The wagon yard came alive this summer with the kind of energy that can only belong to Girls’ Trail’s End. Some mornings began with trail plans, saddles, or backpacks; others led toward bikes, targets, or creative projects. By evening, everyone returned with another story to tell—about something difficult they tried, something ridiculous that made them laugh, or a moment when a friend helped turn a challenging day around. Over four weeks together, those individual stories became a shared one, full of adventure, growing confidence, and a community that learned how much fun it can be to take on Colorado side by side.
The hiking program, led by Marina Griffin and Monika Shaffer, gave campers opportunities to grow more comfortable and capable on the trail. Hiking required preparation, perseverance, awareness, and plenty of teamwork as groups spent their days moving through Colorado’s mountain landscape. Caroline Boyle earned her Junior Hiking Basics and Junior Hiking Patch. On the Senior side, Astrid Hattenbach and Tess Doebele each earned their Senior Hiking Basics and Senior Hiking Patch.
Backpacking counselors Margaret Breault and Brodie Rodemacher helped campers turn a day on the trail into a longer backcountry experience. Carrying everything they needed gave campers practice with independence, organization, adaptability, and caring for the success of the whole group. There were challenges to solve along the way and plenty of time for friendships to deepen once camp was set for the night. Caroline Boyle earned her Junior Backpacking Basics and Junior Backpacking Patch. Astrid Hattenbach and Tess Doebele earned their Senior Backpacking Basics and Senior Backpacking Patch.
As GTE’s HGO counselor, Rand Neren helped expand the possibilities for adventures away from the Ranch. HGO supported campers as they sought more time outside, more opportunities to challenge themselves, and more ways to experience the Colorado landscape beyond their everyday surroundings.
Horseback Riding was brought to life by wranglers Estie Seligman, Mac Burkhardt, Tasha Marshall, Morgan Jones, and Scout Mortenson. Campers built confidence through time in the saddle while also learning the responsibility, awareness, and care that come with working alongside horses. Junior Riding Basics were earned by Avery Draper, Charlotte Colella, Charlotte Kratzer, Clara Keffeler, Ella McCormick, Emme Clore, Lily Hurst, Margaret Essin, and Penina Hines. Junior Riding Patches were earned by Avery Draper, Charlotte Colella, Charlotte Kratzer, Ella McCormick, Lily Hurst, Margaret Essin, and Penina Hines. On the Senior side, Harper Reidy and Imogen Harris each earned their Riding Basics and Riding Patch.
Outcamping counselors Jenny Chamberlain and Lili Brandt gave campers another way to enjoy life outdoors. Outcamping asked groups to work together to settle into a campsite, take responsibility for daily needs, and become more confident away from the comforts of the Ranch. Tiana Baker earned her Junior Outcamping Patch. Levi Macdonald earned her Senior Outcamping Basics and Senior Outcamping Patch.
Mountain Biking, led by Georgia Triplett and Malena Riefe, added another kind of adventure to the summer as campers practiced balance, bike handling, endurance, and the confidence to keep moving through difficult sections. Emme Clore earned her Mountain Biking Basics, and Cadence Dorr earned her Mountain Biking Patch. Counselors Georgia Triplett and Malena Riefe also brought movement, teamwork, and plenty of spirited competition to GTE. Sports gave campers a chance to jump into games, encourage teammates, challenge themselves in new ways, and enjoy the simple fun of playing hard with friends.
Some campers made getting out of camp a major part of their summer. The On the Trail recognition celebrates broad participation in Cheley’s out-of-camp programs and the willingness to keep choosing adventure in different forms. Junior On the Trail recognitions were earned by Claire Fiester, Katherine Nusser, Margaret Essin, Mischa Walton, and Nora Evans. Senior On the Trail recognitions were earned by Madeline Fenner and Marlo Gilbert.
Archery rewarded focus and repetition as campers worked to make their form and aim increasingly consistent. Progress through the Arrow recognitions gave campers a chance to see how practice could turn small improvements into real accomplishments. The following campers earned arrows in Archery:
White Arrow
Claire Fiester, Elin Armstrong, Eliot Hou, Elizabeth Likovich, Ella Norris, Evelyn Steinhaus, Genevieve Cammack, Greta Monnig, Hazel Angelovic, Imogen Harris, Jill Trendler, Kiri McClure, Layla Iranmanesh, Layla Kotch, Lucia Castelo Herrera, Mabel Grimsley, Margaux LeBlanc, Mary Christian Yanicelli, Mischa Walton, Olivia Rayson, and Penina Hines.
Black Arrow
Eliot Hou, Greta Monnig, Jill Trendler, Kiri McClure, Mabel Grimsley, Reagan Nanney, and Sheri Monson.
Blue Arrow
Leonora MacNamara and Luisa Morales.
Over in Riflery, Anika Rehberg helped campers develop patience, concentration, safety, and control at the range. Marksmanship asks for consistency rather than hurry, and campers had the opportunity to build their skills across increasingly demanding shooting positions and levels.
Prone Specialist
Astrid Hattenbach, Avery Hanson, Campbell Olsen, Catherine Warfield, Clara Keffeler, Ella Norris, Ellen Mapes, Elise Young, Everly Cannon, Evelyn Steinhaus, Genevieve Cammack, Indira Loether, Iris Long, Jill Trendler, Josie Wright, Katinka Pahlson-Moller, Keara Cotter, Kiri McClure, Lily Hurst, Margaux LeBlanc, Mabel Grimsley, Olivia Rayson, Patricia Thompson, Penina Hines, Quill Randle, Rebecca Goldberg, Skylar Ackerman, Tiana Baker, and Mischa Walton.
