It’s About the Adventure
June 20, 2019 by Don Gentle
The mornings are becoming routine. I love to head up for my morning meeting after I get myself put together. I always grab a cup of coffee in the dining hall. It’s a fantastic cup of coffee. A friend of mine owns a wonderful little coffee roaster in town. He mixes up a special blend for our staff. It really is delightful! Anyhow, after I grab my cup of coffee I like to head over toward the kitchen to see what might be cooking up and say hello to the gang in there. I love our kitchen crew and they really do take care of us. It was another wonderful morning as I grabbed a couple of the scratch-made buttermilk biscuits coming out of the oven. A touch of strawberry jam and I was ready to head into the needs of the day.
Life at High Rocks is about being present in the moment and living. Without the distractions from electronics, politics, and the stresses we put upon our daily routine, you can get down to living. I really enjoy watching it all happen around me. We are into the “meat” of the session now. While I don’t want to be the one to shock you, it’s not always easy. For some boys, just being here is a huge step. For others, it may be going off the rope swing for the first time or getting to the top of the tower. I tell these boys time and time again to “embrace the discomfort.” That is where life is happening. The sweet spot is right at the edge of the discomfort where you feel a little uneasy, but not gripped with fear. If you don’t learn to handle the discomfort, it will all become gripping fear. Anyhow, what I am trying to say is I enjoy watching these boys face some fears, work through some frustration, and have some success. Our staff are very much in tune with the process and are there to help along the way. Check out the successes in the pictures today.
Trips Out Today:
- Rock Climbing went to the High Rocks with an AM and PM trip to our natural rocks.
- Paddlers ripped it up on the Tuckaseegee River with some solo canoers and kayaker.
- Mountain Biking took some boys over to DuPont State Forest
- A two-day hike headed out to Graveyard fields up near the Blue Ridge Parkway
- The little guys in Hillside enjoyed the morning on the High Ropes Course.
- Pastafarians (Sprucepine and Outpost): Headed out for an afternoon of whitewater rafting on the French Broad River near Hot Springs. They will eat dinner out in the forest and come back for the call to quarters.
Choice period was a fun moment on the activity field. One of our staff members created a super-bubble moment for the boys. They watched Nick do it for a while, but you can see from the pictures that the boys really got the hang of it. It looked like a ton of fun!
For tonight’s evening program:
- Chicken Contenders: Activity Field Danish Rounders
- It’s Not Personal: Canoe Docks for canoe fill-ups!
- Flex Tape: Chill Night at Sliding Rock and Dolly’s
- Life Alert: Soccer Field: 3 ball soccer.
- Pastafarians: Their evening continued out of camp with dinner catered out at Sycamore Flats Picnic Area in Pisgah National Forest
- Gaines: 3 on 3 basketball in the gym
It’s hard to believe we are rolling into our second weekend of the session already. Just over a week to go! We have a lot in store for these boys. I can’t wait to share!
Have a great night!
Don