Camp Woodland Blog

Every year for as long as I can remember, Camps Woodland and Towering Pines ponder over the theme for the next summer before the current summer ends. This way cabin groups at both camps get involved and submit their ideas with the hopes of being able to hear their name called at assembly after the roar of a building drumroll. It is a big deal to be awarded the honor of being able to say they had a hand in choosing the words that will give shape to what the following summer holds for future campers and staff. Summer 2024 is no different!

The words “open new doors” hold a lot of possibility – the possibility of the unknown, of new memories, of high excitement. After five or ten summers coming up to camp, you wouldn’t naturally think that camp could hold anything you haven’t done or tried before – you’ve lived in most of the cabins, participated in just about every activity, and know which meals you look forward to the most. Yet something has us coming back year after year, and it’s exactly what this summer’s theme encapsulates – the opening of new doors and the possibility of more.

Whether you’re a Woodland girl who is just arriving for her first summer or a Woodland girl who has lived in every cabin, tried every activity, and has the meal calendar memorized, opening doors to new possibilities lives outside of camp’s routine just as much as your comfort lives within it.

For a first-year camper, new doors are in abundance; the new friends that you make, the new food you try, and the new challenges you take on. A new adventure is waiting for you at Woodland just as sure as you are waiting for your first summer at camp to start. Make sure to try every activity you can, from the ones you know all about to the things you may have never tried before. Your ability to slowly step outside of your comfort zone will only make the new doors that open at camp that much more exciting!

For a returning camper, each year is a new slate as no two summers ever are or can be the same. The unknown lies within the components of camp you feel you know so well; you know you’ll have cabin mates and counselors, but who will they be? What fun games, tasks, and challenges will your counselors have in store for you at your favorite activities? Will you win Gold Rush or make it to the end of your Spoon Tag circle? Everything from your daily routine to the biggest special events is bursting with a possibility that can’t be replicated from years before — new doors open wide around every corner!

Here are reflections on what some of our new staff (not all new to camp!) think the “Open New Doors in ‘2-4” theme means:

-Never settle for what seems the “easy path.” Let yourself be surprised with new opportunities and new horizons. Let yourself step out of your comfort zone and enjoy the ride!!

-Get out of your comfort zone and have fun!!

-To be open to try new activities, meet new people, and open a new chapter in life.

-That is going to be a summer with a lot of new opportunities and trying new things that you were afraid to try.

-That everyone is welcome and no one is left out, even if it’s your first summer at camp!

-Try something new in order to grow and see different perspectives.

-New opportunities for getting to know interesting people and new adventures and experiences.

-Learn and try things you haven’t tried before.

Get Excited!

Regardless of whether you’re arriving at Woodland for the first time or the tenth, the doors you will open at camp eagerly await you. Don’t be afraid of stepping a little further out of your comfort zone because Woodland has new opportunities to challenge you from the first day to the last and every day in between. We are so excited to see what kind of challenges, exploration, and inspiration Summer 2024 has in store for you!

ENROLL for SUMMER 2024

We have a FEW remaining spots left to enroll your camper/s for 2024 so that your daughter/s can open new doors through the Camp Woodland experience! Sign up HERE: https://cwtp.campbrainregistration.com

-Originally authored by Natalie (Woodland alum extraordinaire!) in 2018 and tweaks/additions made in 2024 by Kim (making my way to camp today for #25!)