Awe & Wonder at Green River Preserve

There have been many articles and research papers written in the past five years that affirm what we camp folk already know - experiences of awe and wonder lead to a happier life, strengthen community, and have lifelong, positive impacts on an individual’s wellbeing. Because we know just how transformative summer camp is for young people, we gladly and gratefully do the work that we do here at GRP.

While at the Wilderness Educators Association conference last week in Black Mountain, I heard the keynote address by Mirna Valerio (aka The Mirnavator.) I first met Mirna a few years back on the Preserve during an event hosted by The Outbound Collective. Mirna is an inspriring adventurer, trail runner, skier, mountain biker, and all-around joy seeker. You know when you meet a person whose whole being comes alive when they talk about their interests? A person that inspires others by the nature of living their authentic life? Mirna is definitely one of those people. Well, she shared the origin story of her lifelong love of the outdoors during her talk and it was too good not to share with our camp community.

At the age of eight, Mirna, a young girl from urban NYC, attended her first summer camp in the Catskills of upstate New York. She knew nothing of what to pack, let alone what to expect during her month at camp. So, when she settled in and was given the opportunity to sign up for her own activities, a night creek piqued her curiousity despite having no clue what it would entail. So, dressed in denim, cotton, and not-waterproof footwear, Mirna headed out on that fated adventure. After a bit of fumbling aorund in the dark, the campers were led into a culvert and each was given a wint-o-green lifesaver. When all the campers were instructed to bite down simultaneously on their mints and sparks flew from their mouths, that mountainside culvert erupted in sounds of awe and wonder! Can’t you just hear it? And that’s where Mirna’s life trajectory really took root in the wild spaces. Please read more about Mirna here and be inspired as we are by her living authentically in awe and wonder.

These small magic moments while at camp create huge ripples throughout the lifetime of a camper. Whether seeing blue ghost fireflies rise out of the leaf litter of the forest, sparking lifesavers in the cave, or rubbing between the ears of a pot-bellied pig down at the farm, camp experiences create awe and wonder on a daily basis. We look forward to spending the summer with as many campers as we can.