Pictures from June 30, 2010 (password required)

A beautiful early morning shot of campers returning from an overnight. We are so fortunate to have 1100 acres of camp wilderness!

Good Evening!

It has been another great day here at camp.  The weather has cooled off a touch and the breeze has kept everyone refreshed.  I know that our weather is quite mild compared to the triple digits many of you have been encountering and we do realize we are lucky!

The first paddling trip of the summer headed out this morning to Section 9 of the French Broad River.  Some of the oldest most experienced paddlers are on that trip while the rest hone their skills on the lake getting ready for the many upcoming river trips.  Climbing headed out on their first trip as well today.  They headed over to the North Side of Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest. 

There was excitement in fishing this morning surrounding a cast that brought in the biggest fish so far this summer.  Apparently we have not worn out the fish too much this summer because they are still biting and keeping the campers excited.  All of camp is a buzz with the organization of the camper counselor tennis tournament.  Luckily my partner from last year feels I did not embarrass the team too badly so we are set to play again- poor thing.  I pick up a racquet every year for the tournament and then put it back on the shelf.  This year teams are encouraged to come up with clever team names to add to the fun!

The next round of cabin overnights headed out this evening where they will cook pita pizzas and make s’mores over the fire.  It is always a great night for the boys and a great bonding experience for the cabin.  They will hike in tomorrow morning before breakfast and hit activities a little grimy but with great stories from the night before.

There are more great pictures tonight so please enjoy and tune in tomorrow for more news!

Zoob Gentle

 Pictures from June 29, 2010 (password required)

The first full day of activities!   I am so excited about this group of young men!  Yesterday was pretty crazy with barely a moment to sit still and eat let alone get bored.   I took a few moments at lunch and dinner to catch up with so many of the guys that are returning as well as introduce myself to some of the new guys.  I am still amazed at how much they grow in a year; it’s amazing!  Did I mention what a great group of young men are here this month?

Anyhow, today was another great one with some review time for many of the boys, and some discovery for a lot more!  Along with their physical growth, I am amazed at their retention and ability to take it quickly to the next step.  We already have guys heading out tomorrow to brush up on some of what they learned last year and get them ready for new horizons in the coming weeks.

These next four weeks will present a lot of excitement, fun, and adventure; but what the boys do not realize is that it will also present some frustration, a little conflict, and even some workable fear…  I guess as I read that last sentence I am almost afraid what you as parents might think.  This isn’t what I signed my son up to do.   But the amazing truth is that, even in a wonderfully supportive community like High Rocks, these things will happen; we even want them to happen…   As your son learns new skills, he is going to hit a point where he will probably get frustrated.  As your son learns to live with six other people in a cabin and be a productive member of that cabin-group (something he probably had no idea he signed up for), he’s not only going to get frustrated, he will most likely have a disagreement at some point with a least one of his cabin-mates.   Finally, as your son participates in mountain biking, whitewater canoeing, or even the high ropes course he is probably going to feel at least a little uneasy and even nervous at times; what you might call stepping outside your “comfort zones.”

You know what?  It is actually those three scenarios, which we may desire least as parents, where the boys will have the most growth.   Camp has such a magical way of presenting some of these life skills in a way that many of the boys don’t even realize.  They are learning leadership/life skills that will help them down the road…and having a blast doing it.  What a great opportunity.  I am so excited about the potential these next several weeks!  I know you are too.

I promise to keep you posted one our thoughts above. It is going to be one fun month!  Have a great night and enjoy some great pictures of your boys having a blast!

Sincerely,

Don Gentle
Associate Director
don@highrocks.com

Pictures from June 28, 2010 (password required)

Mini-I Campers (Hillside Cabin) at the Barn

What a great day this has been!  We have a wide range of ages and abilities at this session.  The Mini-I campers are the youngest group, bringing lots of energy and excitement.  The upper seniors bring a wealth of experience to camp and look forward to being camp leaders.  The mix of ages and experiences make for a wonderful camp community.

