Almost There!

July 22, 2010 by

 Pictures from July 22, 2010 (password required)

Another great day at camp!  We still had a couple trips out today; one more climbing trip and one more paddling trip.  The mountain bikers continued to work on their “trials-style” obstacles and then cooled off on the water-slide.  It was another warm day today.  We did have some mid-day rain come through at rest hour that cooled it off a bit.

In camp, archery had a special day that really got the boys excited.  The staff put together a “Clout Shoot;” a game from medieval times designed to train archers to shoot extreme distances using a “high-trajectory” shot up and over obstacles.  We roped off and area and placed a flag in the middle of the soccer field.  We then used a long piece of string that would be a marker for a giant 10-ring. Then the boys got to let it loose!  The boys were very excited to shoot their arrows high in the sky at distances over 100 yards.  You should have seen their faces!  You would have thought we gave them a new bike or something.  A very exciting day in archery!  Camp always seems to bring out great creativity like that.  The staff here never cease to amaze me.  They are always great at finding new ways to keep the boys excited and learning something new.

We are all home tonight!  What a joy it is to have everyone in camp.  The guys all participated in “Cabin Night” tonight.  An evening centered around just the cabin group enjoying each other’s company and having a little closure to the session.  Some guys decided to hang out at rocky top while others thought s’mores around the campfire would be better.  Every cabin did something a little different and special.

Tomorrow will be utter craziness as the boys begin to have these feelings run through their body that they do not understand.  The boys will all have feelings of excitement that they will see their parents the next day; they will also have feelings of sadness as they leave all their friends and counselors that have brought them a wonderful month.  The craziness is created as their minds try to figure this out and make sense of it all. 

What an amazing four weeks it has been!  Laughter, excitement, sweat, and even tears, it is all part of the growth and community we build her at High Rocks.  These young men are not just campers, they are High Rocks.   Every boy that comes up that road becomes part of High Rocks and of course High Rocks is now part of them.  We are all now part of something greater than the sum of its parts; a magic that happens week after week and summer after summer and lives inside us all.

This will be the last night of pictures.  We’ll still put up some blog stuff tomorrow.  Don’t forget Parents’ Day on Saturday.  Please wait until 9:15 to arrive.  We will get things going around 10:15 with demonstrations, displays, and lunch!  Have a safe trip; we can’t wait to visit with all of you.

Don Gentle

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