Pictures from August 6, 2011  (password required)

As I walked through camp today, watching activities and getting to know some of the boys, I couldn’t help but notice what a great staff we have here at camp! Our young men and women at High Rocks work so hard to help these guys have a great camp experience.  Today was no exception!  I saw so many awesome camp experiences today; it was amazing!

We work hard to find the best staff for your sons, but we work even harder to keep them coming back year after year.  We have over 30 staff that have been working here for five or more years! Once we find the right ones we do whatever it takes to keep them here. Not only are they great at the skills they teach, but they are great at working with kids, and they love it!

What an awesome day today!  Lots of warm weather and a perfectly timed thunderstorm right at the beginning of rest hour.  The afternoon was filled with the sights of “Waterworld” down in canoeing where the staff did a little scenario referencing the infamous movie, then floating around the lake on a ship made of canoes –complete with a water slide, of course.  The climbers tried their skills on the tower with a themed “adventure day.”  Some guys were even making it up the tower blindfolded.  Horseback riding did gymkhana, or games on horseback.  Finally, hiking had their own little piece of Americana going on with a “car camping” theme complete with pie irons, hot dog skewers, a nice big fire, a pickup truck (of course), rock and roll music,  and even Jiffy Pop popcorn!

The fun never ends here at High Rocks.  I hope you enjoy the pictures. 

Have a great night, we sure are!!!

Don Gentle

Pictures from August 5, 2011  (password required)

How is it that summer camp can create so much independence?  Is it simply the model of camp that gives us independence or is it just being away from our parents?

Camp gives us a chance to try and do it ourselves, or at least it makes us feel that we are doing that. It’s something that we wish we could do as parents, but is so very hard to do. As parents we want to be there to “help” and to make sure our kids are always happy and maybe that’s why we can’t let them go make their own decisions or make mistakes.

I love the August Session of camp, mostly because there are so many new guys here that are giving it their best shot away from home for the first time. Of course, the sheer excitement, joy, and laughter are a close second.  Learning new skills and making friends is a big part of what the boys are doing here.  What about making their own decisions? How about trying an activity and realizing it wasn’t what they thought?  Personally, I love seeing the boys find their way around camp; figuring out what activity is next and what they need to wear, or even figuring out how to make their bed and get dressed… What an opportunity to be a kid, yet feel like you’re calling the shots.

Another awesome day at camp!  There was a lot of great skills and advancement happening in the activities.  I even saw the boys starting to explore some new options in the dining hall.  The boys are finally in the groove and really starting to get the most out of camp.  It takes a week just to figure out what is actually going on.  Now we are ready to tear it up!

Thanks for letting us have the opportunity to show the boys what High Rocks is all about.  We sure are having fun!!!

Have a wonderful night.

Don Gentle
Associate Director

 Pictures from August 4, 2011  (password required)

It was another exciting day in activities today at camp.  Campers have their schedules and routines down and now we add a little spice in the form of trips out of camp.  Today several of our Rock Climbers got to hike up to the Cathedral Rocks also known as the “High Rocks” about a 20 minute hike from main camp.  There are several large boulders that make up the area and climbers get to experience climbing on real rock.  The morning group headed out after assembly and returned before lunch.  The afternoon group got an early start on the afternoon and left during rest hour and returned a bit early due to a much needed rain this afternoon.   Tomorrow we will have more climbing trips out and an all day hike to Dupont State Forest as well as two trips to the French Broad River for beginning paddlers.  The French Broad offers a great opportunity for eager paddlers to experience navigating a canoe on gentle moving water.  These trips are in addition to regular scheduled activities in camp.  Campers are invited to participate in the trips when they are ready for the challenges they present.  Many of the campers are interested in the trips but not quite ready to leave camp because they are having so much fun.  We feel like we are doing our job when it is a tough decision!

All around camp activities were hopping.  Lookout cabin got to have their turn on the Ropes Course this morning and Halfway had their turn this afternoon.  The Ropes Course is a great opportunity for the boys to work together as a cabin group that often helps the boys bond a little closer having shared the experience together.  Every cabin will have a chance on the Ropes Course this session.  We start with the older cabins and give the younger boys a little more time to adjust to camp before sending them on the Ropes Course.

