Durham Adventure Session » Greenwood Conservation Area

Greenwood Conservation Area

If you’re looking to have a Durham adventure session, Greenwood is one of the best spots around! Greenwood Conservation Area in Ajax was a transformative place for me as a child. Since my parents worked through the summer, I got to choose a variety of summer day camps to attend. Over the years I experimented with many different types of camp; like arts, animation, drama, science, astronomy, photography (!), gymnastics and swimming. The camp at Greenwood Conservation Area was all outdoors and as a child, I did not enjoy it at all. I didn’t like being outside all day, there wasn’t a swimming pool on site, and it was far to get to. Years go by without returning. So, to my surprise, when I was a teenager thinking back on my childhood experiences, so many of my memories came back to my time at camp at Greenwood. Going for long hikes in the woods, going to “clay mountain” to make sculptures, and the excitement of exploring new places. So I applied for a job and Greenwood became the location of my first full-time summer job as a camp counsellor.

That summer put us all through the ringer! There was so much rain that year. We ended up hanging out on picnic tables under flooded gazebos much of the time. Finally, we gave up and threw garbage bags on the kids so we could still go for hikes. It was exhausting and I loved it. My favourite memories that summer were the overnight night hikes, looking for tadpoles in the creek, and most of all, going for full-day hikes. I tried to do this with all of my camper groups, regardless of their age. There was a secret overlook that we loved to hike to for a picnic lunch. So, one week I set off for this hike with my camper group and we get lost. So incredibly lost. I will never forget this day! The feeling of being responsible for these tiny humans and needing to calmly put our heads together to figure out how to find our way back. The thing is, kids are smart and resourceful. We all worked together out of a potentially sticky situation and had a great time while doing it. I still tell the story of that day (pre-cell phones), when we made it back with time to spare. Sadly, that was the last year the Y hosted a camp at that location, but it gave me a host full of memories that I still think of often.

Aimee and John’s Durham Adventure Session

So flash forward 15ish years and I meet Aimee and John. John grew up close to Greenwood Conservation Area, so when he suggested it as a location for our adventure shoot, it was an instant yes. Adventure sessions can take place anywhere. And wow, did we have an adventure! See, Greenwood has changed a lot over the years and they switched over the trail systems. Some of the trails stayed the same, but others they let fill in. John and I anchored ourselves to certain landmarks, but many of those spots didn’t look the same! A giant pond in the middle of the park was gone, as well as one of the main bridges. So this adventure session was filled with nostalgia, gorgeous old trees, a bit of bush whacking, and walking the creek to get back to the starting point. It was so funny to have that similar “lost” feeling as I had all those years ago, but that’s part of what made the adventure amazing! (Also now I hike with a compass lol). I think you can see the fun that we had on our adventure session when looking through these photographs!