I sure do like waking up at Camp High Rocks! The calm before the storm is delightful. Our day starts early at the Camp House. Izzie and I get up about the same time to have coffee before she heads down to the barn. We get up around 6:30 am and have just about 15 minutes together before she needs to jet out the door to be at the barn by 7:00 am. I usually catch up on a few emails, look at the morning meeting notes, feed Biscuit, and maybe enjoy a little back deck time.
Then, it up to the morning admin meeting at 7:40 am. This is not everyday, but most days. Biscuit an I enjoyed a nice stroll in the cool morning up to the dining hall. You could still see the steam coming off the lake reminding us how cool it really was outside. I left Biscuit to do her usual rounds and headed into the dining hall.
After a quick hello to the kitchen staff and my second hot cup of coffee for the day, I was “fully caffeinated and ready go” to sit down to talk about today’s adventures. We cover the program, campers, staff, upcoming events, maintenance, and general operations for the coming days. It’s a quick meeting, but we cover a lot. Everyone has their report or questions for the group. It’s almost a speed round as we move around the table taking notes and covering details. We check some things off, highlight others, and always leave with a few more questions.
The morning wake-up bell rang mid-meeting. Several female staff showed up to join in on the “Good Morning High Rocks” yell! We were off to a great start!
Tie Dye Tuesday is what we usually call it! Everyone breaks out their camp tie dye shirts. I enjoyed seeing several staff and campers show off their favorite tie dyes! Always a fun and colorful day! As typical summer camp lore goes, Tiger Tuesday started a few years back as a sort of retro rebellion against the mainstay them of Tie Dye Tuesday. During time off some staff were hitting the local thrift stores and found local school gear. the favorite was a small community that actually has a high school who’s mascot is…wait for it. The Rosman Tigers! All of the gear is nearly blaze orange with white accents. So, the trend began as a small band of staff brought the Tiger rebellion to the masses. There are still factions out their today, but I wouldn’t say it hit maintream just yet. See if you can spot the Tigers out there today in the gallery.
It is also TACO TUESDAY today. A crowd favorite that is less than exciting for those involved in the community adventure of dining hall clean-up. Nonetheless, there was plenty of excitement for the black, beans, ground beef, pork, onions, tomato, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Choose soft tortillas, corn tortillas, or chips and you cannot go wrong! Add some bug juice and sweet tea, and that was something that kept the boys coming back for more!
In short, because it matters. I am still amazed how little boys spend the night in the woods. It has become a really big deal for some guys. What I like most is how it’s a little hard and a lot of fun. And that next night really sends home how nice their cabin really is tonight.
This evening the cabins of Outpost, Sprucepine, Hillside, and Connestee all headed out for their cabin overnights spent further out on camp property. They will all be cooking pita pizzas and s’mores before diving into games and chatting around the campfire in the lead up to spending a night out in the woods. An event that is exciting and sometimes a little scary for guys not used to the total dark and different sounds. It never fails to make their cabins feel a lot more like home upon their morning return!
The rest of camp enjoyed The High Rocks Auction. It’s a fun event where each cabin has $1000 High Rocks Bucks to bid on special prizes or events that last throughout the session. It might be “pie your counselor,” or “cookies and milk with Don and Zoob,” or so many other options. It is way more fun than I am explaining here, but the winnings are fun to see happen all session long.
I have really enjoyed catching up and meeting some of these boys the last couple of days. There is so much ahead and so much learning that has already begun. I love what we do here, and I hope you do to.
All the best,
Don Gentle
High Rocks is an authorized Special Use Permit Holder by the Pisgah, Nantahala, and Sumter National Forests. • Privacy • Site Map • Camp High Rocks © 2025
