Camp Woodland Blog

Cheers to a GREAT Holiday!

We are THANKFUL for our camp family – the campers, staff, alumni, and friends who make every summer a wonderful experience for all Woodland girls!  Thank you, Sunnyside, for sharing your best moments with us!

I am really proud of:

Parker: trying new things! I loved trying the new food the kitchen staff made and new activities

Molly: passing level 4 swimming on the first day and shooting 3 bull’s eyes

Anna: getting my Marksman 1^st Class in riflery

Abbey: trying riflery

Barbie: passing levels 5 and 6 in swimming and getting better in archery

Irene: passing Level 4 in swimming

Fer: getting along well with other people

Adri: going out of the wake in water-skiing and trying new things

Cabin Unity Campfire

The thing I learned the most about myself this summer:

Parker: I’m more courageous than I thought; I made new friends and tried new things

Molly: I love to swim, especially in the lake, even when it is really cold

Anna: I was able to accomplish a lot

Abbey: I like jambalaya

Barbie: that you can do anything if you are positive and have a lot of patience and effort

Irene: I am not a good singer

Fer: that I have a free spirit

Adri: I love sharing my stories and experiences with other people

Hanging Out in the Cabin

The best thing that happened to me at camp:

Parker: seeing old friends and meeting new friends was AMAZING!

Molly: I got to swim in the deep which is more fun than swimming in the middle, and I also had a great cabin

Anna: all my friends

Abbey: hitting the target in riflery

Barbie: friendships, activities, counselors, food (all!)

Irene: getting to see all my friends again this year

Fer: meeting new people who are nice

Adri: meeting all my friends that will last forever

Thank you Sofia, Cami, Andrea and Sam!

You heard it right from the source – camp is all around us! I embrace it because it means I have “family” wherever I am headed.  Hi, my name is Lee Albrecht Biear, and I have been part of Camp Woodland for over half of my life!

5th year at camp circa 2000!

I remember thinking as a young counselor, how can I keep being part of this incredible place forever?  As I was mapping out my future camp career, I thought I had to be a teacher, nurse or chef. I knew that I was not destined to be a teacher (let’s face it, teachers are gods), a nurse (squeamish around blood), or a chef (I burn water!). I had no idea how I was going to follow my passion and find a niche as a camp professional.

JoAnne & Lee circa 2001

So, off I went to follow my second passion, public health (I love helping people and the environment be healthy!).  I designed onsite wastewater treatment systems for large subdivisions, developed water pumps for impoverished communities in Latin America, and consulted for the National U.S. EPA office.  Even with a successful career, there was still an itch for camp that I was destined to scratch.

That’s me designing water pumps in Nicaragua circa 2002

Through it all, the Jordan Family had my back.  I saved my vacation time so that I could work at camp, even if just for a week.  I told my boyfriend (now husband), Matt, that we could only continue our relationship if he believed in camp.  Luckily, he fell in love with camp in one afternoon. Matt was instantly hooked as he witnessed firsthand the camp philosophies I had been preaching about – they were playing out in every nook and cranny at Woodland. Spending the afternoon at Towering Pines on Pirate Day only sealed the deal (eye patches, a cannon, and walking the plank – SOLD!).

The whole Biear Family at camp circa 2015

Fast-forward 6 years from that fateful camp visit with my husband, and I am working at camp again and have been part of the year round team since 2012. Remember, when I said the Jordan Family has stood behind me while I found my way???  Well, it is so true!  They supported my dreams as a public health professional, and also welcomed me back as the marketing director for both camps. I am in a fulfilling position and enjoy working with the campers and staff each summer. I help keep camp around us all year by organizing camp reunions, managing our social media sites, and networking with our very talented alumni.

Mimi Alumni Reunion in Houston Texas, October 2015

I am honored to be part of our very inclusive Alumni Family. Our Alumni are simply the best! I love hearing about their camp experiences and finding the common thread we all share through the Woodland and Towering Pines experience. It is amazing how the traditions and philosophies have shaped our lives and will always be a part of us.  It is fun to see how as counselors we positively impacted the next generation of campers!  Once you join the Camp Woodland and Towering Pines community, you become part of the family.   It means that camp can be around us, even if we can’t always be physically there.

