Category: Alumni News

Love at First Try

Imagine you are 7 years old and visiting your grandparents who have a cabin on a lake in Northern Wisconsin. You decide to put on a pair of waterskis and hold onto a rope tied behind a boat. The boat takes off and you come out of the water smiling (maybe after a few face plants), and you are hooked. The thrill, the challenge, the satisfaction of nailing a jump or getting a faster time. You love water-skiing and want to figure out how to engage in this sport as much as possible.

For Lauren Connelly, former Woodland camper and counselor (all she needs is one more summer to get her 5 yr pendant!), water-skiing is a passion that has been fueled in so many interesting ways. This school year, Lauren was awarded the Barbara Bolding Jim Grew Scholarship, USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation’s top scholarship and is President of the NCWSA (National Club Waterski Association) Club team in her area.

Sand Lake Lessons

During her time at Woodland, Lauren would sit on the dock every day during Rec Swim and patiently wait her turn for a spin around the lake. She started on two skis and eventually progressed to being able to drop a ski, then get up slalom. Lauren practiced cutting in and out of the wake, putting the rope between her legs, lifting a ski, and other skills that she mastered while as a camper. During her two years as a counselor, she taught campers how to do those same skills.

College Club Team

Lauren now competes in 3-event water-skiing which includes a slalom course, jump and trick skiing.

• Slalom, is where skiers run passes of a course made of 6 turns. There are 3 turns to either side of the boat with an entry and exit gate. Boat speed is increased, or the rope length shortened after each successfully completed pass. Skiers continue until they miss one of the turn buoys.
• Jump is where skiers have 3 attempts to go as far as possible, their longest jump counts for scoring, and the furthest distance wins (Lauren’s average is 50 ft, and her best is 55 ft).
• The Trick event has 2 passes of 20 seconds, where the skier must perform as many tricks as possible to accumulate points (Lauren is currently working on her back flip).

Beyond Skiing: Boat Driver and Maintenance Upkeep

Lauren tries to practice skiing every day and often gets up early to get time on the water. She is also a certified boat driver and as Club President finds herself frequently driving so that her teammates get in their practice time, too. Lauren knows how to change the oil and replace the steering cables on a boat in addition to taking care of some other maintenance needs to keep the boat in tip-top shape.

West Coast and Tennessee Adventures

Last fall (2024), Lauren spent a semester at Cal Poly (CA) in the National Student Exchange program, an in-country exchange. The decision to head to the west coast was an easy one. Lauren wanted to go somewhere different from the midwest so she could go to the beach to surf and enjoy mountain views. Joining the Club Ski Team there was an easy way to make friends; she even spent 2 weeks in CA this summer visiting people and seeing more of CA (LA, San Diego, and San Francisco). This past summer, Lauren worked in Hillsboro, TN (outside of Nashville) where she drove a boat for clients and coached skiing lessons for Swerve Watersports. 

Going All In 

Lauren is all about putting yourself out there and putting in everything you have into whatever you do. She goes all in. Even when she was young, Lauren was seeking opportunities. At some point, she decided that she wanted to give camp a try, and she went for it. She found Woodland online, sent an email, and was a camper for 2 summers. She believes she can figure it out when she gets to any new place. Camp was a good place for Lauren to flex her confidence and independence muscles!

Lauren is a firm believer that each year is different and that by putting effort into something new, you can inspire and encourage others. Your attitude (positive or negative) definitely plays a huge part in the attitudes of those around you. Lauren lived in a cabin with older girls during her 2 years as a counselor and was keenly aware of this on a daily basis!

What’s Next?: Two Passions, One Journey

Lauren is a senior at Iowa State University pursuing a mechanical engineering degree and is set to graduate in the fall of 2026. She plans to do one more semester at Cal Poly with their exchange program to see if California is somewhere she would like to live long term. Lauren loves the problem solving aspect of mechanical engineering; her dream job would be to combine her passion/hobby with her career and work for a company like Mastercraft Ski Boats or to pursue something related to marine technology. The ski boats used to pull skiers on slalom and jump courses used in the events Lauren trains for and competes in are quite sophisticated. How cool would that be if Lauren could actually be part of a team that keeps improving the design of those watercraft!

From Camp to Career: come join us! If you are or know an emerging leader who is wanting to explore personal and professional skill development, we invite you to let us know HERE (first time staff members) or RETURN staff (have been on staff at least one previous summer).