This evening Lakeside, Pinnacle, and Holiday cabins headed out on their overnights.  It will be a fun evening of making pita pizzas and s’mores over the campfire.  It is a great time for the boys to sit around the campfire and play games.The boys will come in tomorrow morning covered in sticky marshmellow goo and a layer of dirt on top.  It is easy to tell which campers are returning from an overnight.  Luckily they have an opportunity to clean up a bit before breakfast.   The boys on overnights often think they stay up till midnight but do not be alarmed.  I assure you they are crashed out early but some of the counselors let them think it is later to ease the transition to sleep. 

It has been another busy day at camp and there will be a lot of campers falling asleep I bet before their head fully reaches the pillow.  Long active days outside are a great catalyst to a super night’s sleep!

I hope you will enjoy tonight’s pictures and be sure to check back tomorrow!

Elizabeth “Zoob” Gentle

 Pictures from August 3, 2011  (password required)

Greetings from Camp High Rocks! The second full day of activities has been just that…full.

All of the guys in Holiday Inn cabin spent the morning on the ropes course, & Pinnacle had their chance in the afternoon. Time spent on the ropes course is an opportunity for campers to get to know their cabin mates, work on different types of trust among the members of the cabin group, and have a great time. As with all activities at Camp High Rocks, we subscribe to the “challenge by choice” theory on the challenge course, which means we encourage the campers to participate in the activities, but the choice is ultimately theirs. The picture above shows the last element of the Ropes Course- a 450′ long zip wire that begins 42′ in the air!

Tonight Halfway, Windswept, Outpost & Lookout cabins are going on their cabin overnights. Each cabin will hike to a different shelter on camp and spend the night. The guys will get to cook their own pita pizzas (with counselor assistance) and enjoy s’mores for dessert.  After a night of camping they will be back to the main part of camp for breakfast in the dining hall. Cabin overnights are always a favorite of the campers! Every cabin group will go on an overnight by this weekend.

This is just a quick note about homesickness for those parents who may be ‘campsick.’ Our objective is to have a very active program with little “down time”. Our past experience tells us that as campers are acclimatizing to their new surroundings they will be fine as long as they are active. For a few boys to experience some homesickness is normal. Homesickness is nothing to be alarmed about and usually passes quickly. Homesickness is usually limited to slower times of day, such as rest hour or immediately before bedtime. If you get a letter or postcard that sounds a bit down, you can bet it was written during rest hour. These letters usually reach their destination by Wednesday or Thursday of the first week (but could be even later). Ironically, campers have usually become immersed in the camp experience and forgotten about homesickness by the time their letters reach home.

So, if you receive a letter from your son saying the he is not enjoying camp and would like to come home, do not be alarmed. Chances are that we have him ‘under our wing’ and that he has already moved beyond his homesickness and is enjoying his camp experience to the fullest. If you get a less than positive letter, feel free to call or email our head counselor, Woody Noland (woody@highrocks.com).  He does a great job of following up with the campers that might need a little boost. More times than not, Woody is already aware of any campers that are “down” and has already been working with them and their counselors. Letters from home should be encouraging and express how proud you are of his independence & that you look forward to seeing what he has accomplished when you come to camp on Parent’s day (August 13th).

• “Moldy Geezers” (Hillside & Connestee) are playing a game on the Cabin Field.
• “The Muggles” (Lakeside, Foxhollow) are at the waterslide.
• “The Inferno” (Flattop & Chalet) are in the Gym playing Chum Ball.
• “Howling Hounds” (Windswept & Outpost) are headed out for their cabin overnight.
• “Uncle Jonathan’s Corn Cob Pipe” (Holiday Inn & Pinnacle)  are heading to “Sliding Rock” and Dolly’s Ice Cream.
• “The Lazer Snails” (Halfway & Lookout)  are headed out for their cabin overnight.

Have a wonderful evening and enjoy the pictures!!!

Take care,

–Hank Birdsong
Camp Director

 Pictures from August 2, 2011  (password required)

We have over 90 boys signed up for mountain biking and boy are they excited! Our staff are so awesome that we are still able to have excellent ratios, incredible instruction AND a bike for every camper!

Hello from Camp High Rocks! Today is our first full day in activities, and camp is in full swing.  The weather continues to be outstanding!

You will see a lot of great pictures of the boys participating in their chosen activities. Today, the campers are learning the basic skills and methods of the activity and will follow a progression throughout the session, continuing to build more skills each day. Our goal is for each camper to progress in his skills through a session and then from year to year. When I was talking to some of our oldest campers during the four-week session last week, they said that this year was their best ever! That is exactly what I want to hear – that each year was even better than the previous year!

