End Game and Final Campfire

To the final minute, we were still sucking every possible adventure out of the time we had left in camp today.  None of this sitting around and not doing anything for two days.  Our final match of the camper-counselor tennis tournament was a big show today.  It takes a full four weeks to get all these games in to complete the tournament.  What a great game and a great history here at High Rocks. 

Our CTs lead us in a different sort of “End Game” today that they created.  It was a wonderful mix of challenges that still had a great feel to it for the boys.

We wrapped up with our typical last-night banquet and campfire.  We handed out a number of 5-year High Rocks Backpacks and four Fritz Orr hand-made paddles for our 10-year boys.

It has been an amazing few weeks. 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 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 cannot teach us. We made some friends. We sure did love it! For us, it was never about the destination and it never will be.  Give us the journey… This is where the story is told.

 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 15th 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 Monday. We enjoy feedback to keep making camp better each year. 

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

Don Gentle

Today’s Pictures

If you are reading this on closing day, It looks like the images from July 23 did not load and are loading this morning, July 24.