Pictures from June 16, 2011 (password required)

The bouldering cave is such a great place to practice climbing moves or just warm up.

Day 5 of camp and everyone has forgotten how life outside of camp works without a bell. Campers have gotten their activity schedules down to a science knowing exactly what items they need to bring and which activity switches allow enough time to grab a snack from the dining hall.  It is so fun to see campers taking control of their schedule and really taking control of their experience at camp. 

We had more trips out of camp today with a hiking trip that went to John’s Rock in Pisgah National Forest.  The camper’s got to enjoy a terrific view after a steep hike to the top.  Canoeing had two trips to the French Broad River today.  Rock Climbing had campers climbing at Horseshoe Rock.   The members of Windswept cabin got to enjoy the ropes course this afternoon.

The last of the cabin overnights headed out tonight with Foxhollow, Chalet, Connestee, and Windswept cabins.  The boys were excited as they loaded their packs with the ingredients for delicious pita pizza’s and smore’s.  Counselors trust the boys to carry most of the food items but volunteer to carry the chocolate bars just in case.  Tomorrow morning I am sure we will see a lot of sticky, dirt covered boys hiking back into camp with epic tales from their cabin overnight.

The boys have managed 5 days without electronic stimulation and really don’t seem to notice.  It is so fun to see these boys get into the flow of camp and experience so many new things.  New friendships are being formed both in the cabin and in activities.  The days have been packed with games and activities.  The busy days have made way for great sleeping on nice cool evenings.

I hope you will enjoy the pictures this evening!

Zoob Gentle
zoob@highrocks.com

 Pictures from June 15, 2011 (password required)

Learning the Basics of Belay with Climbing Head, Chris Dorrity

Greetings from High Rocks!  We woke up this morning to a delightfully cool day and a temperature of 56 degrees. Talk about your great sleeping weather!  The lake was still and the fog dense. As I headed up for our early morning head staff roundtable, I was lucky enough to see some the first overnights of the session hike back into camp in the morning light.  Many of the guys still had remnants of last night’s dinner and s’mores on their face and shirt.  The guys got unpacked, ready for the day, and excited about breakfast at a clean table that was made for them.

As the morning bell rang just a few minutes later the calm and quiet was gone and the camp day was immediately in full swing.  Of course, I did hear rumors of those boys at Hillside up early again to get a jump on cabin clean-up.  The excitement of the day is just too much for them to sit tight in their beds right now; hang in their cabin counselors… 

Breakfast made way for assembly where the excitement continued to brew with fun motion songs and hilarious commentary from the days cabin inspection reports.  The boys sprinted with excitement from assembly to their first activity.  The waterfront came alive!  One group of campers headed for the first river trip to the French Broad River, as others tried their skills at fishing.  As the sun warmed the air around the lake, the wind slowly increased, so the sailors rigged their boats and hit the lake.  The “Rock It” sat quiet and still until Choice Period when it was once again a big hit.

The climbers headed for the south side of Looking Glass Rock; it was a beautiful day on the rock.  A caving trip to Worley’s Cave was also a huge hit.  Tonight four more cabins haad their cabin overnights, Hillside went to Lower Rocky Top, Lookout went to Still Oaks, Halfway went to Dogwood Den and Lakeside went to Rocky Springs.  Here the boys will cook Pita Pizzas and have s’mores over a campfire before sleeping in their sleeping bags in the shelter.  This is a lot of fun and a great bonding experience for the cabin group.

The campers have really settled in quickly and I have had so many staff mentioned to me that this is a great group of boys.  They are polite and courteous, happy and active, and seem to be very focused on getting the most out of the time they are here.  We have been very pleased how well everyone is doing but please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Enjoy today’s pictures! There’s a ton!

Townsend Birdsong
townsend@highrocks.com

Pictures from June 12, 2011 (password required)

What a great opening day for our 2011 season!  The clear blue skies were interrupted briefly by some afternoon showers, but the activity level was uninterrupted.  There were lots of happy faces around camp today.  The only exception was my expression when we discovered there was a typo on the parent handout.  Closing day is on FRIDAY, July 1. 

