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Farewell First Session

June 23, 2011

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Happy Rockbrook Camp Girls

Thank you First Session girls for another great opening at Rockbrook! Today we had to say farewell to our first session Rockbrook girls. With our trunks packed, camp crafts gathered, and plenty of memories stored, we had our final breakfast together before the parents started arriving to pick up their girls. It’s certainly sad to bring such a wonderful time together to a close, and likewise to say goodbye to our camp friends. But it’s also a great feeling to recall all the fun we shared and how much we’ve grown closer. For everyone at camp I can say, we are already looking forward to being together again at Rockbrook.

Closing Campfire

June 22, 2011

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Girl Jumps into lake from Rock

Each session, the Hi-Ups, our oldest (10th grade, 16-year-old) campers, go on a three-day outdoor trip with Jeff. It’s a special trip packed with adventure, really great food, and time to relax and enjoy being together. It’s impossible to mention all the highlights, but they include things like wake boarding, waterfall hiking, camping, swimming, rock climbing, and cliff jumping. At one point, the girls swam up to a waterfall and climbed up several rock ledges to pass through the falling water into a small cave behind. The pounding cold, cold water and the roar of the waterfall made this such an intense feeling. When jumping into the lake from different heights, we could always count on hearing big happy screams. And the food… steak burritos and burgers for dinners, lunches of sandwiches and wraps, and eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes… Yum!

Camp musical School House RockThis session our camp-wide musical was Schoolhouse Rock, and today was the big performance for everyone at camp. This is a wonderful play that has lots of parts and plenty of familiar songs making it easy to includes campers of all ages. Based on the popular TV series, we heard A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing, Three is a Magic Number, Conjunction Junction, and several others sung by different groups of girls. The audience was thrilled to several solos and plenty of dancing, really giving several girls a chance to ham it up!

Camp Spirit Closing FireThe final event tonight was our closing campfire, the “Spirit Fire.” This is a tradition that goes back to the very beginning of Rockbrook. It’s a special campfire attended by the whole camp dressed in their “whities” (camp uniform and red tie), and is a chance to sing songs, recognize and reflect upon everything we’ve accomplished over the session. Girls take turns speaking about their time at camp, and about what Rockbrook has come to mean for them over the years. It’s a wonderful, calm time to remember our camp friends, as well as the fun and excitement shared during the session. To end the Spirit Fire all the campers and counselors light a small white candle from the central campfire and then stand together for a last couple of songs. With all the lights off in camp, with the sounds of the creeks and crickets, and with the whole camp softly singing by candlelight, this is just beautiful, and a very special time.

New York Banquet

June 21, 2011

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Camp Pork Shoulder Grilling

Rick (here he is in this photo!) has been cooking some phenomenal meat over the last couple of days. Today he grilled 160 pounds of pork shoulder to make his own barbecue for the campers. He started by baking all that meat in a low heat oven for 10 hours, and then moved over to the charcoal grill for the finish cooking to give it a great grilled taste. We were shocked when the camp polished off every scrap. Everyone must have loved it, not to mention his homemade coleslaw and sweet potato chips. With cups of lemonade, we all enjoyed a picnic on the hill. Ah, don’t you just love summer?!

Camp Rock Climbing Kid on Looking Glass RockIn addition to the climbs on Castle Rock, here on the Rockbrook property, we are also located nearby Looking Glass Rock in the Pisgah National Forest. Looking Glass is one of the best and well-known rock climbing areas in the southeast, with hundreds of routes that offer a range of challenges. Clyde and Abby took a group of middlers to the Nose Area of the rock to climb today. This area has fantastic views of the mountains as well as wonderful rock. There are a couple of easier routes to try, so everyone gets up to catch the view. Perfect weather made an even better trip.

camp banquet and partyThis was the night we’ve all been waiting for, the night of the Banquet. The CA campers (9th graders) have been planning and preparing for the banquet since the very first day of camp. They picked a theme and revealed the costumes, decorations, skits, music and dance, and food to create a special evening for the rest of the camp. Their theme? New York City. They had taxi cabs, graffiti artists, broadway lights, soft pretzels, street performers, subway cars, lots of candy (of course!) and more. It was an amazing transformation and performance, and everyone at camp enjoyed it. The creativity and hard work that went into the banquet really showed. Thank you CAs!

