Making a Mark

When campers sign up for activities and GLPs, often the most popular are projects that involve leaving a lasting impact here at GRP. Many of our 3-Weekers have been coming to GRP for 4, 5, 6, or even more summers, and many are here at Base Camp for the last time. It’s a dream for many to come back years later as a counselor and find the bus, chair, or tile they painted as a camper. This year, there are many opportunities to leave something behind. A new sun-themed bus will be painted this session (I personally can’t wait to say, “Here comes the Sun Bus!”) and campers on that GLP will paint the outside and write names and quotes on the inside, remembering that years of campers will look up at the roof on the way to Mentor Hikes and see their names. One of our Senior Mentors, Star, is working on an outdoor kitchen behind the lodge, and campers in Pottery and Drawing and Painting this session have the chance to make and paint tiles that will decorate it for years to come. Our TBXers (Trail Blaze Expeditioners) will lead a GLP group in building a new trail between Hemlock Field and Uncle’s Falls that will be walked on hundreds of Campout routes in the future. Finally, several Mentors are venturing off in search of new landmarks in GRP’s unexplored territories, giving campers the opportunity to discover a rumored lost cave or a new hike destination. When our 3-Weekers leave the Preserve for the last time as campers in a few weeks, we know they’ll leave something behind that will make camp just as special for the next generation of GRP campers.

Story by Lillie Wright with photos by Samantha Keebler