Mountain Life
August 2, 2019 by Don Gentle
It sure was a beautiful and cool mountain morning! The sixty-five-degree temperature compounded with a nice breeze added a nice chill to the morning air. I loved it! I also enjoyed some of the youngest boys wandering in from their cabin overnights. They were a little dirty from last night’s endeavors, but still filled with spirit! The day warmed up nicely with a mostly cloudy day, but still plenty of sunshine and fun for 5 pm free time.
Right after breakfast, we hit the ground running with Whacky Hair Day! The boys and staff had a blast as several “stylists” helped whip up some funky hair. some of that color might be around a few days, but it is supposed to wash off.
Our climbers had two half-day “High Rocks” trips up to our 40-foot boulders on the property. There was still plenty of climbing excitement in camp at our 53-foot tower. The boys continued to work on skills and even try out the bouldering cave.
Our paddlers had their first two trips out on the French Broad River today. A nice moving water float trip that allows them to learn the first aspects of the river environment. There are some great pictures showing off this wonderful section of the river as the boys learn how boat and paddle react to the moving water environment. It certainly adds a bit of excitement and thrill. We will continue some more of these trips all next week.
Speaking of excellent camp experiences. Let’s talk about horseback riding! If you have not seen our equestrian center, then you NEED to make a point of visiting it on closing day. My guess is that your son will drag you down their anyway. It could be one of the best programs we do here at camp. Any child that wants to ride gets to do it. No one ever gets “closed” out of an activity here at High Rocks. Not only that, they get to ride almost every day. There is something to be said about children and horses. Even for boys, almost all of the youngest half of camp sign up for riding. Even most of the older kids still keep coming back. It is a great opportunity to learn a new skill, share a relationship with an animal, and overcome some fears. Our riding center hosts over 20 horses, two barns, and three separate riding rings for individualized instruction. Once they work on voice commands, and control of the horse, the lessons continue with a progression of posting and other ring work. Our wonderful property allows for endless trail rides and excitement. During our longer session boys work on jumping, drill team, and cross country. High Rocks is a great place to learn the joy of riding year after year.
Don’t forget to check out the gallery of cabin pictures that went up today as well. In today’s pictures, you will also see some pictures of a few boys that had the option to go on a river snorkeling event. They had a ton of fun learning all about the mountain riparian environment.
Don’t forget to show off your pictures of High Rocks! On a desktop just right click on an image and share or save. For mobile on both android and apple, typically just hold your finger on the picture until you get the options screen, then save and share it. tag us @camphighrocks…
Saturdays are always amazing. It sure to be another amazing day at Camp High Rocks.
Have a great night!
Don