Welcome July Campers
July 2, 2018 by Don Gentle
It sure was a wonderful morning to welcome in all of our July campers! We are so excited for all of our Mini I one boys who have joined the High Rocks family! I know many of you all are here for the first time. What a great session to step into for your first year! The four-week boys will be a big part of your son’s experience and they will certainly help show them the way. While the Mini I guys will move about in their own way during evening program, they will be part of the same experience that the four-week boys are also experiencing. My hope is that these minis will also be month-long campers someday.
Just as I had hoped and experienced many times in the past, these boys picked up right where they left off just 48 weeks ago. It was like camp just let out yesterday. All the joys, wonders, and friendships were re-kindled just like a campfire. As I grow older in this world of High Rocks it has become one of my favorite experiences. Boys are funny, though. While many of these guys have come back year after year, you can still tell there is a nervous and excitable moment for them every opening day. Many, but not all, are not completely in touch with these feelings. I hear it all the time how worm out these boys are by lunchtime. I have to remind them that opening day morning is always a big deal and whether they realize it or not, they have burned a lot of nervous energy by lunch. The beauty is that the nervousness fades and the fun begins. The activities begin, the cool cards go out the door, and a new summer at High Rocks has begun!
I am so excited to share the wonder of what we do every day. My hope is to capture the moment and let you in on a little of what is happening at High Rocks. I’ll try to include you in on a lesson or two of why things work out the way they do and add some notes on why we do it. As with most writers, some days will be a little better than others and I am certain my proofing will lead something to be desired. My hope is that you will find the time and energy it takes to get these boys here is worth it and an important part of their development.
Now on to some details… After a well-needed lunch, we headed right into an afternoon of games and activity rotations. Of course, there are some needed details like swim tests and bike sizing. But why not make it fun by adding some cannonballs in the lake or a simple sprint across the field. That is exactly what we did! One of my favorites is the basic lake test. A simple set of skills required to get boys out in canoes on the lake. You size up some life jackets, learn a little bit about the boat and equipment, then you need to know what to do when your boat tips over. Guess what? We tip our boats over! It is a ton of fun! Just a small example of what our afternoon was all about.
We went right into dinner with a welcome pasta bar, rolls, a stocked salad bar, and a wonderful cookie pudding thing that I did my best to resist. After some great evening activity of field games and activity sign-ups, we all headed back to the cabins for some showers and a wrap up to the day. Each cabin had a small cabin meeting to go over some ground rules and highlights to finish up the day just as the lights out bell was ringing.
Speaking of logistics, let’s talk about all these pictures.
Below is the link to the High Rocks Gallery. The page should open a new window that is just the gallery. You will notice that our website and picture gallery is very user-friendly on most any device, including mobile and tablet devices. To get all the details and features like face tag, image download, and navigation; please check out the notes and details here at Gallery Help and Highlights. This gallery is password protected. I sent out an email today with details for your login. Please let me know if you need help getting into the gallery.
It may make sense to save the link and login to your browser for quick access. I will try my best to get the blog up by 9:30 pm each night, but sometimes camp does get in the way, or our rural internet has been quite slow (or even slower). Don’t fret! We will get you the pictures as soon as we can!
Don’t forget to follow us on social media. We will make it worth your while by putting up a couple extra pictures and a special video from time to time during the day. Twitter: @CampHighRocks. Facebook: Camp High Rocks, and on Instagram: #camphighrocks. Feel free to throw up some of these great pictures to share on your feed. We like making High Rocks look good!
While I did not get to see everyone, it was a pleasure seeing so many returning faces as well as all the new families today. We’re looking forward to a great session. Be sure to visit often to check out pictures as the session progresses we will typically put a few up in the afternoon, and then more in the evening. Once the blog is live for the day, then you will know all of the pictures have been uploaded for the day. Feel free to add any comments to the daily posts as well.
Again, we see it as an honor and a privilege to have your boys here at High Rocks. If anything did not go as planned today, please let us know. If you EVER have a question, please ask us! We want it to be an enjoyable experience for everyone!
Here comes the best time yet!
Don and Elizabeth “Zoob” Gentle
Directors