Senior Chipeta found its rhythm this summer in the wonderful mix of big adventures and little moments that make a term at Cheley feel like its own world. There were packs to shoulder, horses to ride, targets to hit, trails to bike, projects to create, and plenty of reasons to laugh in the courtyard. Along the way, campers stretched themselves, leaned on one another, celebrated each other’s successes, and strengthened the sisterhood that makes Senior Chipeta such a special community.
Our hiking program, led by Bailes Malone and Eliza Thorpe, gave campers the chance to test themselves on Colorado trails while developing the skills and judgment that come with spending meaningful time in the mountains. Early starts, changing conditions, challenging miles, and the reward of reaching a destination all became opportunities to practice perseverance and teamwork. Congratulations to Laurel Grynwald, Lily Krattenmaker, Lily Warren, Reese Dahlstrom, and Elizabeth Rinehart for earning their Hiking Patch (Mountaineers Patch).
Backpacking counselors Ellie McCollum and Danielle Day took the adventure beyond a single day, helping campers become more capable and comfortable carrying what they needed into the backcountry. From organizing gear and traveling together to settling into camp after a day on the trail, backpacking called for independence, adaptability, and cooperation. Jorie Klemp and Melanie Bliss earned their Backpacking Basics. Congratulations to Jorie Klemp, Lily Krattenmaker, Maile VanDerWege, Melanie Bliss, Natalie Robertson, and Sally Gillikin for earning their Backpacking Patch.
As Senior Chipeta’s HGO counselor, Hollis Toomey supported out-of-camp adventures and helped create even more opportunities for campers to spend meaningful time exploring beyond the unit. HGO gave campers another avenue to seek challenge, build outdoor experience, and make the most of a summer surrounded by Colorado’s mountains.
The horseback riding program, led by McClain Suelthaus, Lauren Wallace, and Kendall Newsome, offered campers the chance to grow as horsewomen through practice, responsibility, and time in the saddle. Riding asks campers to communicate with an animal, remain aware of their surroundings, and build confidence through experience—skills that become more rewarding with every ride. Congratulations to Rose Morton and Lauren Obeney for earning their Riding Patch.
Sports and Mountain Biking counselors Claire Lowe and Tessa Wilson kept Senior Chipeta moving throughout the summer. Sports brought opportunities for teamwork, friendly competition, and plenty of energy, while Mountain Biking challenged campers to build endurance, bike-handling skills, and confidence over changing terrain. Congratulations to Ava Duggan, Dylan Remley, Gretta Richardson, Gwyneth Carter, Harper Kraslin-Simpson, Keeley Cozza, Melanie Bliss, Nora Wu, Olivia Lawson, Rebecca De Vore, Rosie Sullivan, and Sophia Gottfried for earning their Mountain Biking Patch.
Outcamping with Alice Dean offered campers another way to make themselves at home outdoors. Time away from the regular unit routine encouraged campers to practice outdoor living skills, work together, and enjoy the simple fun that comes from sharing an adventure outside. Congratulations to Abigail Gilman, Anna Salazar, Elanor Blumenfeld, Eleanor Duff, Lucia Kennedy-Sanchez, Nicolette Buono, Rachel Freese, and Scarlett Stone for earning their Outcamping Patch.
Across Senior Chipeta’s many out-of-camp programs, some campers accumulated an especially impressive amount of time away from camp. The On the Trail recognition celebrates that broad commitment to getting outside and embracing the opportunities Cheley offers beyond the unit. Congratulations to Charlotte Swenson, Eleanor Duff, Keeley Cozza, and Sally Gillikin for earning On the Trail.
Lauren Wallace also served Senior Chipeta as a General Counselor, bringing her flexibility and support beyond the horseback program and into the broader life of the unit.
Archery rewarded patience and consistency as campers worked on their form, aim, and concentration. With practice came progress through the Arrow recognitions, including several campers who worked all the way to Gold. The following campers earned arrows in Archery:
White Arrow
Abigail Gilman, Allison Guthrie, Anja Achenbach, Anna Salazar, Charlyse Greenwald, Colleen Cronin, Dylan Remley, Ella Timko, Giulietta Colton, Harper Kraslin-Simpson, Isabella Levy, Jorie Klemp, Keeley Cozza, Mackenzie Yi, Maren Graham, Margo Zimmermann, Nicolette Buono, Nyah Klein, Rio Clarke, Samantha Klebe, Scarlett Stone, and Valentina Mick.
