Not Far Now

It sure was a wonderful morning here at The Rocks. I enjoyed a little coffee on the deck early and enjoyed the change of weather. It was cool and dry this morning. A welcomed change from the last few days. Mondays get busy fast but I sure enjoyed just a few minutes to myself before my puppy decided that peace and quiet was not important anymore.

I am sure you have noticed a few pictures of the dogs around camp.  I think it’s funny how the boys want to know so much about them. There are two main camp dogs, Barley and Biscuit.

Barley is my elder golden retriever. He is 11 years old.  He swims most of the time and loves to go on hikes, mountain bike rides, and anywhere there is action.  He has the best life ever!  He even has an Instagram account @barleythecampdog with over 400 followers.

Biscuit is our golden puppy. She is about nine months old and has completely fallen in love with camp. She, of course, gets herself into a little trouble. She does chew up some things… Mostly, she just relocates items like shoes, golf discs, hats, and a few other items. Dodgeballs are her favorite. Unfortunately, she likes to shred these rather than just relocate them. The Gentle’s have continued to resupply camp with dodgeballs throughout the summer. I don’t even want to know how many it has been. She is a sweet puppy and the boys love her. She will develop into her own soon, but this summer has been something!

What I have come to find out is that I should probably be paying the dogs.  It’s no mistake they are here, but sometimes I am amazed at how much they add to camp life.  The dogs always seem to know when someone needs a little time.  The boys enjoy petting them as much and the dogs enjoy receiving it.  I love it when the boys go out of their way to introduce their parents to the dogs on closing day. Anyhow, just a little window into camp life.

Speaking of camp awesomeness. I always tell the parents that projectiles and adolescent boys go hand in hand.  There are 138 boys signed up for shooting sports.  The boys truly love these sports.  Even the dads on Father-Son Weekend get excited about this activity.  What I also tell parents is there is no other place where you also have the full attention of the boys.  They uphold all the rules with the utmost respect.  You rarely have to tell them to do anything twice.  Part of this is because they want to shoot so much, but the other part is…well they really want to shoot again.  There is also no other place where you can see boys focus on just one thing, learning to do the exact same process in exactly the same way every time to get a consistent result.  Did you hear about the focus part?  Target sports are fantastic and fun activities that help boys focus.  The staff down here are incredible.  I really enjoy seeing these boys’ eagerness to learn.

We had a couple of High Rocks climbing trips head out today to our very own High Rocks boulders.  What a great place to climb and it is only a short hike away!  The boys really enjoy getting out on the real rock.

Our other trip out today was another canoeing trip down the French Broad right here in Brevard.  A great moving flat water section to learn new skills that will take them to the next step.  Our paddling program always starts out in canoes and always on flat water.  The canoe gives the boys a good vantage point for when they first hit the river and it gives them a bigger craft that is not as edgy as a solo canoe or kayak.  It is a tried and tested tradition in these parts that go back over a hundred years.  The boys will learn both the bow and stern positions on the lake and on the river. All of their strokes and maneuvers are designed to take them down the whitewater river progression. Once the boys have moved up to the second or third rivers in the canoeing progression, they can move into a solo boat like a kayak, C-1, or OC-1 (solo canoe). They will continue their progression in the canoe and the solo craft.  Year after year these boys are challenged on new rivers with new skills.  It is still one of our most popular activities. These boys in the two-week session are just starting along that progression that can eventually take them to Class III and IV white water a few years down the road.

I do have some housekeeping notes from Darby. If you are planning on shipping a trunk/duffle home there are two steps. First, please fill out the UPS Store’s form here. If you have questions, you are welcome to call UPS at (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.

Second, from the office.  If you are flying home and your son needs a ride to the airport. Be sure to let us know.  Many of you have already alerted us about your flight through the forms process. If you have not, we need to know about the details.

Finally, if you are still interested in the high-definition download for the gallery, just let Darby know in the office.  Her email is office@highrocks.com . The cost is $45.

We have a few more incredible days ahead!  Stay tuned. 

-Don Gentle

Today’s Pictures