Level I, II, III, & IV
The following campers earned their Level 1 pin: Avery Hanson, Camren Collins, Ellen Mapes, Elise Young, Ella Norris, Emme Clore, Iris Long, Jill Trendler, Keara Cotter, Lily Hurst, Margaux LeBlanc, Reagan Nanney, and Tiana Baker.
The following campers earned their Level 2 pin:Camren Collins, Ellen Mapes, Elise Young, Ella Norris, and Jade Mathews.
The following campers earned their Level 3 pin: Camren Collins and Ellen Mapes.
The following campers earned their Level 4 pin: Camren Collins, Ellen Mapes, and Margaret Martens.
Kneeling Specialist and Level I, II, & III
The following campers earned their Specialist pin: Aiden Kaplan, Avery Hanson, Elise Young, Ellen Mapes, Jade Mathews, Jill Trendler, Mabel Grimsley, Madeleine Carney, and Tiana Baker.
The following campers earned their Level 1 pin: Camren Collins, Elise Young, Ellen Mapes, Madeleine Carney, and Molly Carl.
The following campers earned their Level 2 pin: Camren Collins, Ellen Mapes, Margaret Martens, and Molly Carl.
The following camper earned her Level 3 pin: Margaret Martens.
The following camper earned her Level 4 pin: Margaret Martens.
Sitting Specialist and Level I
The following campers earned their Specialist pin: Camren Collins, Ellen Mapes, Jill Trendler, and Margaret Martens.
The following campers earned their Level 1 pin: Ellen Mapes, Margaret Martens, Molly Carl, and Molly Jordan.
The following camper earned her Level 2 pin: Margaret Martens.
Standing Specialist and Level I & II
The following campers earned their Specialist pin: Camren Collins, Ellen Mapes, Jill Trendler, and Molly Carl.
The following camper earned her Level 1 pin: Camren Collins.
The following campers earned their Level 2 pin: Madeleine Carney, Margaret Martens, and Levi Macdonald.
The following camper earned her Level 3 pin: Margaret Martens.
Among the many accomplishments at the range this summer, Margaret Martens reached an especially impressive milestone by becoming a Master Rifleman. Master represents the culmination of Cheley’s Senior riflery progression and reflects sustained growth through increasingly challenging shooting positions. Reaching that level takes patience over time, careful technique, steadiness, and the ability to repeat strong shooting rather than simply produce one great target. Margaret Martens progressed through Prone, Kneeling, Sitting, and Standing recognitions on her way to this achievement, and we are proud to celebrate the focus and persistence behind her Master Rifleman recognition.
Campfire counselor Raina Jaeggli made sure GTE had plenty of reasons to gather, laugh, perform, and occasionally wonder what exactly they had agreed to participate in. Java Night gave campers a stage for sharing their talents, while Battle of the Bands brought out another side of GTE’s performers. Running Pictionary kept creativity moving at full speed, Line Dancing got everyone on their feet, Crazy Wagon Mama leaned into the Ranch’s playful side, and Baby Food Roulette proved that sometimes camp memories are created through questionable culinary decisions.
All-Camp Campfire gave GTE the chance to take familiar stories and make them completely their own. First Term tackled the Chevolutionary War, inspired by the Revolutionary War, while Second Term entered the wizarding world with Charry Chotter, inspired by Harry Potter. Both themes called on campers to collaborate, perform, improvise, and contribute to one of the summer’s favorite all-camp traditions.
GTE was also fortunate to have Campers in Leadership Training who experienced the Ranch from a new perspective while taking on greater responsibility within the community. First Term CILTs were Becky Goldberg, Bridger Kripke, Evie Martens, Milo Maynard, Riley Phillips, and Teagan Campbell. Second Term CILTs were Helen Rinehart, Sabine Rodemacher, and Tinsley Shiflet. Thank you to all of our CILTs for the leadership, enthusiasm, and care they brought to Girls’ Trail’s End.
Each term, the Code of Living gave GTE campers a chance to decide what they wanted their community to stand for and then practice those values in the countless choices that make up life together at camp. First Term chose Authenticity, Community, Optimism, Grit, and Growth. Second Term chose Loving, Intentionality, Accountability, Grit, and Inclusivity. The words themselves mattered, but their real meaning came from the ways campers tried to live them—during adventures, in wagons, around meals, through conflict, and in moments when supporting someone else mattered more than having the easy day.
At Girls’ Trail’s End, the Driver of the Covered Wagon and Top Hand recognitions are rooted in that Code of Living. They are citizenship recognitions selected through the voices of campers and counselors, honoring those whose everyday actions have stood out in the way they contributed to the community and lived its chosen values. The following Junior campers received their Driver recognition: Brooke Barby, Caroline Boyle, Charlotte Colella, Eliot Hou, Luisa Morales, Mischa Walton, and Penina Hines. The following Senior campers received their Top Hand recognition: Aiden Kaplan, Catherine Cashen, Charlotte Wadsworth, Helen Rinehart, Maddie Couch, Margaret Martens, and Molly Maynard.
The recognitions earned this summer tell an impressive story, but they are only one way to measure what happened at GTE. Growth also appeared in the camper who tried something intimidating for the first time, the friend who noticed when someone needed encouragement, the group that found a way forward when a plan became difficult, and the laughter that turned ordinary moments into stories worth remembering. By the end of each term, the Ranch was filled with young women who had learned more about what they could do on their own and what became possible when they trusted and supported one another.
As wagons empty and another season becomes part of GTE history, we hope campers carry home more than memories of the places they went and the things they accomplished. We hope they carry the confidence to seek the next challenge, the curiosity to keep learning, and the friendships and values that made this summer feel like theirs.
Until we meet again at the Ranch at the End of the Trail,
Kendall Smith-Williams, Director
Lucy Bowman and Kate Gillikin, Assistant Directors
