Pictures from June 19, 2011 (password required)

You never can tell what a Sunday will bring, or any day for that matter, to camp.  Of course we have a pretty strict schedule on most days, but even then the great things that come from camp are usually those gifts and events that are not on the schedule.  The five minutes in line at the dining hall with a counselor or maybe a special game at rest hour with a cabin mate.  What we get out of camp is way more than we can ever imagine.

This Sunday brought us Krispy Kreme doughnuts, an awesome morning service and skit centered on Shel Silversteing’s “The Giving Tree;” A wonderful children’s’ classic about unconditional love. We then had great fun with all sorts of amazing choice period options all morning long, and a lunch that kept on giving all the way into dinner.  The afternoon brought us fun hikes, field games, and a grand time on the waterfront with our age groups. Finally, we wrapped up the day with a campfire and story that couldn’t be beat.

On this special day for dads, I would personally like to say Happy Father’s day and thanks for letting your boys experience High Rocks.  We sure do enjoy their time here as much as they do…  There are some great photos from last night’s dance with Rockbrook.  Sorry we only captured the younger half.

Sweet Dreams,

Don Gentle
don@highrocks.com

Pictures from June 18, 2011 (password required)

It’s Saturday!  This is such a fun day of the week – everyone is in camp today and each activity likes to do something fresh to spice things up a bit.  The climbers enjoyed a day of ascending the tower to the beat of techno music; canoeing played some fun lake games where the kids all got wet; hiking went Americana with “car camping day” where they cooked around a giant fire and two-burner stove with pie irons and hot dog sticks; the horseback riders had Gymkhana, where they play games on horseback and get to eat doughnuts; and the swimmers played a game of greasy watermelon (they also finished the melon off at the end of the hour).  All in all, it has been a busy and fun day.

Earlier I was thinking about what I should write about for the blog today.  My thoughts are that many of you have gotten letters home about camp, but that there are probably some boys who haven’t written home yet at all – so, this morning I sat down to chat with a random sampling of fellows so that I could pass the good word along.  Here is what they had to say:

John told me that climbing has been his favorite part of camp so far because he loves the feeling of being safe and also getting to do really awesome things.  When I asked him what he is looking forward to, he was quick to let me know that he is eagerly anticipating the 2-day climbing trip to the Obed in Tennessee.

Patrick immediately told me that horseback riding has been the highlight of his week.  He loves riding Thumper, Molly and Barclay and is very excited about going on a trail ride during his activity hour on Monday.

Blake couldn’t choose just one favorite part about camp – his answer included horseback riding, the Rock-it (our inflatable water attraction), climbing and tennis.  He’s really excited about the prospect of heading out of camp on both canoeing and climbing trips this week.

Scott had a hard time deciding his favorite part, but the first thing he came up with was how much fun he had on his cabin overnight to Rocky Springs shelter.  He is also really enjoying canoeing and looking forward to the Green River trip this week, but concluded his comment by saying, “I’m looking forward to everything!”

When I talked to Sam he told me that he liked all of his activities – not one in particular, he just liked them all.  He said that he is excited about going out on trips, especially when he’ll get to go out for some mountain biking.

Luke told me that he really likes going out on climbing trips, and that he enjoys having climbing in the morning because it’s a really good wake-up.  He is also planning on going on the 2-day Obed trip and is really excited about getting on the rock.

The last camper I got to talk to this morning was Max, who, I’d like to mention, I saw fold and throw a very impressive paper airplane a couple days ago.  His favorite parts of camp so far have been riflery and pottery.  For the week coming up, he is especially looking forward to doing a woodworking project.

I’m sure you can gather by the responses I got that the boys are staying active, having lots of fun, and getting to experience a lot of different things this session.  I expect that today will be awesome in camp – between the fun in activities, sodas at dinner and a square dance tonight, it’s hard to go wrong! 

I hope you all enjoy the pictures tonight – check in with us again tomorrow!

Crystal Clusiau

crystal@highrocks.com

Pictures from June 17, 2011 (password required)

Campers enjoying the view from John Rock in Pisgah National Forest. You can see a good shot of Looking Glass Rock in the distance. We climb there often.

The end of the first week is nearly upon us and today was the first taste of what the next two weeks will be like. With four full camp days under their belts, campers are now experiencing some of the rewards for their hard work and get to show off some new skills. In-camp was in full swing with guys refining their strokes in our canoeing gates, regularly hitting bull’s eyes in riflery/archery, confidently guiding horses along cool new trails, and producing some remarkable projects in pottery and woodworking. Appetites are continuing to increase and almost everyone is sleeping until the wake-up bell as the crew hits that healthy, active camp stride.

