Pictures from August 13, 2010 (password required)

Heading out on a cabin overnight

What a great week we’ve had with a group of campers completely new to High Rocks!  We are ending the week with a campfire story told by long-time staff member Dan Noland.  We may have pictures of that tomorrow.

Parents’ day will begin at 9:30am tomorrow morning (Saturday).  Please plan to arrive tomorrow between 9:00 and 9:30.  We will load trunks at the gym and park all cars on a field just past the gym.  All parents, siblings and friends are invited to join us at that time to tour camp with your son & then join us for a slideshow and refreshments that will begin at 10:30.  The program will conclude around 11am. 

At some point before leaving please be sure to “check out” at the camp office.  The office will have a packet that includes an address list, cabin picture, store account refund, and a “jump drive” with pictures from the session (if you preordered one).  If you didn’t preorder a “jump drive” we will have extras available in the camp store.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

Hank Birdsong

Pictures from August 12, 2010 (password required)

Another great day in camp!  The boys spent some more time in horseback riding, climbing on the tower, hiking, and canoeing this morning and afternoon.  Our morning choice period had options including the waterslide, archery and riflery, candle making, and fishing.  We had a little thunderstorm this afternoon, that shortened our 3pm class a bit, but the guys still had time for most of their afternoon activities.  The skies look clear for tonight’s cabin overnights.

Tonight all the guys will head out for an overnight on the property.  One benefit of having over 1100 acres of property is that you can get away from camp without getting out of camp.  Each of the groups will have a short hike to an Appalachian Trail-style shelter.  They will spend the evening exploring, eating pita pizzas, and cooking up marshmallows for s’mores.  After a little time around the campfire, the boys will sleep out in the shelters, and then hike back into camp just before breakfast.  It should be an exciting time for everyone!

We sure have had an exciting week!  I have really enjoyed getting to know your sons and watching their accomplishments.  For some of these guys, their biggest accomplishment has been spending an entire week here at camp.  For others, it could be getting to the top of the climbing wall or going off the zip line.  Personally, I still get excited about the zip line!  Most of all, these boys have gained some independence, a few friends, and even some resiliency.

In the next day or so, you will be receiving a letter from your son’s cabin counselor.  Many of these will be e-mailed so that it arrives to you in a timely manner.  It should give you just enough information so that you can have an idea of what your son did this week, how he related in the cabin, and even some of his accomplishments

Where do we go from here?  As you might have guessed, six days is actually a fairly short amount of time.  Our Starter Camp is just that, a good springboard for one of our longer sessions.  These longer session offer more activities, a longer amount of time to build skills, and many opportunities to go on trips out of camp, like whitewater paddling, rock climbing, multi-day backpacking trips, and even mountain biking and caving as an activity. 

We still have a full day of activities tomorrow!  We will wrap up the day tomorrow with a campfire, where we sing songs, listen to a story and reflect on the awesome week we had here at High Rocks.

I know some of you will be traveling tomorrow.  Have a safe trip.  We look forward to seeing you on Saturday morning.   Have a great night and enjoy the pictures.

Don Gentle
Associate Director

 Pictures from August 10, 2010 (password required)

Making tie-dye t-shirts in crafts

This was the first full day of Starter Camp and the boys didn’t waste any time.  With some guys waking up pretty early, we had a bright and early start. The wake-up bell rings at 7:45am & it takes the early risers a day or two to adjust.  The extra time did result in some very clean cabins to begin the day!

The morning was a rotation of Canoeing, Climbing, Horseback Riding, and the High Ropes Course.  On the lake, the canoers learned how to begin handling a tandem boat with a partner using forward strokes, the rudder, and many draws and cross-draws to get back on course. With a whole lake to explore, the learning happens almost without their knowledge as each cove or fish habitat presents a goal to reach and fresh motivation to paddle hard. Of course, after such exertion, the only suitable way to cool off is to flip your boat and swim it back to the dock, truly a favorite pastime here at camp.

In Climbing, the guys put on their harness and helmet, and then assaulted the three outside walls of our tower. The beginner wall starts with a sloped bottom half and tons of handholds to allow campers to gain a feel for climbing without causing too much stress searching for a spot for a hand or toe.  Soon the group was on to the intermediate side which was a much greater challenge and one the campers loved tackling.  With two guys climbing on each wall at the same time, there is time to rest tired muscles and cheer from the ground while the two climbers help each other through their difficulties much higher up.

Down at the barn, the Horseback Riders learned to lead each of their mounts out of the stall and down to a ring for the first time. There the riders mounted and worked on controlling the horse while moving around the ring. The size of the animals was the first hurdle for many of the guys, but once they felt the reins control this huge creature they were pumped!

