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!!)

Pictures from July 14, 2010 (password required)

Just as breakfast was ending, the hair salon was opening!  Several of our staff created some wacky hairstyles for whoever wanted one; everything from small braids to BIG HAIR!   They sure looked hilarious!  Assembly followed to what was to become a beautiful day!  The weather was partly cloudy all day, high in the mid-80’s, and a great breeze!  What a wonderful day at Camp!

Holy cow are we ever busy!  These boys are running in so many directions it is amazing!  It sure is a lot of fun!  Yesterday was a big treat for some of our paddlers.  We arranged for a group of the guys to meet up with Wayne Dickert, former Olympian and Head of Instruction at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC).   They worked the river and received some top notch instruction at the gates.  Training that will set them up for success at next week’s Camp Cup event on the Nantahala River.  It was a great day!

Today was a huge day for our Mini II boys!   After breakfast they headed over to spend the entire morning on the high ropes course.  They spent the afternoon in their normal activities, and finally met up for a night in the woods formally known as their “cabin overnight.”  The guys packed up their backpacks and headed out to Lower Rocky Top Shelter, one of five Appalachian Trail style shelters we have on the property.  They will spend the night feasting on the favored “pita pizza” then wash it down with some good old fashioned s’mores!  We’ll get to see them roll in just before breakfast to get washed up just in time to eat.   I am looking forward to the stories.

Tennis had a special treat this afternoon as they headed down to town to enjoy some instruction at Brevard Racquet Club and experience the game of tennis on some top-notch clay courts.  Swimming also had an afternoon trip out.  The swimming staff took a group of guys out to Hooker Falls in Dupont State Forest.  It was a leisure event swimming below the falls and playing around in the huge pool. A perfect trip on for a sunny afternoon.

The cavers headed out after lunch for our first-ever “caving overnight.”  The guys will head into the cave tonight, then eat dinner, sleep, and hike back out!  Hopefully, we’ll have a few pictures to show you tomorrow.  The mountain bikers headed out for three days over in the Tsali National Recreation Area in the Nantahala National Forest.  Three full days of riding on some world class trails!  Our advanced paddlers head out early tomorrow morning for a two-day trip up to the New River Gorge in West Virginia.  The fun never ends!  Have a great night and feel free to leave some comments if you feel the urge.

Don Gentle

Pictures from July 1, 2010 (password required)

Each cabin gets one opportunity during the busy session to spend half the day on the high ropes course.  What a way to bring the cabin together and have some fun!  The boys learn the basics in the “ground school” training before ever going up to the course.  During this training they also learn to count on one another to be sure each person is making the right moves.  They even have to ask their partner permission to make movement through the course.  Our high ropes course has 16 different elements at levels of 25 and 45 feet in the air!  The half-day event ends with an exciting time down the zip line!

The last of the cabin overnights headed out tonight with the exception of our oldest boys in Holiday I.  We have a special mission for them that will happen Saturday night.  We’ll keep you posted.  SSSHHHH!

The climbers were also out today as well as our first group heading to Worley’s Cave for at day of what I call “indoor hiking.”   There is nothing like crawling around all day in the mud and not knowing whether it is rainy or sunny outside.  What a blast!

The legendary “Camper-Counselor Tennis Tournament” started today.  Each year the boys ask a counselor (or nearly any staff member for that matter) to be their partner in the tournament.  Camper players with more skill are asked to pursue staff with less skill and so on.   The guys over at tennis have a great time matching the pairs to create a fun tournament. The event will take the entire session to finish…  Along with trips, staff days off, and just a plain busy schedule, we have had some final games in years past played on parent’s day.  It should be a lot of fun; we will keep you posted on the details.

Our second group of paddlers headed out for some review and hard work on the Green River.  The boys spent the day not just heading downstream, but also stopping at many rapids and working on skills that will help them on future river trips.  Many times the boys even have to change positions in the canoe and re-run the rapid in their new setup, allowing the boys to become fully capable of working the canoe from the bow or stern.  You will hear about these guys on more rivers in the future.  The river trip pictures came in late, so check out tomorrow’s blog for some great canoeing shots from this group.

We often get asked why the boys have to spend time in a canoe first before moving on to a solo boat.   One of the best reasons is that the boys spend a little more time in a larger craft understanding how the river works and what it does to your boat.  The canoe offers an amazing vantage point to see all the river features downstream. It also give the boys an opportunity to work as a team and communicate with each other as they challenge themselves.   We want the boys to experience the river in what some might call a more noble craft.  Most all of the skills learned in a canoe are immediately transferable to a kayak.  Personally, I always felt that learning to paddle a canoe was like learning to drive a manual transmission (stick).  If you can drive “with a stick” you can drive any car my parents would say.  If the boys learn to paddle a canoe, they can paddle anything! The canoeing base to our paddling program is probably one of the longest traditions we have here at High Rocks.  It was actually brought over from Camp Mondamin when Townsend’s parent’s first started High Rocks.  The tradition continues to this day.

Have a great night and enjoy the pictures!

Don

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