Camp Woodland Blog

We have a guest blogger this week because I figured it might be nice to hear from someone other than me for a change. You can’t beat a “straight from the pen of a camper” perspective!

Written by Maya S, Driftwood cabin 2021

Friday (July 30th) during evening assembly, I could not stop smiling. My cabin spends a lot of time talking about our days at dinner, and I had one of the best days ever. I loved hearing my friends talk about their good days because it made me happy for them. Because of this, dinner is definitely my favorite meal at camp. After assembly, we walked to our table in the back of the lodge and sang grace before we all dove into conversation.

I asked everyone at my table how their day was, and everyone seemed to have a a really fun day too. Maybe the Northwoods air was magic today. After everyone had shared, one of my cabin mates turned to me and said, “How was your day?” I honestly didn’t know where to start at first, but I decided just to go in the order of my activities.

“Well, actually, today was my favorite one so far!” I began. “During 1st period we sailed in a race for the first time, and it was so much fun! I learned a ton from the skipper and CIT in my boat. Then during tennis I worked very hard and checked off 3 more items on my advanced beginner sheet. This meant I was now more than halfway done,” I paused and had a huge smile. “In third hour, I shot a 40 and 41 kneeling, which meant I only needed one more qualifier until I was standing! And then during rest hour, I finally wrote home to my Mom for the first time in a week. She was definitely happy to hear from me, I assume.”

On to the afternoon…

“After rest hour, I had drama, where they announced we were having a drama exchange with TP. I was very excited because the TP Players are very funny and nice. During Rec Swim I talked with some of my closest friends from other cabins. It was a lot of fun to talk with them and catch up because I had not sat down and talked with them in a very long time. Lastly, my 6th hour riflery class was the highlight of my day! I shot my final 40 and kneeled for the last time. Thankfully! (That position is so uncomfortable!) And then, I shot a 31 standing for the first time! But I also loved this part of my day where I got to hear about all of your days.”

My cabin all exchanged big smiles and continued with conversations of many topics: horses, Phineas, and Ferb, Harry Potter, etc. I’m very lucky to say the conversations, laughs, and smiles we share is an everyday, Camp Woodland thing. Even though passing a level or trying something new can make your day better, the best part about camp is the shared moments with friends. They make every day AMAZING!

It is now pay-off time for all of the hard work the girls have put in during the first five weeks.  This last week is really FUN because the girls have been doing their activities daily for over a month now, and they can see the results of the skill progression that occurs when you work at something for an extended period of time.  That feeling of SUCCESS is what makes camp EXTRA SPECIAL in the days we have left.  Campers are fully aware of the short amount of time that remains for this summer, and they want to make the most of EVERY MINUTE they have together! Can’t say I blame them…

Thank you, Maya!