Mud Pit Extravaganza and Upper Senior Challenge
July 22, 2018 by Don Gentle
It sure was another wonderful morning on the mountain! W had a nice quiet wake-up. The boys could come up early for cereal and hang out in the dining hall in their jammies or choose to sleep in and come up for breakfast at 9 am. We moved from breakfast to a nice morning service and then enjoyed a beautiful morning with some choice period and free time. After la hea,rty lunch, we enjoyed some time with our age groups with some games around camp.
The main event, however, was the“Upper Senior Challenge!” Again, this event is similar to an adventure race that is put together very much like ‘The Amazing Race.” Teams have to move from place to place performing tasks. Each clue takes them to another part of camp where they have to read and communicate the challenge appropriately to the other team members. Most all of the challenges are activities some of the guys have been doing for years at camp. Teams are divided up by cabin groups and only the oldest “upper-senior” group competes. Activities included a lot of running, shooting sports, mountain biking, climbing, canoeing, the rope swing, pottery (yes, pottery), and fire building. It was truly a challenge for these boys.
The most important part of this event is that they have to do it as a team. The cabin group cannot start another activity until all the members are there and they do not finish until their whole team has passed the finish line. It is amazing to see these boys motivate and cheer each other on throughout the whole event. Of course, some are more athletic than others, but not all of the skills are athletic and everyone pulls their weight. It is one of my favorite Sunday events in camp. I really enjoy seeing these boys, some of who have been here since they were seven, show their mastery and skills they have learned through the years of camp. There are a number of pictures that really show how much these guys put into it. What a fantastic group of young men.
Not to be undersold, the rest of camp finished up their afternoon age-group events that then took them to the mud pit. In “the pit” the boys are challenged to find a number of plastic balls, each a different color and symbol. They will find out tomorrow what the winning cabins will receive. Most importantly, the boys had a blast! Of course, the mud always makes for amazing pictures! You really need to check it out.
Darby (our extraordinary office manager and director of marketing and communication) made me promise to remind you of a couple closing session items. First, if you plan on having your son’s trunk shipped home, please contact the UPS store in Brevard for details and payment. You also need to let us know that you would like your trunk shipped. We will deliver your trunk and/or duffel to the UPS Store in Brevard on closing day for shipment.
The UPS Store | Brevard
102 College Station Dr. Ste 3, Brevard, NC 28712
Phone: (828) 883-4701
Fax: (828) 883-4801
Email: store3439@theupsstore. com
Again, please contact Darby in the office at office@highrocks.com if you decide to ship a trunk and/or duffel and we will deliver the item(s) to the UPS store after Closing Day. Second, if you would still like to download high-resolution pictures or purchase a USB drive of pictures, be sure to let Darby know.
We finished up our day with our weekly campfire and a story told by one of our longtime counselors, Sumner Williams. I can’t believe we only have four days until parents’ day. Not to worry, it is going to be a busy one, with a ton of boys heading out of camp. We are super excited about this coming week!
Have a great night,
Don