Our tripping schedule was loaded today, a foreshadowing of what is to come. Cavers headed out before most people made it up to breakfast armed with coveralls, helmets, headlamps, and excitement running high for the tight crawls and mudslides to come. Climbers were not far behind with a crew bound for the Nose of Looking Glass in Lower Pisgah. Reports were the weather was perfectly conducive for a long, cool day of testing newly learned moves on real rock. Mountain biking headed out with a group of guys intent on putting some serious miles under their wheels, and judging from their tired, satisfied faces at dinner; mission accomplished. Canoeing took the first full day trip of the summer to the Green River which presents tons of technical, challenging rapids for the tandem canoe. Partners practice ferrying, catching eddies, how to read the water, and what to do if you happen to encounter a rock. Another group of guys that looked proud but eager for some downtime this evening. The hikers rounded out our tripping contingent with a jaunt over to the Holmes Educational State Forest where they learned tree identifications and stream ecology. The campers were eager to get a hike in as well and so ended up summiting a nearby mountain at record speed. Once on top, the trip practiced several styles of fire building before descending nearly as fast.

All of camp is showing signs of a week well spent and a new idea of what can be achieved in the next two weeks. The weekend will provide a much needed break with the focus put on goofy fun and spending time with friends before the pace picks up again on Monday. Please enjoy the photos this evening and check back in tomorrow!

Woody Noland
woody@highrocks.com

The Puddle Pals” (Hillside & Connestee) – Capture the Flag
“The Hobbits” (Lakeside & Foxhollow) – Rope Swing/Waterslide
“The Flying Cheesecakes” (Flattop & Chalet) – Dodge ball

“The Titans” (Windswept & Outpost) – Waterslide/Rope Swing

“Group 7” (Halfway & Lookout) – McCallie Ball
 “Shallow Pop Culture Reference” (Pinnacle & Holiday) – Chambers Ball

Pictures from June 16, 2011 (password required)

The bouldering cave is such a great place to practice climbing moves or just warm up.

Day 5 of camp and everyone has forgotten how life outside of camp works without a bell. Campers have gotten their activity schedules down to a science knowing exactly what items they need to bring and which activity switches allow enough time to grab a snack from the dining hall.  It is so fun to see campers taking control of their schedule and really taking control of their experience at camp. 

We had more trips out of camp today with a hiking trip that went to John’s Rock in Pisgah National Forest.  The camper’s got to enjoy a terrific view after a steep hike to the top.  Canoeing had two trips to the French Broad River today.  Rock Climbing had campers climbing at Horseshoe Rock.   The members of Windswept cabin got to enjoy the ropes course this afternoon.

The last of the cabin overnights headed out tonight with Foxhollow, Chalet, Connestee, and Windswept cabins.  The boys were excited as they loaded their packs with the ingredients for delicious pita pizza’s and smore’s.  Counselors trust the boys to carry most of the food items but volunteer to carry the chocolate bars just in case.  Tomorrow morning I am sure we will see a lot of sticky, dirt covered boys hiking back into camp with epic tales from their cabin overnight.

The boys have managed 5 days without electronic stimulation and really don’t seem to notice.  It is so fun to see these boys get into the flow of camp and experience so many new things.  New friendships are being formed both in the cabin and in activities.  The days have been packed with games and activities.  The busy days have made way for great sleeping on nice cool evenings.

I hope you will enjoy the pictures this evening!

Zoob Gentle
zoob@highrocks.com

 Pictures from June 15, 2011 (password required)

Learning the Basics of Belay with Climbing Head, Chris Dorrity

Greetings from High Rocks!  We woke up this morning to a delightfully cool day and a temperature of 56 degrees. Talk about your great sleeping weather!  The lake was still and the fog dense. As I headed up for our early morning head staff roundtable, I was lucky enough to see some the first overnights of the session hike back into camp in the morning light.  Many of the guys still had remnants of last night’s dinner and s’mores on their face and shirt.  The guys got unpacked, ready for the day, and excited about breakfast at a clean table that was made for them.

