Mountain Living
July 3, 2014 by zoob
It has been another gorgeous day at camp! We enjoyed a quick shower during rest hour but afternoon activities did not miss a beat. We are expecting a low in the upper 50’s tonight which will make for great sleeping in the mountains tonight. I grew up in Columbia, SC and I am still amazed at how pleasant summer can be in the mountains!
It has been great to see campers reaching full stride already in the session. Today was another busy day in camp with activities moving and shaking all over camp. In crafts our campers were busy cutting and sanding walking sticks that they collected earlier in the week. A lot of time and care goes into creating the perfect size and style of walking stick. There are some that will build large biceps due to their exceptional size and weight. Others are more delicate and all are designed with a great deal of pride.
In climbing the guys were enjoying time to try new routes on the tower. Our tennis players were working hard on the courts today. Fisherman kept a more relaxed pace on the lake with several catches in each class. The smaller camper numbers in fishing classes create an definite advantage for the fisherman. Mountain bikers hit the trails with increasing confidence after several days of honing their skills. Horseback riders enjoyed a beautiful day down at the barn with lessons in the ring and a couple of classes out on trail.
In addition to all of the in camp activities we had several trips out of camp today. The number of trips out will continue to increase next week. Today the paddlers enjoyed a day on the Tuckaseegee River. Climbing spent the day at Horse Shoe Rock. Hiking took a trip to John’s Rock in Pisgah National Forest. Mountain biking took a group over to DuPont State Forest for a morning ride.
Our starter campers enjoyed the morning on the ropes course. They became more confident on the course with each element they completed. They loved the zip line at the end of the course and many were wishing they could do it all over again. After the ropes course they headed over to the soccer field for a quick game before landing at archery and riflery for their last activity of the morning. This afternoon they headed to the waterfront for canoeing and sailing before getting ready for their cabin overnight. We do know how to pack in the fun!
We had three other cabins that headed out on overnights tonight in addition to our starter campers. Hillside, Foxhollow and Flattop all packed up and headed out before dinner. They will get to dine on pita pizza’s and s’mores this evening and enjoy sharing stories around the campfire. We will welcome them back to camp in time for breakfast tomorrow.
We spent some time getting ready for tomorrow’s 4th of July Festivities. It will be celebrated to the fullest here at High Rocks with “Freedom Games”, counselor painting, watermelon and fireworks. Tomorrow the boys will enjoy a special patriotic wake up- High Rocks style!
Until tomorrow,
Zoob