 The campers visited all of the activity areas today, except for our “Upper Senior” age group (Pinnacle, Lookout, & Halfway cabins). Since the Upper Seniors average five years of experience at High Rocks, they didn’t need to learn about the activities. Instead, they participated in the ropes course, the waterslide and other group activities.  Campers in all of the age groups have now chosen their activities.  Tuesday will be the first full day of activities. I will try to send your initial letter from camp on Tuesday or Wednesday. In the letter I will have your son’s schedule and will tell you a bit about his counselor.  At this session we have 145 campers and 78 staff members. Most of our staff are returning counselors or former High Rocks campers (68 of the 78 staff members). If you haven’t had a chance to look over our wonderful staff yet, be sure to look over our 2010 summer staff page.

Most of today’s pictures are from this afternoon.  We will normally post pictures by 9pm, but circumstances may occasionally delay us until later.

As we add to the blog throughout the session we might refer to evening age-group activities. Just so you know where your son’s cabin fits in, here are how the age-groups line up (youngest to oldest):

“Juniors”- (Hillside, Connestee, & Holiday IV)
“Middlers”- (Lakeside & Foxhollow)
“Upper Middlers” – (Flattop & Chalet)
“Seniors” – (Windswept & Outpost)
“Upper Seniors” – (Lookout, Halfway, Pinnacle & Holiday I)

Please remember not to send packages of any sort. Packages will not be delivered to campers (if there is a birthday, call us for instructions). If you need to send a forgotten item of clothing, medication, etc, call our office first & then send the item to the attention of our office staff. Our office staff will open the package & deliver the item.

Enjoy the pictures- we will try to post by 9pm each day, but it can be much later, or even the next day. Sometimes the pictures are from the previous day, sometimes they are from earlier in the same day.

We’re looking forward to a great session. Be sure to visit often to check out pictures as the session progresses.

Take care,

Hank Birdsong
Camp Director

Pictures from June 23, 2010 (password required)

Muddy Cavers After Exiting Worley's Cave

I heard the loudest sound I believe I have ever experienced at High Rocks in the 23 years Townsend & I have been the directors.  I taped the USA vs. Algeria game of the World Cup.  To advance to the final 16 the USA had to win.  If they tied or lost the game the World Cup was over for the USA.  We showed the game on the big screen in the Lodge beginning at 12:30 and let the campers bring their lunch in to watch the game.  There were lots of excited voices followed by moans as the US team had several chances to score a goal, but always came up empty.  The entire 90 minutes of regulation passed by without a goal & it looked like the USA was headed home.  Four minutes of “stoppage time” was added on & the USA finally scored in the 92nd minute!  That is precisely when I experienced the loudest noise I can remember at High Rocks!!

Tonight is cabin night, a final night for cabin group activities and a time to look back over the accomplishments made during the session.

We’re looking forward to seeing all of you on Friday morning. You are welcome to bring family and friends – we make plenty of lunch to cover guests that aren’t in our original count. If you know of anyone that is interested in a camp session for their son, they are also welcome to join us & see what we are all about firsthand.

Remember, the guys will be ready to see you about 9:45am, please do not plan to arrive until after 9:15am when we have staff in place to load trunks. The campers will be singing all of their favorite songs in assembly that morning until about 9:40. After you stop by the gym and get your son’s trunk loaded you will park in campfire field. After assembly ends, your son can show you around his activities and demonstrate the skills he learned throughout the session.

Lunch will be served for everyone beginning around 11:30am, but feel free to continue visiting with your son’s counselors and friends. On your way out, don’t forget to check in at the office to pick up your son’s envelope with cabin pictures, store account refund (hopefully!), and other important items. Also be sure to check out the picture tree- if you see a picture with your son in it, feel free to take it home.

Today will be the last day of pictures, I hope you have enjoyed viewing them through the session.  If you would like a high-quality version of these pictures we will have extra thumb drives with all of the pictures from the session for sale, even if you didn’t preorder one.