As the morning bell rang just a few minutes later the calm and quiet was gone and the camp day was immediately in full swing.  Of course, I did hear rumors of those boys at Hillside up early again to get a jump on cabin clean-up.  The excitement of the day is just too much for them to sit tight in their beds right now; hang in their cabin counselors… 

Breakfast made way for assembly where the excitement continued to brew with fun motion songs and hilarious commentary from the days cabin inspection reports.  The boys sprinted with excitement from assembly to their first activity.  The waterfront came alive!  One group of campers headed for the first river trip to the French Broad River, as others tried their skills at fishing.  As the sun warmed the air around the lake, the wind slowly increased, so the sailors rigged their boats and hit the lake.  The “Rock It” sat quiet and still until Choice Period when it was once again a big hit.

The climbers headed for the south side of Looking Glass Rock; it was a beautiful day on the rock.  A caving trip to Worley’s Cave was also a huge hit.  Tonight four more cabins haad their cabin overnights, Hillside went to Lower Rocky Top, Lookout went to Still Oaks, Halfway went to Dogwood Den and Lakeside went to Rocky Springs.  Here the boys will cook Pita Pizzas and have s’mores over a campfire before sleeping in their sleeping bags in the shelter.  This is a lot of fun and a great bonding experience for the cabin group.

The campers have really settled in quickly and I have had so many staff mentioned to me that this is a great group of boys.  They are polite and courteous, happy and active, and seem to be very focused on getting the most out of the time they are here.  We have been very pleased how well everyone is doing but please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Enjoy today’s pictures! There’s a ton!

Townsend Birdsong
townsend@highrocks.com

Pictures from June 12, 2011 (password required)

What a great opening day for our 2011 season!  The clear blue skies were interrupted briefly by some afternoon showers, but the activity level was uninterrupted.  There were lots of happy faces around camp today.  The only exception was my expression when we discovered there was a typo on the parent handout.  Closing day is on FRIDAY, July 1. 

Most of today’s pictures are from this afternoon.  We will normally post pictures by 9pm, but circumstances may occasionally delay us until later.  We try to post around 100 pictures each day, but may post more on some days, like today.

The campers have already visited each of the activity areas during the day and then picked their activities tonight.  Monday will be the first full day of activities. I will try to send your initial letter from camp on Monday or Tuesday. In the letter I will have your son’s schedule and will tell you a bit about his counselor. At this session we have 147 campers and 75 staff members. Most of our staff are returning counselors or former High Rocks campers (58 of the 75 staff members). If you haven’t had a chance to look over our wonderful staff yet, be sure to look over our 2011 summer staff page.

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.

It was a pleasure seeing so many returnig faces as well all the new families today.  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

ps- Did I mention that closing day is on a Friday??

 Late July is promoting “The Chance of a Summertime” on the packages of three flavors of their tortilla chips. Late July will donate 10 percent of the profit from the sale of these chips to support ACA’s Send a Child to Camp Fund. The chip packages feature ACA’s logo and a statement about the camp experience. This product is now available at Whole Foods stores, and will be available in major retailers nationwide beginning January 1, 2011.  Please visit www.latejuly.com to learn more.

Here is a letter she wrote to send to camp parents:

Dear Fellow ACA Parents:  My name is Nicole Bernard Dawes. I am the Co-Founder and CEO of Late July Organic Snacks and also a camp parent. I’m writing to you to proudly introduce my company’s new partnership with the American Camp Association for our new line of organic Multigrain Snack Chips. I always had wonderful memories of my own camp days, but it wasn’t until I became a camp parent that I fully understood the important role camp plays in the life of a child. More specifically, it was my oldest son’s experience at camp that inspired me to contact the ACA about a partnership.

My father passed away two years ago and my son, who was 6 at the time, was very close to him and took it very hard. He began having a difficult time at school, but it wasn’t until summer camp that we fully realized how tough this was for him. The camp counselors didn’t recognize the same kid who had been a joyful camper one summer earlier and they reached out to me. Throughout the course of that summer the directors and counselors banded together and helped my son find his way back to his old self. Our family has seen firsthand what camp can do and how important it is to the development of a child. We are so grateful for the positive impact camp has had on our family.

I’m sure many of you have also had similar inspirational experiences, but unfortunately for many camp is out of reach. By donating 10% of the profits from our new line of Multigrain Snack Chips to the ACA we hope we can bring a little of that magic to kids who would otherwise miss out. We wish every child could have a chance to explore in the woods, swim in the ocean, sit by a campfire under a starlit sky and the all the other reasons we named our company Late July.

