The Best Time Ever!

Time sure flies in just one week.  I know you are excited to see your boys, but it seems like they only arrived yesterday.  The boys wandered in this morning with a wonderful greasy, ashen, marshmallow look about them. I think I even saw a few specks of tomato sauce in the corners of their mouths. All reports were good! The boys played games and eventually settled in for the night. It is a great highlight of the session for these boys to spend a night out in the woods. It has a good “grit” feel that only an adventure like that can bring about.

We spent the better part of the day rotating through some more fun activities. At 5:00 pm the boys headed back to begin the transition of heading home tomorrow. They showered up and began reclaiming their items from about the cabin -both inside and out. After everyone was organized and showered, we headed up to the dining hall for a final banquet and then up to campfire for some mellow songs and a story.

I do have a housekeeping note from Darby. If you are planning on shipping a trunk/duffle home, there are two steps. First, please contact the UPS Store in Brevard. (828) 883-4701. Second, please email our office to let us know that you wish to have your trunk/duffle shipped and we will deliver your item(s) to the UPS store on Closing Day.

It sure is a wonderful bunch of young men! We got a little dirty, a little crazy, and we may have even struggled a bit. You know what, though?  We did it ourselves… Guided by some incredible young men and women that are the coolest thing since sliced bread.  We learned new skills, new adventures, but most importantly some life skills along the way that school can never teach us. We made some friends who we may only see for a week or so a year, but they may end up being the closest friends we’ll ever have.

 A few tips for the ride home tomorrow and next week:

• Be sure to continue the conversation about camp at High Rocks and what his highlights were.  The stories are great, but sometimes boys need a little help to get the conversation started.
• At some point next week: Sit down with your son and go through the picture galleries. He hasn’t seen them yet. This will get him talking about camp and it is always fun to hear about what he was doing when a certain picture was taken. You will have your very own narrator.
• Talk about next summer. If your son wants to return to High Rocks next summer (and we hope so), go ahead and decide which session he will attend.  Enrollment begins on Sunday, August 15th at 5 pm.  You have a few weeks as returning campers, but after that, you may have a harder time getting a spot with the first-year applications coming in.
• Don’t forget about the parent survey.  We will send out a link on Monday. We enjoy the feedback to help us keep making camp better each year. 

Thank you again for trusting us to mentor your son for this week.  It is always an adventure and always a privilege. I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow.

Don and Zoob Gentle
Directors

Today’s Pictures