Horseback riding began today

The High Ropes takes place over a two-hour block for one cabin at a time. The boys practice some trust exercises on the ground before climbing up ladders to the platform fifty feet in the air.  From the platform, they begin working around the elements by balancing on wires, crossing bouncy bridges, and cruising over a large telephone pole. To finish, each camper gets hooked onto a 450′ zip line and shoots off the tower to the group waiting below.

This afternoon was a similar selection to make sure all the cabins had a crack at each activity, with a little bit of Archery and Riflery thrown in. It amazes me at how focused these otherwise super-energetic guys can be while they are controlling their breathing and aiming for the bulls eye.  At the end of each hour, everyone was looking for people to check out their targets with much commotion over just about any bullet hole in the paper.

In the Choice Periods today there was Swimming, the Rock-It, Tie Dye shirts, Tennis, the Rope Swing, Sailing, a Hike to the Cathedral Rocks, and dozens of fish caught (some fish repeatedly jump on the hooks). The boys really enjoy getting a constantly changing menu of choices each morning and afternoon.  Some have found the waterfront and do not ever leave while others are all over the place, sometimes trying two activities in one hour. 

There are two age groups consisting of the two youngest and two oldest cabins. Today they came up with a name and cheer for their own group. Now, Hillside and Lakeside are the “Sidewinders” while Foxhollow and Flattop are the “Thunder Cats”.  This evening, the Sidewinders are in the gym playing several versions of dodgeball while the Thunder Cats are launching themselves off of the waterslide.  With huge soft Pretzels for snack before showers, the guys are heading back to the cabins worn out, excited, and ready for another early wake up!

Thanks for checking in, enjoy this evening’s pictures, and we will see you back here tomorrow.

Woody Noland

Pictures from August 2, 2010 (password required)

Today the campers were off and running with their activities.  In addition to the regular activities we had trips out in Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Canoeing, and Hiking.  The Mountain Bikers went to Dupont State Forest this afternoon to enjoy some trail riding.  They left after lunch and returned right before dinner having worked up a good appetite.  Some of the climbers spent the afternoon up at the Cathedral Rocks a short hike from main camp where they got to experience climbs on real rock.  Several of our canoers got to practice their skills on the French Broad River this morning.  It was their first chance to learn about moving water and how the boat responds differently than on the lake.  There was also a day hike to Dupont State Forest where the campers got to see several of Western NC’s best waterfalls.

In camp today Windswept and Chalet got to experience the ropes course.  They were lead through several elements as a cabin group and then the final element was the zip line.  It was an exhilarating experience and one I am sure the will not forget soon (or until the next really cool thing comes along).  Many of our Horseback riders got to venture out of the ring and onto our large network of trails.  It was a welcome change of scenery for the horses and the campers seemed pretty excited as well!

All of us enjoyed another day of cool temperatures here at High Rocks.  It was another great day and we are looking forward to another one tomorrow!

Hope you enjoy the pictures from today!

Elizabeth “Zoob” Gentle
Associate Director

  Pictures from August 1, 2010 (password required)

I woke up this morning to a cool mountain fog.  One of those somewhat cloudy and a little foggy mornings we have here in the mountains; it is these days that give “The Smokies” their name.    The fog rises right out of the trees like they are on fire.  It is also one of those sorts of days that make you want to lie in bed all day; my oldest daughter had different plans for me at 7am, however.  I love Sundays at camp; it’s a special day to relax, reflect, and re-energize. We get up about thirty minutes later on Sunday, and ease into the day.

The Krispy-Kreme fairy left a special gift in the kitchen overnight…dozens of glazed doughnuts for all of us! Oh Boy was the kitchen staff excited to see that! They rounded it out with the usual breakfast fair, including hard boiled eggs, yogurt, and assorted cereals.  The kids loved it.

After breakfast we all headed down to the edge of the lake to sing some songs and learn a short lesson.  Several of the staff did a dramatic reading of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.  The kids loved the dramatic interpretation.   We talked a little about the message of the story and how the future is in the hands of our campers today.  

After our morning service we got the kids all ready and excited about the Annual Counselor Hunt!  Counselors are briefed on the acceptable places to hide, while the campers are oriented on the rules of the game. Once everyone is ready, we ring the bell and the cabin groups are off to build up their score by finding the hidden counselors. Finally, we wrap up the morning with some choice activities like canoeing, swimming, four square, tennis, or fishing.

