Paddling the years away: Paddlefest 2013 helps Camp Sweyolakan
<p>Kathie Wilson, of Worley, paddles at the stern of a vintage canoe Tuesday as alumni members of Camp Sweyolakan begin day three of Paddlefest 2013 on Lake Coeur d'Alene.</p>
<p>Half of the participants of Paddlefest 2013 paddle from one of two canoes on a leg of the 104-mile trip that follows the Lake Coeur d'Alene's shoreline.</p>
<p>Kathy Dobbs laughs with a fellow camper during Paddlefest 2013.</p>
They are waterborne time machines dating back to the 1920s. Add to the mix 10 happy paddlers with a history of good times at Camp Sweyolakan and you've got a couple of 26-foot war canoes filled with laughter.
It's Paddlefest 2013 and it's fundraising with a splash. The ladies are paddling the full circumference of Lake Coeur d'Alene and taking pledges by the mile. The ultimate goal of their 10-day voyage is raising enough money to enhance the infrastructure of Camp Sweyolakan to the point where the camp becomes a self-supporting, three-season facility.
And how are the women holding up?
Kathie Wilson - generally addressed by her old-time camp name of "Miss Scottie" - is one of the three organizers of the event.
"It's been going great," she said. "We did 17 miles the first day and the water was rough that morning. We sang a lot. Mostly we did the songs we used to sing at camp. Am I sore? Actually it's not as bad as I'd expected."
Four of the paddlers remember taking a five-day canoe trip together almost 50 years ago. "There were eight of us in canoes on the lake in 1964," said Joyce "Mother Joyce" Eltz, a former Sweyolakan counselor. "Today we've got two campers and two counselors from back then."
Mikayla Droz, 20, and Brittney Hoerner, 19, are current Sweyolakan counselors and the youngest in the group by several generations.
"I just love camp," said Hoerner, who also worked this past summer as a lifeguard. "Whatever I can do to help raise money for it is great."
Several of the paddlers said they hadn't been in a canoe for many years. Jonny Guenther said, "I had to kneel and I just couldn't kneel anymore." The kneeling problem has been handily taken care of this time by the addition of hand-crafted wooden seats.
Kathy Davis and Margie Hames are the other two organizers of Paddlefest. Davis - Miss Mitch - said, "Last night we sang on the beach for two hours and only had to look up the words once. I didn't sing lullabies to my kids when they were little, I sang them camp songs.
"And s'mores? Absolutely. They're our drug of choice."
Camp Sweyolakan celebrated its 91st anniversary this year. Originally a Camp Fire Girls camp, today the Camp Fire facility is co-ed and offers four, five and seven-day sessions.
According to David, "The camp is also qualified as a provider of respite care for special needs children, giving the parents a break and the kids a chance to have a good time."
"We need a song," someone shouts.
"How about 'Our Paddles Clean and Bright?'" someone else suggests.
Everyone chimes in.
"Dip, dip and swing. Dip, dip and swing."
Almost half a century disappears in a stroke.
Information: www.sweyolakanpaddlefest.com or (509) 747-6191, ext. 14.