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 July 26, 2010 (password required)

Each age group picked a group name tonight that they will use all session. This group is the "Insane Cow Posse"!!

August 26, 2010

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 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

 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 10, 2010 (password required)

Our first trips on the French Broad River for the beginner and intermediate paddlers headed out today.  After three one-hour sessions on the lake the first groups headed out to begin their paddling progression on the moving water.  The French Broad begins its journey just south of Brevard and continues all the way up through Asheville and into the Tennessee River system, before it finally dumps into the Gulf of Mexico.  Our beginner and intermediate paddlers put-in just below the steep headwaters to practice their new skills on gentle moving water. Today they practiced essential skills like eddy turns, peel-outs, and ferries. These maneuvers will help them work with the water to put the boat where they want it to go on the river. Our goal is to have these boys continue to master and enjoy the sport one step at a time, until after several summers the boys are paddling some of the best whitewater in the Southeast. 

We had two groups head out on the river today; one in the morning and then another group in the afternoon. The morning group is featured in today’s photos, be on the lookout tomorrow for the afternoon group.  Many of these guys will progress on to the lower Green River next week for their first all-day trip.  Keep an eye out next week for more river pictures.

Our climbers headed over to Cedar Rock in Pisgah National Forest for some great climbs.  The Mountain Bikers took their first out of camp trip to Dupont State Forest.  Again, most of these guys will head on to bigger and better trips in their respective activities as the session progresses.

Tonight is the last night of cabin overnights.  Blaire and Townsend were out with their camera again tonight.  However, they got back late so you will have to wait until tomorrow until you can see those.

Tonight’s age group activities:

“Juniors”- (Hillside & Connestee) are participating in canoe fill-ups.
“Middler 1”- (Lakeside & Foxhollow) are playing capture the flag.
“Middler 2” – (Flattop, Holiday & Chalet) Holiday & Chalet are headed out on a cabin overnight. Flattop is playing capture the flag.
“Upper Middlers” – (Windswept & Outpost)  are headed out on a cabin overnight
“Seniors” – (Halfway) & “Upper Seniors” – (Lookout) are going off the water slide.

Have a wonderful night and enjoy the pictures.  There are some great paddling shots as well as some High Ropes Course pictures.  Tomorrow is another day in paradise!!!

Don Gentle
Associate Director
don@highrocks.com

Pictures from June 9, 2010 (password required)

What a great day we had today.  Even though it was mostly overcast, the day was perfect for physical activity. Not to hot with a wonderful breeze for the sailors. It is amazing how much can happen in just a few short days at camp.  The boys are learning so much and have so much fun doing it.  We had several trip out today including caving, rock climbing, and whitewater canoeing on the Green.

Today at morning freetime I wandered into the middle of camp with a bag of golf discs and simply shouted out to see if anyone wanted to play.  Turner was my first taker.  We played through the first hole and were joined by staff member Nicholas Colston, who asked if he could join.  After a couple more holes campers Lucas and Kevin joined us.  Before we knew it, everyone was cheering and encouraging each other. What a wonderful time to hang out with the guys and just enjoy each other’s company.  We finished the front nine just before lunch and had a blast! It sure gave me a good feeling about camp

So camp has a lot of moments of fun and good times like that, but fun is not the only thing that is happening here.  It is incredible how much these boys will learn in three weeks.  As I go around and visit each activity, I see guys building on what they learned the day before and using it right away.  I see canoes going where they want to go, climbers reaching higher, and archers moving closer to the ten ring.  For some of these guys these learned skills give them opportunities to get out on trips.  This is where many of the boys want to be.  Over the next couple weeks the boys will put together that the skills they learn in camp are directly linked to the skills they need on the river, trail, or rock.  It’s all about the skills and progression, not just a guided tour.