Our new snack chips are currently available in Whole Foods with wider distribution starting in January of 2011. They proudly feature the ACA logo, are certified organic, certified gluten-free, peanut/tree nut free, 100% whole grains and come in three flavors: Sea Salt by the Seashore, Dude Ranch and Mild Green Mojo. To learn more about Late July or our line of Organic Multigrain Snack Chips please visit www.latejuly.com.

We are very excited to be working with the America Camp Association and look forward to a long, successful partnership. Join us in helping the ACA reach the goal of 20 million kids in camp by 2020 and learn more about their Send a Child to Camp Fund

Best regards,

Nicole Bernard Dawes Co-Founder & CEO

Camp High Rocks is an ACA Accredited Camp and longtime member of the Amercan Camp Association.

Pictures from July 29, 2010 (password required)

I enjoy our morning assembly.  We sing fun songs and hear cabin inspection results.  I particularly enjoy some of our motion songs.  I like to lead the song “My Bonnie” with the twist of standing up or sitting down whenever a word beginning with the letter “B” is sung.  We will sing the chorus several times and speed it up a bit each time.  The verse “bring  back my Bonnie to me” gets pretty confusing as we begin to speed up the tempo.  During the inspection report today one of the counselors put on a long hair wig & acted out being a “surfer dude” as he talked about the “wavy sheets” on the beds.  The cabins that have consistently good results will earn a pizza party at the end of the session.

Cabin Overnights are a Blast!

Cabin Life

Each cabin group has a nightly meeting to go over the day and discuss successes, highlights, goals, and to talk about getting along as a group.  Living together under one roof requires some give and take, so counselors help to guide campers in being a good citizen & to think about how their actions affect others.  Every cabin goes on a cabin overnight with the next-door cabin during the first week of camp.  For the boys, it is a fun camping trip; our purpose, however, is much more than fun.  The overnight is a great time for a cabin group to bond together as a team away from the distractions back at camp. 

Just a quick note about pictures…we normally take over 100 pictures every day.  We try to get as many different campers in the pictures as possible and have as many different activities represented as is feasible. Generally, we take more pictures around camp than on trips, and some campers shy away from the camera while others jump in front of the photographer every chance they get. We don’t force campers to have their picture taken, so if you haven’t seen your son in a picture lately, email him and ask him to get in front of a camera!

The campers love getting letters and e-mails from their friends and family, so keep them coming. The campers don’t have access to computers, but we print the emails & deliver them with the rest of the mail. If you send e-mails, please be aware that we do not open or print attachments (pictures, word documents, etc.) and it works best if the e-mail has black text on a white background. Please remember (& tell grandparents)- no packages! It is generally best to send your last letters on Tuesday to be sure they arrive before closing day. We will deliver emails and faxes that are sent as late as Friday morning.

Dolly's Ice Cream is a "Chill Night" tradition!!

In addition to “Chill Night” trips to Sliding Rock and Dolly’s Ice Cream, activity trips have started.  Today there were two climbing trips and one river trip that left camp.

 Tonight’s after-dinner activities:

• “Insane Cow Posse” (Hillside & Connestee) are in the Gym.
• “Prevaricating Platypuses” (Lakeside, Foxhollow) Foxhollow is on a cabin overnight, Lakeside is playing a game at the Cabin Field.
• “Tasty Taco Squad” (Flattop & Chalet) are going down the waterslide!
• “Rabid Monkeys” (Windswept & Outpost) Outpost is on a cabin overnight, Windswept is playing a game on the Activity Field.
• “Kings of Leon – - itis” (Halfway, & Pinnacle) are playing a game on the Activity Field.
• “Atomic Hippie Squad of Justice” (Holiday Inn & Lookout)  are headed to Sliding Rock and Dolly’s Ice Cream.

In the upcoming days I will hand off the blogging duties to different staff members.  I hope you enjoy getting to know them!!!

Take care,

–Hank Birdsong

The Chattooga River!

Today was one of those days in camp when you look around and say something like – “Where is everyone?”  The boys have been putting their skills into full swing this week.  Today and tomorrow might be the busiest yet.   Over 60 people were out of camp today for lunch.  All of them on some exciting trip in the woods!  Canoeing, Caving, Mountain Biking, Backpacking, and Climbing all had trips out of camp today. 

