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Rock Climbing Grannies

July 2, 2010

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Summer camp girls rock climbing

Mallory, our head climbing instructor, is doing a fabulous job inspiring the girls to sign up for the rock climbing trips she’s planned all week long. Everyday girls are climbing at Rockbrook. They’re on the climbing wall in the gym, all over the Alpine Tower (something super popular, even with the littlest Juniors), and up on Castle Rock. If you’ve studied the map of Rockbrook, you’d have spotted the two huge outcroppings of granite on the camp property, Castle Rock and Dunn’s Rock. While Dunn’s is larger and a known Peregrine Falcon nesting area, Castle Rock is perfectly suited for rock climbing. We’ve developed six excellent climbing routes ranging from a beginning grade through a cool, more challenging (and really high!) route up the face of the rock. The shortest route is about 25 feet, but the longest is over 100 feet long! Rockbrook is very fortunate to have this caliber of rock climbing right in camp, literally in our own backyard. It makes it very easy for us to go rock climbing a lot.

Girl equestrian camp horse ridingAnother activity that remains one of the most popular at camp is horseback riding. That’s probably not too surprising, but it seems like we’re seeing lots of excitement down at the barn these days. The equestrian instructors are teaching between 8 and 12 mounted lessons a day, and the stable club is meeting twice daily. The stable club is an extra activity time when girls can stay and help take care of the horses—bathing, brushing and even trimming them. With all that attention and so many girls working closely with the horses, petting them and talking to them, it’s no surprise that we have very attractive horses at Rockbrook, sometimes with braids in their manes or tails, but always clean and shiny. Certain favorite horses are so pampered!

Camp girls dressed up as grannies and grandpasWhat’s more fun the playing bingo with your friends? Playing bingo for fabulous prizes? Yes. But even more so, playing bingo dressed up as a granny or a grandpa! That was our evening program tonight: a classic event we call “Granny Bingo.” Dressing up for this event involves wigs, glasses, strategically placed pillows in clothes, bathrobes, walking sticks and powder in your hair. Add to that a scratchy, thin voice and you can have a pretty convincing character. The counselors dress up as well and perform while calling the numbers. “B29… oh deary, how I’d like to be 29 again!” “Turn up your hearing aid girlies, and let’s play bingo!” It’s really funny stuff to look around and see the dining hall filled with old ladies and men carefully matching their numbers. It didn’t take long to hear “BINGO” and excited cheers when someone from a cabin filled a row.

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Welcome Campers!

June 27, 2010

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Girls Moving Trunks into Summer Camp

Welcome everyone to the start of the Second session and July Mini 1 session of Rockbrook! We’re very excited to have you join us in the “heart of a wooded mountain” for a few weeks this summer, whether like most of you, you are returning to RBC, or are new to camp this year. There are so many fun activities and events planned, excellent staff members and new friends to meet, and special trips available, there will definitely be a lot to experience. We’ll try to report highlights of all this action here on our blog, so subscribing to the RSS Feed is a great way to keep up with things at camp.

Opening day for campers is always a mix of excitement and nervousness. When the girls drive up into camp with their parents, meet a small group of Hi-Ups and then Sarah and Mandy, they can finally meet their counselor and some of the other campers who have already arrived. Camp is friendly the moment you arrive, with everyone helping to move trunks and staff members eager to answer questions. Add to that the unique organic smell of the forest and the cool, foggy morning and arriving at camp feels kind of magical. It doesn’t take long for girls to be dashing off to explore the stream, play tetherball or make a quick friendship bracelet.

Camp Girls clapping while watching a skitSoon it’s time for lunch— today, make-your-own sandwiches, homemade potato salad, our regular super-stocked salad bar, and mixed berries— and after lunch, tours of camp and activity skits. Instead of pre-signing up for daily activities, or assigning activities according to cabin groups, at Rockbrook each girl designs her own schedule after learning about the options from skits performed by the staff members. Most of these skits include some kind of song and occasionally a dance number, but they are a great way to introduce what each activity is all about, to see which counselors are teaching which activity, and to stir up enthusiasm for the activities campers will have a chance to try. With more than 25 different activities, these skits can sometimes take a while (!), but they are a great way to kick off a camp sessions and the activity sign up process.

Kids dressed up at Girls CampAt dinner the Junior Line campers (who are girls having finished the first through the fourth grade) and their counselors decided spontaneously to dress up in all kinds of crazy costumes, not for any particular reason of occasion, but just because its fun. The costumes weren’t ordinary “princess” sorts of things or anything else easily recognizable, but instead highly eclectic, colorful combinations of hats, dresses, glasses, and wigs. It was very funny to look around the dining hall at dinner and see a chicken, Raggedy Ann, and so many wacky hair styles. I bet it was a little difficult to even eat! Be sure to check the photo gallery to see more of these great costumes.