There’s a word you’re likely to hear when people describe their camp experience, a word we’ve heard from teenage campers, staff members and adult camp alumni alike like the ones in the photo above. It’s “magical.” When trying to convey how special camp is to them, how extraordinary it feels to simply be at camp, they’ll talk about the “magic of camp” or that “camp magic.”

Yes, camp life is marvelous. It’s awesome, amazing, fantastic. It’s so much better than the “mundane world,” with everything having a little something extra, some power or spirit. That’s why camp friends are your closest, the moon is more beautiful, s’mores more delicious, being silly more hilarious, and feelings of belonging more genuine. Camp life reveals a magical quality in even the simplest things, enriching our days beyond ordinary.

But how does camp do that? The moon with its blazing trail on the water, biting into a gooey s’more while on an overnight excursion, and the excitement of the aqua tramp are probably pretty similar to what can be found elsewhere. There’s probably nothing material that would make camp life distinctly better than non-camp examples.

What makes it magical? If there’s something profoundly different about camp life that fills it with amazing people, flashes of beauty, moments of wonder, and surprising feelings of deep happiness and contentment, then how?

Here’s an idea.

We believe camp provides the conditions where we can notice what is right in front of us. In other words, the magic is already here; we just don’t always see it in our ordinary daily lives. Camp doesn’t have a special power to create magic. Rather, it inspires us simply to become more aware of subtle qualities always available in the world around us.

At Woodland the possibility that everyone is a potential friend becomes evident. The space is there for people who had they met under different circumstances, might never have given someone a chance, let alone have been friends. For the gals above, Camp Woodland was the beginning of something lasting, something rare. Decades later, the women who once shared bunks, songs, canoe trips, and campfire stories still gather. They’ve grown into mothers, professionals, caretakers, and adventurers, but the ties formed under the tall pines and star-filled skies remain unshaken.

After 40 years, they are still showing up for each other—celebrating milestones, comforting through grief, laughing at old stories that never get old. The magic of Camp Woodland wasn’t just the lake or the laughter—it was the foundation of deep, meaningful relationships built during their most formative years.

That’s the power of camp, how it’s magic withstands the test of time. It encourages an awareness that reveals the magical quality of others. By lifting respect and kindness up as its highest ideals, it helps us be generous and see beyond ourselves. By giving us a break from the fast-paced demands of work and school, camp helps us slow down and take notice of the amazing people around us where we recognize and appreciate each person’s uniqueness. By being a tech-free environment, it liberates us from connecting through a device or screen. By encouraging silliness and play, camp teaches us how to be comfortable with who we are. By establishing a truly supportive community, it draws us closer to the people around us. In the outside world, each of these might require a deliberate choice, but they are built right into our camp life… making it yes, magical.

This is a testament to summer camp. A testament to Camp Woodland. And most of all, a testament to the power of true, enduring friendship.

Because sometimes, the people who knew you when you were a kid… are still the ones who know you best.

Reference: RBC and spring WI alumni gathering

Our favorite time of year (during the winter) is almost here!! February 1st (this Saturday) is National “I Heart Camp” Day! We would love your help to spread the word on the importance and impact of the summer camp experience. Your camper may remember those funny pictures we took of her with the “I Heart Camp” poster/sign over the past summers? The “I Heart Camp” photos taken in 2024 have been living in a SUPER SECRET FOLDER, and this Saturday Camp Woodland campers, parents, staff, and alumni are encouraged to post their favorite “I heart Camp” photo on various social media platforms.

Here are a few ideas to show the world (or just your family & friends) how much camp means to you (even if you don’t use social media!):

• Print it out and hang your favorite photo on your fridge or in your daughter’s locker at school
• Make it a screen saver on your computer or phone
• Facebook Profile
• Instagram
• Be sure to include the appropriate tags (#Woodland4Girls #Iheartcamp) when posting

Click the link to retrieve your daughter’s photos from 2024: I heart Camp Woodland Photos Link

Don’t see a photo of your daughter with the “I Heart Camp” sign? ANY camp photo will do!

Need your son’s photo too? Click the link to your son’s (Towering Pines) photos from 2024: I heart TP Photos link

All you have to do is: 1- find your picture, 2- download it by clicking the download tab on the bottom right of the photo, 3-Post it on Saturday, February 1!

