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Camp High Rocks
is accredited by the American Camp Association and the Association
for Experiential Education |
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We at Camp High Rocks extend to you and your son a most sincere welcome! We look forward to our association with you this summer and will do our best to make your son's stay with us a happy and rewarding experience. This guide is intended to answer most of the questions that you might have. We welcome your phone calls if you have further questions. -Hank & Townsend Birdsong, Directors |
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In the spring you will be sent a travel information form. Please return the form to camp two weeks prior to the opening day. We meet campers arriving by airlines or private plane in Asheville, North Carolina. Checked or shipped baggage should be tagged with the enclosed High Rocks baggage tags. The United Parcel Service delivers to camp; we would be more than happy to receive your son's trunk early by UPS and have it in his cabin when he arrives. If you are making flight arrangements for the end of camp, we ask that your son leaves from Asheville no later than 2:00 p.m. High Rocks is located along highway 276 in Cedar Mountain, NC. The camp entrance is just across from Sherwood Forest Golf Course. Coming from Greenville, SC, the camp is 4 miles from the NC/SC border. If coming from Brevard, camp is 2 miles from the main entrance of Connestee Falls. Map to Camp . NEARBY OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS Overnight accommodations in the vicinity include the establishments listed below. There is a lot of local information available at www.brevardnc.com. Other possibilities include hotels in Greenville, S.C.; Asheville, NC; and Hendersonville, NC. Each city is about a one hour drive from camp. We suggest making reservations as early as possible, especially if you plan to be in the area on or around July 4th.
The camp fees are payable as follows:
A final billing will be sent in mid- April. Please make all checks payable to Camp High Rocks, Inc. The final billing will include an additional $50 (two week) or $60 (three and four week) camp store deposit. The deposit covers essentials purchased in the camp store- batteries, toothpaste, tennis balls, stamps, toothbrushes, and other personal articles that might be needed. No food or beverages are sold. Any unused portion of the deposit will be refunded at the end of the camp session. There is no need for any camper to have cash at camp. All correspondence should be sent to the address below: Campers are not allowed to make or receive phone calls at camp. Due to scheduled activities, out-of-camp trips, and the physical size of our facility it would be very difficult (or impossible) to reach a camper on the phone. If you have a phone message for a camper, calling our office and having them deliver it is the best option. A speedy way to get a message to your son is to FAX your message or send it by email. You may email your son at camper@highrocks.com and place his first and last name in the "subject" line (example- Mark Smith's email would be addressed camper@highrocks.com with Mark Smith as the subject) or send a fax to him at (828) 884-4612. There is a 75 cent charge to his store account for each fax or email received. We will print out all faxes and emails and deliver them with the regular mail at 12:30 p.m. Campers do not have the ability to send faxes or emails, nor do they have access to computers. We do, however, encourage them to write home often! Campers are not allowed to have cell phones at camp. Campers who arrive at camp by plane and use cell phones during their travels need to leave them at the office until Closing Day. You will receive correspondence from camp in the form of letters from your son's counselor and from Hank. In letters sent from you to your son at camp, it is generally best to ask about the camper's experience or to comment on what he has already written. Numerous references to home, family, pets or saying "we miss you" can turn a borderline homesickness case into a full fledge case. Parents will receive a camper medical form in the spring. It is very important that these forms be carefully completed, signed by parent and doctor, and returned to camp at least one week prior to the opening day of the session. Our camp R.N. must have the records prior to opening day in order to prepare infirmary records and to alert the staff to special situations. Any prescribed drugs should be delivered to the Camp Nurse upon arrival at camp. Use of tobacco, alcohol and unprescribed drugs positively will not be permitted among campers. We prefer to keep camp a smoke-free environment; please assist us with this desire. Due to the short duration of our sessions, there is no visitation until Parent's Day. The Parents Day program runs from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the last day of each session; details of this will be sent to you during the camp session. There are no facilities for housing visitors at camp. |
In the interest of good dietetics we request that no gum, candy or food be sent with the campers. Please help us avoid problems in this regard by explaining this request to your son before he departs for camp. We feel that packages interfere with the camp experience and that the focus on them leads to unintentional competition within the cabin groups and sometimes even hurt feelings. Therefore, "care packages" are only accepted in the event of a camper birthday. All others will be returned to sender. Any costs will be charged to the camper's store account. Please tell family and friends! NECESSARY items such as a camper's forgotten shoes, tennis racquet, extra glasses, etc., may be sent to your child c/o Hank and Townsend Birdsong. Any medications should be sent to the attention of the Camp Nurse. Flat envelopes for sending such items as a magazine or newspaper articles should be less than $3.25 postage. Envelopes over this postage amount will be returned to sender. We are not asking you to complete an activity form at this time. However, please talk with your camper about the activities in which he may want to participate. Be sure to complete and return the riding registration form by May 15th. High Rocks does not specify a camp uniform. We recommend plain, durable clothes that are washable rather than requiring dry cleaning. Please do not send expensive clothes, or new, unwashed clothes. We try our best, but camp life is not easy on designer clothing! Laundry is a weekly service, at no additional charge to campers. If an