Category: Alumni News

Turning right onto County D from Highway 51 always brings out my reflective side. That curvy, wooded stretch of highway is the road back to when life was simple. At camp, whatever problems I had could be worked out if everyone worked together. I learned to look for the good in everyone and discover new things about myself. I controlled my own destiny. I picked my activities, reached for my goals and the possibilities were endless. I tried new things in a failsafe environment and learned by doing, doing, and doing some more.

Woodland girls cheered one another on towards those achievements. Everyone was on the same page, working towards the same goals: fun, personal growth and learning things along the way.  As great as being a camper was, three of the greatest memories I have of the camp experience came long after my days as a camper. Perspective is such a gift! As an adult you start to realize all of the hard work and effort that goes into running a camp. John and Anne Jordan ran a first class operation during my brothers’ and my era, and their children and grandchildren continue to do so today.

In 2010, I took my son to visit Towering Pines, just to see if he would like to go to camp the following year. He got to see inside of a cabin, the waterfront, and looked at the TP museum where he saw his uncle’s name in many places. Our final stop was the dining hall where lunch was being served. I got to say hello to Mr. J, and introduce him to my son. I had not seen him since he attended my wedding 10 years prior, but he was so warm and welcoming. It means a great deal to me that my son got to meet one of the people who made TP what it is today.

The following summer when I dropped off my son, we visited Woodland to show my daughter. She toured the Farm Zoo and observed a riding class. JoAnne Jordan Trimpe was there with her mom, Mrs. J, and they both met my daughter, who was so shy and hesitant and clingy that day. I am so grateful my children got to meet the elder Jordans since they were a big part of my life growing up as well as fond friends of my parents.My third greatest camp memory is hearing my sister-in-law ask why my brother did not press harder to get her to send my older nephew and niece to camp. Having not attended a camp like Woodland or Towering Pines herself, she just did not understand what it was all about. Their youngest son now goes to TP and loves it. When she visited him there for the first time, she “got it.” It’s been fun to see both her and my own husband “converted” to people who embrace the camp experience. My husband said he wishes his parents sent him to a place like TP when he was growing up.When my then almost 8 year old daughter returned from her first summer at Woodland she was no longer the shy, clingy little girl the Jordans met that summer day 5 years ago. Originally scheduled for only two weeks, she begged to stay another two, and ended up asking to stay the entire six week session. She’s already planning to stay all six weeks this summer.

Here are some highlights from our debriefing session on the ride home:
Favorite thing about camp: Archery (sorry Sand Lake…you are too cold)
Favorite counselor: Everyone
Favorite friend: Everyone
Favorite horse: Bonnie
Favorite meal: Everything (except Fish Friday) and she discovered she likes salad, and REALLY likes the picnics.
My daughter has been a little pampered and as a consequence, can be a little “particular,” so I thought camp would be good for her in that respect. She definitely needs to do more for herself, as she is perfectly capable. At camp, she learned that she can’t always get her way and she sometimes needs to think about the group and not just herself. Most importantly, she has learned the simple pleasure of being with a bunch of girls her own age, laughing, singing and having fun together.

The question about whether a child will take to camp is sometimes a reflection of our own insecurities as parents. In the case of my daughter, she’s the youngest and I admit she is a little coddled. I was nervous she might not like some of the camp routines, but I recognize the value in her learning that there are other ways of doing things. Maybe I was really nervous that she’s not going to need me any longer? Despite that insecurity, there was one thing I did not feel any misgivings about! I was not one bit nervous leaving U.S. soil for a few days to go on vacation with my husband. I knew that anything that could possibly come up with my kids would be handled expertly by TP or Woodland.
Thank you, to all generations of the Jordan Family, for bringing our children the Towering Pines/Woodland experience. The world is a better place with more campers in it!

November is a notoriously happy time for a lot of reasons, namely the first snowfall, imminent holidays and promise of winter break in less than a month. But as a winter chill enters the air, it also brings about a certain nostalgia, because it feels like camp has never been further away. At least while it was still warm out, we could pretend like Eagle River was still within our reach, as if we had only just left the north woods or maybe—if we closed our eyes and tried really hard to imagine it—as if we were still there. The memories tend to linger longer when the sun is still warm on our cheeks and our backs and school hasn’t quite started yet.

