2024 Adult Camp Alumni Weekend
Written By, Olivia Campbell
This past Friday I packed up my bags, making sure I had a raincoat, head lamp, and full water bottle, and I drove all the way to GRP. After spending 11 summers as a GRP camper or staff member, I’m now a lawyer who doesn’t usually get to go to summer camp. But Adult Camp at GRP is the exception. For one weekend at the end of the summer, we GRP alumni retreat into the valley, dust off those hiking boots, revisit cherished memories, and make more memories with friends new and old.
After settling into our cabins, we enjoyed a warm welcome at the Trout House with get-to-know-you icebreakers and drinks before dinner. (One thing about adult camp is very different from regular camp: adult beverages!) Captivating stories by Sandy and other familiar faces around the lodge punctuated our fabulous steak dinner. We then ambled back to the Trout House for a relaxed evening, sipping our drinks around the fire while cheerful conversations, reunions, and introductions buzzed. Some of us discovered that we had been in the same camp sessions decades ago, and all of us made new friends across the GRP generations. Around 10pm we meandered through the dark back to our cabins for a great night’s sleep under a sprinkle of rain on the cabins’ tin roofs.
Saturday began with breakfast at the lodge and the promise of mentor hikes—although, since we’re all adults, some of us chose to relax on the dock or read in hammockville instead of hiking. One mentor group explored the cave then walked all the way back to basecamp, taking only a handful of wrong turns. The other group revisited the upper and lower balds, enjoying spectacular views on a crisp morning. After lunch, we had rest hour, of course—although that, too, was optional. In classic GRP fashion, a storm rolled through camp during activity periods, so instead of scaling the climbing tower or canoeing we made pottery, climbed inside the lodge, observed hummingbirds on Sandy’s porch, and enjoyed games like darts and Catan. As we gathered back at the Trout House for free time with a stellar charcuterie board and more adult beverages, the storm let up. Some of us soared down the zipline and plunged into the surprisingly warm lake, cheered on by the Trout House onlookers.
Ort Man and Scrappy made a surprise appearance at dinner before we headed to the back field for an upper counsel fire. For some of us, it had been over a decade since we sang “the earth, the air, the fire, the water, returns” while climbing past the spirit stones. For others it had only been a few weeks. Tears were shed as we listened to Sandy’s letter, Hawk’s flute, and touching stories from Hawk. We told each other stories about the role that GRP once played and continues to play in our lives. Energized by the beautiful ceremony, we returned to the Trout House for more fireside conversations until bedtime.
A group of particularly intrepid adult campers started Sunday with a sunrise hike to the balds, and they were only a tiny bit late to breakfast! After eating we embarked on more mentor hikes: an easy river walk with Hawk and a trip to Uncle’s with Jonathan. A wedding ring may have gotten lost in Uncle’s Falls that morning, but the recently married couple decided there was no better place to leave a symbol of their love.
We wrapped up the weekend with one last lunch filled with lively conversations. (If you haven’t heard it yet, ask Sandy to tell you the story about the bear poachers.) After exchanging contact information and saying our goodbyes, we headed back down the dirt road to our respective homes with wet socks in our bags and smiles on our faces. Adult camp is a wonderful way to destress, reset, and reconnect with likeminded people. I already can’t wait for next year!
