July 29, 2009

Greetings from Camp High Rocks! The second full day of activities has been just that…full. All of the guys in Lookout cabin spent the afternoon on the ropes course. 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, Foxhollow, Flattop, Outpost and Lookout 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.

Our first out-of-camp trips will be tomorrow with a river trip, a climbing trip, and the “Roadside Armadillos” are going on a Pisgah Cookout along the Davidson River (followed by Dolly’s Ice Cream)!

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 our head counselor, Woody Noland. 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 8th).