Welcome July Campers
July 1, 2013 by Don Gentle

It sure was a great opening day for all the guys today. While most of the boys are here for a month, we have a few starters here for just a week, and our Mini I guys here for two weeks. What an opportunity for these younger boys to experience camp with a group of guys that love camp so much. Some of these guys have been coming to camp for almost eight years. I really feel like that makes a difference for our younger campers. I witnessed several instances of returning guys helping out the new guys with some of the games we play, how the dining hall works, and how to get from place to place in camp.
The campers have already visited each of the activity areas this afternoon. Tonight after dinner, they each picked their schedule for the session. Tomorrow everyone will head right into a full day of activities after assembly.
Hank will try to send his initial letter from camp on Tuesday or Wednesday. In the letter he will have your son’s schedule and will tell you a bit more about his counselor. For this session we have 147 campers and 84 staff members. Most of our staff are returning counselors or former High Rocks campers (69 of the 84). If you haven’t had a chance to look over our wonderful staff yet, be sure to check out our 2013 summer staff page. It is an incredible group of mentors!
Please remember not to send packages of any sort. Packages will not be delivered to campers (if there is a birthday, call us for instructions). If you need to send a forgotten item of clothing, medication, etc., call our office first & then send the item to the attention of our office staff. Our office staff will open the package & deliver the item.
The link above will take you to today’s picture gallery. It is a password protected area, so please enter the password you were given on opening day or what was mailed in the parent guide. There is no username required, just enter the password. The page should open to a new window that is just a slideshow. You will notice that our new website and picture gallery is very user friendly on most any device, including phones and tablets. In order to enjoy your viewing experience of the gallery, please take these recommendations:
- Once you get to the page, scroll down until you see the bottom of the slideshow window. Click on the last icon on the right, it will allow the slideshow to expand into the whole window. Use this option for desktops and standard laptops.
- For tablets, phone devices, and other screen enabled devices, tap the middle of the slideshow once to enlarge it. This will also give you navigation options. Typical swipe navigation will work as well.
- The slide show has a self-play option, but you can advance through as fast you wish by using the navigation or swipe options.
- Don’t forget! If you want streamlined access to the blog on your mobile device, download the High Rocks App from iTunes or Google Play. Once you install the app, just click the “High Rocks News” icon to get to the blog page, and then click on the picture link.
- If you have any problems getting the picture gallery to work, please e-mail me at don@highrocks.com . There has been a few issues with older internet explorer versions. If you have not tried it, I highly recommend the Google Chrome browser.
While I did not get to see everyone, it was a pleasure seeing so many returning faces as well all the new families today. Be sure to visit often to check out pictures as the session progresses. Feel free to add any comments to the daily posts as well. I will try to get the blog and pictures up around 9-9:15 pm each night. Some nights could be later if we are out having fun on our evening adventures. I’ll do my best to stay on schedule, but I find my time with your sons to be the top on my list.
We’re looking forward to a great session. Have a great night!
Don Gentle
Associate Director