Join local Girl Scouts for some fun in the sun this summer!  We will go swimming, learn about bugs and visit the zoo!  Each Session will be held at a different location with our final session in St. Paul. Girls will also plan part of our last session-they will be in charge of deciding how we will spend the day.

At every session, snack will be provided.  Each girl will receive a patch and get to see what being a Girl Scout is really like!

Girl Scouts!  Bring a non-registered Girl Scout friend and receive $5 off of your total fee!

Not a Girl Scout? No problem! Just fill out the registration form!

Session One – Swimming/Ice Cream Party – Monday, Jul y 8

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Join us at Lum Park for a day of fun at the beach!  Ice cream treats and water provided.

Session Two – Arboretum Visit – Monday, July 15

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Meet at the Northland Arboretum and learn about bugs and plants!  Plant your own plant in a recycled container to bring home! Snack and water provided.

Session Three – Como Zoo Trip – Monday, July 22

8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

The bus leaves from Brainerd  Girl Scout Office at 8:30 a.m. for Como Zoo!!  Girls will plan their day at the zoo, as well as an optional activity to do during the day.

Bring a Bag lunch and a beverage!  We will spend the day at the Como Zoo in St. Paul and plan on arriving back at the Brainerd Girl Scout Office at 7:00 p.m.

 Only $40! (Zoo only $30)

Register by July 1, 2013!!!

Call or email Amanda Strobel or Monica Husen

if you would like to register for summer fun!

218-297-4867  astrobel@gslakesandpines.org

218-270-4859 mhusen@gslakesandpines.org

Scout Night at the Granite City Speedway | June 23, 2013

Jump Start Carnival | First Presbyterian Church, 2201 2nd Ave E, Hibbing MN | 6:00-7:30 pm, Friday, June 14, 2013

Bring a friend to join Girl Scouts this Friday at a Jump Start Carnival for all areas girls!  Girl activities will be selected from the following:  Carnival games, prizes and snacks, Belly Bump, giant bowling, face painting, parachute games and more.  Admission is your paid 2014 Girl Scout registration. Registration and financial aid forms will be available on Friday.  Already registered?  No problem, the event will be free if you bring your receipt to show you are registered for 2014 - or let us know, and we can simply look up your name.  Interested in volunteering with Girl Scouts?  Join us to find out more. For more information about the Girl Scout Carnival or about troop or camp options for girls and adults, please contact Volunteer Specialist Denise Paulisich at 218-208-0236 or 800-955-6032 ext 0236.

Tell Your Story at Our World, Our Family | September 6-8, 2013 | Nisswa, MN | $45-115 per person, depending  upon length of stay | grades 1-12 | Registration deadline June 14

OWOF Update! While the registration deadline is fast approaching, there is currently still space for all "length of stay" options at OWOF 2013. Unfortunately, the High Ropes and Climbing Wall activities have reached their max capacity.  Remember, a$2 per person late fee applies to registrations postmarked afer June 14.  We hope to hear from you soon!

Girl Scout Volunteers in the Brainerd area invite you to participate in this special event ...

Calling all Girl Scouts and Families!

You are invited to

Paul Bunyan Land for a day of fun!

On June 9 starting at 10:30 am.

Paul Bunyan’s hours are from 10-6.         You can stay as long as you want.

Prices are $12.95 for all Girl Scouts. $7.50 for all Leaders attending.

 One admission includes all day enjoyment of Paul Bunyan Land, Paul's Petting Barn, This Old Farm Pioneer Village and all attractions therein.

Paul Bunyan Land is located east of Brainerd. Learn more here: http://www.paulbunyanland.com/

Any Questions call or email me.

Please RSVP Sarah Jungels

by 10 am  June 8th.

daisy56472@yahoo.com   Or 218-821-8638

Thanks again!