But when winter comes around, it’s a cold reminder that there are still some long months ahead of us before we can head back to camp, and we want nothing more than to be surrounded by our camp friends and family.  Lucky for us, the Jordan family knows exactly how we feel. They bring us all back together under one roof on the glorious Saturday in November that we all know as camp reunion day.

To me, the camp reunion is that extra push of motivation to power through the cold weather and the reassurance that, once June rolls around, the wait will be worth it. You are reunited with all of your favorite people and, even in the cold, un-camp-like weather, you are filled with a warmth that reminds you a little bit of Sand Lake, horses and fresh bug juice.

When I was younger and had neither the access to a car nor means of communication to visit my friends who lived hours away, my mom would dutifully drive me to the camp reunion every November so that I could see the people that I loved so much. And even as I grew older and could drive myself, I relished in the chance to be surrounded by the people, pictures and memories that helped me remember that camp is something I can’t live without.

This is the first November in almost thirteen years that I won’t be able to make it to the reunion, so I know that I’ll be surfing through the camp website for photos that can try to replace the happiness that I feel when I’m there. It’s a weaker substitute, but just knowing that other campers and staff will be reuniting, reliving the days of summers past and chatting excitedly about summers future, will help me thaw the icy feeling that living in a world without Woodland tends to bring.

Come November 22^nd, I know I would probably give anything to be at the camp reunion. So if you have the chance to get yourself there—whether it be by driving, carpooling or even biking—I highly suggest that you take it!

Natalie Behnke

As I write this blog, there are about 400,000 bikers (on motorcycles) joining the residents of Galveston Island (where I now live) for the Lone Star Rally this weekend.  As I have listened to bikes of all shapes and sizes drive by all day (and all night), I can’t help but think how they are really just coming here for their yearly reunion.  And, we are about to do the same thing ourselves when Woodland/TP campers and staff come together later this month for an afternoon with camp friends in the Chicago area.

I can only imagine that the excitement for the Lone Star Rally has been building up as the weeks and days drew closer in anticipation of meeting up with friends who haven’t seen each other for a period of time.  Bikers are gathering at their favorite restaurants to catch up on the events that have passed between visits, enjoying rides along the beach and other scenic routes, meeting new friends, and making plans for future opportunities to do what they love (ride motorcycles).  In many ways, this weekend is one giant family reunion.

Sound familiar?!  The excitement for meeting at Jeff and Jenny’s house on Saturday, November 22nd is starting to ramp up as campers and staff make plans to spend a few hours together at the annual reunion the weekend before Thanksgiving.  We even have a few die-hard camp friends among us who will be making the trip to Chicago from Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, and even Mexico City (Aranxta wins the award for coming the farthest distance this year!).  We are also excited to welcome any new campers who will be joining us in 2015.  Please feel free to bring along any friends from home who might want to learn more about the TWO BEST CAMPS AROUND!

The video from the summer will be shown, scrapbooks containing numerous camp photos will be passed around, stories from the past summer will be retold, school year events will be shared, and plans for next year will be made to DO WHAT WE LOVE AT CAMP (and of course, we will enjoy an assortment of yummy snacks!).  And, yes, this weekend will be one giant family reunion!

We can’t wait to see you on Saturday, November 22nd from 3:30-5:30!  Please RSVP to jstarcamp@aol.com to let us know you are coming.  p.s. Motorcycles welcome!