So Much Fun at Camp

June 17, 2010

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playing a game of tennis at summer campWhen writing these blog posts, and mentioning special events for the most part, it’s easy to forget all of the “regular” activities that are going on at camp.  Everyone selects four different activities for their daily schedule, so throughout the day you can find all kinds of arts and crafts, horseback riding, sports, and outdoor adventure going on.  Kathleen our main photographer spends part of her day wandering around camp taking pictures of these activities, but it’s impossible for her to capture it all.  She might spend time at the tennis courts, for example, but she’ll be missing the action at the Alpine Tower and the riding down at the barn.

Teen camp girls at waterfallJeff took the Hi-Ups, our oldest campers (10th graders), on a fun outing Thursday afternoon. Dressed in bathing suits and with towels in hand, we made our way to High Falls in the Dupont State Forest. It was one of those perfect summer days. The unstable, moist air of the last few days had cleared to leave wonderful blue skies, sunshine and a few white clouds. High Falls is a spectacular waterfall formed as the Little River drops about 150 feet over exposed granite. Depending on the water level, there are different sections varying in strength from a gentle sloping flow to a raging drop. We found it just right today to swim in the pool at the bottom of one section. There’s also a part forming a “sliding rock” of sorts. It was a little bumpy going down, but very fun nonetheless. On the way home, there was just enough time to swing by Dolly’s. Yum.

Camp counselor dressed as draco malfoyFor dinner, we held another special meal, Restaurant Night, but to mix things up a bit, we turned it into “Harry Potter and the Night of the Restaurant.”  A group of the counselors decorated the dining hall like the great hall of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter novels, and everyone was invited to dress up as a character from the books or in simply “magical” attire.  The tables were rearranged and the counselors served the campers… roast beef, peas, potatoes and toffee bars for desert. We saw Draco Malfoy, several Harry Potters (complete with lightning bolt scar) and even Sarah dressed up as Bellatrix Lestrange to do the announcements after the meal. Music, food, costumes and skits: all just a regular part of the fun at camp.

80s Dance Party !!

June 16, 2010

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Camp 1980s dance party

On Tuesday night we also held a fabulous dance party for the whole camp, and the theme was the 1980s. The counselors decorated the gym with posters of pop slogans from the 80s like “Where’s the beef?” and “I’m a pepper, you’re a pepper, wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too.” For music, they gathered an amazing collection of 80s pop songs: Kenny Loggins, Culture Club, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Wham!, Thompson Twins, the Romantics, and so forth. But the really funny part of the evening was everyone’s costumes. You might think these “new millennium” children wouldn’t know much about the 1980s, but with a little help from the counselors we saw lots of big hair, light blue eye shadow, jazzercise leggings, baggy t-shirts pulled off one shoulder, and sweat bands.  It was like stepping back in time!  One highlight was Michael Jackson’s song Thriller, and everyone following along doing the Thriller Dance.  The whole event was good, and sweaty (!), camp fun.

Summer Campers Sliding Down the RockAfter dinner Wednesday, once one of our typical mountain afternoon thunderstorms cleared, we took all of the Middlers in camp to sliding rock. This is always an exciting trip. We load campers and counselors into our buses, drive into the forest along Looking Glass Creek to the big slab of granite that forms the natural water slide. Of course, the water is really cold. We describe it as “refreshing,” but the campers say it’s “FREEZING!” Though, what a excellent mountain treat! So many wide-mouthed squeals of delight as the girls zip down the rock and into the pool of water at the bottom: It’s just great. Once we’d slid enough, our next stop was at Dolly’s Ice Cream stand for a quick sweet treat. Whether it’s a cone of Rockbrook Chocolate Illusion or a cup of Carolina Cha Cha, there’s nothing more delicious after an outdoor adventure than Dolly’s ice cream.  As you might guess, it’s a perpetual camp favorite.

Rockbrook Girls Climb

June 14, 2010

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Girl climbing camp

Did you know that all of the girls at camp can climb our Alpine Tower, even the youngest Juniors? You might think a 1st grader would be too little, but if she wants to sign up and give it a try, she can. When campers first take Climbing for one of their activity periods, they meet at the gym steps so a counselor an escort them through the woods to the tower (like all climbing trips, there’s some hiking to start off.). Next, they receive an orientation to the basic safety equipment: the harness, helmet, and rope. After the staff members in charge demonstrate the belay commands and a few climbing tips, it’s time to get climbing! The Alpine Tower, if you didn’t see it, is a 50-foot tall pyramid shaped tower constructed of wide telephone poles, bolts, aircraft cables, and ropes. The company that built ours still builds them all over the world. What’s neat is that there are over 90 different ways to climb the Alpine Tower, different obstacles (“Elements”) and maneuvers to get you to the top… ropes, ladders, walls and poles with holds bolted on. Also we can have up to 6 girls climbing at the same time, each belayed separately and climbing up a different way. Some routes up are easy and great for the littlest girls, and others are more difficult and challenging for the experienced climbers. The Alpine Tower is super fun, and as you might guess, very popular as well.