Right after rest hour we headed down toward the gym to get the guys ready for another annual event, The High Rocks Carnival.  It is a special event that only happens in this two week session.  Campers participate in a bunch of games and fun to choose from. Some are games of skill where the boys can earn points like ring toss, Frisbee golf, musical chairs, card games, squirt gun “rapid fire,” or the football toss. Other activities include the counselor dunk tank, moonwalk, and face paint. The boys can use the points to purchase snow-cones, and candy. Finally, each camper has a chance at guessing how many Skittles are in a quart size container. It’s a whole heap of fun! The boys seemed to really enjoy it!

As if that wasn’t enough, we got all cleaned up after the carnival for an awesome cookout of hamburgers, hotdogs and all the fixin’s.  Now Townsend is a bit of a beef connoisseur, so it isn’t just any old burger or dog.  Our hamburgers are all wonderful Black Angus beauties and the dogs are of the best quality we can get!  We also add in some cheese, lettuce, and fresh tomatoes from our garden.  Add a few sides and a little bug juice and that is what I call a cookout!

Finally, we wrapped up dinner and dragged our full bellies and worn out bodies up to campfire hill to sing some more songs and listen to a story told by Chris Dorrity.  It was so cool to finish the night singing taps and watching each of the cabins desend siliently into the fog thinking about the great week ahead.

It sure has been a great week with these boys.  Have a great night!

Don Gentle
Associate Director

Pictures from July 30, 2010 (password required)

Paddling on the French Broad River

Last night a cool front passed through, so when we woke up this morning the air was a bit cooler, a bit drier and very blue. The change is welcome and just in time, because, as you will see, today was our busiest yet!

Right after breakfast, the hiking staff took a group of boys to adjoining DuPont State Forest, a wonderful “neighbor” with over 10,000 acres of woods, many different trails and several amazing waterfalls. Our hike went to the top of High Falls, on the Little River, then down on the left side to Triple Falls. Both of these were featured in the movie “The Last of the Mohicans.” After eating their lunch out, the hike returned to camp in time for afternoon activities. The canoeing staff sent a group to a nearby beginner section of the French Broad River, with enough whitewater to test their new skills in keeping boats straight and turning them quickly when necessary. The Rock Climbers took a group to the Cathedral Rocks, a series of large boulders on the side of Rich Mountain above camp, where they had their first experience climbing on rock instead of a wall. The fissures and textures of this granitic Gneiss offer an appropriate challenge for the guys who have mastered the basics of climbing. Of course, the boys still in camp were busy as usual with the full range of daily activities.

Trips Today:

• Two river trips paddled on the French Broad River
• A day hike went to DuPont State Forest. 
• Two climbing trips visited the “High Rocks”
• The campers from Outpost Cabin were on the High Ropes Course this afternoon

Tonight’s after-dinner activities:

• “Insane Cow Posse” (Hillside & Connestee) are on cabin overnights
• “Prevaricating Platypuses” (Lakeside, Foxhollow) Foxhollow is playing a game on the Soccer Field, Lakeside is on a cabin overnight
• “Tasty Taco Squad” (Flattop & Chalet) Flattop is on a cabin overnight, Chalet is joining Foxhollow on the Soccer Field.
• “Rabid Monkeys” (Windswept & Outpost) are going down the waterslide!
• “Kings of Leon – - itis” (Halfway, & Pinnacle) are in the gym.
• “Atomic Hippie Squad of Justice” (Holiday Inn & Lookout)  are playing a game on the Activity Field.

The Ropes Course finishes with a 450' ride down the zip line!!

After lunch, another group of paddlers went to the French Broad, another group of rock climbers went to the Cathedral Rocks, and Outpost Cabin had its turn on the Ropes Course. The hikers went to what we call Polar Bear Falls, a smallish but very refreshing waterfall on High Rocks property. During the afternoon choice period before supper, we opened our rope swing for the first time this session, to the two oldest age groups. It’s both entertaining and gratifying to watch as they first build their courage and then try to get in as many swings as they can. At the same time, the youngest boys were finding their gear, packing their packs, struggling into them and then heading out for their cabin overnights. As they hike away to the shelters, all that’s visible of some of them are their feet below overstuffed backpacks.

Lakeside I & II getting ready to head out on their cabin overnight

Four days into this session, we have settled into a familiar, comfortable and busy rhythm. It won’t be long after our nacho snack tonight that all will be in bed, tired from the day, falling asleep to the katydid chorus then dreaming of the pancake breakfast to come tomorrow.

Good night.

