Until Next Time…

It was a quiet morning with the groups out for their cabin overnights.  It was fun to see them roll in telling me how it went as soon as they saw me.  It is a time-honored tradition that goes back many decades.  We feel an overnight camping experience in the woods is a big part of what summer camp is about.  It adds some grit. It helps us appreciate what we have, and the stories are always great.

We spent the better part of the day rotating through some more fun activities. At 5:00 pm the boys headed back to begin the transition of heading home tomorrow. They showered up and began reclaiming their items from about the cabin -both inside and out. After everyone was organized and showered, we headed up to the dining hall for a final banquet and then up to campfire for some mellow songs and a story.

I do have some housekeeping notes from Darby. If you are planning on shipping a trunk/duffle home, there are two steps. First, please fill out THIS FORM provided by our local UPS Store in Brevard. Second, please email our office to let us know that you wish to have your trunk/duffle shipped and we will deliver your item(s) to our local UPS store on Closing Day. UPS only needs the form filled out. Please contact Darby if you have questions. Don’t forget to check out Darby’s closing day email that went out earlier this week.

It sure is a wonderful bunch of young men! We got a little dirty, a little crazy, and we may have even struggled a bit. You know what, though?  We did it ourselves… Guided by some incredible young men and women that are the coolest thing since sliced bread.  We learned new skills, new adventures, but most importantly some life skills along the way that school can never teach us. We made some friends who we may only see for a week or so a year, but they may end up being the closest friends we’ll ever have.

 A few tips for the ride home tomorrow and next week:

• Be sure to continue the conversation about camp at High Rocks and what his highlights were.  The stories are great, but sometimes boys need a little help to get the conversation started.
• At some point next week: Sit down with your son and go through the picture galleries. He hasn’t seen them yet. This will get him talking about camp and it is always fun to hear about what he was doing when a certain picture was taken. You will have your very own narrator.
• Talk about next summer. If your son wants to return to High Rocks next summer (and we hope so), go ahead and decide which session he will attend.  Enrollment begins on Sunday, August 14th at 5 pm.  You have a few weeks as returning campers, but after that, you may have a harder time getting a spot with the first-year applications coming in.
• Don’t forget about the parent survey.  We will send out a link on Tuesday. We enjoy the feedback to help us keep making camp better each year. 

Thank you again for trusting us to mentor your son for this week.  It is always an adventure and always a privilege. I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow.

Don and Zoob Gentle
Woody Noland
Directors