This week’s blog post is a real treat!  Bobby B and Courtney G found a fun article about 31 Signs you were a summer camp kid. In the spirit of Camp Woodland, they tailored it to include signs you grew up at Camp Woodland!  We are so lucky Courtney and Bobby will both be at camp this sumer after a 2 year absence.  We can’t wait to see more of their creativity this summer!  Here’s the list:

1.  If you know where it begins, and the second letter in…
2. You still wear your Woodland Wear on a regular basis.
3. You could never have enough friendship bracelets, and always looked forward to #FriendshipBraceletFriday.
4. There was nothing better than receiving a cologne-soaked letter from a boy at TP, typically detailing their 6 activities and a statement of how excited they were to meet you at TP fair.
5. Your first “marriage” was to a TP boy at the annual camp fairs!
6. You crossed your fingers hoping for letters and care packages from home, ideally with treats to share with your cabin mates.
7. Receiving a letter or a package was the single most exciting thing that could happen during rest hour (and to this day you still enjoy receiving hand written letters from your best camp friends).
8. You’ve lost your voice after camp Olympics.
9.  None of your friends from school understood (and still don’t understand) the bonds you created with your camp friends.
10.  Training to be a CIT or counselor taught you skills that you still use today – like how to clean a toilet (when your roommates don’t know how to) or dealing with all different sorts of people.
11.  You continuously plan camp reunions with your friends from every corner of the world.
12.  You looked forward to getting a new crazy creek chair (It’s a campfire thing!)
13. You never went to picnic or cookout without your crazy creek, and if you did happen to forget, you always had that one friend that would unclip the sides and lay it out flat just to share with you.
14.  Hand written letters will never be outdated and you still know the camp address by heart.
15. The Jordans and all of camp have become your second family.
16.  You know all the lyrics and moves to your favorite camp songs, especially how to make the ugliest faces and hands during “Three Chartreuse Buzzards.”
17. You’re a million and one times better off than all your friends during freshman year of college when it comes to homesickness.
18.  You relate sororities and Greek life to the appreciation for crazy traditions and close connections that were instilled in you at Woodland.
19. You’ve mastered the changing technique you learned in the boat house before and after swim lessons.
20.  Canteen was the best reward after a long day filled with activities.
21.  You remember hating swimming lessons, but the minute the lifeguard whistle goes off for rec swim you were always the first one to dive in.
22.  You think every leech in Sand Lake is a lake gnome from the destroyed coffee factory.
23. You refer to happiness as warm fuzzies, and sadness as cold pricklies.
24.  Every time you see fireworks you say “ooh, ahh, wonderful!”
25.  You’ve never had better ice cream than the homemade stuff on fair days.
26.  You have all the lyrics memorized to “At the Beginning” from co-ed show, and you catch yourself singing the camp-ified lyrics to country songs instead of the real lyrics.
27.  You woke up every fourth of July to Paul Revere and his horsemen shouting, “The British are coming, the British are coming!”
28.  Your 5-year pendant is more valuable than any diamond necklace.
29. The more badges on your Woodland jacket, the better.
30. T-A-C-O Bar!  Enough said.
31. When you smell “that smell” you’re instantly transported from wherever you may be in the world and taken to Camp Woodland. Whether it’s a quick whiff of pine trees or the scent of sand lake, you recognize it instantly and appreciate Woodland for everything it has been and continues to be in your life in that moment…..And it starts to get you thinking about the upcoming summer!

I think we can all agree, this list is almost the same if you went to Camp Woodland in the  70’s, 90’s, or 2013!  We have a united bond that will always make us a Woodland Girl!

The Big Banana! Sunday Recreational Swim Tradition!

Today is the start of the 100 day countdown!  We believe this going to be one of our best summers yet!  Keep a close on the mail because the Annual Spring Camp Woodland & Towering Pines newsletter is hot off the presses.  You will be able to find out some of the new activities we have in store too!

To start our summer theme “Dare To Explore in 1-4!” off right, we thought a camp video is in order.  We were able to re-connect with Meg Caswell, Woodland Alumni circa 1980s. We had so much fun talking about one of her favorite activities, wind-surfing.  She told me that Mrs. Jordan really made her feel special about her quick advancement in wind-surfing  and even got an advanced windsurfing counselor from Towering Pines to teach her more techniques.  Meg told me, “looking back Mrs. Jordan didn’t have to go out of the way to make sure I got the most out of windsurfing”.  She said it is still one of her fondest memories of her camp experience.

Check out Meg’s story below or click on this link!

To learn more about Meg and her career, check out her website at www.megcaswell.com

Meg & Lee in Virginia