Check out our archives of “I Heart Camp” Day. It is fun to see how we have grown over the years!:

• 2024 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2023 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2022 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2020 – I Heart Camp Day 
• 2019 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2018 – I Heart Camp Day 
• 2017 – I Heart Camp Day 
• 2016 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2015 – I Heart Camp Day
• 2014 – I Heart Camp Day

There are so many moments in the course of our 6-week summer that span the minutes, hours, days, and weeks from Opening Day to Closing Day. Eating Dan’s mac & cheese, playing parachute games, and looking for “aliens” are just a few things that kicked off the first weekend at Camp Woodland. Getting dressed up and having “Thanksgiving” dinner in the togetherness of the front of the lodge, giving applause for the many achievements earned in activities, demonstrating skills learned in the final shows, and making a candlelight wish in hopes of its return to the Woodland beach is how we wrapped up the summer of 2024.

Since we have been immersed in school and home life for the past few months, all of those moments become treasured memories that we pull out at random times to bring us back to those carefree days that make up a summer at Camp Woodland. If we happen to be able to gather with camp friends in the winter months, we recall those moments as if they happened just yesterday.

Our first official reunion for the season was held in the Chicago area this past weekend where campers and staff were together for part of the afternoon to catch up on the past few months, share memories and stories of summers past, and build excitement for “Enjoy the Ride in ’25” with new campers coming for the first time! It was just like being back at camp during Fair Day…snacks were served and games were played (with prizes). If smiling faces say anything, I think some campers in attendance are excited to be first in line for cookout or skip the line for another meal next summer!

One of the things I have learned over the years is that campers (and staff) return to camp because of the people. Sure, activities and traditions are part of the draw to come back to County D Road. However, these wouldn’t be the same without the individuals who are there to create the memories we rely on this time of year when summer is still over a half a year away.

Towards the end of the summer, we asked campers to reflect on their favorite memories from summer 2024, and here is what made the list for each cabin group!

Sunrise: “celos”, friends, campfire, Loli’s birthday party, cabin night on row boats, aqua tramp, ugly Counselor Contest, and Woodland Fair

Silver Birch: teaching Regi how to sail, learning how to sail in high winds, cabin slumber party, kneeboarding, my step brother, frizzy hair, the “block”, jokes, the Shrek clown for Woodland Fair, a frog in Georgia’s backpack, and winning most events

Starshine: my friends, my counselors, Juno, canoe trip, watching the animals grow in Farm Zoo, Willy Wonka, doing a forward roll out of my bed, do do do do do do, hanging out with friends during Gold Rush, and the warm fuzzy campfire story

Sunnyside: canoeing with MoJo, Olympics, learning how to ski, passing out of level 4 swimming, getting a 57/60 in archery, riding Seven, sailing, playing “touch the fence” in tennis, when a raccoon snuck onto the pontoon boat, flipping off the banana boat, canoe trip, swimming, 4th of July, sailing, TP/CW Fairs, “Marty”, “Thed”, marshmallow torch, playing tag in the water, Cathy’s, aqua tramp, tubing, cabin nights, and s’mores

Driftwood: winning Olympics, being with my cabin mates, sailing, having my Dad visit, being Casi’s bunk mate, meeting Emilia, seeing the tree on our canoe trip, tubing with Masyn, our mice friends, my friends, camp, passing out of swimming, trying riflery and really liking it, and arriving at camp and just being here in the Northwoods

Treetops: being hoppers, going to Cathy’s, teaching Spanish to cabin mates, decorating the cabin table, being in the cabin, passing to 30/40 yds in archery, watching how much I’ve grown in 4 years, meeting new friends, getting my first qualifier in riflery, drama plays, canoe trip, cabin nights, and being able to trot when riding

Hilltop: spending time with my friends, riding, having fun cabin nights, canoe trip, sailing, Song Contest, TP/CW Fairs, Gold Rush, first day of camp, and swimming the horses

Tamarack: cabin night Rec Swim, canoe trip (and peeing in the woods in the middle of the night), 1st hour riding group canters, sailing conversations, one for you/one for you, The Lorax/The Batman, canoe trip, banana boat with Andy, Olympics, using our hammock, parties at the spigot, cabin nights, going to Cathy’s, dance parties, my activities, laughing a lot, playing “speed” with Zoe, getting a 45 in riflery, and inside jokes

CIT’s: clown collage dinner, coed show practices, Uncle Fester, sail race, setting spinnakers, canoe trip, tie-dying, Ugly Counselor Contest, spending time with friends, going out on the pontoon boat, going to the ropes course, all of them!

As you can see, there are so many individual moments over the course of a summer that eventually become memories and stories to tell and retell. This is what makes up the MAGIC of camp. This is how we are better friends with the people at home or school. This is how we show patience and empathy to those we might not normally hang out with. This is how we are persistent when doing something challenging. This is how we appreciate nature’s beauty around us. This is how the spirit of camp is with us all year!

