Over The Hump

It was another mountain morning up t High Rocks! Life at 3000 feet sure feels different.  I really enjoy the cool mornings. I think it makes it feel like camp.  Put on a cozy sweatshirt and by the end of breakfast, it’s down to the tee shirt.  Really, the June session campers get the best of it.  I feel like July arms up quite a bit and some of those cool mornings are not what they were in June.

I have enjoyed watching boys move into this second phase of the session.  What I call the grit of camp.  The relationships become real. The boys have to confront feelings, frustrations, and each other.  That wet bathing suit that your cabin mate keeps leaving on your bed was funny at first, but now it is becoming a problem and it can no longer be ignored.  This group process is an important part of the experience.  Guided by caring and skilled staff, these boys can learn how to discuss issues of difference whether it be an opinion, a point of view, or just a misunderstanding.  It is all part of this 21-day expedition we call camp.  This “storming” is an important part of the process.

I tell parents that it’s not even fair sometimes.  You can never be as cool as our staff. One of the key reasons all of this works is because our camp staff is admired so much by these boys. It gives the staff a precise advantage to handle all that comes their way because the boys want to stay on their good side. It’s a funny dynamic, but it sure is a whole lot more than tennis balls and climbing harnesses.

There were all sorts of trips out again today -climbing, canoeing, mountain biking, and hiking.  Our senior age group boys (Sprucepine and Pinnacle) took the afternoon to go whitewater rafting and then eat out in the forest.  They rolled back in around 9:00 pm, just enough time to settle in a pass out for the night.

My High Rocks moment of the day is our cabin meeting.  Each night the boys wrap up the day with a meeting in the cabin.  It’s not typically a very long meeting, but it is a time to think about the day and talk about what is on your mind as well as thoughts about tomorrow.  Some counselors have a set plan where they talk about highs and lows, or things they are looking forward to in the future.  The counselor can also use this time to talk about how things are going in the cabin and even bring up topics that the group needs to address.  This is a very important part of creating our community here at High Rocks. It’s also what keeps the roof on the building after living with five to six other guys in a very tight space for three weeks.

Be sure to keep writing those letters and emails.  Encourage your boys to write back as well.

Have a great night!

Don

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