The Wilderness Between Generations

The Beginning

Don’s connection to Menogyn began in the early 1950s. As a teenager, he joined the camp staff, first working in the kitchen before eventually becoming a guide. What started as a summer job quickly became something much more meaningful.

“There’s no better place to be taught lifelong lessons, learn responsibility, and solve problems in a different way,” he says. “I don’t know of a place that could help you grow up faster or teach you the important lessons of life that will last a lifetime.”

Much of that growth happened under the leadership of Menogyn director Phil Brain (director 1940, 1949-57). Don remembers Phil as a quiet but powerful leader whose example left a lasting impression on everyone around him.

Years later, Don would come to realize that the lessons he learned at Menogyn — leadership, responsibility, resilience, and service — extended far beyond the trail.

“They were wonderful training in advanced management, lessons that helped me throughout my career and throughout life,” he wrote.

But perhaps Menogyn’s greatest influence wasn’t what it taught Don.

It was what it inspired him to pass on.

A Family Tradition

Over the decades, Menogyn became woven into the fabric of the Olson family.

Grandchildren became campers. Campers became guides. One generation returned carrying stories and lessons that inspired the next generation to follow.

By the time Don and Betty’s grandchildren arrived at Menogyn, the camp had already shaped their grandparents’ lives. Yet each grandchild discovered something different waiting for them in the wilderness.

For some, it was perseverance.

Keegan Gilmore still remembers long portages, rain-soaked campsites, and difficult days on trail. Looking back, he credits those experiences with teaching him an important lesson.

“There is a price to pay, effort to exert, for the beauty and freedom of spending time in the wilderness, and for all worthwhile things,” he reflected. “I attribute many of my accomplishments to this lesson.”

For others, it was teamwork.

Kyle “Bones” Gilmore discovered that the meaning of a team wasn’t found on a field or a court, but in the woods and mountains. He learned that success depended on people supporting one another, carrying weight when needed, and working together toward a common goal.

For Jeff Rauma, Menogyn reinforced toughness and perseverance, but what remains strongest are the memories of the wilderness itself.

“The early morning paddles across lakes that shimmered like glass,” he recalls, and “the downwind cruises using rain flies as sails.” Years later, he remains grateful for those experiences and thrilled that future campers will have access to them.

Eric Davidheiser credits Menogyn with teaching him how to live and work alongside people who may see the world differently from him.

Genna Rauma remembers discovering something equally important.

“I found the strength and courage to do hard things, and the peace that spending time in nature can bring,” she shared.

Gregor Davidheiser shared that the skill he learned best at Menogyn was “getting along with people that you don’t necessarily see eye to eye with or people that you probably wouldn’t be friends with in your everyday life. The woods bring people together.”

Different experiences.
Different lessons.
One wilderness.

The Culture of the Trail

Perhaps no one captures Menogyn’s influence more clearly than Kyle “Bones” Gilmore.

After completing an extended wilderness expedition through the Canadian Rockies, he wrote a letter to his grandfather describing the experience.

“My journey with Menogyn has defined me as a human,” he wrote.

"There is a price to pay, effort to exert, for the beauty and freedom of spending time in the wilderness, and for all worthwhile things"

He described the challenges of wilderness travel: long days, rough weather, difficult terrain, and the constant need to rely on one another. Yet what stayed with him most wasn’t the physical adventure.

It was the culture created on trail.

“The culture that we’d created was pure and unique, and will be a part of me always,” he wrote.

After returning home, he found himself seeing the world differently.

“The wild has a strange effect on the human brain,” he reflected. “Most importantly, I am concerned with the wellbeing of others more than ever before.”

It’s a sentiment that feels familiar to anyone who has spent meaningful time in the wilderness.

The landscapes are unforgettable. But the transformation runs deeper.

The Next Chapter

When Don and his daughter Lucy began discussing their charitable giving, Menogyn kept coming up.

The reason wasn’t complicated.

Few places had shaped their family more profoundly.

Across generations, Menogyn taught responsibility, perseverance, teamwork, courage, leadership, stewardship, and gratitude. It created memories that still surfaced around family tables decades later. It introduced young people to a wilderness that challenged them, humbled them, and helped them grow.

The Don and Betty Olson Family Camp Menogyn Endowment Fund will specifically support camper progression, allowing campers to return each year for extended opportunities to build emotional resilience and cultivate their sense of place in the wilderness.

The endowment they established is not simply a gift.

It is an investment in future stories and a continuing ripple effect of impact.

Future campers who will paddle their first lake, carry their first canoe, overcome their first setback, and discover strengths they didn’t know they possessed.

Don may have first arrived at Menogyn as a teenager more than 70 years ago, but the story didn’t end when he left camp.

It continues through his children.

It continues through his grandchildren.

And thanks to his generosity, it will continue through generations yet to come.