In 1988, the Tipi Camp Nature Retreat opened at the tip of Pilot Peninsula, offering a peaceful getaway from everyday life. Now in its 25th season, the camp on Kootenay Lake is still going strong, and shows no sign of stopping.
“I’m delighted,” said Peter Duryea, a founder of the Guiding Hands Recreation Society, which runs the camp. “It says to me that yes, it’s a good idea, yes, there is a need and yes, people are picking up on it.”
For those who have ever wondered what the camp is like, its annual open tipis day will be held on June 24, when visitors can enjoy a potluck lunch. Boats will leave the East Shore’s Lakeview Store from 10 a.m.-noon, then return after 2 p.m. Visitors are guaranteed to grasp the camp’s purpose — helping others to reconnect with nature.
“For me, that seems to be what humanity has forgotten,” said Duryea. “The bottom line in decision making is economic — we’ve lost touch with our realities.”
Those realities, from living off the land to simply breathing fresh air, were the basis of the camp’s creation. Duryea, a Hollywood actor in the 1960s and 1970s (and himself the son of an actor), moved to the Kootenays for a quieter lifestyle and soon found himself involved in the exact opposite.
“I was embroiled in a struggle between the community and forestry,” said Duryea. “My life turned into a battlefield. … I discovered I was the other pole in the struggle, and looked for something positive. I wanted to use the land in a way that wasn’t exploitive.”
With the donation of land from Alice Bruce, who owns 200 acres on Pilot Peninsula, and with the help of local
individuals and businesses, the project got off the ground, although it took eight years for the camp to sustain itself financially.
“[Bruce] liked what we were doing—she was kind of a rebel herself,” said Duryea. “It grew very organically with a lot of community support from every sector. If you stick around long enough, neat things can happen.”
And the 72-year-old has stuck around long enough to hand the reins over to Sandra Bernier, who organizes volunteers, writes grants and oversees the camp’s day-to-day operations.
“It’s a big job,” said Bernier, who grew up in Toronto and moved to the Kootenays in 1999. “I have tremendous respect for Peter and what he’s accomplished. It’s such a blessing to me to follow him and carry out the delivery of programs and have the place open for people to come.”
Each summer the Tipi Camp has about 300 visitors, including kids and teens in two WISE (Wilderness Immersion for Self-Esteem) programs and youth 17-21 in YA! for young adults. The programs started with one kids’ camp and one teen camp each season, then expanded to two, and then added the young adult camp last year. (See story below.)
“Kids get hooked,” said Bernier. “That’s how the young adult program came to be. Sixteen-year-olds would realize it was their last year after coming to camp since they were nine. They couldn’t see the summer without it. … It’s amazing to see what an impact the WISE program has on kids. It permeates. It flows into them.”
None of the camp’s programs could be accomplished without 50-60 volunteers each summer nor the community support that has been maintained from the beginning.
“I have a lot of really skilled willing people who love the camp and help however they can,” said Bernier. “The support for it really touches me. People can relate because they see what it’s worth.”
That recognition makes the hard work worth it, as Bernier continues to channel Duryea’s vision.
“I can’t think of a better cause or a more noble line of work,” Bernier said. “It nourishes my soul.”