Tomorrow is the last full day of camp for this session, and it’s gonna be a busy one!

It’s a Golden Day at Rockbrook

June 20, 2011

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Campers enjoy an ice cream treat at Rockbrook Camp

The sun was shining and the energy was flowing today at Rockbrook!  We started the day with a delicious Breakfast Burrito which gave everyone lots of pep to take on the adventures of the day!  Several trips were offered from rock climbing on Castle Rock to kayaking on the Nantahala River.  In addition there was lots of talk of rehearsal for the camp play, rehearsal for the camp dance routines and to top it all of- today was twin day!!  There were all sort of twin duos and trios spotted all over camp.

After lunch, the highlight announcement was Biltmore Train!!  Biltmore Train is an all you can eat ice cream buffett for the campers and counselors.  It is an old tradition at camp from the early days.  The Biltmore Dairy Truck used to deliver the ice cream out to camp for the girls to enjoy a cool treat.  Here is a great old photo from the early days of Biltmore Train.  Today the girls enjoyed choosing from Peppermint, Cookies and Cream, Vanilla, Chocolate and Mint Chocolate Chip.  Have no fear, for those who don’t enjoy ice cream we had plenty of popsicles to go around. It was a fun treat and it cooled us all down for a nice rest hour.

This afternoon continued with lots more action around camp.  The mermaid club members (girls who have completed 100 or more laps in the lake) completed their laps and were announced during dinner.  Their efforts will earn them a big Rockbrook Surprise!  Girls also took time to complete more friendship bracelets, walk with a friend, pick up a their tie dye shirt or glaze their pottery.  As you can see, the days are full at RBC!  We sure are having fun!

Square Dance!

June 18, 2011

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Girls Climbing camper

A lot of climbing happens at Rockbrook. Everyday, in fact, there will be a group of girls climbing something, somewhere in camp. The most popular of these climbing activities is our Alpine Tower. It’s a unique high ropes course tower that is 50ft tall and is located in the woods behind our gym (here’s a map of camp to show you. The Tower is to the left on the map). There are dozens of ways to climb the Tower, from easy ladder-like routes to more gymnastic events that require more strength and daring. This makes it excellent for girls of all ages and something that’s always new exciting because there are plenty of new routes to tackle. When climbing, the girls are safely on belay, so they are also learning about the climbing equipment, safety rules, and belay commands. In case of rain, we can also move to the gym and hop on our climbing wall. It has several shorter routes up two faces and a corner. When the girls are ready for climbing a real rock, they can head up the trail above camp and climb our very own Castle Rock. There are six different fantastic climbs to choose from, right here in camp!

Girls art camp projectAnother interesting phenomenon at camp these days is all the decoration going on. There’s evidence of creativity and imagination all over the place. For example, just about every wrist has several friendship bracelets adorning it (not to mention the “bend-a-back” bracelets girls receive as gifts for doing an unexpected good deed and the green waterslide/swimming bracelet). There are some really complicated patterns being made! In the dining hall, there are colorful painted posters from different special events and birthdays, and in the cabins, wonderful ceramics projects, baskets, drawings, and weavings are stacked up to bring home. I’m sure many will be treasured gifts for you.

Also today we had a special program available for the campers to learn about moss. A local moss expert, Annie Martin, came for the day to lead 4 “moss expeditions” where the girls hiked a bit to gather different varieties throughout the Rockbrook property. Then each camper made a miniature moss garden to demonstrate what they found. The different colors and textures of our local mosses make these gardens really cool.