Yesterday, the boys and their counselors thought up age-group nicknames. Rather than just calling them “group 1,” or “juniors,” we have the age groups come up with a fun name that usually precedes a chant or song. You’ll have to wait and hear the chants from your boys on parents’ day, but the group names are listed below.

• “Moldy Geezers” (Hillside & Connestee) are at the water slide.
  “The Muggles” (Lakeside, Foxhollow) are playing Danish Rounders on the Activity Field.
•  “The Inferno” (Flattop & Chalet) are playing a game on the Cabin Field
• “Howling Hounds” (Windswept & Outpost) are in the Gym playing Chum Ball.
• “Uncle Jonathan’s Corn Cob Pipe” (Holiday Inn & Pinnacle) are playing a game on the Soccer Field
• “The Lazer Snails” (Halfway & Lookout)  are heading to “Sliding Rock” and Dolly’s Ice Cream

Tomorrow we start our cabin overnights with Halfway, Windswept, Outpost & Lookout cabins.

Have a wonderful evening and enjoy the pictures!!!

Take care,

Hank Birdsong
Camp Director

 Pictures from August 1, 2011  (password required)

 Pictures from July 28, 2011  (password required)

Our Starter boys (and Grace Gentle) wrapping up an awesome week of camp with the high ropes course!!!

Well we completed the last full day of activities today and it was AWESOME!  Climbing today had a new activity in which campers and staff while on belay worked to climb milk crates that they stacked one at a time.  The winning number was 18 crates high this session.  It was a fun new twist for the boys down at the climbing tower today.  Soccer decided it was time to work on headers so to practice their form they headed to the lake.  They practiced headers as they splashed into the refreshing lake water.    At Choice Period this afternoon many of the older campers and several staff played a tight soccer match.  Campers and staff were mixed on teams and it was a great afternoon of soccer with many fans to cheer them on!

In addition to the fun in camp activities there were many trips out of camp today.  Pottery visited many of the galleries in our area exposing the campers to many types of art and local artists.  Hiking took a group to rock hop near graveyard fields in Pisgah.  The campers had a blast and enjoyed cooling off in the cool mountain stream as they went along.  The paddling two day returned after padding section 9 of the French Broad today.   It was a great trip and the boys returned home tired but satisfied from a great adventure.  Climbing took a trip to Horseshoe Rock and it was a blast.  Mountain biking took many of the mini session campers on a ride in Dupont State Forest.  The boys had a great time and returned tired as well after a morning of riding.

The Upper Senior Age Group is enjoying a steak dinner at Hank and Townsend’s house this evening.  The boys have set a great example for the younger campers and have been a great help in all of the activities that they have assisted in through the apprentice program.  The steak dinner is a thank you for all of their leadership and hard work.  It is quite a spectacle if you can imagine 50 teenage boys and enough steak to feed them all.  Needless to say they consume enough food to sink a ship!

The rest of the cabin groups are enjoying Cabin Night in various locations around camp.  It is a final evening activity with just their cabin to play and then reflect on the session highlights as well.  Many choose to enjoy a campfire and s’mores while hanging out together.  The Starter campers are enjoying their cabin overnight this evening at the Lower Rocky Top shelter on the property.  They will stuff themselves with Pita Pizzas and s’mores around the campfire before falling asleep in their shelter.   Sleep should come fast for them after a big day on the ropes course, canoeing, waterslide and a round on the Rock it! 

What an aesome month it has been.  Thank you so much for believing in all that we do here!  We sure do love sharing our joy with your sons, be it a week, two weeks, or even a month.  It is certainly the time of their lives here at High Rocks.

This will be the last night of pictures.  Don’t forget Parents’ Day on Saturday.  Please wait until 9:15 to arrive.  We will get things going around 10:15 with demonstrations, displays, and lunch!  Don’t forget, if you enjoyed the pictures, you can still order a drive from Townsend.  Just email here at townsend@highrocks.com.

Have a safe trip; we can’t wait to visit with all of you!

Zoob

Pictures from July 27, 2011  (password required)

Another beautiful day today!!  No storms and temperatures were warmer, around 85 degrees.  We are finishing up our trips today and tomorrow.  A two day canoe trip to the Nantahala and French Broad section 9 left early this morning.  A day trip in climbing made it back for dinner here tonight.  Dinner oh yeah dinner!  It was fantastic.  Chicken Parmesan with rotini noodles, squash casserole, green beans, ratatouille and salad bar, homemade bread and spice cake.  Our kitchen staff is awesome!

