Category: Campers say the darndest things!

May Flowers Mean Only 1 Thing…SUMMER IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!

Has anyone noticed that the camp countdown calendar has gone from over 300 days until camp (in August of 2013) to barely 30 days left (current count)?!  That is EXCITING for those of us who wait ALL YEAR for camp days to get underway.  It is time to start packing and get ready for the “Dare-to-Explore in 1-4” Summer…we can’t wait to see you in the Northwoods!  See you SOON…

p.s. The day lilies in front of the Lodge in the photo above somehow time themselves just right and always make an appearance for Camp Birthday, a tradition that is celebrated each year after the 4th week of camp.

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!

Look Out Aquarius…Here We Come!  We are the 2014 CIT’s!

It is interesting to note that this month’s blog sponsor, Hilltop, was the 2nd oldest camper cabin at camp in 2013.  This means that you are looking at the next group of CIT’s (Counselors-in-Training) for 2014!!  Many of these girls have been at camp for a number of years, some of them have literally “grown up” at Woodland.  It is fitting that they are posing for the month of “April showers” as we know that rain is an important ingredient in the cycle of life and is the nutrient most things need to grow.  This group has definitely shown a lot of growth in their journey as campers, and now they will be taking the next step which is designed to help them become future counselors.

Hilltop: Cabin Unity Campfire 2013

You will see these girls take numerous leadership roles this summer as they now become part of the equation for making camp “magical” for the younger campers as did the CIT’s before them.  The CIT’s will be involved in the day-to-day operations of camp and will take turns ringing the wake-up bell, sorting the outgoing and incoming mail, doing cabin inspection with the nurse, assisting with activities, giving ski help and taking canteen orders during Rec Swim,…just to name a FEW!  As a group they will take part in a daily leadership training hour with their counselors during the first few weeks of the summer and plan all-camp Sunday events such as Gold Rush or other fun themes.  The CIT’s will also put together the highly anticipated “Coed Show” with their counterparts at Towering Pines.

Hilltop: Superhero Night 2013

Hilltop’s Favorite Things:

Jackie: Spoon assassins (I love the chase!), Lip sync contest, Picnic (All food! Yummy!), Movie night (fun and relaxing!), Cabin night  (spend time with cabin), Cookout (I love eating outside!), Chicken tenders (so good!), Taco bar (Dan is amazing!).

Kira: Riding (I love horses!),  Olympics (I love screaming and all of the cheers!), Cabin night (It is so much fun to spend time with my cabin mates), and the Food (it is delicious!).

Caroline:  Saturday donuts (because they are so yummy!),  Sunday picnic (because of the different foods), Movie night (I love movies), Cookout, Taco bar, Gold Rush (I love the hunt for gold), Rest hour (I like to rest), Extended rest hour (I like to rest a long time), Spoon Assassins, Cabin night (We get to spend time together).

Ana: Spoon Assins (It’s fun), Saturday Donuts (Love donuts), Cookout (I like chips), Picnic (I like to have different options of food), Pizza with salad bar (I love pizza and of toppings), Rest Hour (I love to rest), Movie Nite (I like movies and canteen), Campfire (I have a lot of  fun!).

Claire: Gold Rush, all Sunday activities, Dan’s cooking (chicken tenders), spoon assassins (chasing people is fun), rest hour (resting is fun), cabin night/cabin bonding, rainy day activities, campfire, Olympics, movie night, and canteen!

Eat Healthy: Instead of serving processed food, we provide meals made from “scratch”.  No powdered eggs here!  We even “cook” in Arts and Crafts!

Get Moving:  Video games and TV are put aside for 6 weeks – campers are active and get plenty of exercise in the great outdoors. We use our feet to take us everywhere we need to go!

 

Reduce Stress: Camp is a great way to “unplug” from the constant flow of text messages, emails, and other social media.  It is also a time to put the pressures of school and grades aside and just enjoy living in the moment.  Above all, camp is FUN!!

Try Something New: With a variety of physical, recreational, and creative activities to choose from, campers have the opportunity to explore a wide range of interests.

Spend More Time With Friends:  Imagine spending 24 hours a day for 6 weeks with a group of your closest friends…how AWESOME is that?!