Tie Dye Tuesday

August 8, 2017 by Don Gentle

Tuesday is a perfect day to wear your tie dye. Especially one that we made just last week.  Everyone had the opportunity to make a tie dye and, of course, everyone wore them last week too (some more than once…or twice). We made sure they all made it to the laundry on Sunday so we could all wear them today!  It was a great way to brighten up the day!

We had a two-day backpacking trip head out to Panthertown today. These boys will carry everything they need for the next two days.  It is a wonderful location in Nantahala National Forest that the boys really enjoy.  Excellent views and wonderful formations.  What a great lesson on self-reliance and minimalist fortitude. We will see them tomorrow afternoon.

Our other trip out today 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 flat water.  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 go back for over a hundred years.  The boys will learn both the bow 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 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 white water a few years down the road.

So does camp have to be fun all the time? It would be easy to say yes, but the magic is in the truth that it isn’t always fun or easy. It sure is worth it.  What I am trying to say is while camp life at High Rocks is awesome, it is also educational.  Sometimes that education can be frustrating and even difficult.  For some of the youngest boys, the hardest part was getting out of the car on opening day.  The learning continues every day as they not only learn skills in their activities, but they also learn how to interact with one another.  The challenges of living with six other people that are not your family members are not to be overlooked.  The cabin experience also holds some of their greatest memories.  You can’t have one without the other. In their activities, the boys work hard every day to learn new skills and attempt to get better.  Sure it’s a lot of fun, but camp is also a great place to learn that you are capable of way more than you thought.

We have a whole bunch of excitement and learning to go for this session.  Stay tuned for more.  Tomorrow is wacky hair day!

Have a wonderful evening,

Don

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