Back to the Adventure
July 8, 2019 by Don Gentle
First, a quick preface… I was made aware of some technical issues with our gallery this morning that may have been spanning the last couple of days. I apologize for the confusion, but everything should be sorted and loaded up now. There are some pictures you may have missed on Saturday and Sunday. Our internet is highly taxed during uploads and at times the system just times out. Please enjoy your cable internet at home. It is one of the few hardships we have here in the mountains. I’ll try not to complain. Anyhow, be sure to look at Saturday and Sunday again. Now on to the daily adventures!
Monday’s always start with a bang. It’s like the beginning of a horse race as all these “trip-eager” boys who were all stuck on our 1000-acre facility all weekend feel like they need to get out and do something. I know, it sounds awful being “stuck” here! Anyhow, we tend to have all sorts of boys heading out on trips the second Monday of the session. Their skills are just starting to build, so it is time to test them out!
Our climbers were the first out the door to head over for a classic Looking Glass Rock trip. We had the hikers up for an early breakfast as well, but they still had to finish packing. They were out the door in the morning, but it did take them a little bit to get sorted. These guys headed over to Panthertown, a wonderful place in Nantahala National Forest.
Canoeing had two trips out today. Some of our youngest guys headed over to the French Broad Section 0. It is a wonderful beginner trip for guys that are just coming off the lake and learning what current can do to challenge you down the river. There are even a couple of small rapids. The second trip put-in where the other boys were coming out. This second group of guys enjoyed a nice float down the quiet section of the river that will take them to a private camping area right on the bank of the French Broad! In wonderful High Rocks fashion, a staff member that was helping with the shuttle this evening met them just as they were dragging their boats out. He showed up with bomb pops to congratulate them on a job well done!
Mountain biking took a nice trip over to DuPont State Forest to rip it up on some world class mountain bike trails. They all had a blast!
It was another warm sunny day here at The Rocks! While the temperatures are nowhere near what many of you are experiencing, it was definitely a day to be in or on the water. The morning brought us a nice breeze that stuck with us for most of the day. It helped quite a bit, especially for the sailors.
Tonight, our oldest age group of boys headed out for the infamous “Chill Night.” The event begins in Pisgah where they enjoy the natural water slide called “Sliding Rock,” and then head over to Dolly’s ice cream bar for the final piece of the “chill.” We should have some of those pictures tomorrow. The rest of the boys enjoyed some great games in camp including the water slide and rope swing, three ball soccer, dodgeball, and some games on the field.
On a side note, now that the holiday week is over, it is time to start thinking about camp! I wanted to remind you that the summer is THE best time to visit camp for families that are considering High Rocks. There is no better time to see our camp in action, meet the staff and directors, and even meet the boys who attend here. If you have friends or family in the area this summer, be sure to tell them to set up a tour of High Rocks. You can send them this Tour Link!
That should do it for tonight! I hope you all are having a good start to your week! We have a lot more in store for ours.
Don