Kids enjoying camp square danceAfter dinner, we another camp dance with a local boys camp, this time with High Rocks. Instead of modern music though, this dance was a square dance. We split the age groups again so our seniors could travel to High Rocks and their younger boys could come to Rockbrook. It took a little while for everyone to relax (seeing boys can jingle the nerves, apparently!), but once they heard the music and saw that it’s no big deal to be goofy holding hands and stomping your feet, and that it’s fine to “mess up” your do-si-do, the girls really had a good time. We took a break for cookies and lemonade, only to dance some more afterwords. And again for those girls who didn’t want to participate in the dance, we had an alternative; several counselors hung out with these campers and made friendship bracelets while listening to music. It was an exciting evening with lots of smiles and good feelings all around.

The Good, the Food and the Fun

June 17, 2011

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Camp girls jumping in the lakeIt’s such a great treat to spend time at camp and see so many girls enjoying the outdoors. Just about every moment around here, we’re swimming in the chilly lake, lounging in the sun on one of the huge rocks, exploring critters in the creek, and enjoying all sorts of outdoor activities— the adventure, the horseback riding, the sports! Even at night in our traditional open, screened cabins, Rockbrook girls are close to nature. This is so important too. As the National Wildlife Federation, and others, are reporting, kids today are spending half as much time outside as they did 20 years ago (during the 90s). You’ve probably heard about the negative consequences of this “nature deficit” for children. Camp, of course, is a wonderful antidote for this. All this time outside opens our senses, encourages caring and compassion, and connects us more intimately with each other. Sure it’s a lot of fun too, but it’s good and lasting too.

Girls rifle shooting at summer campWe’ve really been eating well these last few days as Rick has served up several favorites. Breakfast today was a classic combination— scrambled eggs, homemade fried potatoes, bacon and fresh fruit (a blueberry and blackberry mix). The yogurt and cereal bar had even more fruit available too for those who preferred peaches, apples and bananas. These girls can eat some fruit! Then for lunch we had what is probably everyone’s favorite lunch, grilled cheese and tomato soup. Rick makes the soup by first processing a huge pile of carrots, celery and garlic, cooks and seasons this puree a bit, and then adds vegetable stock and tomatoes. That gets cooked some more and finally blended to just the right consistency. A bowl of this soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, and a salad from the salad bar makes a fabulous lunch! Dinner was a little simpler —baked tilapia, fresh steamed green beans, and white rice— but still yummy. I think the highlight of dinner, though, was the dessert, chocolate pudding. Thanks Rick for keeping us strong!

Camp girl slip-n-slideTonight after dinner we offered an optional activity down on the landsports field— a slip-n-slide and shaving cream fight extravaganza! You unroll a long sheet of plastic down a gentle hill, add a little baby soap and a spray of water, and you’ve got a fun slippery ride. The girls took turns running and flopping down on their stomachs to take the plunge. Campers from every line decided to join in, though I’d say it was most popular with the Juniors. To top off the evening, we then pulled out a couple of cartons of shaving cream to have a good old-fashioned shaving cream fight. The rules here are simple; use up the shaving cream in your can by smearing it on everyone else. This means running around, chasing friends to put a blob on their head, back or legs. As things unfold, some of the girls become completely covered. Creative hair styling is also part of the fun. Check out the photo gallery for more pictures.

Did you know that the photo gallery allows you to easily email photos to friends? It’s a great way to share what’s going on at camp.

Girls shaving cream fight at camp

Don’t Forget to Write!

June 16, 2011

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Girls receiving mail at summer camp

Receiving mail at camp is a huge deal to the campers. Everyday, someone from our office drives to the Brevard P.O. and wheels out a shopping cart full of cards and letters addressed to the girls at RBC. Even with our “no package” policy, there are usually a couple of hundred pieces per day! Then during lunch, we sort the mail and deliver it to the campers’ mailboxes so it will be ready once they’re dismissed from lunch. It’s always so exciting to check your box and see something there. Part of this excitement, I think, has something to do with the simple (mostly) technology-free living we enjoy at camp. Being away from screens and the external stimulation they provide, camp is more immediately interactive. It emphasizes real relationships and sensuous experiences, but is also completely “here and now” and relies very little on the outside world. Receiving mail reminds us of what’s going on outside in the “real world.” It provides some reassurance that everything is fine back home and it’s OK being at camp. Mail shows us that the folks back home are just as excited we are about us having this much fun at camp. Oh, and can you see why a real, hand-written letter is vastly superior to a “quick email?” Mail can really mean a lot!

