There have been so many twists and turns this past year. We’ve learned all about “silver linings,” “COVID pivots,” “social distancing,” and the overall challenges of living life during a global pandemic. Here at Let’s Get Out, the pandemic showed us that this is the right time to reassess our programs and how we deliver quality, engaging outdoor programming to our community. After canceling all our classes last summer we took a step back to reassess. We know that as long as COVID is lurking we need to simplify some of our logistics and with the stress on our school district, we needed to reevaluate our status as a program of Hood River Community Education. In the fall of 2020, we made the decision to create an LLC and go out on our own!

Simplifying logistics meant eliminating transportation which put us on a search for a more permanent campus. That’s where Great River came in. Great River is a gorgeous 160-acre property in Mosier, Oregon that is home to forests of Oregon white oak, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir that provide habitat to elk, deer, turkeys, grey squirrels, and many species of birds. The focus of the good people at Great River is multifaceted. The land serves both as an innovative green burial site and an organic farm and new in 2020 as an outdoor youth camp.

Unfortunately, during the summer of 2020, the Dry Creek fire raged across the property damaging buildings and over 100 acres of timber. Fire is devastating but fire is also rejuvenating. It turns out, some of the forest was thick with fuel and the fire cleared the underbrush and licked up many of the trees but didn’t kill them. Fire is a necessary part of the landscape and some plants, like the ponderosa pine, rely on fire to open their cones and spread their seeds.

COVID forced us to reevaluate our business structure and the way we deliver programs and forced us into a rejuvenating process of our own. For 2021 we’ve pressed ‘hold’ on our Adventure and Farm and Forest programs and have created Nature Pods instead. The small group size and half-day programming allow us to serve as many children as we can in a way that takes our new normal into consideration.

We are excited to introduce our campers to Raven’s Caw, our base camp at Great River. Tucked in the forest, Raven’s Caw will be our jumping-off spot as we explore the stunning landscape of Great River. Ample room for Let’s Get Out favorites like fort building, forest games, art projects, treasure hunts, tracking, orienteering, wandering, archery…and all the new activities the kids make up along the way.

Like the seeds of the ponderosa after a fire, we know that the seeds we are planting today will help us grow and prosper in the future. We are grateful to all the families that support our programs through all the changes and challenges we’ve faced this past year. Thank you.