See you in a few days,

–Hank Birdsong

Pictures from June 22, 2010 (password required)
note: today’s pictures span several days

Paddling on the Chattooga River

 We had another active day at High Rocks! Seven trips were out & there is an evening horseback ride, so nothing is slowing down around here!! Pictures today include some that a few staff members have been taking over the last week, so the pictures today encompass several days.

It’s hard to believe there are just two more program days left in the session!  Be sure to check this blog tomorrow for the last day of pictures and information about parent’s day.

Parent’s day is FRIDAY, beginning at 10:00am; please plan to arrive between 9:30am & 9:45am.  Parent’s day will last until after lunch.  Please plan to stay for the morning & see your son demonstrate his favorite activities!  More details will be in tomorrow’s posting.

 Take care,

Hank Birdsong

Pictures from June 21, 2010 (password required)
note: today’s pictures span several days

Mountain Biking Across Upper Pasture

What a day at High Rocks! Six trips were out & we still had all of our regular activities too!!  This last week is the culmination of the skills our campers learned in the first few weeks.  Lots of trips will leave camp each day this week and in-camp activities will be continuing their skill progressions until the last day of camp.  For many campers just being away from home for three weeks is the biggest challenge.  For others the biggest challenge might be attaining a goal in an activity.  Our ongoing goal is to be sure that High Rocks contributes to the growth of our campers.  Fun and adventure are a big part of our program, but we have other goals for our campers that we hope they will carry with them into the future.  Taking a few steps towards independance, treating others with respect, developing self-confidence, being a contributing member of a community- these are some of our goals for our campers.  

Mail can be slow to arrive in Cedar Mountain. At this late date in the session, I recommend not sending any more letters.  Any letters sent after today probably will not arrive until after the session is over. We will continue to deliver letters, emails and faxes until Thursday.

Several camps in the Brevard area will end on Friday, which means full hotels and restaurants on Thursday evening. If you will be in the area on Thursday night, it would be a good idea to have supper reservations unless you plan to eat fast food. Here are some possibilities, most take reservations:

Nicer local restaurants (not chains), all are downtown, except Sora-

Sora – 828-883-9808 (Hank’s Favorite) Japanese / Sushi (near Wal-Mart)
Jordan Street Cafe – 828-883-2558 (Townsend’s Favorite for supper)
Falls Landing – 828-884-2835 (Seafood- we eat there often at lunchtime)
HobNob- 828-966-4662 (Don & Zoob’s favorite)
The Quarry- 828-877-2244
Marco Trattori- 828-883-4841
Square Root- 828-884-6171

Not fancy, but lots of food-

Twin Dragons Chinese Buffet- kids like it, lots of food, lots of variety
Cielito Lindo – Mexican- Fast service, no reservations needed

More restaurants are listed on www.brevardncchamber.org

You should be receiving a letter from your son’s counselor soon. Townsend was proofing them over the weekend & most went in today’s mail.

Wednesday will probably be the last day of pictures. We will all be fairly busy with numerous end-of-session details on Thursday and Friday.  Many of you pre-ordered a flash drive of pictures from the session.  The USB flash drive is a 4-gigabite drive with high quality versions of the lower-quality pictures we have included on this website.  If you did not preorder a flash drive we will have more available for sale on closing day as well.

Take care,

Hank Birdsong

 Pictures from June 20, 2010 (password required)
note: today’s pictures span several days

The "Blues Brothers" visit High Rocks

Our Sunday got off to a slow and relaxed start with a super sleep-in morning.  Campers were invited to the lodge to watch Looney Tunes and leave the rest of their cabin mates to sleep a little later in the morning.  It was well received among campers and staff.  After breakfast everyone headed down to the lakefront for some time to reflect on the camp experience and sing a few songs.  Chris Dorrity, the head of our climbing program, spoke about leadership and qualities that we can work on to become better leaders.

Campers spent time this morning signing up for the Camp Olympics that took place this afternoon.  The rest of the morning was Choice Period and campers had options of swimming, canoeing, kickball, the new game room, four square, tennis, fishing, and Disc golf. 

