On the Road Again!
As C session draws closer to its end, I find myself reflecting back on the midway point of this session; that transition from C1 Session winding down to C2 Session beginning in earnest. I find myself thinking about how different that transition time has become for me and, paradoxically, how much that transition remains the same.
This summer is the first that I am not a counselor, and so I was always present for that changeover in the past. This year, I am the Older Programs Logistician, helping to support in a paddling specialist role. This means that I get to join Riverside and Mountainside on their four day whitewater expeditions across the rivers of Western North Carolina. It means a lot of driving back and forth from the field. With each return, camp isn’t quite the same as when I left it.
Last week was a perfect example of that change as Riverside’s paddling adventure just so happened to start in C1 and conclude in C2.
At the beginning of the adventure, camp was full of campers who were hitting the halfway mark in their three week stay, and some rather devastated about saying goodbye to their friends who were only here for ten days. There’s excitement
about what’s next, but sadness of what is now gone.
In the middle, main campers revel in the smaller community they share for the day, while feeling excited to meet old friends and new faces soon to arrive.
At the end, as this Riverside adventure concludes, there is new noise in the Dining Hall. A new session begins, but things stay the same; as one session begins and one continues, one thing stays evident: the simple joys of Gwynn Valley. Whether it is the creek babbling on Hillside, the fireflies buzzing on the Gatehouse Green, the laughter at Friendship Circle, or the horses galloping at dusk, things remain the same here.
The Riverside program is something I am so lucky to be a part of! This group of kids has amazed me every day, whether it’s playing silly games whilst waiting to paddle, or challenging themselves on hard rapids, I’m so thankful that I get to spend my days with them. I love that I get to feel the spirit of Gwynn Valley every day even when I’m two hours away from camp. Traveling to and from camp everyday makes me feel like I never left site.
Ultimately, no matter how many times I drive to and from the field, I know I have GV magic waiting for me at both ends.
-Emma McIntosh, Older Programs Logistician