The junior age group, including the minis and starters, headed to Sliding Rock and Dolly’s ice cream bar this evening.  They were very excited as they and Don headed down the road.  It is a perfectly warm evening for those boys to be cooling off on Chill Night.  I think Don looks forward to this as much as the campers.

The advanced riders are practicing their drill team presentation for parent’s day so try to be here on Saturday in time to see them on the activity field at 10:15.  We recommend an arrival time of between 9:15 and 10:00am on Saturday.  We will load your trunk as you drive by the gym and then everyone will park in the campfire hill field on the far side of the tennis courts.  The demonstration schedule will be given to you on that morning but your son a can take you any where he wants to go.  Wear your walking shoes!!

If you have not ordered a photo flash drive of all or the pictures from this session, they will be available on Saturday to purchase.  Our photographer has done a great job again this summer!  Thank you Bryan Ham!!  Please let me know if you would like for me to reserve one for you.  Just email me at townsend@highrocks.com .

Travel safely and we will see you on Saturday. 

Townsend

Pictures from July 26, 2011  (password required)

There are several trips out today, as there are on most days during this session.  A climbing trip is doing a big day trip on Looking Glass Rock.  They headed out early this morning to attempt a four pitch climb that tops out at around 450 feet.  I say “attempt” not because I have any doubt they have the ability, but rather because of the rain storms that can pop up most any afternoon.  As I write this blog at almost 9pm they haven’t yet returned, but I know they are down from the climb and safe.  They called from the local Subway to say they would be back late & were getting supper.  The part they didn’t mention, but I know to be fact, is that after Subway I’m sure they will drop by Dolly’s Ice Cream for a celebratory ice cream cone (on the camp account).  It’s great to see a van pull into the parking lot & watch a tired crew unload.  As soon as I approach the van, multiple faces light up & start telling me about their exploits.  That’s a normal day at camp- kids achieving something that they will remember for years to come. 

This evening I joined in on a few of the evening activities.  There was activity in the gym and at the waterfront & on three different activity fields.  My last stop was at the soccer field where I joined in on a game of “World Cup”.   I walked back in to the office to write this blog, covered in sweat to be greeted by my wife, Townsend.  She usually just shakes her head a bit after she ascertains that I’m not limping and I haven’t pulled anything that’s too important.

The Starter Session guys that arrived yesterday were going full-out whenever I saw them today.  You’ll see several pictures of those guys in today’s batch of pictures.

Just three more days of activities in this session.  The campers are looking forward to demonstrating activities to their parents on Saturday.  Plan to stay through lunch if you can- it is a fun morning & the campers love showing off what they have learned.

Take care,

Hank Birdsong

Pictures from July 25, 2011  (password required)

Another beautiful day at camp!  We had a small opening day for our second group of awesome Starter Campers.  What a great group of kids and boy were they excited!  Everyone one of them was ready to go the minute they showed up!

I am still amazed how excited I get on a “parent’s day.”  Getting to meet parents and campers and see how excited and even a little nervous everyone gets.  But I also get to show them our incredible staff, and introduce them to this amazing place. I feel the same way when a prospective camp family comes up to see camp.  It’s my time to show them all the things I am excited about!  Like our staff that make this such a great community.  We are so fortunate to have such an amazing staff year after year  We put a lot of time and effort into getting and keeping great staff.  We have over 30 staff this year that have been here for five or more years; 15 that have been here more than ten years!  Then I get to show and tell about our 1100 acres of property!  Not only do we have miles of trails for horseback riding, mountain biking, and hiking, and 12 acres of spring fed lake water; we also have an incredible program that focuses on the individual.  By the time I’m done with my tour, I’m ready to grab the family and go have some camp fun!  Some might call it a job, it’s a really a pretty sweet way of life.  I get to mentor young men through awesome activities in a great community.

Speaking of work, we sure had another busy day today.  While some guys were coming into camp, we had a whole bunch heading out on some great trips.  A three-day hike took off for Joyce Kilmer today (I’ll tell you more about that awesome place when they get back).  The paddlers went off kayaking and canoeing on the Green River.  The climbers headed out with some of the younger guys to Pilot Rock. Finally, mountainbiking was out again to Dupont State Forest with another group of riders.  We are still moving full speed ahead as we head into the last week of the four week! 

Our Starter Campers will have a packed day tomorrow with rock climbing, horseback riding, hiking, and riflery/archery all before lunch!!!  There afternoon will include canoeing, fishing, and a choice period!  We’ll be sure to get plenty of picutres up again tomorrow!

Have a great night!

Don Gentle