The afternoon was full of excitement with the Camp Olympics.  The teams competing this session were the Blues Brothers vs. Jonas Brothers.  The skits were a highlight of the afternoon!  Campers participated in an all camp swimming relay and running relay in addition to many other events including a waterslide relay and dragon boat racing (five campers in a canoe at once).

We wrapped up the day with a cookout including hamburger and hotdogs (a favorite night for cleanup with the camp dogs).  Then everyone headed up to campfire hill for songs and a story recounted by Jonny Gotterer, one of our many campers turned counselors here at High Rocks.

It was a nice change of pace and a day to catch our breath before the trips and numerous other activities gear back up again on Monday!

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there!  Enjoy the pictures!

Zoob Gentle

Pictures from June 19, 2010 (password required)

Danny helping Fisher with the final details of his lamp in wood-working.

This Saturday was a lot of fun in camp.  We kicked the day off with pancakes prepared by guest grillers, Scott Sullivan and Dan Noland.  We then had a rip roaring, fun time the rest of the day!  On with the activities!

Starting over at the climbing wall, we begin with the zany “Pirate Day” where campers “storm the tower” and staff members defend it by throwing water down on them.  The boys have a blast as they get soaking wet!  The event ends each hour with a selected camper climbing to the top of the tower with the pirate flag as a cape and lays claim to the Climbing Tower at the top!

Horseback riding had a similar pirate day event with trail rides staged around a treasure hunt.  The boys would have to follow the clues along the way in order to find the buried treasure!  You will also see some “Celebrity Barn Staff” in the pictures today.  The barn has selected staff from other activities to come down from time to time and be a celebrity rider.   I must say, Woody, our head counselor, looks quite sharp in riding gear.  Chris Dorrity, our head of climbing, also made an appearance this week.

The mountain bikers put on some pretend tattoos then dressed up a little rugged and ready for the road.  They set their bikes up with the classic clothespin-playing cards in the spoke to create a motorcycle-like sound.  Finally, the boys “drove” their bikes through camp to create a sort of bike gang harassment as they cruised through each activity.

Archery and Riflery each had special skilled events going on for their Saturday.  The archers each put multiple balloons on their targets, and then attempted to pop each one with arrows.  In riflery, the boys would pair up; one shooting, the other spotting with a scope.  The goal was to find the small camouflaged plastic dinosaur in the grassy hill.  The team has to work closely since only the spotter can usually find the dinosaur.  The spotter then tries to communicate the location to the shooter to create a winning combination.  It is a great skill in teamwork and communication that the boys really enjoy.

The hikers started out with some great fire building, and then the boys used the fire to roast marshmallows for s’mores.   What a way to motivate someone to get a fire started…add a little chocolate!

Arts and crafts started their ever-popular Tie-Dyes today.  The boys are always excited about these.

We have a dance tonight with another local girls’ camp from Brevard.  Keystone Camp will be coming over to square dance with us tonight.  It should be a lot of fun!

Have a great night!

Don Gentle

 Pictures from June 18, 2010 (password required)

Today was a beautiful day to be in Western North Carolina.  The weather was wonderful and the temperature was warm but a little cooler than recent days.   It was a great end to the tripping week and the boys are a little bit worn out after numerous trips and adventures in camp.

Today we had our first Kayaking trip to the Green River.  The boys have been working really hard and got to set out on the Green River for a new adventure.  It is always different the first time in a kayak.  The guys did great and I believe are chomping at the bit for more rivers next week!  Thee two-day hike from Sam’s Knob returned and there are some great pictures from that trip.  The Rock Climbing trip to the Obed also returned this evening after two great days of climbing. 

The climbers were the last trip to make it back, which makes for a great sigh of relief as a camp director.  We work hard at everything we do and our staff are amazing at what they do, but it sure makes me happy when that last van rolls into the lot for the weekend and everyone is home!

Tonight was skit night and were there ever some laughs!  The sillier the better on this night and the campers and counselors certainly did not disappoint.  There were scenes from America’s Next Top Model all the way to rapping fast-food cashiers.  What fun!