Dan Noland

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

Pictures from July 19, 2010 (password required)

Tonight we continue our “guest columnist” event as Chase Ferree takes the stage to write a little about camp from his  perspective.  Chase is a sophomore at the fine school of Washinton University (Wash. U.) in Missouri.  He has been a camper for five years and is now in his second summer as a staff member. I hope you enjoy what he has to say. -Don Gentle

To think that we’ve got fewer than five full days left at camp is absolutely mystifying. Though this is my second summer here as a staff member and my seventh at High Rocks, I’m still so surprised at how the end of the session just sneaks up on all of us!

All is well, though, as this session draws near to its close. As Don said yesterday, the three-day climbers are enjoying some sweet climbs out at the Red River Gorge, for their first full day of climbing. Paddling’s got two trips out, mountain biking one, and there’s going to be a great two-day hike going out tomorrow. I’ll be leading that last trip to Slate Rock in Pisgah along with another hiking counselor, Peter Kleinhenz (also our fishing head). Pete has extensive knowledge and experience working with reptiles and amphibians in his native Ohio; those of you with kids who have been on one of his trips should check out the pictures they’ve taken of these amazing creatures! If we’re lucky, there are a couple of species of salamander I hope we’ll come across in the next two days.

With so many campers and staff out on trips, there are only a few times during the session during which everyone is in camp – usually just Saturday and Sunday. These days are often two of the most fun per week, and the past weekend was no exception. This past Saturday night was marked by a particularly excellent (and globalized) square dance with Keystone Camp; at the end of the festivities nearly every one of their campers performed a dance to the song “Jai Ho” from the movie Slumdog Millionaire – the song had hardly to begin before our guys jumped in with them. And of course, Sunday’s Olympics were another highlight. As one of the Ghostbusters, I must say both Will McDonough, with his note-perfect Ghostbusters attire, and Peter, who portrayed Kentucky’s Turtle Man to brilliant effect, stole the show. And, as always, Sunday night was capped with a wonderful campfire and several stories from Dan Noland, who always knows how to captivate the campers.

After the busy weekend, we were all looking forward to a return to routine; today has been great for that. It’s also been a particularly beautiful day around camp; though it started off with some rain, keeping things cool, it was hardly noon before everything began to brighten up. The afternoon clouds are in gorgeous formation outside, preparing for what should be an excellent sunset, and the lake is alive with all sorts of activity. If you listen hard when you’re down on the waterfront, you can hear the “pocks” of tennis balls coming from the courts, where more than a few matches are going on. The camper-counselor tennis tournament is coming close to its end, with some more matches today during Choice Period, and I’m hoping the final will be a match for the ages (I know who I’m rooting for!).

For the Monday starting the last week of camp, I don’t think we could ask for a better one. I’m definitely looking forward to what’s shaping up to be one of the best weeks of the summer! Take care and have a great night!

Best,

Chase Ferree

 Pictures from July 17, 2010 (password required)

Adventures on the New River in West Virginia

The last Saturday of the session!  Of course next Saturday is parents’ day, but that is quite a different day.  It’s hard to believe we only have a week to go!  I know many of you are excited while some of you are just starting to enjoy the peace a quite.  However you feel, we hope that you realize that these four weeks during the summer is not only fun, but part of your son’s education.  We have saturated these boys with knowledge, physical endurance, creativity, socialization, and many skills.  We pair that with a whole lot of self reliance, teamwork, perseverance, friendship, and fun to complete an experience matched nowhere else but High Rocks!

In about ten days I will ask all of you to take part in a very important study; one that not only affects High Rocks, but many of the amazing camps here in the mountains of North Carolina.  The study is designed to show the economic impact of summer camps in our mountain communities.  You may not know it, but summer camps in our area are getting hit from all sides including permitting, building codes, school calendars, and even the DOT.  As a founding board member of the North Carolina Youth Camp Association (NCYCA) I have committed to helping North Carolina camps in many ways.  One particular way the NCYCA is currently helping is this Economic Impact Study.  Help us give camp a say with legislatures by showing your support of this study and the importance of summer camp!  Be on the lookout for the e-mail a week from Tuesday.

So, back to camp!   I woke up this morning to once again continue a long tradition of camp directors here at High Rocks making pancakes for the whole crew on Saturday morning.  Dan Noland did the bulk of the work, but I was definitely a strong second.  We made more cakes then the boys could eat!  

