Transitions to Traditions
Old traditions take on a new home at YMCA Gathering Pines
Camp traditions create cherished memories that last a lifetime. Each site has its own special experiences, so how do you build tradition as a new camp? Go no further than the newest Y camp, YMCA Gathering Pines, to find out.
By Scott Jorgensen
Gathering Pines is the legacy site of YMCA Day Camp Kici Yapi — now dubbed Day Camp Gathering Pines — which is located on Pike Lake Trail in Prior Lake and opened in the mid 1960’s. Day Camp Kici Yapi was sold to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux in 2011 with a long-term lease that allowed the camp to continue on-site until 2021.
That’s a lot of happy history for a new camp to try and replicate, while also establishing its own identity. Fortunately, Camp Executive Director Niall Murton was excited about the challenge. “That last summer at Kici, we were sad. We needed that time to say goodbye to that property we all loved and had many memories with. Once the Y community saw the new property ... people shared the sentiment, ‘Okay, I can see why and what you’ve done here and it’s a cool spot.’”
Nestled in New Market Township, Gathering Pines is nearly three times the size of Kici Yapi — 225 acres. The south metro location is full of natural beauty: gently rolling hills, ranging pasturelands, thriving forests and five sparkling lakes. Staff have made the most of it, creating plenty of opportunities around every corner to help campers and their families find new ways to connect with nature. Among its treasures, visitors will find the new Mooty Family Welcome Center with air-conditioning and a fireplace, a climbing wall, an art shed for crafts, a high ropes course, a farm and garden area, challenge course, outdoor amphitheater, new indoor horse arena, and a zipline that takes kids over one of the lakes. And lots more.
“We also have a Gaga ball pit,” Niall said, referring to the popular dodgeball-like game. “The kids, well, go gaga for Gaga. I think some of them want to turn pro.”
Horse riding is another hugely popular activity at Gathering Pines. In fact, the same 54 horses that were at Kici Yapi now call Gathering Pines home. Emily Moses-Thomsen, senior counselor and self-described “Lanyard Queen” — because of her talent in making colorful lanyards she shares with campers — has spent a lot of time introducing kids to horses during her eight years at YMCA camps.
“My favorite part is seeing kids try something new, watching them overcome their nervousness and the huge grins on their faces.” Emily smiled while recalling a particular memory from one of last summer’s teen horse camps. “There was one camper, who I’d known since she was five, who took it upon herself to help some older kids get to know and ride the horses. It was so wonderful seeing campers teaching other campers.”
“Camp is magical.”
”Camp magic” is something Camp Program Director Nick Dyson is definitely good at creating. Which explains the Bigfoot outfit hanging in a storage room.
“We’re trying to come up with our own traditions,” he explained. “On ‘Take Care of Camp Day’, where we have campers pick up any trash they see, we have someone in the bigfoot costume walking across the lake from the amphitheater during our big meeting. The kids are pointing and yelling, but the staff pretends they can’t see him. They love it.”
“It’s not a costume.” deadpanned Niall. “Bigfoot is real.”
But it takes more than magic to run a successful camp. A lot of hard work is involved. “As soon as the summer camp ends, we’re into planning for next year,” Nick added.
Some of those plans include staying open for winter activities, something that wasn’t possible at the old site. Gathering Pines has a tubing hill and opportunities for snowshoeing and, in the future, possibly cross-country skiing. The indoor arena allows equine activities to continue through the winter, and staff said the fireplace in the Welcome Center is a cold-weather favorite.
Niall went on to explain other plans for the Welcome Center. “We see it as a place of celebration. Eventually we want to use it for weddings, school groups, corporate groups and bring more people out here for teambuilding experiences and opportunities for others, beyond youth, to get outside and enjoy connecting to nearby nature.”
The community pool gives kids another chance to come back to the camp and enjoy it with their families. There’s also a self-guided scavenger hunt called Unlock It! that allows the public to explore nature by following clues and trying to solve puzzles. There’s even talk of launching a wilderness adventure program that teaches leadership skills on overnight and multi-day trips.
Niall sees this as “a way to transition kids throughout different levels.” The youngest kids may start off in a camp with imaginary and whimsically fun themes, progress to something more skill-based like a horse camp, and one day graduate into an overnight wilderness experience.
“We want to keep [kids] growing in their confidence in the outdoors.”
If the first two summers are any indication, YMCA Gathering Pines will be a big win for everyone involved for a long time to come.