Girl Scouts is taking a road trip to the Children’s Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Join us at this Girl Scout event for a day of fun and excitement!  The museum offers exhibits from Earth World, Habitat, Rooftop Art Park, and World Works, along with a new exhibit Run! Jump! Fly! Where children find fun exploring activities such as kung fu, surfing, snowboarding, yoga and horizontal climbing. Space is limited so sign up today!  Great add on to Day Camp! Girls in grades K-5/Join us at this exciting Girl Scout Event/Wednesday, July 31, 2013/ 8 am -5 pm/ Children’s Museum in St. Paul/ Cost $24 girl/ $12 adult/Bus will leave Willmar at 8 am and return at 5 pm/Cost includes: Bus, admission, and badge. Please bring a sack lunch, beverage, and snacks! For more information contact Nikki R in the Willmar Office at 320-403-2109 or nrevier@gslakesandpines.org.

1.     Convenient options: Register online or if you prefer, paper registration forms are still available.  Find both at www.gslakesandpines.org and click on “Join Girl Scouts’ or “Re-register Now.”

2.     If online help is needed, it is just an e-mail away:   helpdesk@gslakesandpines.org

3.     If online registering, you receive an e-mail confirmation within 15 minutes of completing your online registration. 

4.     Your girl will receive the free 2013-14 Jumpstart patch shown.

5.     Troop Incentive for Online Registering:  If your girl is in a troop, her troop will receive $5 for

             every girl registering online if 80% of the whole troop online registers by June 15.

a.     Your troop will know your girl will be returning.

b.     Your troop and Service Unit will know your Troop Leaders are returning.

c.     Your troop will be able to start up easily when school starts again in September.

6.     Your community’s Girl Scout Service Unit will receive a free 4 foot vinyl Girl Scout parade

             banner if 80% of all current Service Unit girl and adult members re-register by June 15.

7.     Camp Bonus! Get a free t-shirt:  Sign up for any camp session over $100 and receive a free camp t-shirt when you renew your Girl Scout membership for 2013-14 by June 15!  Check the website above and click on Camp.

8.     You can join or re-join in any way the fits your family:  as a member of a troop that is supported by family volunteers or as a Juliette (independent) Girl Scout (do everything all Girl Scouts do except meet as a member of a troop.)

9.     Discover yourself, connect with your community, and take action to make the world a better place.

10.  Girl Scouts is great! - of course you want your girl to earn her Jump Start patch and help her Troop and Service Unit meet their goals:

Jump and Join!
Saturday, June 1, 2013 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Whitney Field, St. Cloud | For all Girl Scouts
Free event, please RSVP by May 29.
Activities to include: inflatable games, jump rope making, leap frog contest, snacks, parachute games, music, and more! Don’t forget your cameras for our photo booth! Attend this Jump Start event and register for the 2013-2014 Girl Scout year! Already registered for next year? No problem! Just bring your membership I.D. card (printed from the online membership system E-Biz), or other proof that you’re registered. Or, you can register at the event! This event is free, but girls must be registered for the 2013-2014 year to attend. Girls attending receive the 2013-2014 Jump Start Patch! Girls can attend with their troop or individually (with adult).
RSVP using this form to aschnabel@gslakesandpines.org

Program Aide Training | Grades 6-8 | 4-8 pm | Thursday, June 6 | Grace Lutheran Church | 5454 Miller Trunk Hwy, Hermantown | $25 per girl, observing adults free | Girls may use up to $10 in Cookie Dough | Register by Monday, June 3 using the  GSMWLP Events Guide Registration Form.

Get ready for summer Day Camps and to take the lead at Girl Scout events and programs! Page 30 of the Cadette: The Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting provides information on how to earn a Leader in Action award and your Program Aide award. Remember that as part of the new criteria established by GSUSA, girls need to complete the Leader in Action award prior attended a Program Aide training. This is a hands-on and interactive workshop that helps prepare girls to be a positive role model to younger girls and to develop the skills and strategies to work effectively with groups. Supper and all materials are provided to girls as well as adult chaperones. For more information, please contact the Bemidji Girl Scout office at 218-308-8879 or 218-308-8881.

