2 Minute Read
Read to the bottom for a very cute photo of Biscuit, our camp dog!
Most days at camp feel special.
Others are more character-building.
A few summers ago, the day before closing, I had one of those character-building days. It had just poured rain, it was muggy, and everything felt heavier than it needed to be. In the middle of it all, I asked our staff to move camper trunks, every single one of them. While this is a normal ask before closing day, it was a tough ask in that weather.
They didn’t complain. They just did it.
And then we realized I had put them in the wrong spots.
So we moved them again. Same weather, same soggy shoes. Standing there watching it happen, I had that very specific leadership feeling that this one was on me. I apologized out loud, more than once, and then we kept going.
I’ve thought about that day a lot since then, not because it went poorly, but because of what it quietly gave everyone involved. Camp is often described as a place where kids grow. It is also a place where adults practice the very same skills we hope campers are building, owning mistakes, staying flexible, and supporting each other when plans fall apart.
Recently, I read an article in The Atlantic titled “Let Your Kids Fail” that put language to what I have seen play out at camp for years. Resilience does not come from getting everything right. It comes from getting things wrong in places where there is support, patience, and room to try again.
Nothing about moving trunks was unsafe or harmful. I wasnt shamed for the wrong move. We adjusted, laughed, and completed the task. That is something High Rocks does exceptionally well: it creates space for mistakes without letting them define the experience.
For campers, that might look like missing the target in archery, or forgetting water shoes, or navigating friendship struggles. For staff, that might look like moving trunks again. The lesson is the same: making a mistake does not mean you’ve failed; you’ll still be okay.
Camp provides opportunities for boys to practice coping with challenges. Post camp, as they encounter a setback, whether it’s a lower grade on a test or not making the varsity team, they have already started to develop skills to move through it.
These small moments rarely make it into highlight reels or conversations about the best parts of camp. But they are the grit-building experiences that last a lifetime.
This is our camp dog, Biscuit, who survived trunk day without moving a single one.
-Darby Dame, Director of Communications and Trunk Mover
P.S. Want to chat more about camp? Send me an email at office@highrocks.com.
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