Hiked in (Mostly) Complete Silence

By Sara Schmidt on July 17, 2013

Today has been an amazing experience.  This morning, as part of the 3 week session, we all rose at 4 A.M. to hike to Pretty Place.  That’s right, we hiked into a different state before the sun even rose!  Talk about productive campers.  Once we arrived at Pretty Place, we watched together as the sun came up, highlighting the sky with pastel hues of blue, pink, purple, and orange.  The hike was completed in (mostly) silence, and we watched the sunrise without talking too.  It really made us all focus on what was going on around us, and the experience was the perfect way to start the last day of camp.   

 

We hiked back to camp, ate breakfast, and then went straight back to bed for some much needed and well deserved sleep.   Afterwards, we met up for lunch and some ORT Mystery Theatre.  The rest of today will be a bittersweet experience for everyone involved.  Coming up, we have silent sits – where campers get to reflect on everything that has happened while they’ve been at Green River Preserve – and time to pack up.  Tonight we’ll have our banquet dinner and a performance from our theatre GLP; a group of campers have put together an excellent skit about the importance of camp and inclusivity.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

After banquet, we’ll all head up to Upper Council Fire, which is one of the best events at GRP.  On closing night we have numerous ceremonies and events, and I know there will be tears shed before the night is over.  I can’t wait to see everyone’s spirit stones and to hear about the thoughts that campers have during their silent sits.  These three weeks have FLOWN by and we are going to MISS THESE CAMPERS!

-Z 

Sara Schmidt
Sara Schmidt

Sara Schmidt serves as the Administrative Director and Registrar for Green River Preserve. She is excited to be part of the GRP family in her role which focuses on “all things camper.” Her primary responsibilities include camper registration and billing, camper retention, and the GRP Camp Store. Sara also serves as the Editor of Green River Preserve’s seasonal newsletter, Whispers From The Preserve, and she manages the camper scholarship committee. Her newest endeavor is to help build GRP’s Annual Fund and partnership program.