I have been impressed with the self-reliance these boys have gained in just over a week of camp.  They have chosen their own schedule, they get up and sorted for the days challenges, make their bed, clean (yes, clean!) their cabin, and even decide on which trips they want to attend.  Independence and self-reliance are one of those subtle traits that kids learn at camp, most of the time they don’t even realize it.  From the very first day these boys are presented with the guidelines, parameters, opportunities and a means to create their own camp session.  Camp is filled with choices, and much like life will hand them, they can’t have everything they want all the time.  For example, just this week a camper was faced with making a choice between two different trips in as many activities.  I was in awe to see this same boy work with both activity heads to make the trips work out so he could attend each of them.  Again, this boy was presented with a situation where he worked within the system to create a desirable result.  Now, it does not always work out that perfectly but sometimes, if you work at it, you can reach your goal even when presented with a challenge.  What a life skill!

I wanted to go off on a tangent a little tonight to make you aware of some important things that are affecting our camp and many others in the State of North Carolina.  Some of you may remember when we contacted you about the nearsighted legislators that thought it might be a good idea to impose a sales tax on summer camps.  You might not know it, but summer camps are getting hit on all sides by regulation and permitting.   Things like building codes, school calendars, forest service permits, and even a health department required “NO Smoking” sign in the dining hall…as if!   In a few weeks we will ask you to take part in a really important study that can help give camps in our region a little credit.  The North Carolina Youth Camp Association (NCYCA) is sponsoring an Economic Impact of Summer Camps.  The goal is to quantify the direct and indirect impact summer camps have on the local and regional economy.  This study is an important tool to help legislators see how much camps do for the economy and the region.   Your input will be a very important step in the study.  Again, we will be getting information out in the coming weeks.  Please take a moment to fill out the online survey and help High Rocks and the surrounding camps have a voice and a tool to show how much we matter.  Thank you!

We have some great pictures of yesterday’s Chattooga River trip, some great horseback riding, and many additional shots in camp.  Have a wonderful night.

 Don Gentle
Associate Director
don@highrocks.com

Pictures from June 15, 2010 (password required)

Mountain Bikers scout the hill before the sweet descent!

Tuesday saw two more trips leaving High Rocks before breakfast began for the majority of our campers. Canoeing busted out to hit a long stretch of the Chattooga River. Known as Section 2, this seven mile stretch of water is designated as a Wild and Scenic Corridor and is one of the last free-flowing streams left in the Southeast. The run offers up great rapids to test our boaters, large pools to collect themselves again, and miles of unbroken wilderness to feel like they are exploring some serious backcountry. With swimming holes and jumping rocks, there is plenty of opportunity to pull over for a refreshing splash down, and huge rocks in the middle of the river for scenic lunches.

Climbers also got another early jump on the rock and headed to Horseshoe for a full day out in some beautiful (if warm!) weather. The guys still in camp spent the day practicing rappelling down from the top of the tower. Not the most comfortable sensation backing off a 50 foot edge, but totally worth the effort for the great descent. Later this week, some of our climbers will gear up for the first climbing overnight fo the session.

Mountain Biking also took a full load out for the entire day. The bikers hit up some amazing trails over in the Mine Mountain and Reasonover areas of DuPont. The group especially loved the professionally built Ridgeline Trail which is rated by the International Mountain Biking Association. The newly redone trail includes a steep, technical downhill which got everyone’s adrenaline levels pumping and had excitement bubbling out of the van upon their return. Our guys also passed by fellow boys’ camps out riding and got the chance to swap camp stories and learn some trail etiquette. A great day in DuPont!

Our 2-Day Hike made it back into camp later this afternoon after spending a great night out in the Pink Beds. The weather was gorgeous for the crew as they got to see storms moving through the mountains off in the distance, but were never troubled with any rain. The hikers made camp near a creek which created an impromptu “Stick Regatta” down the stream and created a very pleasant backdrop for sleeping. The morning saw some of the trails flooded from rain higher up in the mountains and our guys got to use map and compass skills to figure out a new way to get to the pick up area. This was successfully (and proudly) done, with the result of a cushy, dry-footed ride back to camp. Our three day hikers show up tomorrow and I am sure will have many more stories to pass on.

Tonight will see another age group, those in Windswept and Outpost, head off for their Chill Night to Sliding Rock and then on to Dolly’s where the reported favorite flavor out of 52 is, what else, High Rocks Arctic Slide. The Barn is also putting on a special invitational Evening Ride with campers cruising through some longer trails on the property at dusk before heading back to the barn to enjoy S’mores around a campfire.

It was a great day, please enjoy the (late) pictures and we will see you back tomorrow!

Woody