The Earth Is Good To Me

By Green River Preserve on June 18, 2014

“O! The Earth is good to me, and so I thank the Earth for giving me the things I need: the sun and the rain and the GRP! The Earth is good to me! Ah ho!” This is the blessing that we sing before our meals, and every word from every voice rings true. We appreciate the beauty of the world as well as the beauty within each other.
I feel most connected to the rest of the camp in the evening after we have had dinner together and celebrated our daily accomplishments. Fish have been caught, bulls-eyes have been shot, and friends have been made. This evening, we will have dinner dressed in our finest Throwback Thursday attire. After dinner is a favorite part of the day: evening programs!

Evening programs include Upper and Lower Council Fire, Predator/Prey, Shindig, Capture the Flag, and the Variety Show. These activities provide further opportunities for our campers to run, jump, and play. They are in the spirit of fun to fun, and they enable us to grow into more of a community each day.
Last night, we gathered around the Lower Council Fire, and we danced and played the drums. We laughed at songs about skunks and listened to Snow Bear’s wisdom. And then I realized something. We have become a family here, in less than a week, and that is something extremely special and uncommon.
Tonight, our evening program is preparation for Campout. The air of excitement for this is tangible because everyone knows that the next time we leave base camp, it will not simply be for a mentor hike, but a weekend in the woods. When we depart, we will leave bearing backpacks, tarps, and s’mores supplies!
When we return, we will be even more of a family.

Audrey (LT2)

Green River Preserve
Green River Preserve

Green River Preserve is a non-competitive, coed summer camp connecting children with nature. Located on a 3,400 acre private wildlife preserve in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, this extraordinary natural setting inspires campers to have a greater understanding of themselves, their environment, and their fellow man. Designed for bright, curious, and creative children, our program nurtures character development and fosters skills like perseverance, curiosity, communication, optimism, creativity, and GRIT.