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Seek the Joy Moments

By Green River Preserve on July 31, 2017

In the everyday hustle and bustle of camp life, there are moments that make you stop and think. Moments that put a smile on your face, make you giggle a little, give you a sigh of relief. A moment that was not really expected or constructed, sometimes it just happens. These moments are what we like to call “seek the joy” moments.

GRP provides a once-in-a lifetime camp experience, filled with years of traditions. We teach these traditions and these values, and often return campers know them by heart. What we, as staff, strive for is to give campers an experience they will truly remember—an experience that is unique and can be claimed as theirs, while keeping GRP traditions in play.

Campout is an opportunity to give campers a special experience. No one Campout is the same as any other. Whether that be from getting stung by bees, forgetting a bag of pitas, playing in the river at Prayer Rock, or even just the talks around the campfires. Each group experiences and shares something special and unique. These special moments are the joyful memories campers will carry with them throughout the winter and spring and coming years. They will pass them on to their siblings, their families, their friends, and maybe eventually their own campers.

The Campout of Spirit Winds 1 and Hemlock Hut 1 (or Spirit Hut) had a particular “seek the joy” moment. Conducted by a small night “ceremony”, each camper got a “spirit name” (derived from a unique and formidable characteristic of each person). They placed their hand over a bowl of charcoal and playfully repeated an oath of acceptance of their spirit name:
“Do you promise to uphold the Spirit and Hut of Spirit Hut,
to seek and cherish the joy in every day,
from every Predator Prey to every Capture the Flag,
from every Lower Council Fire to every Upper Council Fire,
will you?”

“I will.”

Story by Anna Ewing
Photos by Brandon S. Marshall

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.