The Magic We'll Miss (And What We Are Grateful For) With the summer wound down, our full-time staff always finds it an odd time. We come off of a busy, invigorating schedule full of routine and living by the bells. Despite a few fall weekend events (hello, Family Camp over Labor Day Weekend!) it’s quiet. Our daily rhythm shifts backRead More »

Best of Times Time sure flies in just one week.  I know you are excited to see your boys, but it seems like they only arrived yesterday.  The boys wandered in this morning with a wonderful greasy, ashen, marshmallow look about them. I think I even saw a few specks of tomato sauce in the corners of their mouths. AllRead More »

Jersday Thursday Thursday got off to a beautiful start this morning. The sun was poking through clouds and camp was cool after a solid rainstorm late last night. As the wake-up bell tolled out, the typical morning noises commenced and the day was off to the races!Breakfast consisted of some delicious grits, boiled eggs, sausage, french toast sticks, fresh berries,Read More »

Waikiki Wednesday It is a true adventure here every day.  Some of the time just getting ready for the day is an adventure.  I enjoyed cruising through the cabins during clean-up time this morning. Many of the young guys are doing their best to just get their clothes on straight, let alone get the bed made and help out with groupRead More »

Tie-Dye Tuesday Today dawned cool and cloudy, fog rolling over the lake and all was remarkably still. Still, but not necessarily quiet. If you listened closely you could hear the chatterings of some excited young campers (well!) before the wake up bell officially began the day. The bell sounded and the chatterings became something more as our cabin groups launchedRead More »

Welcome Junior Campers It was so great to meet everyone today.  I want to thank all the parents for putting on a brave face during those morning showers.  It really was not too bad, but I am sure it made the guys just a little more nervous.  I really enjoyed all the excitement during drop off.We had everyone here prettyRead More »

End Game and Final Campfire Time sure flies in just two weeks.  I know you are excited to see your boys, but it seems like they only arrived yesterday.  After a fun morning of some activity wrap-up, pony painting, and general excitement, we took a brief break to get packed before the big event of the day.  END GAME! It isRead More »

Just One More! Today was our last full day of activities.  We still had a couple of trips out today.  Hiking took full day hike to Panther Town for another waterfall hike.  The rock climbers were out for another trip to the High Rocks.  Outpost finally got their High Ropes experience in this morning.  We even had a inaugural Camper-CounselorRead More »

Not Far Now It sure was another great morning here at High Rocks! It was nice to see the temperatures warm back up and we all welcomed the sun back in our lives.  We missed him!  I enjoyed the cool and quiet morning as hiked up to the dining hall. I made it up to our morning meeting only toRead More »

Rain-a-Palooza After a summer of clear mornings that hint at the day’s heat yet to come, this morning continued  a change in weather to start this week. The morning was a bit chilly. The blankets were pulled up firmly and man was it quiet out in camp right up to the bell. In some cabins, a few minutes past theRead More »

It's All About the Journey It sure was a busy Monday!  We had several trips out the door this morning.  Even our rock climbing trip headed out to do some rappelling while the wet rock was going to be too much of a challenge.  Mountain biking hit the trails. Canoeing enjoyed the river at a super fun level. Even hikingRead More »

Carnival Sunday So, Sundays at camp are always a little different.  We like to slow down a bit, think about the week we just completed, and ponder on the week ahead.  This morning almost made you want to sleep in .  A cool 60 degrees out there today. Although I still woke up early, it felt a little more restfulRead More »

Saturday Fun Day For as long as I have been here, we have had pancakes on Saturday.  Throughout High Rocks’ history, there was a time that the director himself would cook pancakes on Saturday since our head cook was off that morning.  I tried that for a while, but the program has become much larger and more complex than inRead More »

TGIF at Camp This first Friday of the session began shrouded in the mist on the lake that makes the water seem endless. It was quiet in camp, the mist serving to make bunks even cozier while the camp schedule slowly makes our guys thankful for a few extra minutes of lie in.What once was redundant now becomes essential inRead More »

Jersday Thursday This morning I enjoyed watching the guys roll in from the woods after their overnights.  The stories of the “grit” these overnights teach us are always enjoyable.  They even create the best memories.  I enjoy hearing about how late they stayed up, who ate the most pita pizzas, or even how bad the sleeping conditions were last night. Read More »

Waikiki Wednesday It was a delightful morning here on the mountain.  Life at 3000 feet has its advantages. The blue sky stayed nearly all day.  The morning breeze picked up as the temperature began to change. It made for a welcoming morning. While it was warm today, we still save a few degrees from Brevard which is another 1000 feetRead More »

Tie-Dye Taco Tuesday This first full day of camp was a sunny, breezy start to the session! As you can imagine, our guys were not nearly as interested in sleeping until the wake-up bell when instead they could be up and peering through their cabin windows, chatting with bunkmates, and even beginning the morning routine.The bell did toll out atRead More »

Welcome August Two-Week I love opening day! For me, I am just as excited to see the parents as I am to see the campers. It sure was a wonderful morning. I enjoy meeting new families and connecting with old friends as well. After over 30 years here at High Rocks, I am even seeing my old campers that areRead More »

End Game and Final Campfire It was a wonderful finish to our July session today. We kicked off the day with our advanced horseback riders giving us a drill team show in the big ring.  The next big event was the final match of the second annual Biscuit Disc Golf Tournament. It has taken weeks for the guys to getRead More »

Upper Senior Dinner and Cabin Night What a full day of fun!  We still had boys out on trips in several activities including paddling, climbing, and hiking. Some of the boys today just made it into kayaking, and a number of boys just reached their highest rank, the High Rocks Archer, in archery.Tonight, most of camp had some choice evening programsRead More »