As parents of a college student, we were very worried about what our son would do for the summer. In 2009 he delivered chinese food for our friend Penny Ho. Late nights, low pay and sleeping till noon is not how we wanted him to spend the summer of 2010 but with so many people unemployed, where could he work?
Last summer I was a crew advisor for a crew of boy scouts who paddled 165 miles in the Quetico Provincial Park. There I learned that the Northern Tier High Adventure Base has historically had difficulty filling the positions for the base and trail staff. Our oldest son applied in February and was assigned to the Don Rogert Canoe Base in Ontario as a combination outfitter and living history staff. During the summer he was housed, fed and worked. He learned a lot about managing an inventory of equipment, met a lot of new friends from all over the country and Canada, and is ready to go back next year. Not only that he got paid!
Northern Tier is the oldest of the three (soon to be four) national camps operated by the Boy Scouts of America. Because the largest base is located 6 hours north of Minneapolis, it is the least visited of the bases. It is also offers the ultimate wilderness experience. Positions are available include base camp positions such as kitchen staff, maintenance, trading post, outfitting, commissary and living history as well as acting as a guide on the trail staff.
The requirements and applications are available from the Northern Tier web page at www.ntier.org. The forms are under the staff link and include complete job descriptions. The staff is coed and no previous scouting experience is required.
By the way, that is Chip on the left (our left) participating in the Rendezvous at the Ely, MN base. To learn more about Northern Tier (either the adventure program or staff positions) contact Cliff at 678.889.9548 or see our website at www.JohnsCreekCPA.com.