Most of today’s pictures are from this afternoon.  We will normally post pictures by 9pm, but circumstances may occasionally delay us until later.  We try to post around 100 pictures each day, but may post more on some days, like today.

The campers have already visited each of the activity areas during the day and then picked their activities tonight.  Monday will be the first full day of activities. I will try to send your initial letter from camp on Monday or Tuesday. In the letter I will have your son’s schedule and will tell you a bit about his counselor. At this session we have 147 campers and 75 staff members. Most of our staff are returning counselors or former High Rocks campers (58 of the 75 staff members). If you haven’t had a chance to look over our wonderful staff yet, be sure to look over our 2011 summer staff page.

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.

It was a pleasure seeing so many returnig faces as well all the new families today.  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

ps- Did I mention that closing day is on a Friday??

The Green Salamander

North Carolina has the highest salamander diversity in the world, with at least 66 species known for the state.  Only one of those 66 species is listed as Rare and Endangered and that is the Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus). 

A Green Salamander had been found in the Camp High Rocks namesake rocks a few years ago.  On March 4, Alan Cameron and Steve O’Neil, both volunteers with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, came to Camp High Rocks to try to confirm that Green Salamanders were still here. 

Due to limited time that day they were unable to find any Greens in that rock cluster; however, they did find one adult Green in a smaller cluster of rocks in the forest just on the other side of the horse pasture, and definitely on Camp property.

Most kinds of salamanders are at least partly associated with water or damp conditions under logs and leaf litter.  But the Green Salamander has absolutely nothing to do with water in its entire life, which can last 10-15+ years.  They spend most of the winter, spring, and fall in rock crevices, and in the summer months most of them are up in trees.  It is easiest to find them when they are in the rocks.  The large granitic balds that are so common here in the mountains are shunned by Greens as they are too hot, sunlit and dry.  Greens need crevices in rocks that are shaded by overhead foliage like mountain laurel, rhododendron or other dense tree cover.  This helps maintain a high humidity and cooler temperatures in the crevices.

So why should we be concerned with preserving such a small and seemingly unimportant creature?  These salamanders were living in these forests hundreds of thousands or millions of years before humans ever came on the scene, and that gives them the right to continue to live there without human interference.  Also, given the documented decline and rapid extinctions of amphibians worldwide, it is more important that ever to conserve our native amphibians as a part of our state’s natural history.  Amphibians are crucial to the natural ecosystem and benefit humans directly (e.g., research in medicine).  Further, and probably most importantly, because of their sensitive respiratory systems and complex life cycles, amphibians serve as ‘bioindicators,’ alerting us to negative changes in our environment.

Team High Rocks!

As the winter plugs on here in the mountains, we have to take the opportunity to have fun when we can!  Last night was a good example.  Several of the Brevard, NC area camps headed down to the local bowling establishment (Strikes Again) for the annual “Inter-Camp Bowling Tournament” where the year-round staff of these camps get together to have fun and compete for the prized sweepstakes trophy!  We had a good showing this year with many area camps present, including Camp Carolina, Camp Illahee, Keystone Camp, Gwynn Valley, Rockbrook Camp, and of course Camp High Rocks!

Camp Carolina -by far the best dressed team!

Events like these remind me of what a great community of camps we have here in Brevard North Carolina. We sometime get together for dinner, and director’s gatherings, but rarely do we take the opportunity to just play and visit.  It was great to catch up with old friends and meet some new camp folk as well.

Camp Illahee -In their dress blues!

The first round begins with team play by camp.  From this game we selected the highest and lowest scores from each camp to compete in the final round of play.  The bowling continued as the team representatives held a close match in the final round.

Team Keystone Camp!!!

It came down to the last couple frames as High Rocks tried to hold on to their title…

Team Rockbrook Camp!

In the end it was Charlotee and Gary from Rockbrook Camp that pulled off the win!!!

Team Rockbrook Wins!

As winners, Rockbrook Camp received a fine trophy(made from recycled parts)  that they will display with pride for one year.   They also get to organize next year’s event!

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 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