We hope you can attend our next Camp Event.  Details are below:

Date: Sunday, November 22, 2015
Time: 3:30-5:30pm
Location: 1834 Lincoln Avenue Northbrook, IL 60062
RSVP: jstarcamp@aol.com

Costumes are not just for Halloween…we dress up at camp almost every day!  Pirate Day, 4th of July Games, International Night Camper Council, Silver Birch Pajama Party, Fair Day, Olympics, Campfires…you name it, we wear it!  We would love to see pictures of you in your Halloween costume, so email us at: campwoodlandtp@gmail.com

The best thing that happened to me at camp:

Kelly: meeting all of my best friends so that I could create all of these amazing memories

Vale: getting to meet so many wonderful people who teach you very important values

Fer: making new friends and having SO MUCH FUN!

Molly: meeting the girls that I can call my best friends and my sisters

Cayley: making friendships that will last a lifetime

“”

An achievement for which I am most proud:

Kelly: passing my Bar II in riflery and swimming to Cathy’s

Vale: passing my black-archer and level 6 in swimming

Fer: being positive when trying something new

Molly: passing level 4 in swimming, trying new things out of my comfort zone (Farm Zoo, Angle Ball, and Zumba), and making friends with new girls

Cayley: landing my aerial

The thing I learned the most about myself:

Kelly: that not everything turns out the way you want it to and that is OK

Vale: that I am good as I am and that I don’t need to change for other people

Fer: I took some risks and tried many new things this summer

Molly: I like to challenge myself and be the best that I can

Cayley: Don’t try to change for others, love yourself, and manners

Hey Teresa…

I have finally decided to take the plunge and sign Vivian up to attend four weeks of camp in Northern Wisconsin at Camp Woodland next summer!  She will soon be turning 11, and I think the timing is perfect.

I attended ten 8-week summers there when I was a kid, and it was one of the most formative experiences of my childhood. This past summer I took Viv with me to my first camp reunion, and while I have been in touch over the years with many friends, I can’t begin to describe how magical it was to be back at camp and to see about 100 of my closest friends from across the US and Mexico. (About 25% of campers and counselors are from Mexico…sent in large part to practice their English.) Most of us have kids now and a few are already sending them!

The third generation of the Jordan family is now running Woodland, as well as Towering Pines, Woodland’s brother camp for boys about a mile and a half down the road. JoAnne, Jeff, and Susan along with their children (fourth generation!) are currently operating the camps. My brother Fritz loved his summers up North so much that he now lives about five miles away from the camps…he never left!

Viv asked me to forward you some information for Greta, just in case she might be interested. In my day there was only the 8-week option. The “full” summer has been shortened to six weeks to accommodate various school calendars, but they also offer two or four week sessions.

Swimming, sailing, gymnastics, dance, riding, archery, farm zoo, crafts, tennis, overnight canoe trips, campfires, olympics, fair, camp birthday, on and on and on! 🙂 But more than anything else, I remember Woodland as one of the safest, most beautiful places on earth, both emotionally and physically. And I remember the exact moment as a 12 year old when I realized that Woodland was more than just a collection of rustic cabins and knobby kneed gals. Somehow the activities, the friendships and the shared experiences created a magical and meaningful wonderland!

Anyway, before I go on and on, see what you think. I know it sounds crazy, and it’s a significant commitment of time and resources. It’s about an 8-hour drive up to Eagle River from Des Moines. Viv is signed up and ready to go, so of course no pressure whatsoever.

I know I would never be able to send Viv so far away to just any camp, but this place is in my bones.

Emy

I think it is safe to say that by now everyone is “back to school”!  As much as we would like to stretch out summer as much as possible, somehow those lazy days quickly turn to carpools, backpacks, homework, extracurricular activities, and counting the days until camp begins once again!

Throughout the upcoming year, each month will have a blog that is “sponsored” by a different Woodland cabin from the Summer of 2015.  Each camper wrote her “favorite things” or “best moments at camp”…here is a little more about Treetops, the sponsor for this month:

Favorite Things:

Abbi: archery, free swim, gymnastics, swim lessons, riding

Monica: everyone is super nice!, sailing, chicken patties, Pirate Day, soccer

Tori: everyone is super inviting, everything is FUN!, the food!, the friends I made, archery

The best thing that happened to me at camp:

Monica: when I made progress in swimming lessons

Molly: being able to come to camp and meeting with all my friends

Makayla: making a new friend

Sofi: making new friends

Isa: EVERYTHING!

Describe an achievement for which you are most proud:

Isa: passing levels in swimming, riflery, and archery

Sofi: going to camp by myself

Makayla: trying new activities

Molly: coming to camp for 6 weeks, getting over fears, and being brave

Monica: passing level in archery

The thing I learned most about myself:

Makayla: that I can be outgoing

Isa: I have to trust myself to be honest and friendly

Sofi: never talk badly about another person

Molly: Sometimes I set standards way too high for myself and I don’t need to do that.  I like who I am!