Welcome Junior Session Campers
August 3, 2015 by Don Gentle
We are so excited to have our Junior Session campers here! They have had a very exciting day and have already made a tie-dye T-shirt, completed a swim test, and gone horseback riding. All of this before dinner! Their evening program was a special event put on by a couple of the senior staff who used to be junior camp counselors for many years. It was an exciting opening day for them and we are excited they have joined us. Junior Session parents, be sure to read some of the notes set out specifically for you at the end of the is blog.
I have made a point to ring the wake-up bell everyday this session! It has been very fun for me to scream out to welcome all the campers to a new day! They have even enjoyed screaming a “good morning” back to me from all over camp. It was another perfectly sunny morning here at camp that continued throughout the day.
Our Two Week boys were back into activities today. A couple of groups went out on trips today including a blueberry hike up to Black Balsam. The wild blueberries (or huckberries they are so close to each other I can’t tell) were coming in all over the place in High Pisgah. What a wonderful trip. The whole Sam’s Knob area in High Pisgah takes me back to the children’s classic “Blueberries for Sal” by Robert McKloskey. If you have ever read that book to your children, you will know exactly what I am talking about. There are even a couple pictures tonight that look like the author was right on the very same spot.
Our other trip out was another canoeing trip down the French Broad right here in Brevard. A great moving flat water section to learn new skills that will take them to the next step. Our paddling program always starts out in canoes and always on flatwater. The canoe gives the boys a good vantage point for when they first hit the river and it gives them a bigger craft that is not as edgy as a solo canoe or kayak. It is a tried and tested tradition in these parts that goes back for over a hundred years. The boys will learn both the boy and stern positions on the lake and on the river. All of their strokes and maneuvers are designed to take them down the whitewater river progression. Once the boys have have moved up to the second or third rivers in the canoeing progression, they can move into a solo boat like a kayak, C-1, or OC-1 (solo canoe). They will continue their progression in the canoe and the solo craft. Year after year these boys are challenged on new rivers with new skills. It is still one of our most popular activities. These boys in the two week session are just starting along that progression that can eventually take them to Class II and IV whitewater a few years down the road.
Tomorrow we have our first two-day backpacking trips heading out along with canoeing, and climbing trips. We are all looking forward to another great day and awesome weather!
Junior Camp Parents, Please read below for some additional notes:
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 necessary 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 at the bottom (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. Drop me a quick email if you need help with the password.
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 arrows 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 “gallery troubleshooter” post I put together to help folks out.
I will try my best to get the blog up by 9:30pm each night. Don’t forget to follow us on social media too. We will make it worth your while by putting up a couple extra pictures during the day and a special video from time to time . Twitter: @CampHighRocks. Facebook: Camp High Rocks, and on Instagram: #camphighrocks.
Tomorrow is going to be another incredible day! Good Night!
Don