Summer in the Mountains

One of the things college students struggle with most is money.  Sometimes, students have a hard time finding a job for the school year and then again for the summer.  Today, I would like to give you, my readers, an option.  Why not spend a summer as a camp counselor?

That is the very question I asked myself last year when I considered applying to be a camp counselor.  I decided that while I would be receiving pay, I also would be receiving food and a place to stay at no cost to me.  With that in mind, I set out to find a camp that was very different and very far away from Kansas.

I found my home this past summer at the Green River Preserve Summer Camp in Cedar Mountain, North Carolina.  I left at the end of May and did not return home until mid August.  While there, I was exposed to a new climate, animals, plants and experiences.  In a single session, the kids will be taught multiple different activities, partake in daily mentor hikes, learn simple farming, go on a two day pack-out/hike-out camp-out and most of all, learn to find themselves and "Be the best me at GRP!"

The camp itself is an educational nature camp that is located on over 6,000 acres in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains.  The owners, "Mama" Missy and Sandy are two of the sweetest people you will ever meet.  Missy runs the camp, and Sandy enjoys the camp, mainly teaching fly fishing and tying.

I urge everyone, at some point in their college career, to spend a summer giving to others and becoming a camp counselor.  The personal rewards and experiences are unlike any you will ever receive.

I spent my summer as not only a counselor but also the lead photographer of the GRP's media team.  Below I have created a slideshow of my photographs from this past summer.  (To see photo captions, click full screen then click show info in the upper right.)

#GRPStaff!