Week in the Woods 2024 Session Highlights

For year 17, WITW continues the tradition of fostering a profound connection between the forest and friends, offering a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of daily life. The forest provides a sense of connectedness to nature, a serene environment for mindfulness and reflection, and a wellspring of inspiration and creativity. It is a place of endless curiosity and gratitude. We are deeply grateful for your participation in this unique experience, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to John and Marianne for their boundless creativity, knowledge, and passion for this program. It’s a joy to see old friends and make new ones. Here are a few highlights from 2024.

This journey started with the weather. Just as campers were about to arrive on day one, we were hit with a torrential downpour, putting our tarps to the test. Fortunately, it left as quickly as it came, opening up space for campers to set up their tents. The rest of the time, we were adorned with reasonable weather and cooled by the forest canopy. The air was remarkably void of pesky bloodsuckers, and we are incredibly grateful for the crew of firefighters who camped along Bonanza Creek Road and kept the fire that raged nearby away from us as we moved about in bliss.

I also want to thank our scientists, Carolyn, Christin, and Celia, who ignited our curiosity and expanded our knowledge of plants, fungi, and lichens. Celia, a new addition to WITW, shared a Lichen Guidebook with us and intrigued us with the whimsical common lichen names, such as Pink Fairy Barf and Old Man’s Beard. These experts enrich our understanding of the diversity within the forest ecosystem,

We are also grateful to our guest instructors. Nate joined us in sharing the basics of carving chopsticks and spoons. We were thrilled to have Dustin share something new: fish skin tanning. And Klaus had us remove our shoes, feel the earth, tune into our animal senses, and walk with awareness and intention.

It takes a community to put this together. WITW wouldn’t happen without our program director, Kerri, our fantastic work-study folks, and our kids’ counselor—thank you, Cedar, Cody, Faren, Sophie, Hjelle, and Carrie. Packing, hauling, and setting everything up is a lot of work. Your dedication and hard work are the backbone of WITW. Carrie, our kid counselor, was incredible with the kids, taking them on numerous adventures to the bluff and engaging them in the wonders of nature and the creative process of theater. She went full in, even allowing them to cut her hair in their forest salon.

Thank you to our 21 participants. Your presence and contributions are invaluable to the program- this year was full of music and laughter, all thanks to you. We are deeply grateful for your involvement and the unique energy you bring to the program. It is heartwarming to see generations of family and friends come together to create, inspire, and share in a caring, cooperative environment.

We can’t wait to see next year.

Allison Wylde
Camp Co-Director