My most vivid memories include those spent at State Parks as a crew member of Virginia’s Youth Conservation Corp. Two summers in high school literally changed the course of my life. While only 3 weeks, each session was packed with meaning. Twelve other girls and I lived in a two-room cabin at the park’s campground site. From sunup to sundown, we talked, ate and breathed the outdoors. We constructed picnic tables, performed maintained on hiking trails, picked up shorelines, among other conservation projects and learned a great deal about the processes of parks. After a day’s hard work, we shared in communitas by talking or going on adventures. The picture below is from a boat ride we took on the Rappahannock River, in which the sun’s reflection was absolutely magnificent on the water. I enjoyed the fact that for as much enjoyment I took from nature, I gave it back in the form of service. My connection to place is especially strong at these two parks, Belle Isle and Holliday Lake. Each time I visit a flood of emotions runs through me.
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