Camp Comes to YOU

The gathering in Chicago was the kickstart to camp reunions anywhere, anytime! It is EASY to host your own reunion for camp friends where you are (in-person or virtually). Let us know HERE that you are interested, and we will help get it organized!

ENROLL for SUMMER 2025

Now is a GREAT time to enroll your camper/s for 2025 and reserve your spot/s. Sign up HERE for making moments next summer: https://cwtp.campbrainregistration.com

If you’ve been to camp over the past four decades, there is one person you are surely to know (and remember!). Chet Riehle has been at Camps Woodland and Towering Pines since the early 1980’s. His time spans five generations of the Jordan family owning and operating two summer camps in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. This blog is long overdue, so I decided this was the year I was going to learn more about the story of how Chet came to camp and his long history with Woodland and Towering Pines. While at camp this summer, I hopped on the golf cart with him as he was headed to the firewood pile by the archery range and started asking a few questions!

As are many of the long-time Woodland/TP staff, Chet spent much of his non-camp career in education. The year before coming to camp, he was a high school history teacher in Crete, IL, and used the Chicago Tribune as a source for current events to create a quiz game for his students every Friday. As he was preparing his weekly quiz in the spring of 1982, he happened to notice an ad in the Tribune that the Explorer’s North program was looking for a certified captain to take campers out on Lake Superior for extended sailing trips. Chet figured that if they needed someone to run their off-site sailing program, they may need other people to help with various roles at Camp Towering Pines. Along with this ad was a phone number and the name, Marion Jordan.

Chet picked up the phone and made a call to “Pa” Jordan (JoAnne, Susan, and Jeff’s grandfather and co-founder of Towering Pines with his son, John Jordan). Once Pa found out Chet was a teacher, he was told that they would find a position for him at camp. Thus, Chet finished the current school year, hooked up a trailer to his vehicle carrying his Triumph motorcycle, and made his way north to do maintenance at TP for the first of many summers at Towering Pines and Woodland. He showed up on County D wearing cowboy boots and sporting a goatee.

Maintenance was not a stretch for Chet as his summer gig while teaching was operating a landscaping business for about 10 years. Chet was able to dig a dry well without a backhoe, repair roofs, and a long list of other useful skills that come in handy when taking care of the camps’ site and facilities. A fun fact I learned is that Chet actually did landscaping for Dennis DeYoung, singer song-writer and founding member of the rock band Styx. Chet brought his oldest daughter a signed record as a gift while working on that project. 

Chet eventually moved to East campus (Woodland) in 1985 to live and had quarters on the backside of the office (Chef Dan’s current summer home) for a period of time, Sunrise cabin during the years when he brought his young family to camp (Sunrise was not used as a camper cabin in those days as it is now), and then to the room that is on the side the Aquarius cabin where he currently resides. Chet takes the “security” part of his role seriously, and is always at the ready to keep the Woodland community free of unwanted visitors (both 2 and 4-legged). Although the majority of his time at camp Chet lived at Woodland, he makes frequent trips between the two camps and helps out when needed on both East and West campus.

An interesting update to Woodland that happened during Chet’s second decade at camp was building the stairs and deck off to the left side of the original path heading down to the waterfront. It was “interesting” because it isn’t always easy building on the side of a hill! The start of that project occurred after the giant slide covered with blue vinyl that took sliders to Sand Lake had to be removed. For several years in a row, the lake’s level was lower than normal and the end of the slide stopped before hitting the water’s edge. If you look down the hillside from above you can still catch a glimpse of where the slide used to be.

Another memorable event that occurred in Chet’s third decade at camp is a whopper of a storm that blew through mid-season in the early 2000’s. Woodland operated without electricity for multiple days as there were downed trees all over camp and the surrounding area. Chet was actually off the day of the storm and was able to navigate closed roads to get back to camp with a truck and trailer in tow to help haul away the massive piles of debris. Camp somehow managed to make it through that tough time! Thankfully, a generator was hooked up to keep the refrigerator and kitchen operating, drinking water was brought in, and the kitchen crew could still cook using the gas burners and ovens. It made for some fun stories that year as toilets were flushed with lake water and other sacrifices were made to keep things as “normal” as possible, considering.