Black Arrow
Abigail Gilman, Allison Guthrie, Anna Salazar, Charlyse Greenwald, Colleen Cronin, Dylan Remley, Ella Timko, Giulietta Colton, Harper Kraslin-Simpson, Jorie Klemp, Keeley Cozza, Mackenzie Yi, Maren Graham, Margo Zimmermann, Nicolette Buono, Nyah Klein, Rio Clarke, Rosie Sullivan, Samantha Klebe, and Valentina Mick.
Blue Arrow
Abigail Gilman, Anna Salazar, Charlyse Greenwald, Dylan Remley, Ella Timko, Giulietta Colton, Harper Kraslin-Simpson, Jorie Klemp, Keeley Cozza, Mackenzie Yi, Margo Zimmermann, Nyah Klein, Rio Clarke, Samantha Klebe, and Valentina Mick.
Red Arrow
Abigail Gilman, Charlyse Greenwald, Elanor Blumenfeld, Giulietta Colton, Harper Kraslin-Simpson, Keeley Cozza, Maren Graham, and Nyah Klein.
Gold Arrow
Eleanor Duff, Giulietta Colton, Melanie Bliss, and Natalie Robertson.
At Riflery, William Schnieders helped campers develop the safety, control, patience, and concentration necessary for strong marksmanship. Campers worked through increasingly challenging positions and levels throughout the summer, learning that small adjustments and steady practice can add up to significant progress.
Prone Specialist
Anna Salazar, Curry Cutshaw, Dylan Remley, Ella Timko, Elliott Price, Hana Lawrence, Isabella Levy, Johnsie Dawkins, Josie Pryor, Keeley Cozza, Laurel Grynwald, Lillian Cowger, Lucia Kennedy-Sanchez, Maddie Neece, Maren Graham, Melanie Bliss, Nicolette Buono, Olivia Lawson, Rayna Bray, Sally Gillikin, Stella Solomon, Valentina Mick, and Wren Herbert.
Level I, II, III, & IV
The following campers earned their Level 1 pin: Anna Salazar, Charlyse Greenwald, Colleen Cronin, Ella Timko, Elliott Price, Giulietta Colton, Hana Lawrence, Jorie Klemp, Julia Caturegli Reims, Maddie Neece, Melanie Bliss, Nyah Klein, Rose Morton, Sally Gillikin, and Valentina Mick.
The following campers earned their Level 2 pin: Anna Salazar, Charlyse Greenwald, Ella Timko, Eva Dempsey, Jorie Klemp, Livi Ach, Mabel Romano, Melanie Bliss, and Nyah Klein.
The following campers earned their Level 3 pin: Anna-Kate Mauffray, Gracie Ehlert, Grace Sekol, Mabel Romano, and Melanie Bliss.
The following camper earned their Level 4 pin: Abigail Koppman, Grace Sekol, and Melanie Bliss.
Kneeling Specialist and Level I, II, III, & IV
The following campers earned their Kneeling Specialist: Ella Timko, Lillian Cowger, Mabel Romano, and Olivia Lawson.
The following campers earned their Level 1 pin: Ashleigh Dunton, Jorie Klemp, and Lillian Cowger.
The following camper earned her Level 2 pin: Gracie Ehlert.
The following campers earned their Level 3 pins: Anna-Kate Mauffray, Gracie Ehlert, and Sequoia Holzmann.
The following camper earned her Level 4 pin: Anna-Kate Mauffray.
Standing Specialist and Level I, II, & III
Sitting Specialist
The following camper earned her Specialist pin: Sequoia Holzmann.
The following camper earned her Level 1 pin: Anna-Kate Mauffray.
The following camper earned her Level 2 pin: Anna-Kate Mauffray.