The best thing I saw in camp today was over at the climbing tower.  Of course, they were learning new skills like everyone else in other activities, but one of the skills they were learning had nothing to do with making them climb better.  Belaying…preventing the fall of another camper while they climb up the wall through a system of ropes, harnesses and a little friction.  One camper asking if there “belay is on,” while another commits to the climber that “belay is on,” agreeing to hold him if he falls. This simple contract creates an amazing amount of trust and understanding between the two climbers.  What a skill; learning to be the safety net for another person.   Now, just so everything is sorted and straight while they are learning, we always have a back-up belayer and a staff member right next to them.  So parents you can breathe easy.  But just so you know, this backup is almost never needed.  The boys can do it all and they do!  Learning skills experientially in a supportive environment where each person learns to count on the other.  So much more than fun…

Tonight’s age group activities:

“Juniors”- (Hillside & Connestee) are headed out on a cabin overnight
“Middler 1”- (Lakeside & Foxhollow) are going off the water slide
“Middler 2” – (Flattop & Chalet)Chalet is playing capture the flag.  Flattop is headed out on a cabin overnight
“Upper Middlers” – (Windswept & Outpost)  are in the gym for some dodgeball
“Seniors” – (Halfway) & “Upper Seniors” – (Lookout) are participating in canoe fill-ups

We just finished up evening snack with giant made-from-scratch snicker doodle cookies with a side of cold milk.  Heavenly!!!  What a way to end the day!

Tomorrow is another busy day with canoeing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and hiking all heading out for trips in the forest.   I will try to get some cameras out on these trips to see if we can catch them action.

Have a wonderful night. We are having an awesome time!  Feel free to touch base if there is anything you need.

Don Gentle
Associate Director
don@highrocks.com

Up and over the roof or 55 feet of obstacles?

The Bouldering Cave under the gym has recently been framed in and is now ready for the climbing staff to figure the perfect place for each and every hold!  From the two roof sections, to the overhanging wall in the back, to all the boxes, angles, and other obstacles down each wall, the Cave will present a wide variety of challenges for all of our climbers.  The addition of fourteen new fluorescent lights illuminate the area better then ever before, making those precise moves more intentional, and less of a hope and prayer.  The floors, shown here post-construction, will actually be covered with layers of mats providing a soft landing zone when attempting the Iron Cross (ala Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible II).

Guaranteed to provide frustration, the roof/overhang/box corner.

The Cave is now covered by 1232 square feet of paneling, designed with more anchors then holds to allow for constantly changing features, moves, and problems.  Regardless of a camper’s experience, each will be able to find challenges that suit their individual ability and push their skills and confidence to new levels.  This hard work will pay off in increased comfort on the rock face and in their overall enjoyment of the sport.  Not to mention a sweet way to spend time on a rainy day!

The originators of the Bouldering Cave idea

Summer is here!  We are just ten days into our June Session and everything is in full swing!  Every camper has already been out on an overnight on the property.  There is a climbing, paddling, hiking, and mountain biking trip about every day the rest of the session. It sure is a lot of fun!

Fishing on our 11 acre lake!

As we embark on our fifty-second summer, it is fun to see how many things have changed but what is compelling is how much it has stayed the same.  We still focus on the same philosophies that started camp over a half-century ago.  Our mission still focuses on the individual, independence, and encouraging teamwork.  Even though we have added some new activities, many of them are still the same just a little better with changes in technology and the advent of risk management.

A little "Capture the Flag" with a cabin group!

It is still amazing to me to see how much these boys get out of camp.  These guys learn so much.  They are aware of a lot of it, but it’s fun to see the little things.  For example, I don’t think there is one camper here that says “gee, I sure am excited to share a room with five other guys.”  Nearly all of our boys here have their own bedroom at home.  Learning to live with five other guys is such a great experience.  They all have to clean up, share, and even “put-up” with one another; but they also get to enjoy, learn, and respect one another.  Some of these guys come back year after year and request to be in the same cabin.  One of the first things they ask is “who is in my cabin this year?”  Of course, with boys, they are best friends for a few weeks, and then they will not talk again for 11 months until they see each other at camp again!

A lifetime of friendships!

I can’t wait to see what this summer has in store for all of us.  I am certain we will all learn something and have a whole lot of fun!