Camp Woodland Blog

“We welcome you to Camp Woodland! We’re mighty glad you’re here! We’ll send the air reverberating with a mighty cheer. We’ll sing you in, we’ll sing you out, to you we’ll raise a mighty shout! Hail! Hail! The gang’s all here. We welcome you to Camp Woodland!”

The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived: the first day of camp. Throughout this past year, similar to the last seven leading up to this day, a constant feeling took solace in the bottom of my stomach and remained there from the moment I turned off of the Woodland Road last summer to the moment I turned onto it once again. This blend of nostalgia and eagerness for the summer to come served two functions: to remind me why this quaint paradise pulls me back year after year and to serve as the light at the end of the tunnel after a long year of school.

Although the ten months in between camp sessions filled with classes and homework are extensive, the “camp bug” that resides at the bottom of my stomach always gives me a reason to persevere. No matter how difficult reality may be and how vastly my camp nostalgia may grow, the knowledge that this summer paradise will always await me time and time again provides me with the comfort and confidence I need to focus on the present while maintaining my eagerness for the future. “One month from now, you will be relaxing on the beach next to Sand Lake soaking up the sun and listening to the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore, endless laughter, and the pleas of all of the girls who beg for double canteen,” I tell myself. And, oddly enough, here I stand once again in the paradise whose mere memory urged me forward these last ten months.

After a long year, we finally reached the end of the tunnel; the long-awaited paradise; the ultimate cure to the “camp bug.” The cabins are open, the horses are waiting, the guns are clean, and the sailboats are wading. We could not be more excited for you all to take this summer to relax, to enjoy, and to thrive. Welcome home, campers!

-Alex K
Treetops Counselor

One of the best things about camp is seeing how campers grew over the year and witnessing their eagerness to learn something new. This comes in many different forms including learning something new about themselves, reconnecting with camp friends and making new ones, and even trying new activities. As a counselor, the most fulfilling part of the camp experience is learning something new from the campers. Whether it’s a new craft project, song, dance, or story we learn just as much as the campers! Their excitement to learn a new skill and master another drives us to try new ways of teaching. Each summer I learn so much from the campers and even about myself. Learning doesn’t end with the end of the school year and camp is the prime example of how anyone can learn to thrive in a variety of different activities. Throughout the summer whether campers are at camp for two, four, or six weeks, it is obvious how they become more independent and comfortable with themselves as well as working as a team!

My parents still say that going to camp was one of the best things for both my sister and I because we thrived! We are comfortable in our skin, are willing and eager to get to know new people and try something new, and camp provided opportunities for us to become leaders. Learn, Laugh, Lead is not just a slogan it is a fact of what camp provides each and everyone who attends.

I, for one, am so excited to see how experienced and novice campers take advantage of this summer. Camp is “Where I Thrive in 1-5” and has been for years! What about you?

Authored by: Sara F
2015 Masters degree in Public History, Wright State University
Camp Woodland Camper, Senior Counselor

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!

Driftwood Can’t Wait for Summer!!

Driftwood 2014 Favorite Things

Sofia G: I love being in a cabin that is your age, the awesome counselors we have (Jenny and Tori), aqua tramp, activities, canoe trip, Gold Rush, Alien Invasion, Fairs, TP/Woodland exchanges

Ana Marta: food (grilled cheese, lasagna, pizza), activities (sailing, tennis, water-skiing), cabin mates, camp songs, counselors, lake, sun, friends, EVERYTHING!

Sarah: my bunk, crazy dance parties at night, the woods, canoeing in the middle of the lake and having the deepest conversations, sprinting up to the cabin, failing at tennis, riding, GiGi outlawing saying that camp is over, the waterfront, they way the sand feels on my feet, Gold Rush, midnight dreams

Jenna: having Jenny and Tori as my counselors, the coziness of Driftwood, talking to cabin mates about challenges, riding Cat Dancer on trail rides, canoeing with Claire when the water is calm, sleeping in one tent on our canoe trip, writing letters, hearing the bell in the morning, getting ready for the 4^th of July campfire, TP & Woodland Fairs with the cabin!

