Not Far Now

It was another busy and fun morning here at High Rocks.  I was out for a good part of the morning events helping the barn staff load some hay that came in a few days late this week.  While it was an unplanned event today, it was certainly well worth it.  We put up over 300 bails of hay in the loft this morning!  That will certainly feel like an accomplishment.  Life as a camp director can throw curves at you all day long.  There are a lot of moving parts.  I also become a jack-of-all-trades.  You become handy and skilled at many trades, reasonable at cooking for at least 50, learn to drive and handle all sorts of machinery, and of course learn a lot about children. It is always a joy and an adventure every day here at High Rocks!

While I did miss morning assembly, I noticed that Windswept II made Cabin of the Day for clean-up!  Super proud of those boys working hard in the morning to clean up that cabin.

The boys moved through a lot more rotations today, trying new activities and even repeating some.  Outpost took their turn on the high ropes course this morning, wrapping up that activity for the session.

Many of us generally shy away from things we are afraid of doing.  Most all the time we feel better once we tackle it.  Sometimes we don’t feel better.  That’s the kicker.  You know what?  That is all right too. My father-in-law shared with me some wise teaching.  The focus was more on your career and figuring out what you want to do with your life. Anyhow, he felt like it was important to take some jobs you didn’t like. His answer was that “it will help you understand what you don’t want to do.” His son found out that he didn’t want to own a car wash.  Sometimes we don’t like to do what is hard.  

The boys this week have overcome some things that are not easy.  Check out those pictures from the top of the tower.  Do you think those boys might have been a little afraid the first time they tried to make it to the top?  How about the first time they spent the night outside? How about the first time they were away from home for a week?  All of these “hard” tasks have been faced and overcome this week.  Will there be some things that were not their favorite?  Sure!  What you will find out is that the joy and learning far exceed the discomfort.  I would go as far as to say that the discomfort at times is what will make the best stories. So, while these boys have overcome many hard things, they have also had a blast doing it.  They are learning a whole lot more important life skills than just climbing the tower. My favorite part is that you believe it is important just as much as we do. 

Speaking of adventure, all of the boys took to the woods for their cabin overnights out on our 1100-acre wood.  They will spend all night at one of our open-air shelters enjoying classic pita pizzas, carrots, and the smores around the fire.  I always enjoy hearing the stories when these boys roll back in just before breakfast. It should be a fun night.

Just one full day to go!  I hope you enjoy all the cool tie dye shirts the boys made this week.  They look good!  We are certainly having a blast and reaching the home stretch now!

Don

Today’s Pictures