Good Morning High Rocks!
June 10, 2019 by Don Gentle
I hope you all had a chance to see the quick social media blurb with our wake-up moment. Be sure to check it out if you missed it. Not every summer camp has their own trumpet guy to blast our revelry! The best part is that Sumner does it from the rooftop of the dining hall just to be certain everyone can hear it. As the trumpet rang through the thick and wet mountain air it brought goose bumps to my skin. What a way to wake up the very first morning of camp at High Rocks!
Sumner Williams is another family member that has spent most of his summers growing up at High Rocks. Named after his grandfather and founder of High Rocks, Sumner Williams. Sumner loves to paddle and has spent the last few summers heading up our whitewater program. He is a joy to have around. We are glad to have him here.
Now back to our story… Right after the bell and end of revelry, there is always a primal “Good Morning High Rocks” that echos through the hills. Soon after, camp comes alive. The first morning is always a lot to take in, even for some of the seasoned veterans. You can’t eat until the cabin is cleaned. A wonderful group process that has worked through the ages.
The breakfast bell rang soon after. The boys were ready to eat! Our breakfast is always assorted cereals, hot bar items, and an amazing fruit bar. The hot bar today included scrambled eggs, scratch-made buttermilk biscuits, sausage, and sausage gravy. The fruit bars had sliced oranges, grapes cut to the right sized clump, sliced grapefruit, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. The smaller berries are usually near the Greek yogurt. Typically, I like to take a little house-made granola, Greek yogurt, and a pile of berries all together in a bowl. Today I went for the biscuits. Life is about choices, and I certainly didn’t need both. I did grab some fruit, however.
Our first day of activities set a baseline that will springboard into some real learning through the session. You should have received an email with your son’s schedule and a few details this afternoon.
The rain came and went. Just enough to make you appreciate it when it wasn’t there and certainly enjoy the late afternoon sun. We rarely think about it, but these little events or changes are so important. It allows us to work through the less than desirable times and appreciate those peak moments. If it was the same every day our comfort zones would be skin deep and spilled milk might really be a huge deal. By the time the lights-out bell was getting ready to ring, there was a wonderful mountain breeze and the air was wonderfully cool.
Speaking of moving out of your comfort zones. Our oldest group of campers hit the trail right before dinner. The cabin overnight is another time-honored tradition that works wonders while the boys hardly realize it. Everyone will get their opportunity to hit the wilderness on our private 1000-acre wood. We typically move down from oldest to youngest. Of course, the youngest guys always have the best stories. I hope to share some of those with you.
The boys did great today. I sure did enjoy catching up while working on my name games. It’s such a wonderful feeling having Camp High Rocks full of excitement and activity. Tomorrow is going to be even better.
Don