College Sampler | Grades 4-12 | Bemidji State University, Bemidji MN | July 30-Aug 1, 2013 | 10 am-4 pm | $85 girl/ $50 adult / Girls may use up to $40 in Cookie Dough| Deadline July 14| Minimum: 20 Maximum: 50

All girls are invited!  Sleep in the dorms, eat in the college dining hall and experience college life.  Girl Scouts and Bemidji State have teamed up to create a memorable and fun 3 day College Sampler program. Girls may attend on their own or with a parent or other adult. Chaperones provided to unaccompanied girls.

Special offer for girls in Service Unit 1 (Bemidji, Cass Lake, Blackduck, Red Lake, Ponemah, Laporte) Through funds generated by the 2012 Juliette LowGirl Scout Tea, girls from Service Unit 1 (grades 4-12)  who were registered Girl Scouts for the 2011-2012 and the 2012-2013 years are elegible to receive an additional $20 off the College Sampler fee.If girls  use $40 Cookie Dough, they only pay $25! Contact Becky at the Bemidji Girl Scout office to receive this discount.

Also,  21^st Century Learning Program participants from ISD 31 may attend this event at no cost.   Please indicate this on your registration form or contact Becky Dean at 218-308-8880 bdean@gslakesandpines.org.

It is never too soon to check out your local college and what it has to offer. Remember that girls may bring a friend to this event …it is going to be a quality program and a great time!!!    Sign up today! To register, click on College Sampler.

If you haven't already done so make sure to register now for the 2013-2014 Girl Scout year.  New this year is online registration via the GSMWLP website.  Paper registration forms are also available.  Girls who sign up by June 15th will receive a free patch.  Watch for Jump Start events in your area.

Explore Your World during the annual Northern Lights Camp.  Join us from 12:30-7 pm on August 6, 2013 for fun for everyone!  Registration before June 10 is required.  Non-Girl Scouts, grades 1-5 welcome to come too and have fun with current Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors.  Teen and adult helpers needed.  For more information, contact Amy at 218-966-7323 or Debbie at 218-780-0871.  To get more information, including cost, and a registration form contact Denise at 218-208-0236 or dpaulisich@gslakesandpines.org.

Volunteers are needed in the Quad City (Virginia, Eveleth, Gilbert, Mt. Iron) area and in towns located in the  Mesabi East School District  to help with Girl Scout tasks and events other than being a Girl Scout Leader.  Please contact Denise at 218-208-0236 for more information.

Girl Scout Leaders are needed for the following, starting Fall 2013: 

all Bemidji Schools

grades K through 3 and grade 5 Cook School

K 1st, 3rd, and grades 5 through 12 Chisholm Schools

all Hibbing elementary schools

K, grades 4, 5, and 7-12 at Mesabi East

K at Parkview, Franklin, and Merritt Schools

grades 1-2 and grade 4 at Franklin

grades 1-4 at Merritt

grades 2 and 3 at Parkview 

all grades at Roosevelt

K Ely

Tower all grades

Babbitt K, grades 1,3,5, and 6

To find out more about being a leader and/or to get trained this summer, contact Becky at 218-308-8880 or Denise at 218-208-0236.

New Leader Orientation and Training (NLOT) Dates are listed below.  Questions:  Denise at 218-208-0236 or dpaulisich@gslakesandpines.org.  Unless a town is listed, in Region 1 only, we take the town that the 1st registrant for the training lists and that becomes the location for the training.  If you do not see a date and place that works for you, please contact Denise.  Registration must be done online.  No online access?  Contact Denise to get registered.  In Region 1, all evening NLOT start at 6:30 pm and end between 8:30 and 9:00 pm.  Exceptions and Saturday times will be listed with the online information at www.gslakesandpines.org.

May 20 - Bagley

May 21 - Virginia

June 18

Aug 12 - tentative Kelliher

Aug 13 - Bemidji

Aug 20 - Virginia

Sept 17

Oct 14

Oct 15

Oct 24

Nov 11

Nov 19

Dec 17

Region 1 Fall Trainings in Grand Rapids and Park Rapids will include New Leader Orientation and Training.  See other Blog post for more information.

