Heading Out!

August 2, 2012 by

Pictures from August 2, 2012 (password required)

In addition to “Chill Night” trips to Sliding Rock and Dolly’s Ice Cream, most of the activities have the basics behind them and some beginner trips have started.  Today several of our Rock Climbers got to hike up to the Cathedral Rocks, also known as the “High Rocks”, about a 20 minute hike from main camp. There are several large boulders that make up the area and climbers get to experience climbing on real rock. The morning group headed out after assembly and returned before lunch. The afternoon group got an early start on the afternoon and left during rest hour and returned a bit early due to a much needed rain this afternoon. Tomorrow we will have more climbing trips out and an all day hike to Dupont State Forest as well as two trips to the French Broad River for beginning paddlers. The French Broad offers a great opportunity for eager paddlers to experience navigating a canoe on gentle moving water. These trips are in addition to regularly scheduled activities in camp. Campers are invited to participate in the trips when they are ready for the challenges they present.

Around camp the activities were hopping. Lookout cabin got to have their turn on the Ropes Course this morning and Outpost had their turn this afternoon. The Ropes Course is a great opportunity for the boys to work together as a cabin group that often helps the boys bond a little closer having shared the experience together. Every cabin will have a chance on the Ropes Course this session. We start with the older cabins and give the younger boys a little more time to adjust to camp before sending them on the Ropes Course.

Cabin Life
Each cabin group has a nightly meeting to go over the day and discuss successes, highlights, goals, and to talk about getting along as a group. Living together under one roof requires some give and take, so counselors help to guide campers in being a good citizen & to think about how their actions affect others. Every cabin goes on a cabin overnight with the next-door cabin during the first week of camp. For the boys, it is a fun camping trip; our purpose, however, is much more than fun. The overnight is a great time for a cabin group to bond together as a team away from the distractions back at camp.

Just a quick note about pictures…
If you see your son in the same t-shirt for a second day, don’t worry!  Sometimes we will post pictures from the previous day that get turned in late, as in today’s batch.  We try to get as many different campers in the pictures as possible and have as many different activities represented as is feasible. Generally, we take more pictures around camp than on trips, and some campers shy away from the camera while others jump in front of the photographer every chance they get. We don’t force campers to have their picture taken, so if you haven’t seen your son in a picture lately, email him and ask him to get in front of a camera!

The campers love getting letters and e-mails from their friends and family, so keep them coming. The campers don’t have access to computers, but we print the emails & deliver them with the rest of the mail. If you send e-mails, please be aware that we do not open or print attachments (pictures, word documents, etc.) and it works best if the e-mail has black text on a white background. Please remember (& tell grandparents)- no packages! It is generally best to send your last letters on Tuesday to be sure they arrive before closing day. We will deliver emails and faxes that are sent as late as Friday morning.

Tonight’s after-dinner activities (youngest to oldest):

  • “Connestee Warriors” (Hillside, Connestee, & Holiday Inn) Hillside & Holiday are  headed out for their cabin overnight, Connestee will be in the gym.
  •  “Annoying Copy Cats” (Lakeside, Foxhollow) Lakeside is on a cabin overnight, Foxhollow is at the gym
  • “Rabid Red Bananas” (Flattop & Chalet) are at the waterslide.
  •  “We are Farmers” (Windswept & Outpost) are playing a game on the Cabin Field.
  •  “The Vegetable High Council” (Halfway, Lookout & Pinnacle) are heading to “Sliding Rock” and Dolly’s Ice Cream.

Have a wonderful evening and enjoy the pictures!!!

Take care,

–Hank Birdsong
Camp Director

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