Cabin Night and Upper Senior Dinner
June 28, 2017 by Don Gentle
It was 49 degrees this morning! What a wonderfully cool and breezy mountain morning. One perk is that I have been able to see these guys make good use of their High Rocks hoodies! The cool morning warmed up nicely even by the morning assembly. It is amazing how good assembly sounds after a session of practicing these songs. Today was probably my favorite of the year. The boys were all into the singing and kept pushing for more. By morning freetime, all the boys were still heading to the lake and enjoying the water.
We still had a number of trips out of camp, including another paddling and climbing trip, and a mountain biking trip. There are some great shots from the two-day paddling trip that went up today. It was a great last full day of activities.
Tonight everyone had their own activity with just their cabin. “Cabin Night,” as we call it, has been a big hit since we started doing it. Each cabin will “claim” an activity or special area in camp to enjoy some time with just their cabin group. Some guys hang out at one of the many fire pits in camp and roast smores. Several enjoyed different spots on the lake. A few went out of camp to a close scenic spot to enjoy some quiet time. It is a great time to just enjoy one another and appreciate all that they have done together.
I was privileged enough to host the upper senior age group at the director’s house for the evening. The upper senior dinner has been a long tradition at High Rocs, but a fairly new one for the June Session. Zoob, Woody, and I put together a fine steak dinner with sides including corn, salad, and Texas toast. Woody did the bulk of the work grilling all the steaks. I will say, that we had so much meat that they didn’t finish it all. We wrapped up the meal with cheesecake for dessert. After the meal, we all enjoyed a little discussion in the living room about what their future at High Rocks might look like including opportunities for counselor trainee, assistant counselor, and future staff member. We shared highlights about this session, and what they might change about camp. I enjoyed sharing my perceptions of their time modeling camper behavior and being good community members. What an outstanding group of young men. The highlight of the night was handing out upper senior challenge t-shirts.
While I’m thinking of Closing Day, I’d like to pass along a few logistical details.
We’re looking forward to seeing all of you Friday morning. You are welcome to bring family and friends – we make plenty of lunch to cover guests that aren’t in our original count. If you know of anyone that is interested in a camp session for their son, they are also welcome to join us & see what we are all about firsthand.
Remember, the guys will be ready to see you at 9:45 am. Please do not plan to arrive until after 9:15 am when we have staff in place to load trunks and show you where to park. The campers will be well-occupied singing all of their favorite songs in a final and most raucous assembly until about 9:40. After you stop by the gym and get your son’s trunk loaded you will park in campfire field. You can then meet up with your son by the dining hall on Mystic Hill after assembly ends. After that, he can show you around his activities and demonstrate the skills he learned throughout the session.
Lunch will be served for everyone beginning around 11:30 am but feel free to continue visiting with your son’s counselors and friends. Be sure to catch up with your son’s counselor and stop by the cabin to get any belongings that did not get into the trunk. During the morning or on your way out, don’t forget to check out at the office and pick up your son’s envelope with cabin pictures, store account refund (hopefully!), and other important items.
Our transition process into closing day will begin at lunch tomorrow. We still have a heap of fun left including our color war, closing banquet, and a final campfire where over fifteen boys will receive their five-year backpack. We have 37 campers that have been here 5 or more years this session. It’s quite an honor to see all these boys with their five-year packs.
Don