Basic Outdoor Skills (BOS) will be held in Bemidji from 11 am - 2 pm, Saturday, October 12.  Required:  register on, or before, October 2, 2013, minimum number of participants is 5.  Advanced Outdoor Skills (AOS) will be held in Bemidji from 3:30 - 6:30 pm, Saturday, October 12.  Required:  register on, or before, October 2, 2013, minimum number of participants is 3.  Ready to register?  Go to www.gslakesandpines.org.  Click on Volunteers, Learning Development.  Questions:  Denise at 218-208-0236 or dpaulisich@gslakesandpines.org.

Fall is a great time to add  information  to your volunteer knowledge  and to learn new skills that you can share with your Service Unit or troop.  Dates are already set for Saturdays, Fall 2013.  Mark your calendar now and plan to join others like yourself for fun and networking!  October 19 - Grand Rapids and November 2 - Park Rapids.  Have suggestions of what you would like offered?  Contact Denise at 218-208-0236, dpaulisich@gslakesandpines.org.

Holding up the Girl Scout sign, I began the Promise confidently: “On my honor, I will try…” But, I stopped suddenly to swallow an unexpected lump in my throat. Looking down at the tiled floor of the church basement, I was a bit embarrassed by the sudden trickle of tears the words brought to my eyes: “To help people at all times…”

Finishing in a whisper, I juggled my presence of mind to recite the Law along with the other attendees of the New Leader training and the sudden, overwhelming memories of Girl Scouts in my younger years: beautiful, shining years of meetings and field trips and overnights. Leaders who declared “great job” no matter how badly you did. Camping trips hilariously punctuated by wet tents and burnt food. Hundreds of cases of cookies piled in our family’s barn when my mom once volunteered as Community Cookie Coordinator. Now, standing in a circle with other young mothers whose Kindergartners, like mine, were chomping at the bit to don the little blue vests, I would bestow these beautiful, shining experiences on my own girls.

Experiences gaining confidence. Growing up in New England, I attended Camp Wind-in-the-Pines in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the camp song begins “Some call it fun, while some may call it ma-a-a-dness! A ham by nature, I was never afraid to sing the loudest or get up on stage, but I was shy about being athletic. I preferred not to sweat “ever” and I cramped up in the first 20 yards of a jog. But, the swim coach at Camp Wind-in-the-Pines (Sunshine was the only name I knew her by, of course) didn’t buy it. Slapping the green swim cap of an intermediate swimmer in my hand, she pushed me to bend my knees deeper to dive further; to relax yet engage my muscles to float on my back; to kick and stroke in harmony to actually move along in the water, not just make a splashy show.

Sunshine wasn’t the only person who contributed to my confidence then; wrapped in their grungier-by-the-day beach towels, my tentmates patiently waited through my sluggish laps, leafing through a wrinkled Sassy magazine at the edge of the greenish-goldish water.

Experiences shaping character. Seniors in high school, my troop saved money fiendishly for years to get ourselves - and an assortment of mothers, aunts, and sisters - to London for a European excursion. Donning windpants and backpacks in the sunny but chilly English spring, we stayed in the Lord Baden Powell Scout Center, ate fish and chips, and snapped 35mm photos of ourselves performing cheerleading stunts in Trafalgar Square. One afternoon, in the shadow of Kensington Palace, there occurred a moment of disagreement about the palace’s tour hours or cost or some other logistical cog in our day’s schedule. Frustrated, I vented my opinion on the problem loudly, brattily, to our troop leader. Rather than telling me I was rude (I was rude!) or solving the problem for the group of girls, she gently pointed me toward two, red-clad guards wearing classic plumed helmets. Culpable for my childishness, I gulped and approached the guards slowly to ask them our question. No one gloated as I sheepishly repeated the information to the group, and our leader gave me her standard, but sincere, “great job!”

Experiences showing courage. I am now a fourth-year Daisy leader; having accompanied my older daughter and nine other Daisies through two years of scouts and bridged them to Brownies, I turned back to begin Daisies anew with my younger daughter and nine fresh Daisies. Last year, in the small lobby of a retirement home, the girls entertained the residents with holiday songs. My nerves were piqued. Having recently moved to our town and begun a new troop in Minnesota & Wisconsin Lakes & Pines, I’d never been to this retirement center; I had no reputation as a good leader (or not) here; I didn’t actually know the girls that well yet. Still, the visit went smoothly until a resident seated in a wheelchair next to the Christmas tree shook his head and croaked “no” to one of our girls when she offered him a Christmas card. Perhaps other small children would have become shy or even scared. But, the man, clearly unaware of his surroundings, didn’t rattle this Daisy at all; she offered the card a second time and asked sweetly, “don’t you want a Christmas card?”