Dressed up Summer Camp GirlAt dinner tonight the Hi-Ups inspired everyone to dress up for “Pop Star Appreciation” night. We got to see some crazy, and creative costumes. I think I saw Hannah Montana, Taylor Swift, 3 or 4 Lady Gaga girls, and several more generic Pop Stars. All through the meal, the tables took turns signing pop songs too. It was amazing how well the girls new the lyrics to so many songs! The food tonight was amazing also. Rick and crew served homemade pizza. I saw him mixing the dough in the afternoon (a giant batch of flour, yeast, butter and water) and touching up the marinara sauce. We had bowls of fresh blueberries and blackberries, and our regular salad bar offerings as well. For dessert, Liz made us chocolate tart bars which were a huge hit. There might have been one crumb left in the dining hall at the end!

That’s all for now. Of course, lots more is going on than what I highlight in these blog posts, so be sure to scan through the photo gallery as well. We’re posting photos everyday.

Granny Bingo

June 11, 2010

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Grits, sausage, eggs and fruit for breakfast… homemade broccoli-chicken casserole, salad and butternut squash soup for lunch… cheese tortellini, focaccia bread, with roasted summer squash and peppers for dinner.  It’s hard not to talk about the food at camp with this kind of variety and good healthy fare coming from Rick’s kitchen.  Oh, I forgot to mention the chocolate chip muffins we had for muffin break and the chocolate pudding served for desert at dinner.  The campers love when we have chocolate pudding because, beyond it being a sweet treat, it means the counselors have to clear their cabin’s table (instead of a couple of campers).  It’s a long, funny tradition at Rockbrook that even has a short song to go with it.

After breakfast Clyde took a bunch of Juniors on a day hike to Moore Cove in the forest. (By the way, have you read Clyde’s Bio?)  They looked great all geared up with their backpacks, water bottles and cameras.  It’s a short bus ride to the trail head, and from there, a wonderful easy hike through the woods to a cool 40 ft waterfall.  What’s neat is that you can walk under the falls and see from the “inside out.”  The falls are narrow and delicate, and in the morning in direct sunlight.  It’s truly beautiful.

Summer camper dressed as a granny Camp counselors dressed as old ladies Campers acting like old ladies at summer camp

Tonight the Juniors and Middlers played bingo in the dining hall, but not just ordinary bingo— Granny Bingo! At Rockbrook, everything is more fun when you can dress up and become a funny character. So tonight the girls pulled out wigs, glasses, robes and head scarves. They stuffed pillows inside their clothes (for an added effect!), and found a cane, or just walked around with a bent posture and talked with a scratchy voice. Very funny stuff. Of course, there were loads of prizes to win each round: stickers, card games, key chains, RBC sunglasses, etc. The counselors led the whole event by also dressing up and by calling the numbers “in character.” “N29… oh dear, I remember when I was 29… such a good year!” There are more photos in gallery, so be sure to check those out.

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A Full Camp Day

June 10, 2010

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cartoon dress up day at camp

It was another full, busy day at Rockbrook Camp today with campers signed up for trips, special activities available, and a fun day-long theme to add even more silliness to the mix. Everyone was excited to learn about the surprise theme— Cartoon Character Day. This is when campers and counselors dress up as their favorite cartoon character. It’s certainly optional, but it was fun to see Minnie Mouse, the Tasmanian Devil, several princesses, and even spider woman running around camp. There are some very creative girls here who are always looking for a reason to dress up.

Oldest campers hiking in Dupont State Forest After our excellent breakfast of bacon, home fries, fresh cut fruit, yogurt and cereal, several outdoor adventure trips packed up to leave camp. Clyde and Kelsey took a small group of senior girls for a day of whitewater kayaking on the lower section of the Green River. Also, the oldest campers, our “Hi-Ups” who have finished the 10th grade, went hiking in Dupont State Forest. They hiked to Hooker Falls and climbed down to the pool of water below to wade in a bit (and take photos of course!). After the early morning fog burned off, the skies were a wonderful sunny blue, making this a beautiful trip.

Camp Yoga Class for Girls

Every few days or so, Jessi leads a morning Yoga class for anyone interested. Everyone gathers in the stone “Hillside Lodge,” spreads out across the wood floor with their mats, and moves through a series of beginner Hatha Yoga poses. With calm music playing, and good friends all around, it’s a very relaxing time, and it feels so good! It’s surprising how much enthusiasm there is for these yoga classes, even from girls who have never tried it before. Jessi’s teaching is a big part of that, I suspect.

For our evening activity today, we had a very special campfire with our friend Gary Greene who is a talented story teller and musician. All the campers and counselors gathered at the Spirit Fire area to enjoy Gary’s stories (“Peanut Butter,” for example) and to sing several songs (e.g., “Little Cabin in the Woods” and “The Frog Song”). Michelle helped by staging a few jokes, and leading several RBC songs as well. One highlight was his reading of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky while a few campers and counselors acted out different parts. Everyone was really engaged and entertained all evening. We loved it!

The smell of wood smoke outdoors, the sounds of crickets and frogs from the lake, being together like this in such a beautiful setting, signing and laughing … that’s real camp.

Hilarious Horse

January 5, 2010

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hilarious camp horse\n\nIsn’t that the funniest picture you’ve ever seen!? You just never know what kind of silliness will burst out down at the Rockbrook stables. Certainly making the horses “look good” is a part of it!

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