It’s hard to believe we are hitting the last few days of the session here already.  I enjoyed seeing another group of trips out this morning including the Mini Men canoers making their first river trips down the French Broad.  My hope is that it is one of many in the future. There was another group of Mini Men hittingRead More »

In this last week of the session, days begin in both a sleepy and expert fashion. The morning was clear and gorgeous, allowing for the bell ring to carry clear across camp with the responding cheers by the anticipating campers. Our paddlers heading to Section 3 of the Chattooga were the ringers this morning, dragging themselves from their beds earlyRead More »

Mondays always start with a lot of excitement.  We had 6 trips out of camp today and 2 additional special events on the high ropes course. Rock Climbing had two trips out to our private High Rocks climbing area.  It’s so close, that we don’t even get in the van and the boys are finished in just a half day. Read More »

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 Nate and the kitchen crew accompanied by scrambled eggs, oatmeal, fresh-cut fruit, yogurt, and assorted cereals. We had a great meal, then a little bounce-around time in assemblyRead More »

It sure was another fantastic day! The morning kicked off with the time-honored tradition of pancakes and sausage. We sided with some home fries and boiled eggs and then fresh fruit, yogurt, and assorted cereals.  Today is the day I fill in for the photographer, so I am out and about all day long.  It’s not that I don’t getRead More »

The cool morning brought a smokey-looking mist off the lake. I love these sorts of mornings in the mountains. It has been nice to see a slow drying of the air and some lower temperatures. It was only 57 degrees at 7 am this morning! The high did make it to 79, but the cool breeze most of the dayRead More »

I was super excited to get up to the dining hall this morning. While I typically make it up there fairly early for our daily meeting, I wanted to be sure I caught some of the mini guys coming in from their cabin overnights. As luck would have it, I was even able to catch a few of the boysRead More »

I had one of those “jack of all trade” days today at camp. After my usual admin meeting at 7:30 am, I made the rounds in the dining hall catching staff and campers for various needs. Then,  I had to fix a printer over at the health center, which lead to an Amazon list of needed items that the nursesRead More »

This Tuesday was a beautiful morning with clear skies, a light breeze, and a loud-n-proud wake up bell to start the day. For our 4 Weekers, that morning energy is an expected part of the day and if the typical yelling does not occur they are not shy in asking what happened. For our brand new crew of Mini IIRead More »

We sure enjoyed seeing all our Mini II families today! The cool moist air in the low seventies welcomed them to the mountains when they stepped out of their cars. I always enjoy the surprise on our parents’ faces when they open the door to the beautiful mountain air.  Life at 3000ft has its advantages!   Four-week parents, today weRead More »

Another fantastic Sunday at camp.  After a wonderful breakfast, and a little music, A multi-year staff member, Dallas, lead our morning by the lake with a talk about empathy; what it means, and how it can help our community. I was impressed to see the boys participate in some of the questions and really seem to understand what he wasRead More »

We had a great day visiting with the Mini I parents and wish well to all those boys heading home today.   This group of “minis” was almost entirely first-time campers. It was a big step to jump into all that we have to offer.  I heard several stories about the boys not wanting to leave and how they wouldRead More »

Sometimes we are reminded that these mountains are part of a temperate rainforest.  It allows us to paddle all summer, keeps the trees and grass green without ever watering, and provides for delightful sunsets.  While it did rain today, it wasn’t much of a hindrance; we still did our activities outside. The total accumulation was not much. It was mostly aRead More »

Life at camp started pretty early this morning.  A group of climbers was heading out for a two-day adventure at about 7 am today. They will head off to Virginia to a cool location As I made my way to the dining hall for our daily “meeting of the minds” there was a flurry of excitement.  Several trips were gettingRead More »

Another busy day here up on The Rocks.  The climbers took off to South Carolina to a secret spot we don’t like to talk about.  It was toasty, but the crag is mostly in the shade and they didn’t get stormed out.  Canoers took a new crew to The Green River.  I sure have seen a lot out of theseRead More »

Tuesday dawned cool and cloudy for a rather slow start to a very busy day. After the sheer enthusiasm and energy spent yesterday celebrating the 4th, it seemed quite reasonable to see sleepy guys staggering to breakfast. A meal of eggs, cream of wheat, sausages, and blueberry bread got things moving a little quicker down to assembly where the bandRead More »

Independence Day is a great time to be at Camp high Rocks! What better place to be to focus on independence as you celebrate it on the same day?  We always have a large time on July 4th.  Our day starts with all sorts of fanfare and dress.  The staff worked hard after hours to decorate the dining hall andRead More »

We love Sundays at High Rocks! They are typically a little more chill than the rest of the week.  We wake up a little later, and the morning is at a much slower pace. However, that slower pace does include getting our laundry up to breakfast in the morning.  It doesn’t sound like a huge deal, but getting all ofRead More »

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 in those days.  Nonetheless,Read More »

It’s hard to believe it has been five days already! Our Mini I boys leave in a week!  It sure was another great day out in High Rocks Land!  We started the day with eggs, bacon, grits, a fruit bar, yogurt, and assorted cereals. Up to eat early were our typical padders and climbers.  They like to be first inRead More »