This is where my grand plan to hand down the beautiful, shining experiences of Girl Scouts to my daughters leaves off. That is, rather than see the Girl Scouts in my life - leaders, friends, my mother, my sister, my daughters, and their friends, and their mothers - as parts of a big, happy memory, I see them as contributors to a continuing experience that expands, turns a corner, and grows a new dimension every time I hold up the Girl Scout sign to start a meeting or take a silly photo of the girls (on my phone now rather than a 35mm).

Girl Scouts has not imbued me with special talents or abilities that make me courageous, confident, or of strong character; on the contrary, Girl Scouts in my past like my supportive friends and patient leader as well as those in the present, like the courageous, confident Daisy who showed immense character through kindness to an aging man, encourage me to pursue these things every day.

Jamie White-Farnham

Girl Scout Volunteer

Superior, WI

Written in 2012

Reflecting back to when I began searching for an internship, I never imagined I’d end up at the Girl Scouts. Social work is about identifying social justice issues that affect people’s quality of life; cookies, crafts and camp didn’t seem to qualify as a social justice issue. However, during my internship I saw first hand that Girl Scouts isn’t just about having fun, it’s about breaking down barriers that prevent girls from being able to reach their full potential such as; economic disadvantages, cultural differences, and media influence.  I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work with the girls to teach them financial literacy skills that they will be able to utilize in the future.

As my time at the Girl Scouts comes to an end I am able to look back on my first day and see the changes not only in the girls that I’ve worked with but in myself as well. While implementing the Girl Scouts in ACTION curriculum I not only taught the girls but I learned so many new things from them that I will use in my future career. Every girl needs a role model to look up to and I’m so glad that I was given the chance to be that for some girls.

Chantel Purrier

Girl Scouts in ACTION Intern

Waite Park Regional Center, supervisor Leah Voss

Student at St. Cloud State University

May 2, 2013

Before I began my internship at Girl Scouts I was very unsure about my leadership skills.  I have always been the type of person that shied away from taking initiative and playing the role of a leader.  I am grateful to the Girl Scouts organization for providing me with this opportunity and allowing me to be a Girl Scouts in ACTION leader.  I have developed skills needed to become a great leader by working with diverse groups and implementing a curriculum that focused on teaching the girls about financial literacy.  It has also pushed me to step up and take charge when unexpected situations arise.  That is something that I never would have done before this experience.

I would highly recommend volunteering at Girl Scouts if you are a person who loves to work in group settings and would like to enhance your leadership skills.  This is such a great opportunity to build your confidence when it comes to working with small groups.  It pushes you to do things that you never would have thought you could do.  Not only will it help you develop leadership skills but you always get a chance to build strong relationships with the girls who are apart of the program.  You become their role model in a sense.  It is such an empowering feeling to know that these girls look up to you for guidance.  Volunteering at Girl Scouts is truly a rewarding experience!

Kelly Yang

Girl Scouts in ACTION Intern

Waite Park Regional Center, supervisor Leah Voss

Student at St. Cloud State University

May 1, 2013

Girl Scouts and their families are invited to Girl Scout Night at the St. Cloud ROX baseball team on August 3. There is also the opportunity for a special camp-out on the field after the game, complete with player appearances! Tickets are only $10 for the game and overnight, $7 for just the game. Click here for order form and more information.

