyful—form a timely coda to a timeless code of ethics.

“Be brave.” “Be silent.” “Obey.” These are the rays that make up the Lamp of Fortitude, the third lamp of the Law of the Woods. Over the past few weeks, we asked campers, staff and alumni to reflect on these rays and submit their thoughts and creations.

Do you miss campfire cooking as much as we do? Well now you can brush up on your baking skills with this tutorial on how to use a reflector oven from Ogichi staff woman Sara Upson, aka Uppy.

Halfway through our quest to discover what the Law of the Woods means to our camp community, the lamps of beauty and truth are burning brightly. Here’s what our campers, staff and alumni had to say about the Lamp of Truth and its three rays: “Speak true,” “Play fair” and “Be reverent.”

“S’mores ‘round a campfire are better than chores,” sings Alice Peacock-Haller in “A Different Summer,” which she wrote with four Ogichi campers during a virtual songwriting class this week.

That’s the question we’re asking campers, staff and alumni this summer as we reflect on past experiences, look ahead with hope, and lean on the Law of the Woods for guidance during these challenging times.

In the first episode, Cleveland Smith talks Woodsmanship and Ian Redfield’s first friction fire, while Matt Collins and Zach Schiller share their favorite trip memories from the storage room under the dining hall.

As the true impact of the vote reverberated across the call, the disappointment was immense. At the same time, we took comfort in knowing that we had made the correct decision.

“We are going through an incredible amount of contingency planning. We have to prioritize the health and safety of campers, staff and the community. We have a relationship with International Falls, and it's a relationship we respect.”

Teresa Baños is back with not one, but three recipes for making s’mores without a campfire. So grab some graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows, and follow along!

Gracious giver of all good food, Kooch-i-ching chef Ryan Siess shows you how to transform Sunday morning cinnamon rolls into Deer Island bread pudding (trademark pending). Yum!

In this video, Jack Hanley from Jack Hanley Fishing & Game shows you how to catch, clean and cook a rainbow trout from his home in Omaha, Nebraska. Master these techniques and you’ll be serving up pond-to-table trout in no time. “Booyah, baby!”

“Give it another whip or so,” says staff man and I-Falls local Wyatt Amdahl while standing in front of Deer Island and wearing no less than three articles of Kooch-i-ching clothing.

Kooch-i-ching staff man Hal Taylor wears his waders well in this fly-fishing tutorial straight from beautiful Brookville, Indiana. In the video, Hal takes you through the basics of setting up your rod, understanding your fly box, and casting.

How many vegetables can Henry Cordeal fit in a Vitamix? More than you think. Watch this veteran Kooch-i-ching staff man turn his blender up to 11 as he teaches you how to make a nourishing green smoothie.

Is Andy Howell kissing a stick? No, he’s just testing it for moisture—one of several skills that this Kooch-i-ching staff man will teach you in “The Art of Batoning,” a masterclass in splitting wood with a knife. Be sure to wear closed-toe shoes when you try this at home!

A lot of sweating and swearing take place on a portage, and sometimes bugs try to chew on your neck the entire way across a swampy expanse, but the true spirit of our experience involves using teamwork, along with grit and determination, and then laughing when it is all over.

When Brandon Stanton, author of the popular blog Humans of New York, put out a call for “quarantine stories” last month, he received thousands of responses from around the world. One of those responses was from Rosie Ecker.

From beautiful Salt Lake City, Kooch-i-ching climbing instructor Michael Martinez shows you how to do a handstand. Don’t forget to stretch!