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

Paddling on the Chattooga River

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

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

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

 Take care,

Hank Birdsong

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

Mountain Biking Across Upper Pasture

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

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

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

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

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

Not fancy, but lots of food-

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

More restaurants are listed on www.brevardncchamber.org

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

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

Take care,

Hank Birdsong

Pictures from June 19, 2010 (password required)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great night!

Don Gentle

 Pictures from June 18, 2010 (password required)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great night!  Sorry we were late…

Zoob Gentle
Associate Director

Pictures from June 17, 2010 (password required)

Heading out to Sam's Knob, Pisgah National Forest

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

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

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

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

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

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

Woody

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 14, 2010 (password required)

The week started out with a bang today with six trips heading out in every different direction.  The caving trip was the first down the road at 8:15 this morning.  They took a new group of boys to Worley’s Cave for a day of playing in the dark and getting muddy!  Next out were the climbers.  They headed to Cedar Rock again and were able to dodge the afternoon rain and still get some climbing done at the rock.  The paddlers had to work around some water release schedules after they found out that Duke Power would not be releasing water on the Green River today.  Unfortunately, they don’t let us know until the morning of the release as to whether they will give you water or not.  They made a quick alteration and headed to Section 8 of the French Broad.  There are some great pictures from today’s trip.  Mountain biking was next with another trip over to DuPont.  They spent the whole day hitting the trail.

The last two trips out today were our first backpacking trips of the session!!!  The boys spent the first week learning some of the skills necessary on overnight trips like what to pack, how to pack it, setting up tarps and tents, how to where your pack and even how to read maps. Now it was time to use those skills on the trail.

The two-day backpacking trip was lead by Chase and David who took some “middler” aged hikers off to the Pink Beds.  Pink Beds is an easy trail with many cool bridges, and unique flora and fauna that is supported by the surrounding mountain bogs.  There’s even a beaver dam!  It should be a lot of fun! 

The second backpack trip was a three-day trip to Middle Prong Wilderness.  Middle Prong is up high in the Pisgah National Forest with an elevation of about 5200 feet.   It has been so hot down at camp, the boys were very excited once they jumped out of the van and felt the noticeably cooler air.  Middle Prong is named after the “middle prong” headwaters of the Pigeon River.  The guys will change some elevation throughout the hike, which will create a good challenge.  They plan on finishing at Sam’s Knob, which is an awesome hill up in the High Pisgah Meadows just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  If you are ever up here from mid-August through Labor Day weekend, you should make a point of hitting Black Balsam and the High Pisgah region up on the Parkway.  The blueberries are amazing!  No blueberries for our guys, but they should have an excellent hike!

This evening begins the first of five “Chill Night” trips.  Tonight Halfway and Lookout cabin groups will have an evening where they head to the natural waterslide called “Sliding Rock” in Pisgah National Forest.  The mountain stream water is a chilly 55 degrees, but is a lot of fun!  The boys will then head for ice cream at the locally famous Dolly’s Dairy Bar.  The name “Chill Night” is quite appropriate given the activities.  It will be chilly, but a ton of fun!  I’m sure you will hear about Dolly’s on closing day.  There are always several families that head off to see this “famous” ice cream stand.

More excitement tomorrow!  Enjoy the pictures!

Don Gentle
Associate Director

 Pictures from June 13, 2010 (password required)

Sunday Morning by the Lake

Today started out with a sweet bang!  The Krispy Kreme guy came late last night and dropped off 400 sweet and delicious glazed doughnuts!  The boys were psyched!  Krispy Kreme is more of a household word than it used to be.  Of course, most everyone around here has known what “Hot & Now” has meant for decades!  The sweet “wall of glaze” that the doughnuts go under after they are fried still enchants me to this day.

The day continued with a time for songs and reflection down by the lake, where Zoob lead us with some words about friendship.  She queried the boys about what makes a good friend and how do we go about choosing them.  Her discussion continued about how some of your best friends are the most unlikely ones initially.  She shared a story with the boys that has become a modern classic; the story of “Owen and Mzee”.  It is a true story of a baby hippo and a 130 year- old tortoise who are forced into an impossible relationship, one that by all the rules should never have happened. A tale of two creatures who come to depend on one another in extraordinary circumstances when a baby hippo is rescued after being separated from its mother in a Tsunami and paired up with the ancient tortoise.  The two form an inseparable bond that defines what friendship can and is all about.  Check out www.owenandmzee.com if you want to hear more about this incredible story.

High Rocks is one of those places where friendships are created under incredible circumstances.  I know of so many stories of boys who have met here and request to be bunk mates every year…and they live hundreds of miles away from each other during the school year.  Camp creates so many great friendships; bonds that last for decades and beyond.  Zoob did a great job of identifying some of the former campers (now staff) who have formed life-long friendships here at camp that continue today.  She challenged the boys to be on the lookout for those friends and reach out to those who seem unlikely to be your friend, but could be your best friend once you get to know them.  What a great message…

Sunday morning continued with many choice activities that lasted until lunch including: fishing, swimming, canoeing, disc golf, ping pong, bocce’, croquet, basketball, and tennis.  Lunch was a hefty feast of roasted turkey, rice, dressing, beans, gravy, biscuits, and the salad bar.  We washed it down with ice cream “sundaes on Sunday,” and took a much needed rest.