The deadline is fast approaching for the Weekend Escape: Wisconsin Dells trip! Don't miss out on this fun trip to the waterpark capital of the world. Click here for a peak of the itinerary! Contact Anastacia for questions.
Wisconsin Dells | June 24-28, 2013 | girls in grades 4-12 | $575/person | register by May 15, fill out this form to register

We asked participants to write about their experience on Girl Scout canoe trips through Lakes and Pines' Northern Lakes Canoe Base in Ely, MN.  Here is what Janice Hamachek (Girl Scouts of Manitou; Participant 2008, 2009, 2010; Guide-In-Training 2011, 2012) had to say:

We came as strangers, and left as friends.

As I drive up in the van, I am surrounded by people I have known for only a couple hours. We make small talk, but no deep conversations. After this ride, I know everyone’s name, where they are from, and a couple random facts about them. As we make the final turn into camp, I see the Northern Lakes Canoe Base and the road is filled with a bunch of people jumping, screaming, and waving. I think to myself, “What have I signed myself up for?”

After unloading the van, we move into the Program Center. They give us a little time to talk at first, but it is still awkward. I look around who to sit with and I decide to sit by the people I sat by on the van. They seemed pretty nice. We don’t say much and it is small talk. The people who were lining the roads come into the Program Center. They introduce themselves, and I realize that they are from all over, just like this group of people is. I notice how close they seem to be, but I think that is farfetched from how close this group will be. “They have spent more time together than we will,” I think to myself. Then, they say that I will be spending the next 10 days in the woods with these people, and I will be led by two guides. As I look at them, they seem like they have two completely different personalities.

That night, we crawl into our tents. We divide up randomly, because none of us are close enough to make up our mind, besides the two people that came together. We get into the tent and arrange ourselves. We keep everyone’s stuff separated because we don’t want to touch anyone else’s stuff. We sit and talk, and begin to find out more about each other. We begin to learn about every one’s family and where they came from. I begin to find similarities between us, and it is nice to know this. Eventually, we all fall asleep.

The next morning we are woken up with songs sung by the energetic guides. As I crawl out of my sleeping bag, I am half asleep. I have no idea how people can be so awake this early in the morning. As I get ready, I begin to talk to the person that I slept next to. We don’t say much, but it is understandable because neither of us are awake. We go to breakfast, and we begin to talk more to everyone else. We find out how they slept, and how much experience they have had with this stuff. I learn that no one has done much, just like I have. Then, the guides tell us we will be having a training session today, so it does not matter that we do not know what to do!

While we are doing our training, I begin to get a feel of how everyone else is going to do. When it is my turn to put the canoe on my shoulders, I do not think I can do it. The canoe looks heavy, and I do not think I am strong enough to do it. When I am about to say I can’t do it, someone whispers to me, “I know you can do it!” I walk up to the canoe, and get it put on my shoulders for the first time. It feels heavy and I can’t balance it properly. As I take steps, I stumble. However, the person who told me I can do it once again tells me to keep going, that I am doing a great job. Everyone else chimes in, and I continue on. I take a couple more steps and I feel more confident. As training continues, I talk more to everyone and learn more about them. By that night I am talking to everyone. I still am not 100% comfortable with everyone but it has improved since the night before. When we go to bed that night, everyone is talking and we have to be told multiple times to go to sleep because we have a long day ahead of us. It is the first day of our trip and we need to be well rested.

The next morning, we begin our actual canoe trip. I am extremely nervous, but I don’t show it because I don’t want to seem weak in front of anyone else. When the guides ask us who wants to do what, no one volunteers. Everyone just stares at them. Eventually they assign jobs, and we begin our trip. Some of the staff we met yesterday will stay back at the base. We say goodbye and begin to paddle away. With three of us in each canoe I begin to learn more about the other people. I learn about where they go to school in San Diego and Washington D.C. I find it interesting because my school has less people in it than they have in their grade. When we get to our first portage (a trail between two lakes) everyone gets out. People begin to volunteer for the easy jobs, and I do too because I do not think I am ready to carry the canoe. I volunteer to be a partner for the person carrying the canoe to help them out if they need it. When they need help I help them, and I continued to encourage the whole time. Eventually, we had to switch because the person carrying the canoe was tired. Even though I didn’t think I could do it, with encouragement I was able to. As I got to the end of the portage, I felt extremely accomplished. I felt a bond to the person who helped me through because we had pushed through it together. The first lunch was interesting. Everyone was still careful about interrupting each other and putting input into others conversations. By the time we got to our first camp, we were talking more and remembering what happened throughout the day.