Girls weaving baskets by the creek Yoga Camp girls eating muffins at summer camp

Today was a perfect summer day (warm, dry and sunny) for a perfect camp day (packed with action, plenty of giggles, and bright-eyed surprises). Clyde, Kristen and Abby took a group of Middlers out kayaking on the French Broad River. Jeff and Leslie took a big group of Juniors hiking to John Rock in the Pisgah National Forest. Thalia offered one of her very popular yoga classes to the seniors. Everyone paused for a cinnamon streusel muffin. And then it was back to weaving baskets in the creek near Curosty, working on backhands on the tennis courts, flips in gymnastics, and climbing to the top of Castle Rock. There always seems to be time to squeeze in a quick game of tetherball too. During the free swim time before dinner, the new water slide was running nonstop.

Tonight’s evening program marked the return of Auction, a special all-camp event we haven’t had in a few years. This session we went traditional and decided to make it a “Western” themed event. This meant all the girls came dressed in their best western garb… cowboy hats, boots, overalls, hair bows, bandanas and plenty of plaid. Each cabin sat together in the dining hall and was given a handful of RBC bucks to make bids on mystery prizes. Jerry, our Director Emeritus, ran the event as the auctioneer. Some of the prizes were sweet, like a cake or ice cream treat, while others were a little less exciting, like a tray of veggies or new toothbrushes. There’s plenty of suspense once a cabin won a bid, and just as much laughter and cheers when the prize was revealed. It’s funny how there were enough prizes for every cabin to win both a yummy and a silly prize… 😉  Good fun.

Auction game dressed in western garb

Good Goofy Fun

June 15, 2011

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Camp girls painting ceramics pieces

Going around camp today, visiting the different activity areas, you could tell that the girls have really settled in and begun to make camp “a place of their own.” That’s a phrase from the Rockbrook Camp mission statement. It’s an attempt to summarize one of the real values of a camp experience for young girls, and it’s part of the magic of why campers love their camp. The ingredients are simple: really good people who are eager to make friends, broad opportunities to be creative, sporty, and adventurous, and a caring environment where everyone can relax and be themselves. Combine these with the girls making their own activity selections, having plenty of free time to enjoy the wonderful natural beauty of Rockbrook, and simply enjoying time with their friends, and we have something special, something very different from home and school (where parents and teachers call most of the shots), and something truly their own. This is their camp and they love it.

Funny girls skit during evening programOf course, at camp a big group of girls can get pretty goofy and really let their silly side come out. Singing crazy songs outrageously loud in the dining hall, dressing up in a costumes for dinner, and making up skits with cabin mates are quite ordinarily part of the fun around here. This photo of an evening program cabin skit shows a little of that. Each cabin group is given a topic and challenged to come up with a group skit that they’ll perform for the rest of the age group in their lodge. It can involve singing, dancing, acting and audience participation, but whatever it is, the funnier it is, the better. A lot of the fun is working together to create the skit, as well as performing it for your friends.

This afternoon we had our Wednesday “Cabin Day.” This is a special day when after a morning of regular activity time (where the girls follow their individual activity selections), each cabin group sticks together for some special group event. Today, cabin groups were hiking to Rockbrook Falls and Castle Rock, building campfires to make S’mores, playing games in the gym and on the landsports field, cooling of by playing in the creek, and even making smoothies with the help of the kitchen. The mini session senior cabins took a trip to Sliding Rock, had a picnic and capped everything off with a stop at Dolly’s for a sweet treat. Dinner was some of Rick’s homemade fried chicken and warm yeast rolls.  Good stuff.  On cabin day, there’s always a lot going on!

Oh! I forgot to mention the muffins today… White Chocolate Raspberry. They were awesome!

Goofy camp girls having fun at Dolly's