Among all the progress made on the range this summer, Anna-Kate Mauffray reached an especially significant milestone by becoming a Master Rifleman. Master represents the culmination of a demanding progression in Senior Riflery, built through increasingly challenging shooting positions and standards. Reaching this point takes far more than one good target—it requires sustained concentration, control, patience, and consistency as a marksman. Anna-Kate Mauffray worked through that progression all the way to its highest recognition, and we are proud to celebrate this outstanding accomplishment.
Campfires gave everyone a chance to come back together after busy program days, and Abby Silberman filled the calendar with plenty of variety. Senior Chipeta joined Lower Ski Hi for disco, tested its secret-agent skills during Spy Wars, kicked up its heels with line dancing, took the microphone for karaoke, got creative during the Trash-on Show, and kept everyone thinking on their feet with improv games. All-Camp Campfire brought another chance for the unit to create and perform together, with a Mystery theme First Term and a Fairy Tale theme Second Term.
Our CILTs (Campers in Leadership Training) experienced camp from a new perspective this summer as they took on greater responsibility and continued developing as leaders within the Senior Chipeta community. First Term CILTs were Charlotte Gardiner, Elizabeth Masraff, Emily McIntosh, Grace Sekol, Koruna Ingram, Milly Isgrig, Sequoia Holzmann, and Winnie Harbold. Second Term CILTs were Eleanor Duff, Izzy Cunningham, Ruby Kalkbrenner, Sydney Bonfield, and Vi Sparks. Thank you to all of our CILTs for the leadership, energy, and care they brought to Senior Chipeta.
Each term, the Code of Living gave the Senior Chipeta community a chance to put words to the values they wanted to guide their time together. First Term chose Gratitude, Commitment, Optimism, Soul, Authenticity, and Sisterhood. Second Term chose Sunshine, Authenticity, Wonder, Resilience, and Empathy. The words changed between terms, but each Code became meaningful through the everyday choices campers made about how to participate in their community, respond to challenges, and treat one another.
At the end of each term, campers and counselors vote individually on the members of their community who they believe best reflect the traits of their Code of Living. In Senior Chipeta, that citizenship recognition is the Gold Key. This summer, we proudly recognize Anna-Kate Mauffray, Curry Cutshaw, Eleanor Duff, Elizabeth Masraff, Grace Sekol, Janie Gravette, Jorie Klemp, Nyah Klein, and Sydney Bonfield as Gold Key recipients. Congratulations to each of these campers on receiving such a meaningful recognition from the Senior Chipeta community.
Two more extraordinary recognitions deserve a special place among the accomplishments of this summer. In the Riding program, Ruby Kalkbrenner received the Trailhand (Horseback Riding Excellence), one of Cheley’s most distinguished horsemanship recognitions. Trailhand reflects exceptional ability and experience, but its meaning reaches well beyond riding skill. It recognizes the judgment, responsibility, respect, care, and trusted competence that develop through sustained participation in the program. A Trailhand is someone whose leadership can be seen through her actions—in the way she approaches horses, the land, other riders, and the responsibilities that accompany horsemanship. Congratulations to Ruby Kalkbrenner on becoming part of this special Cheley tradition.
Senior Chipeta also celebrated Melanie Bliss as a recipient of the Gold Spurs, one of the rarest and most respected recognitions at Cheley. Gold Spurs represent achievement across the breadth of the Senior program and cannot be earned in a single summer. The journey asks campers to keep returning to challenges in many different areas, developing new skills even when a particular program may not come easily. More than mastery of one activity, Gold Spurs reflect sustained dedication, perseverance, growth, and a willingness to participate wholeheartedly in the Cheley Experience. Congratulations to Melanie Bliss on an accomplishment built across programs, challenges, and summers.
The end of a Senior Chipeta summer leaves behind much more than a collection of patches, pins, and recognitions. It leaves friendships strengthened by shared challenges, confidence earned through trying difficult things, laughter from moments nobody could have planned, and a community built by campers choosing to show up for one another. We hope the women of Senior Chipeta leave this summer proud of what they accomplished, grateful for the people who shared it with them, and ready to carry some of that courage, curiosity, and sisterhood into whatever comes next.
With love from Senior Chipeta,
Marcy Senti, Director
Payton Green, Asst. Director