The next couple of days were just like the first, but better. We saw some amazing sights, went through some difficult portages, and had some long paddles. However, we did it all together. No one person did more than another and no one’s job was less important. When someone felt they were not doing enough to help because they were not strong enough to do something and started crying, everyone tried their best to make that person feel better. We encouraged her and made sure that she felt like she was contributing the same as everyone else. Everyone contributed in their own way, and it each was different. We all found what we were best at, and everyone encouraged each other in the jobs that they did.

Layover day, the day without paddling, was a real bonding time for everyone. After sleeping in this day, we made brunch. We cooked over the fire and even though it took longer than normal, we told stories and kept it interesting. We took turns and all chipped in. We went swimming, played cards, and ate all day. We bonded over this telling stories and finding out more about each other. We had fun together and helped each other forget about all the pressures that we had left in the outside world.

After layover day, everyone was well rested again and ready to go. We all were ready to get back on the water, and it showed once we left.  We made great time, and had a blast. Everything seemed to be going great, until I tripped on a portage. My nose was bleeding and I was crying. When this happened, everyone ran over and made me laugh while the guides worked on getting it patched up. Throughout the day, everyone checked up on me making sure I was still okay. It was nice to know that I was with people who cared about me. The nights that continued, we stayed up with the campfire looking at the stars in awe.  We couldn’t believe the beauty.

The last day on the water was a sad one. No one wanted to say it, but everyone knew that we were to be separated later that day. However, we all kept positive and talked so much. Our last portage, we remembered how much trouble we had on our first one. We laughed about how far we have come, and how much easier it was now. Everyone was fighting over who could carry the canoe, because everyone wanted to do it one last time. We were cheery across the portage laughing, singing, and poking fun at one another. When we finished the portage, we were back on Moose Lake, which is where we started. We made it to our last planned stop to have lunch. We had a very interesting lunch which was comprise of many leftovers from the trip. As we began our final paddle, we were happy and cheery! We took our time coming in and it took longer than usual because of wind, but we laughed through it and pushed on. We had to make an extra stop to switch paddlers because we were tired, but we made it in! We sang the song we wrote and began to tell stories of what had happened with our trip. We seemed to have more energy than we had the whole trip! We had gotten so close and talked with everyone that was there.

The time came when we had to go. It was full of tears and was very sad. As we went our separate ways, we vowed that we would stay in touch and that somehow we would see each other again. When we got home, the pictures were sent back and forth, along with many, “Remember when’s.” We talked about meeting up again, but the idea seemed like it would be impossible. However one year later, our dream became reality when 5 out of 7 of us went back as Guide in Training’s at the camp. They probably heard us for miles screaming when we were reunited again. I began this trip along with a bunch of strangers, and left with a bunch of friends.

Want in on the fun? Join us on a Girl Scout canoe trip (registration form and session information is on page 12 of our Resident Camp and Wilderness Canoe Tripping Guide.

Petal Power is a special four-month summer  mail program designed for girls entering kindergarten or 1st grade in the fall of 2013.  The cost is $30.00.  The fee includes four months of Girl Scout programming by postal mail, GSUSA membership/activity insurance through September 30, 2013 and  from October 1 through September 30, 2014, free admission to the Petal Power Party plus a Girl Scout Daisy fun patch.  Need more information?  Contact the Petal Power Hotline at 800-955-6032.

This just in - we've confirmed our keynote speaker for the Science In Action event on May 18th! Come meet NASA Solar System Ambassador Florence Brammer, who is also a lifetime member of Girl Scouts!! All sessions are being finalized now and will include the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Society of Women Engineers from St. Cloud State University, and the Rocket Association of Minnesota.
There's still time to register for this event, deadline has been extended to 5/3. Event details: Science in Action | May 18th | girls in grades 3-8 | cost: $32 girl, $10 adult | College of St. Benedict | click here for registration form | cost includes program sessions, lunch, snack, t-shirt and patch.