We Are Here To Absorb GRP

Each person—both staff and campers—who steps foot on the Green River Preserve is here for a different reason. For some it is simply the idea of unplugging from the technological world, for others it is to learn and teach. But no matter the reason, the most popular answer from campers and staff alike is many of us are here to escape the “real world.” But what is the real world, and what makes Green River an escape? As we bridge the halfway point of the summer I am beginning to realize we are all mistaken. GRP is the real world—the brilliant sunrises, the stories around the campfire, the silly songs, the cuts, the bruises, the tears, and the laughter.

Life is a story—a compilation of experiences and memories. When I look back on my childhood, I do not remember what grade I got on a fourth grade math test, or the first three-syllable word I learned. I remember the Long Rock sunsets, the lifelong friends I met during my first one-week session as a Base-Camper, the Council Fire stories, and of course, the hands-free desserts. Today, I find myself sitting across the lake from that first friend I made as a camper nine years ago; now we are both counselors watching young children play and explore just as we did together for summers on end. Exploration and learning is what living is about, and if we all take just a minute each day to live and learn something new in our “real world,” we won’t need to escape.

Whether you are a new camper, return camper, new staff member, or returning staff member, we aren’t here to escape; we are here to live and to absorb all the Green River Preserve has to share.