Another fantastic Sunday here at High Rocks! After a much-needed sleep-in, the boys worked hard to get their laundry up to the lot before breakfast. We enjoyed some of those scratch-made cinnamon rolls from the kitchen crew accompanied by scrambled eggs, oatmeal, fresh-cut fruit, yogurt, and assorted cereals.
After breakfast we always have a short reflective moment by the lake. A time to appreciate this palcae, all our accomplishments, and even sing a few songs. It’s a nice fellowship of guys just enjoying some down time.
the rest of the mornign was beautiful! We had all sorts of free time events that allowed us to catch up on some of our tennis, disc golf, and even basketball tournaments that run the entire session. It’s getting down to the wire here for those events.
The big morning event, however, was the annual “Upper Senior Challenge!” It is always a highly anticipated event for our oldest age group of campers. The event is like an adventure race, and it is put together very much like ‘The Amazing Race.” Teams must move from place-to-place performing tasks and challenges. Each clue takes them to another part of camp where they must read and communicate the challenge appropriately to the other team members. Most all the challenges are activities some of the guys have been doing for years at camp. Teams are divided up by cabin groups and only the oldest “upper-senior” group competes. Activities included a lot of running, shooting sports, mountain biking, climbing, canoeing, the rope swing, swimming, and fire building, along with some slightly different events that include sculpture, and dining hall clean-up with motion songs attached. It was truly a challenge for these boys. They all had a great time and cheered on each other throughout the event. It is one of my favorite Sunday events in camp. I really enjoy seeing these boys, some of whom have been here since they were seven, show their mastery and skills they have learned through their years of camp at High Rocks.
My recent injury has kept me off the front lines and will through th erest of the summer. I am able to get out and make some connections, take a few pictures, and even help some guys out. It has been a very different job for someone who is constantly on the move in activities, cleaning, moving things, just the basic day to day require a life with a good quad tendon and no crutches. Everyone has been super helpful. I really enjoyed getting aroudn to day to just hang with the campers. I had to explain my adversity and let them know that all will be well in the end. So this picture here is quiet delightful. A counselor came up with some new lyrics to a verse of “The MTA” and then brought a group of campers out to sing it to me. It is a song we sing in assembly, so it has some relevence. I put the verse belwo so that you may be able to read along with th etuen in your head. In short, we don’t always get to choose our adventures, but we can choose our attitude an push through.
Well let me tell the story of a man named Donald
On a tragic and fateful day…
He put his notebook in his pocket, took a dodgeball from Biscuit
And went to get his first meal of the day
Donald handed in his tray through the tray return window
And headed out to play
He somehome broke his leg on his way back to the office
But we know he’ll be back someday!
And will he ever return? Yes, we know he’ll reutrn!
And fro his absense we have learned
We know he can’t wait to get back to camp
He’s the man whe we know will return!
Tonight, we enjoyed our weekly cookout on the lawn with hamburgers, hotdogs, and all the necessary toppings. It was a wonderful time on the lawn watching all of the guys hang out and enjoy the company.
It sure was great to have everyone up at campfire. The band led some slower songs that set the mood as Dan Noland told us an epic tale. Near the end of campfire, we handed our 3-year flags to those Mini II guys that have been here for 3 years. We even had one five-year backpack for a Mini II guy.
Just five days to go until closing day! It is going to be a great week!
Have a Great Night!
Don Gentle
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