item of clothing should not go into a dryer, it is the camper's responsibility not to send it to the laundry. It is important that all items of clothing and equipment be plainly and indelibly marked with the camper's name. Iron-on name labels will not stay on properly. Campers should leave expensive cameras, watches, Gameboys, and radios at home. Camp does not assume responsibility for lost articles. Our climate is apt to include some cool weather, especially in June; our days are usually mild, with nights requiring two or three blankets. Some boys, especially the younger ones, have occurrences of enuresis at camp (bed-wetting). The change in climate can be one factor affecting this. If a boy has a known or anticipated pattern of enuresis, we request that he bring a protective sheet, and also suggest that he bring at least two extra bed sheets. It would also be helpful if you would notify us in advance. Personal camping gear should include a suitable pack (we recommend a pack with a frame, not day pack or book bag type), and a lightweight sleeping bag (with stuff sack), preferably with synthetic fill. The sleeping bag filling should not retain moisture and should be able to dry quickly. Down-filled or cotton-filled sleeping bags are not recommended. There is little backpacking in the two week session, so don't worry too much about high tech gear for that session. A basic backpack is available at camp for all sessions. A coated nylon poncho or raincoat will be necessary at camp. Thin plastic ponchos or raincoats will not survive even the first rainstorm. Gore-Tex, or other waterproof-breathable raingear is another suitable, but more expensive option. Boots or hard-soled tie shoes with heels are needed for horseback riding. A hiking boot can double as a riding boot. If your son is dependent on eyeglasses, it is best to send a spare pair to camp in case one set gets lost. These can be kept in the office if you wish. There are several excellent sources for equipment. From personal knowledge we recommend:
One final note: a camper does not need and should not bring a knife or ax to camp. For shipment of clothes and bedding we recommend a footlocker and duffel bag. Both can be checked on plane tickets. Please keep the trunk/footlocker size to no larger than 14 inches high and 36 inches wide. SUGGESTED CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT We recommend that you use this list as a guide for the clothes and equipment that you bring to camp. All clothing, including shoes, athletic equipment such as tennis racket, fishing gear, etc., should be clearly marked.
You can do much to prepare your son for going away to camp, especially if it is his first camp experience. Talking honestly with your son about what to expect can ease the transition from home to camp. Many boys expect camp to be fun all the time. While your son should expect to have fun, you can tell him that he will at times feel many different emotions: elation at discovering new friends, fear of confronting a new situation, disappointment when a game or project hasn't gone well, and even sadness to leave friends at the end of a session. Homesickness may occur, especially if your son is young or living away for the first time. Homesickness is neither a dislike of camp nor evidence of camper maladjustment. It is normal. Discussing this with your son and letting him know that this is a common feeling will make it easier to deal with should it occur. If it does, the most appropriate action is to let your son stay at camp, except in very unusual cases. Our camp staff members are trained to work with homesick boys, and within a day or two most boys have completely recovered. If you receive a letter that is less than positive at the beginning of camp, don't worry too much- homesickness is usually over by the time the letter reaches home. In your letters to camp, it may be helpful to ask about experiences at camp rather than to dwell on happenings at home. Try to put your own feelings of separation into proper perspective, and then write your son an encouraging response. Express your confidence in your son's ability to cope and that the staff is there to help. It is usually a good idea to avoid making references about how much you will miss your son and it helps if parents avoid talking about what they will be doing while their son is away. If you receive a letter that is cause for concern, don't hesitate to notify us by phone. Since gaining independence from family is a developmental task that all must face at some point or other, camp can be a positive step in the life of a camper. Due to the increasing unpredictability of airlines and luggage handling at airports, we are suggesting that trunks be shipped to High Rocks by UPS or other commercial carrier. Please note that UPS does not cover damages to a trunk/duffel unless it is in a separate container; only the "contents" of what is being shipped will be insured. We will ship trunks and duffels home at your request, however, we do not provide boxes. Charges will be added to the camper's account. Campers should plan to arrive after 9:00 a.m. on the appropriate day, preferably by 12:30 PM. Due to counselor staff meetings and much needed time off prior to each of the sessions, we are not able to accommodate campers before the opening day. Upon arrival you will be met halfway up the camp road and given some information about your son's cabin, counselor, and check-in process. We may ask you to wait a bit until the upper parking lot is less full before going on up and unloading. Once given the o.k. to proceed up the road, you will be met at the top in our main parking lot where we will unload your vehicle and walk you and your son to the camp office for check-in. A staff member will then help you check in at the infirmary (leaving any medicines with the nurse) and then will walk you and your son to his cabin to meet his cabin counselor. Your son's trunk and other belongings will be transported to the cabin by the time you arrive to meet the counselor. It is certainly fine to help get your son settled in a bit; however, we do ask that you stay only a very short time (10 minutes at most) for several reasons. First, it is easier for the boys to adjust to camp if the transition is quick; the less you linger, the easier it is. Secondly, we have exceedingly limited parking, and will need your car's space for another incoming family. We hope you do not mind waiting to take a camp tour until Parent's Day (the closing day for the session). By that point, you'll have your own personal tour guide with lots of exciting and unique stories to tell you about what he did at camp! |