The afternoon continued with age-group activities that involved a lot of running wrapped up with a refreshing swim.  The evening continues with a cookout on the lawn, followed by our weekly campfire event where we sing a few songs, listen to a story, and reflect on the past week with an eye on the week ahead.  I love Sundays!

There are some great pictures from the square dance last night as well as a climbing trip, and finally the boys having fun on Sunday!

Have a great night…we sure are!

Don Gentle
Associate Director 

Pictures from June 12, 2010 (password required)

Man Overboard!!

Today began with the traditional pancakes that Dan Noland & I cook for all of camp.  The tradition started with Townsend’s father, Sumner Williams, cooking for camp on the cook’s day off.  We have more cooks these days, but the tradition continues.

Today might appropriately be called topsy-turvy day at the lake.  The canoeists and the sailors practiced turning over on the lake.  Turning over is the easy part.  Emptying the boat and getting back in is the challenging part.  All of the boys had fun & learned a lot in the process.

We had a full day of regular activities today, plus two beginner river trips went to the French Broad River to take on “Killer Fang Falls”.  A group of soccer players came over to my basement to watch the USA take on England in the first round of the World Cup this afternoon.   There was much excitement when the USA team scored a tying goal.  Playing to a 1-1 tie was a big achievement for the US team.

The big event tonight is the square dance with Rockbrook Camp - a much anticipated event!  After our picnic supper outside the dining hall, the boys head down to the tennis courts for fiddle music, Virginia Reels, wind-the-clock, Square Dancing, and lots of fun! 

It’s hard to believe that one week has passed already!  We’ll sleep in tomorrow (til 8:15) and have a slower day as we rest up for the active second week of camp.

Take care,

Hank Birdsong

Pictures from June 11, 2010 (password required)

Friday got off to a beautiful start with some great trips heading out in the morning.  The cavers had the dining hall to themselves as they met for an early breakfast and then were off to Morril’s Cave (commonly called Worley’s) in Bluff City, TN.  It has more than 37,000 feet of mapped passages on two levels.  Worley’s is known for its voluminous size with rooms more than 75 feet wide and 250 feet long with high ceilings that can exceed 100 feet. It is noted for its beautiful formations within its eight to ten miles of passages. The lower level of the cave contains a perennial creek complete with various fishes, white crayfish, and salamanders that the guys love to discover.  The boys each take a pair of coveralls and a headlamp into the pitch black cave which remains at a constant 55 degrees year round.  The group adventures through muddy slides, tight squeezes, and creek wades.  Deep in the cave, they take a few minutes to shut off all their lights and not make a sound (or at least attempt!) to experience the total silence and such utter darkness your eyes never adjust.  Every camper gets a chance to go caving, and the best part of it is, the trip does not count as one of their five activity choices, it is bonus!

Climbers also had an early start to insure plenty of time on the rock before the afternoon thunderstorms made their appearance. They took off for Stone Depot up on Cedar Rock to put techniques to use that they have learned on the tower.  Mountain bikers took a crew over to Sky Valley in DuPont State Forest for a half day of great down hills and some seriously challenging grinds to the top of the next hill. The group did great, partly due to Don Gentle on the trip taking video of the guys. You have to pull out all the stops for the camera.

The paddlers had a full day trip over to the Green River, which is the first river on which campers experience some pushy water and technical turns to avoid rocks. There are several spots to practice “surfing” which involves pointing your boat upstream and balancing it on a wave in such a way that no paddling is necessary to remain in the same spot. Needless to say, it takes a lot of practice and the process always includes a lot of flips, splash downs, and laughter.  There is also the famed Super Man Rock where campers hold onto a perfect grip in the middle of some stiff current, thus “flying”, at least as long as you can hold your breath.

In camp, the weather cooperated nicely with many thunder rumbles heard but no serious storm materializing.  Bull’s eyes were hit profusely in archery and riflery as our shooters are beginning to move up the ranks.  Fishing mixed things up with a hike over to the Bottomless Pond where there was instant success with large bass hitting everything dropped in the water. After such a confidence boost, the counselors were made to guarantee a return trip in the near future. Wood working was in full swing with campers making everything from lacrosse sticks to doggie stairs for easy access to a couch for one “Elvis”.  Down at the barn, campers were finishing up their last lessons and trail rides for the week in preparation for the Gymkhana on Saturday, more details and pictures to come soon.

All in all, it was a great Friday with campers maximizing their first week here. The weekends have a different schedule and tend to focus a bit more on both goofy fun and time for reflection, allowing a breather before Monday kicks off another jam-packed five days.  With their first week under their collective belt, all of our campers are feeling much more comfortable with the rhythm of camp life and their personalities expand along with their comfort level. It looks to be an awesome group of guys and great next two weeks!!

Tonight’s age group activities:

“Juniors”- (Hillside & Connestee) are participating McCallie Ball.
“Middler 1”- (Lakeside & Foxhollow) are playing dodge ball in the gym.
“Middler 2” – (Flattop, Holiday & Chalet) are on the waterfront with canoe fill-ups
“Upper Middlers” – (Windswept & Outpost)  are going off the water slide.
“Seniors” – (Halfway) & “Upper Seniors” – (Lookout) are playing capture the flag.

Have a great night,

Woody Noland
Assistant Director