The Menogyn Shuffle
The decades-old tradition is a carefully choreographed dance to prepare campers to head out on trail
As featured in Letters from Camp – Fall 2024.
It’s not just about the canoes and the packs. Or the maps, the route, and the gear. The food is essential, and so is the teamwork!
It’s the Menogyn Shuffle.
Campers have been prepping to go on trail since camp’s first summer. At YMCA Camp Menogyn, this process, affectionately referred to as “the Menogyn Shuffle,” has become a rite of passage for every single camper, every single year, whether they need to be on trail for three days or 40.
The Shuffle gives groups an opportunity to test all their gear, learn about the places they will be traveling to, and to begin to form their own community. It’s about the people, the planning, the preparation, and the packing.
And this is how it looks.
TRAIL DEPARTMENT
In this step, groups plan and pack their meals when they arrive. Planning a trail menu requires balancing the nutrients with the treats, considering calorie consumption, and accommodating dietary restrictions — not to mention creating some real fun and anticipation for cooking on trail!
EQUIPMENT ROOM
In this step, campers learn about Leave No Trace principles to take care of the areas they will travel through and are outfitted with all the gear that their group will need.
Although some campers bring most of their own gear, Menogyn has a large library of loaner gear to make camp a more accessible space for everyone. The most borrowed items are backpacks, sleeping bags, boots, rain gear, and dry bags.
BACKPACK DEMO
At this point, campers go over the fundamental skills for the trip they are going on — canoeing or backpacking.
YORK FACTORY
In this step of the process, campers choose the boats they are taking on trail and talk about how to care properly for their canoes while on trail. Menogyn has a large fleet of canoes including kevlar, plastic, aluminum, wood canvas, and cedar strip boats, allowing groups to test out a variety of different boats while on their trip.
SWIM AND SWAMP
This is the opportunity for campers to demonstrate their swimming comfort and to practice self-rescuing a flipped canoe. Although uncommon, groups go through what to do if they do have an accidental canoe flip so that everyone can stay safe and be prepared.
HEALTH OFFICER
In this step of the process, campers meet with the Menogyn Health Officer to talk about health and safety while they are on their trip and have their individual assessments to clear them for the trail.
The Health Officer checks to make sure that everyone is going into the trip at a healthy baseline, and discusses any medical concerns that campers might have individually before the trip.
HEADING OUT
The Shuffle always ends the same way: Campers head out from camp by boat, some for trips nearby, others to far-flung places. The Shuffle always leads to adventure.