The Sherve-Ose Cabin at Elbow Lake, Minnesota will be home to the Women in the Wilderness Camp.

A Williams woman will once again lead a wilderness camp in 2020 for other adventurous woman.

The Women in the Wilderness Camp session July 12-18 at Elbow Lake, Minnesota. This marks the third year for the camp.

Organized and conducted by Anne Sherve-Ose, WOW campers will learn basic skills such as canoeing, kayaking, fishing, fire building, knot tying, compass navigation and other skills. Sherve-Ose said camp week is also in the midst of prime blueberry season.

She has 50-plus years of experience as an outdoor guide and will lead the campers on seven days of adventure which will also include hiking and foraging for edible plants, leather crafts, carving, painting and campfire singing. Assisting her will be Pat Phipps and Jackie Hagberg. Phipps is a teacher, coach, hiker, kayaker and nature enthusiast while Hagberg, also an outdoor enthusiast is a beekeeper and gardener.

Located 10 miles from Cook, Minnesota and 70 miles from the Canadian border, Lake Elbow offers a tranquil setting where women can learn new skills while relaxing in the beauty of nature. With the Boundary Waters of the Mississippi River only eight miles away, campers will canoe and portage their crafts to visit the origins of The Big Muddy. Campers will also visit Voyageurs National Park at the southern tip of the Northern Boreal Forest near International Falls, MN.

The cost of the six night/seven day camp is $650 and includes food, equipment and lodging in the Sherve-Ose cabin. Campers are responsible for their own personal belongings and for the final night’s meal which will be at Elbow Lake Lodge.

Campers will experience breakfast with wild blueberries that they gathered themselves, bacon and coffee. Next up will be crafts and a team-building skill session followed by a campfire-cooked lunch. Afternoon activities include swimming, canoe practice and personal time. After dinner, campers will attend an area wildlife session and enjoy a bit of pampering at the sauna and journaling.

“Last year, many women felt the experience was life-changing,” said Sherve-Ose. Often women delegate skills to the men in their lives, but WOW Camp helps them learn how to clean a fish that they have caught themselves, pitch a tent or build a fire. With limited internet reception, the camp also gives women the chance to be unplugged for a week.

There is no experience required to attend, said Sherve-Ose and a camper doesn’t even need to be in peak physical condition.

“What they need to have is a love of nature and the willingness to try new things,” said Sherve-Ose.

Sherve-Ose will host an informational meeting at Mornin’ Glory Coffee Shop on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 10 a.m.

For more information about WOW Camp, contact Anne Sherve-Ose at 515 835-2656.