Gigi: taco bar, riding, my cabin mates, sunny weather, the smell of pine, my cabin counselors, my activities, Camp Woodland!!

Lorenza: friends, cabin, tennis, arts & crafts, food (everything), Big Banana and tubing, movie night, cabin night, campfire, sailing, canteen, counselors (Jenny and Tori), canoe trip, aqua tramp, ropes course, Song Contest, Lip Sync, Ugliest Counselor Contest, Gold Rush, Spoon Assassins

Tamarack 2014 Makes a Splash!

Hilltop 2014 Favorite Things

Barbie: Olympics because you cheer other team but you also play and fight for 1^st place, 4^th of July because I enjoy watching the fireworks at TP, my cabin because of the trust I have with all of my cabin mates, the food, the nurse because she takes care of you when you are sick, counselors because they help you with whatever you need, activities because you get to have fun while doing sports, friends because they trust in you and you have a true friendship, Fair Day because it is fun, Spoon Assassins because it is a fun game, Canoe Trip because you go across the lake and get to sleep in a tent, and Aqua Tramp at TP

Valentina: my favorite things about camp are Olympics because I have a lot of fun cheering for my team and playing all of the games, Sunday’s because we get to sleep in and have breakfast in our PJ’s, movie Night because the movies are the best and we get candy, and Spoon Assassins because it is so much fun

Adri: Olympics because you get to do something different and cheer for your team, the food is good, my cabin because I feel comfortable with them and I have fun (I LOVE my cabin!), activities because I like how you can do different things and have fun, all of my friends, and Spoon Assassins because it is a fun game. Bascially, I LOVE EVERYTHING!

Hilltop 2014

Kelly: excelling in activities and meeting new people

Abbey: Spoon Assassins, Olympics, and EVERYTHING (except leaving!)

Irene: peaches, Gold Rush, Spoon Assassins, and riflery

Cayley: because this year everyone had really good sportsmanship, the food because everything was extra good this year and we are the best eaters at camp, my cabin because we got along and everyone is soooo nice, camp activities because I can participate in different things that I can’t do at home, my counselors because they are so understanding, and I know that I can talk to them about everything and I can trust them

Taylor: my favorite things about camp is the variety in the activities and how everyone is different. I like how event if you are different, you are accepted. I also enjoy Sunday’s!

Georgia: my favorite things about camp are the food, Fairs, Spoon Assassins, Gold Rush, activities, and friends.

The temperature’s gradually increasing, the trees are blooming and the refreshing smell of pine fills the air. You know what that means, summer is just around the bend! Camp Woodland awaits the campers to come experience the glorious days filled with activities and wonderful food!

Although I was very anxious about the experience my first summer in 2009 (I will never forget the day my mom and grandpa dropped me off), I thrived! Over the past several years I have personally grown and learned so much while at camp. This will be my 7th summer at Camp Woodland and I wouldn’t want to spend my summers anywhere else or in any other way. The day the campers leave at the end of the summer is the day I begin counting down until they arrive for the next summer.

There are so many different activities that you may never get a chance to try at home. If you’ve always been more of a waterfront person, there’s always an opportunity to experience and thrive with some land sport activities! That is what is so great about getting to change your schedule every 2 weeks, because you’re able to try various activities throughout the summer.

You’re sent out on your own with a group of about 8 other girls to live in a cabin (under counselor supervision, of course!), learn from each other, and grow together. The girls come from all over the country and world, giving them the wonderful opportunity to explore different cultures and learn new things. It’s amazing what knowledge and experiences other people can bring to the table; there’s so much to learn!

Over the years, I’ve realized camp is the best place to be yourself, somewhere where you are not being judged. I learned you should always express your true self, because you are the only “you” there is in this world and you have a lot to offer!

The summer awaits for levels to be passed, unbreakable bonds to be formed, experiences to be shared and memories to be made. I am ready to thrive in the summer of 1-5 and enjoy being myself, are you?

Authored by: Raquel R.
High School Graduate Class of 2015