Wanakita Winter Wonderland!

Many people know Wanakita as a summer camp- and only get to see our site in the summer (warm sunny days, an active waterfront, bugs, and long daylight hours). However, we're actually open almost all year long, serving school and other community groups in outdoor education, leadership, recreation and fun! This means cool (or COLD) days, changing leaves in the fall, new spring life, lots of snow and ice in the winter, shorter daylight and learning new skills like cross country skiing, pond ecology, winter ecology etc. All three seasons provide a fun, cozy, beautiful time of year. 

Right now, winter is in full swing here at Wanakita in the Haliburton Highlands! 

January is a busy month for us, and we've had a great mix of groups visit our site!

 Here's a list of some of our highlights:

• New Year's Family Camp - We had about 60 people (from babies to grandparents) visit for 4 days of traditional winter programs, and a night of dancing and celebrating the new year together!

• Fleming College - Residence Life re-treat. The don's from the college (Peterborough and Lindsay) visited to partake in some team-building and traditional winter programs (skiing, snow shoeing, broomball, skating on the lake)

• James Cardinal McGuigan Collegiate High School - The L.E.A.D program came to Wanakita for some team-building and winter programming. They had great fun in the evenings too, letting loose, dancing and having fun, silly times!

• Alive Outdoors Inc. brought in their first group of the season, the Grade 8's from St. Micheal's College, to our site for a three-day winter program. The group of 120 boys had a great time playing in the snow, as well as doing some team-building and goal setting. They have been bringing their grade 8 boys to Wanakita for over 10 years!

• Heartlake Secondary School - A new group to Wanakita, they were group of high-school students focusing on outdoor adventure, and even built and slept out in quinzee's (snow shelters) for one night. 

The Wanakita Staff Team: We are fortunate to welcome 16 experienced, and enthusiastic staff to Wanakita this winter, as well as some new senior management. Returning after several years in the outdoor world elsewhere is Andrea Pepe as the Outdoor Centre Director. Returning this winter as well, in the role of Lead Facilitator, is Elspeth Strain. As well, a long time seasonal staff member, Mike Thaler, has joined the full-time team here at YMCA Wanakita in the role of Program Coordinator.

We have lots more groups to visit us this winter season, and we are looking forward to all of them! If you have any questions about bringing a group of your own here to Wanakita, contact us at wanakita@ymca.ca!