It was another sunny at High Rocks! The breeze kept it wonderful as the last of the trips were heading out this morning. Boys headed over to the Nantahala River for paddling. The climbers took off to The Nose of Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah. Mountain biking had morning and afternoon trips, and the mountaineers were home today.
Tonight, most of camp spent the evening time with just their cabin. Enjoying a special place in camp to just relax or maybe even sit around a fire ring. They then transitioned to some cabin night discussions and snack that will take them to their highlights and goals later tonight during their cabin meeting. I was privileged enough to host the upper senior age group at the director’s house for the evening. The upper senior dinner has been a long tradition at High Rocks, but a fairly new one for the June Session. With the help of some awesome staff, we put together a fine steak dinner with sides including salad, fries, and garlic bread. I will say, that we had so much meat that they didn’t finish it all. We wrapped up the meal with cheesecake for dessert. After the meal, we all enjoyed a little discussion about the Upper Senior Challenge results. We passed out their Upper Senior Challenge T-Shirts. Finally, we discussed what their future at High Rocks might look like including opportunities for continuation in the upper senior age group, counselor aides, Summit Leadership, counselor trainees, assistant counselors, and future staff. It was a great group to hang out with for a few hours. I look forward to seeing most of them back next summer.
This summer, your camper will likely receive one or more patches for their level progression in an activity at High Rocks. Completing the first level (Adventurer) is accompanied by the activity specific patch. Upon completing the next four levels (Explorer, Pathfinder, Navigator, and Trailblazer), rockers will be earned to accompany the patch.
There are many way to display your patches. We will have have staff at the tennis shed and the camp store showing off the Red Felt Frame and High Rocks Felt Pennant. Please stop by to see these items we have available and ask questions about our levels program!
Just a few summers ago, Darby worked hard to get a small library off the ground here at Camp High Rocks. It has been a huge success! The boys check out books all the time, trade them out each week and even read many during the day. We have it right up in the dining hall for easy access and she even labeled the books for ages. I bring this up because she is always looking to add more books to the collection. Books are meant to be read, not left on a shelf. If you have children’s books that your family is outgrowing, please consider bringing them here. They will get a ton of use.
Tomorrow we have regular activities in the morning and then we will start our transition after lunch. First, we start packing our trunks for pick-up on Friday morning. We wrap up the afternoon with a camp-wide game. It has been a highly exciting event over the last few years. We will shower before dinner and then enjoy a sit-down meal that is served by our head staff. Finally, we will head up to campfire one last time to sing some songs, listen to a story, end then hand out our ten-year paddles. It is going to be quite a day. Always a lot of excitement and emotion.
While I’m thinking of Closing Day, I’d like to pass along a few logistical details. Closing Day on Friday morning, will run from 9:15 am to 11:15 am. You are welcome to arrive anytime during this window. There are not assigned times for closing day. If previous years are an indication, we expect most parents to arrive before 10:45. If you are running late, give our office a call so we can let your camper know.
There will be one more quick blog tomorrow along with a few pictures from our last full day including the banquet, the end game, and final campfire. We will certainly have them tired and ready for home.
Don Gentle
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