Chet was actually quite the athlete in his day. JoAnne and I remember seeing him dart from tree to tree after dinner as he was heading out for a run. Chet thought we couldn’t see him, but as you can probably guess, we absolutely did! What I didn’t realize until this interview; however, is that he ran several marathons (including 2 Chicago marathons) and other races around the country. Chet recalls a race that meandered through the Houston Zoo as one of the highlights of his running days. Chet was also known for engaging Chef Dan in a “non-competitive” game of hoops (“H-O-R-S-E” or “2 on 2” if other kitchen staff would dare join the fun) on the basketball court on the evenings he didn’t go for a run.

Chet’s time at camp as of this blog, covers a span of 42 years. The only two summers he missed were 1989 as his son, Alex, was born, and 2020 due to Covid and camp not operating. If you ask Chet why he chooses to spend his summers at Woodland, he will tell you that it truly is a community where everyone knows your name. He is always amazed at how alumni remember him when they come to visit. Even though Chet may not have much direct interaction with the campers and staff, I can tell you for certain, that they would notice right away were he to be absent from Woodland.

For Chet’s 2024 banquet “toast,” JoAnne and I crafted and sang the theme from “Ghost Busters” to thank him for all that he does. When there’s something strange running through your cabin, who you gonna call? Critter Buster! If you’re all alone on the lake and your boat won’t start, who you gonna call? Gas Buster! He ain’t afraid of no mice. He ain’t afraid of no raccoon. When your toilet won’t flush or the drain is clogged, who you gonna call? Poop Buster! When you wake up cold and head to the lodge, who you gonna call? Fire Buster! He ain’t afraid of no girls. He ain’t afraid of no challenge. 

Chet knows the Woodland (and Towering Pines) property like he knows the back of his hand. He can tell you where to find cut-off points, the best spot to get birch wood of a certain size for making birthday necklaces and banquet wish boats, and where the latest growth of fungi that can be found on the trees surrounding the space we occupy and use. Chet is up early setting a toasty fire in the lodge to take the “chill” off when we come in for breakfast and takes charge of getting the grill lit at precisely the right time for Wednesday cookout and a campfire built at the beach for our mid-week evening activity.

Chet makes sure the vans, boats, and other camp vehicles are gassed up and ready to go, takes the laundry to town every Tuesday and picks it up on Wednesday, and waters the flowers that are planted in the box where the Woodland sign lives. On top of his daily/weekly to-do list, he takes care of any maintenance issues that arise with cabins or activity areas. Chet has been known to come to the aid of the counselor in charge of Farm Zoo a time or two! At the opening and closing of camp, he knows exactly where all equipment goes to be used or stored (and the phone numbers for the people who “lend” us bunnies, chickens, and ducks). He can guide a very large coach bus in/out of camp like a pro when bringing our long distance friends to camp for the summer or back home at the end (just to name a few!).

Chet shares his love of history with campers and staff and knows so much about how the Woodland of current day came to be over the years. For example, you can ask him how many bathtubs (4) were found and where (Sunrise, Sundew, Health Center, and back room of Aquarius) in the buildings when camp was first purchased by the Jordan’s in 1970, the icons on the top of the weather vane on the lodge roof (fish and sailboat), what the “pop room” on the front of the office housed before electricity was available (power generator), and what the original purpose of the ACC room found on the side of the office (laundry room). He could also tell you that the stairs to the beach before the deck was built were painted green. If I was to be on Jeopardy or other trivia show, I would want Chet on my team for sure!

One of Chet’s qualities we all have come to know and love over the years is his sense of humor. There is never a dull moment at the staff table when he is around! You will find his spoon or fork in his drinking glass if he is wanting to be included in the count for dessert (unless it is sherbet), potato chips piled high on his plate for Sunday picnic, and a llama water bottle in his possession most of the time. He also “saves” some dessert (cake or bars) to have with his morning coffee (in the largest container I have seen at camp). Chet is also known for stopping by the office or if he sees me or Lee out and about and asks if we are able to “multi-task,” meaning he wants to tell us something but doesn’t want us to stop the “important” work we are doing at the moment.

The almost daily off-season message exchanges have already started as we wrap up the current summer and start planning for the next one. Chet will send pictures of new games or activities we can incorporate into camp programming, photos that remind him of camp – especially involving “marshrooms” (his name for mushrooms since “mushmellows” is more appropriate for what we roast to make s’mores), and some good (possibly off-color at times) jokes or memes. The best part about the back and forth banter that happens over the fall, winter, and spring, is that I know Chet truly loves camp and has a special place in his heart for Camp Woodland all year. I look forward to getting the message at some random point asking me when I will be at camp because I always know that means he will be at camp, too. See you on County D in 2025, Chet. We can’t do summer without you!