The Best of Times

It was a great day to finish the two-week session.  We had a wonderful last morning of activities.  The big adventure was Launch Day for our model rocket crew.  It is always a ton of fun and excitement. The boys are prepped ahead of time for the possibilities of the rocket not returning, crashing on impact, and not launching at all.  There was a lot of success AND we never saw some of them again…

This afternoon we got ourselves packed up and then headed out to the main activity field for our END GAME!  The rain added to the epic event that had them all worn out by the end of the event. After shower hour, we had our final banquet, and then it was up to campfire for a final reflection and a story. The rain turned us back to the gym, but it was plenty awesome just the same. We even handed out two o our five-year backpacks to a couple of campers this session.

Saturday is going to be a crazy day of emotions and excitement.  The boys will be excited to see you but upset to leave.  We have added a few notes below to make sure you have a good idea of what is happening.  Most importantly, let him show you what camp is to him.  He will most probably lead you by the hand and won’t stop talking for hours.  Just listen to what camp has done for him.  It won’t come out in sentences that spell it out.  You’ll have to listen and watch how he speaks and what he talks about. It was definitely time well spent with purpose.

Parent’s Day Planning Guide

• Plan to roll in around 9:15 am
• Meet your camper at his cabin.
• Take a moment to talk with his cabin counselor.
• Make a point of getting all your son’s things that are still at the cabin.
• Feel free to walk around and let him show you camp.
• We will not have the camp store open this year on closing day. If you still need something, feel free to order online.
• Don and Zoob will be by the tree near the tennis courts after you park.  Swing by to say hello. 
• Woody floats around a little, but you should be able to catch him on the hill near the dining hall.

What’s Next? I always have parents ask about the difference between our two-week session and our longer sessions. The two-week session is meant as an introductory camp experience and all the trips during a two-week session are beginner-level trips. In every session, our goal is to have a progression of building skills in the activities. When boys move on to longer sessions as they get older, we are able to build on their previous experiences and keep them at an appropriate level of challenge. As you are planning for your son next summer, we are happy to help with any questions you may have about which session may be the best for your son.

 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 these weeks.  It is always an adventure and always a privilege. Woody, Zoob, and I will be around if you would like to talk about anything. I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow. You Rock!

Don Gentle

Today’s Pictures