Let the Journey Begin
June 30, 2014 by Don Gentle
Your boys have already started off on an incredible journey! You could say it started way back when you signed your son up for camp. Or maybe it started his first year at camp. He will only remember it started the moment he stepped out of the car this morning. Either way it is going to be incredible. Whether it is one week or a whole month, each child here today will be different when you pick him up at camp on closing day. Sure, he will make some new friends and learn some new skills. Most importantly, however, he will learn how to make some of his own decisions, set his own goals, make his own bed (what?), and have a blast doing it. No grades, no tests, no homework; just boys choosing a destination and hoping to get there. It’s going to be an incredible journey. I’m am happy to share the details of each day so you can enjoy it with us. Believe it or not, it’s going to be a journey for many of you as well. I can’t wait… So let’s get to it!
What a fantastic open to our July Sessions. It sure was wonderful to see so many returning faces and meet some new families who are just finding out how awesome it is to be at High Rocks. By 11:30 most every camper had already arrived. The boys were enjoying time playing games as cabin groups or heading out to some of the activity options available. The tennis courts, disc golf, gaga pit, and the game room were all big hits. Our starter session boys were taking a tour of camp before lunch so they could get right into activities by the afternoon. We all enjoyed a big lunch of chicken fingers, pasta salad, fruit, and chocolate chip cookies. The salad bar had additional favorites.
After lunch the starter boys took off to their first activity, horseback riding. The rest of camp began their activity rotation that would later help them decide on what they will sign up for the rest of the session. Once tomorrow morning rolls around, everyone will have their schedule ready and head out to activities right after breakfast.
For this session we have 148 campers, 79 staff members, and 5 counselor trainees. Most of our staff are returning counselors or former High Rocks campers; 54 of the 79 staff members are returning for the second summer or more! I’ll brag more about our staff later, but you can get a peek at them by visiting our 2014 High Rocks Staff page.
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. We will open the package and deliver the item.
The link at the top (Today’s Pictures) 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 website and picture gallery is very user friendly on most any device, including mobile and tablet devices. 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.
- If you have any problems getting the picture gallery to work, please e-mail me at don@highrocks.com or visit this post I put together to help folks out.
While I did not get to see everyone, it was a pleasure seeing so many returning faces as well all the new families today. We’re looking forward to a great session. 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.
Take care,
Don Gentle
Director