I stepped out of the kitchen and into assembly to get these still-sleepy boys ready for the day.  I enjoyed leading the morning motion song and the excitement of getting them jazzed up for the day!  The morning continued with a group of boys heading off to a wonderful horse show, pirate day down at the climbing tower, a treasure hunt in sailing, and other cool games in paddling and archery.  The boys of hiking made some sort of Mexican crepe all morning.  A wonderful sort of pancake smothered in butter, toasted in a pan, then covered with cinnamon and sugar.  It was a great time in activities today.

This afternoon around 5pm the boys headed back to the cabin for a much needed shower and a change into clean clothes.  We then enjoyed a nice dinner on the lawn and wrapped up the night hosting the girls of Keystone Camp to a square dance!  What a great day!

There are some great shots from the three day whitewater trip on the New River in West Virginia.  A great trip for a group of our most experienced paddlers.  Have a great night!

Don Gentle

Pictures from July 15, 2010 (password required)

Tonight I asked one of our newest counselors, Alex Gregor, to write the blog.  Alex is a graduate of Davidson University where he earned his degree in Anthropology.  Since his graduation he has worked at Davidson in their Outdoor Program and as an employee of their IT Department. In the upcoming days we will have more of our outstanding counselors contribute to the blog as well. –Hank Birdsong

Fun on the waterslide!!

You might have marked yesterday as Bastille Day. At High Rocks, we didn’t follow up on our July 4th fireworks display with another, but there was plenty of other excitement at camp.

Extended trips are in full-swing at this point. As soon as one group of campers returns to camp, another one is headed out the door. While climbers returned from three days at the Obed, a popular climbing area in Tennessee, a group of advanced paddlers prepared to depart for West Virginia’s New River Gorge. At the same time, another group got ready to head out for an overnight trip Worley’s Cave. The trip leaders, Ben Little and Elizabeth Thompson, had their participants take a look at a pair of coat hangers before they set out. The US Geological Survey says that if an underground passageway is as big as the space within a coat hanger, then it’s big enough to squeeze through. I was ready to take their word for it but several of the campers, who returned to camp today after spending the night underground, confirmed that a coat-hanger-sized tunnel is plenty big to crawl inside.

One of the things I appreciate the most at High Rocks as a counselor is the variety that each day offers. In my role as one of camp’s photographers, I spent most of my morning chasing the campers with the craziest hairdos, trying to get some photos worthy of sending home. I spent some time on the tennis courts, the archery and riflery range, and one of our pastures while horseback riders trotted past. Just a few days before, I was taking photos from an eddy on the Green River. Not long after that, I was hanging off our climbing tower from a rope, taking photos as guys screamed down the zipline. For a photographer who loves the outdoors, working at High Rocks is a dream job. I take photos all morning and then teach mountain biking all afternoon. It’s a great community of people to spend time with and I think one of the camp t-shirts pretty much sums it up: “If it’s awesome, we do it at High Rocks.”

When I got to camp for staff training earlier this summer, I was really impressed to learn that fellow counselor David Kirby loves to compete in ultra marathons, ridiculously long races that have him running up and down mountain trails for 50, 75, or 100km at a time. David organized High Rocks’ first triathlon, which took place yesterday afternoon. We decided to drop the “ultra” part and keep things short. A group of campers and counselors jumped into the lake for an aptly named “tri swim” (The name’s older than our triathlon but we’ll take it. And if campers do 10 of these in a summer, they get a free trip to Dolly’s…). After swimming out to a couple of buoys and back, we took off on mountain bikes for Chainbreaker Hill, a formidable climb that leads up to a grassy pasture and the top of Jaybreaker Hill, a rolling, grassy descent to camp below. Still dripping from our swim, we blasted down Jaybreaker but slammed on the brakes before we got to the bottom. A herd of horses was having dinner right in the middle of our trail. With a quick detour by foot, we were back on track, riding into camp to start our run around the Lake Loop Trail. About a mile and a half later, we were greeted with cheers and high-fives back at the dock.

We weren’t keeping time at all during the triathlon. All of us who participated stuck together for the entire event, starting and finishing as a group. Another group did the same today, mostly following the same route but doing an abbreviated mountain bike ride. It was a blast for all the guys who participated. One camper who cheered us on said tonight, “I want all of you who did the triathlon to talk to me after dinner. I want to make you shirts, which I’ll give you next summer.”

The whole event showcased the camaraderie, goofiness, and fun that I love about High Rocks. It was a great way to celebrate my 24th birthday, which was yesterday. I’m hard pressed to think of one I enjoyed more.

–Alex Gregor

(ps from Hank- Before the caving trip left yesterday, several of us tested out the “coathanger test” by going through a coathanger from head to toe.  Smaller campers had no trouble at all.  I was able to do it, but there was some grunting involved!!)