Up in the Northwoods

My little brother Christopher has been at a summer camp in Northern Wisconsin for the past three weeks. The session ended on Friday, so my two sisters and I hopped in the car with our parents on Thursday to make the 7 hour trip to Sayner, WI, to pick up my brother. We made a mini-getaway of it and had a wonderful time! 

We left late Thursday afternoon, and found ourselves in Minocqua, WI by about 9:00. Minocqua is a quaint little resort town right on a lake, with plenty of unique shops, restaurants, and ice cream parlors in its "downtown area." I loved how relaxed it was! We stayed the night at a local hotel and headed to camp the next morning to pick up my little brother and take him out to breakfast.

Downtown Minocqua

My little brother was at Camp Highlands for Boys, near Sayner, WI, which is about 15 minutes from Minocqua. The drive there on Friday morning was beau-ti-ful. Dense and lush forest, glistening lakes. Truly spectacular.

We went to breakfast at the Wolf Pack Cafe in St. Germain. If you find yourself in the Northwoods, you MUST eat here! It's rather small (but very cozy!) so I suggest getting there early. They are known for their pancakes (which my sister ordered), but I guarantee whatever you decide to have for breakfast will be outstanding (and big!) I ordered a breakfast taco, which was a tortilla spilling with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, sausage, and onions. My dad ordered the pan-fried perch which came with toast, eggs, and hash browns. My mom ordered "Joe's Breakfast Special" which was more or less cheesy goodness." (full description of the menu here)

Ah, I wish I had remembered to take pictures of the food. I guess you'll have to make the trip yourself! :)

We dropped Christopher back at camp to complete his final day, and returned to Minocqua to do some shopping. The downtown streets were lined with cute little clothing boutiques, and housewares stores. Most of the stores sold things with a "log cabin" theme. Think bears, moose, evergreen, pinecones, etc. My mom and I enjoyed browsing for rustic accessories for our lake house.

One of the indoor shopping "malls" in Minocqua

I loved smelling all the candles in the stores. Frasier Fir Woodwicks are my fave!

I bought this bracelet by Bella Ryan at a gift shop. It's the perfect addition to my daily stack.

After shopping, we headed back towards Sayner and the camp. We did a little scenic driving, and then stopped at the Sayner Pub for a pizza lunch. It was yummy!

We returned to Camp Highlands for the closing ceremonies of camp. This included a water carnival in the afternoon, a picnic dinner for all the campers and their families, and an awards ceremony. Let me tell you, this camp is amazing!

The camp was founded in 1904, so it's rich in tradition and heritage. It has been owned and operated by the same family since the 1960s. It is founded on 17 core values that every camper should follow. It also abides by the motto "I'm third." That is, put God first, others second, and yourself third. What a good lesson for all of us to reflect upon.

The camp itself is beautiful. It's situated right on beautiful plum lake, and has two swimming areas, a huge diving platform, speed boats for water skiing, sailboats, kayaks, canoes, and fishing equipment. They also have several tennis courts, a soccer and baseball field, a small track, a frisbee golf course, rifle range, arts and crafts building, and a basketball court. The boys stay five to a cabin and are divided into age groups. Each cabin has about two counselors. Basically, its a boys' paradise!

Christopher was in cabin 14. The cabins are very rustic. The walls and bunks are filled with inscriptions and names of campers past. The boys leave the windows open at night, and sleep under mosquito netting. 

The dining hall. Does it not look straight out of Parent Trap?!

Everyone at Highlands was so friendly and polite. It definitely has a family atmosphere. Christopher  said that almost everyone at camp knows everyone's names. He said his cabin and his counselors became like a family to him. He met boys from all over the country, and the world (two of his cabin mates were from Mexico.)

The boys were all very mature, which surprised me. And all the older boys and counselors were extremely good looking ;)

Can I go to camp next summer?!

My mom and sisters and I posing by the lake. What a beautiful day!

Colorful kayaks lined up on the shore all ready for the boys to use.

Sitting by the lake during the water carnival. Ahh, this is the life!

(note my J.Crew anchor flip flops circa 7th grade, I'm sorry, I just can't part with them!)

{similar pair here}

Christopher gave us a tour of the camp. I'm so proud of him, and it was so good to be reunited with him after three weeks.

Exploring camp. (And wondering to ourselves why mom and dad never sent us to summer camp, eh we were the guinea pig children after all ;))

The Highlands Man himself. 

Someone was beyond excited to see her little boy

On the dock. Wearing J.Crew shorts (with fishes) and an H&M denim shirt. Vintage Coach crossbody from the 70s. (Thank you dad for cutting my feet out of the picture.)

We want to go to camp!

Beautiful blue sky day

Finished the night with a big scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Oh, summer!

Find out more about Camp Highlands for Boys here.

What kind of adventures did you go on this weekend? Did you ever go to summer camp? 

Stay Stylish, Stay Classy, Be Creative

Emily