On with the weekend!  As we ready ourselves for a little mixed up fun again in tomorrow’s activities, kicked off with pancakes made by the directors and other none-kitchen staff.  It’s a tradition that has continued for decades here at High Rocks.  Some of you alumni will remember Mr. Will (Sumner Williams; Townsend’s dad) making pancakes for camp every Saturday, as time passed Hank and Dan Noland stepped in to help and later took over the event.  Today you can still see Hank and Dan with other “apprentices” learning the ways of the griddle every Saturday morning.

Tonight’s pictures highlight a group on the ropes course, some great waterslide shots from a swimming class, and finally all of cabin photos.

Have a great night!  Sorry we were late…

Zoob Gentle
Associate Director

Pictures from June 17, 2010 (password required)

Heading out to Sam's Knob, Pisgah National Forest

As we near the end of the second week, our guys are starting to see some of the returns from all the initial hard work they’ve been putting in. Campers that had never been in a canoe before this session made it onto their first Green River trip today and got a taste of a real whitewater river and the challenges that can present. The butterflies that build in each boy on the 45 minute ride over are in full frenzy when they first push off from the bank. Armed with new paddle strokes, counselor guides, and a partner to face the unknown with, each camper finds himself pushing through the nerves and slowly gaining the confidence in his own skills to face what lies around the next bend or around the next big rock. The excitement of the moment sometimes prevents each camper from realizing the boost such an experience can have, and it takes that same van ride back to camp or sharing stories in the cabin for the accomplishment to begin to sink in. This is that same bug that bites so many guys here, and can set them on a path for a lifetime of enjoyment in all sorts of endeavors.

This afternoon saw a group of tired, grubby guys show back up to camp after two days of mountain biking with a campout in between. Having ridden six miles in several hours, the group said they staggered in to their shelter for the evening where their gear had been dropped off earlier that day. Not only did they get to feast on a full Mexican dinner in the middle of the woods, but they also had a treasure note waiting for them which directed them into a nearby, ice-cold mountain stream where eventually a treasure trove of sodas was found floating in a pool. Fueled by stories of the day (and some sugar) the group stayed up into the night playing a Greek Mythology game of Mafia, a favorite around the campfire. The next morning they crushed a breakfast of pancakes before heading back onto the trail, and then back to camp victorious, and needing showers.

Two more 2-Day trips went out today. The hikers headed up into High Pisgah where the weather is cool at an elevation around 6000 feet and the views are amazing. Sam Knob is a spectacular two – peaked mountain rising above the clear waters of Flat Laurel Creek and the surrounding meadows. A group of climbers were off to spend a couple of days climbing in the Obed Wild and Scenic River area. Boasting world class sandstone climbing, campers will have many different routes and levels of difficulty available to them in a very popular destination. With so much of the climbing occurring on private land, or tracts owned by the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy, the campers also get a chance to appreciate the work and effort the climbing community puts into maintaining the sites, in the hope that they will continue to remain accessible.

The last trip today was a huge group of soccer and tennis aficionados who descended on a nearby girls’ camp, Camp Illahee, for an afternoon of co-ed doubles on the courts and a high energy game of soccer with the mixed teams constantly rotating. The buzz surrounding these inter-camp visits usually makes the trip before it starts, but everyone was all smiles and stories rolling back into camp.

Today in camp was one of the prettier days in a while with no rain or thunderstorms threatening, but the weather stayed cool enough to encourage lots of exuberance. Horseback riding did numerous trail rides through some of the rhododendron tunnels and open meadows of camp while climbers on the tower learned how to place gear to protect themselves while climbing on real rock. Fishermen continued to have success on the banks and some from canoes so they could track down the big bass hiding in the deeper areas of the lake. Improvisational comedy instruction was offered later in the afternoon for cabin groups looking to prepare for Skit Night on Friday. Lakeside and Foxhollow ate an early dinner before blasting off to Sliding Rock to commence their Chill Night. All in all, a busy day throughout camp and beyond with some tired fellas dragging themselves off to bed after a snack of large soft pretzels.

Check in tomorrow for more pictures, more news, and more fun!!

Woody