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We’re finding ourselves in a typical summer weather pattern. Like the last couple days, and probably for the next few, today began cool and foggy. The temperature and dew point hovered together around 67 degrees when we woke up, with the humidity about 99 percent. We’re pulling a lot of moisture out of the Gulf, and there’s no major weather system to push it out. As the sun warmed things up, all morning we enjoyed bright skies with big puffy clouds. Higher up near our surrounding mountains the air is much cooler, so as our moist air near the ground warmed, evaporating the dew, it began to rise. That clash between the rising moist air and the cooler air above it created what we expected: a thunderstorm.

Today’s storm happened just after lunch, around 2pm. Perfect timing! Our lightning alarm sounded and everyone scattered back to their cabins for rest hour. For the next hour or so we watched the storm drop more than half an inch of rain… all that moisture returning to the ground. By 3:30, the storm had passed and the sun was back out for the rest of the day. You can see how an afternoon thunderstorm can become a recurring thing. By the way, if you’re interested in the weather at Rockbrook, our weather station publishes its data here and here.

Dancing in the Rain

Sometimes we’re simply caught in the rain, getting wet and cooling off. This can inspire some pretty silly stuff. For example, yesterday the Hi-Ups decided, since they were already wet, to dance around in the rain and then roll down the hill wearing trash bags. Why? For no particular reason other than the fun of it. Today, a couple of senior campers found themselves walking in the creek, and soon with no warning having a splash battle. Both examples ended up with everyone soaking wet and laughing hysterically. Once again, there’s proof that camp offers a joyous freedom to relax into the world, to be fully present and playful, no matter what the weather. We adults might occasionally summon the courage to say, “Ah, what the heck!” and dance in the rain, soaked to the skin. But kids at camp? They do it instinctively and without hesitation. Lucky them!

Craft Specialists at Camp

Several of the craft activities at Rockbrook are led by day-staff specialists, artists and craft artisans who can offer more knowledge and experience than a cabin counselor. These are crafts where more instruction makes all the difference. Woodworking is a perfect example. It involves a range of essential skills and concepts, not to mention sharp cutting tools that require careful handling. Pottery, too, benefits from experienced teaching, especially when girls are learning to throw on the wheel. Having someone close by to demonstrate techniques and offer hands-on help can be the key to success. Weaving in Curosty and Needlecraft are two more examples. In each case, the girls are learning something new, often quite sophisticated, even as they’re simply having fun exploring their creativity.

In the end, it’s a summer day at camp with its misty mornings, midday showers, muddy hands and feet, and a special unbounded laughter we cherish. It’s a daily rhythm we’ve come to love, rain and all.

Rockbrook is always a place of celebration, but the 4th of July gives us an extra special reason to kick things up a notch! And the festivities start first thing, even before the rising bell.

The riding staff members, dressed in their finest red, white and blue, ride decorated horses up into camp! This morning, they spread out and rode down each cabin line shouting, “The British are coming! Wake up! Wake up!” (a playful nod to Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride). We’ve done this for years at Rockbrook, but it’s still a fun surprise for the girls to wake up hearing hoofbeats outside their cabins. A little sleepy-eyed, the girls stumble out onto the hill and gather around the flagpole where the Hi-Ups lead a flag raising ceremony.

British Counselors Take a Dip

Down at the lake, the counselors we have from the UK performed a short skit that ended up with all of them jumping in the water, proving again that the British are already here.

Red, White and Blue All Day

All this patriotic spirit and celebration, continued throughout the day. Red, white and blue decorations transformed the dining hall with streamers, posters, and ribbons hung in every direction. We set tables with patriotic headbands, stickers, glitter, and temporary tattoos that quickly became the most popular accessories of the day, giving our regular camp activities an extra dose of stars-and-stripes sparkle.

Rick's Special Tamales

Rick and his fantastic kitchen crew prepared a special lunch for everyone, something that he serves only occasionally because it takes multiple people three days to make. Using traditional ingredients, they made us 4 different varieties of tamales. Masa corn flour, stock, and different fillings like cheese, chicken, peppers and onions, plus two different sauces (a red and a green) are all wrapped in a corn husk and then steamed for two hours. Altogether they made about 1,200 tamales! Giant pots of steaming tamales filled the kitchen. Unwrapping warm, freshly steamed tamales for lunch. What a treat!

We served dinner on the hill, a classic meal of burgers, french fries, and watermelon or pineapple. The girls were surprised to find they could have a can of Cheerwine soda kept cold in the creek.

Counselor Hunt and Pie Eating

The evening activity began with a classic counselor hunt. Ten counselors hid around the camp and each cabin roamed together looking for them. Only one cabin managed to find all ten, completing their map and earning a prize trip with Casey next week. We also held a pie-eating contest. We’ve found over the years that it works best to have counselors eat the pie and the campers cheer them on. It’s actually quite difficult to eat a whole pie, but Blaire was able to beat six others in the contest.

As it grew dark, we topped the day with our own fireworks show. Casey gave out glow sticks to all the girls, and as they gathered on the hill in their crazy creek chairs, we blasted fun music. For the next 30 minutes or so, we enjoyed a dance party while the boom and sparkle of fireworks lit up the sky. As the girls twirled their glow sticks and sang along to the music, they cheered with every colorful burst.

From early galloping horses to the nighttime fireworks spectacular, the 4th of July today at Rockbrook was a day-long celebration of camp fun, red-white-and-blue flair, and good times with friends. Happy 4th of July!

Ask any Rockbrook camper to name something they look forward to at camp, and they’ll likely tell you about their session’s Banquet. Many will even tell you it’s their favorite event at camp, and therefore is something exciting just from the anticipation that builds throughout the session. The Banquet is held on the second to last night, so it’s a celebration of everything that’s grown while we’re here: the creativity, the enthusiasm, the joy, and of course the deep friendships that tie this community together. It’s a party unlike any other because it happens here at camp with all of these great people.

Planning the Magic

The CA campers (our 9th graders) take on the task of creating the magic of this event. From the very first day of their session when they select a secret theme for the Banquet, they are planning and preparing. They make all the decisions about the program, their costumes, the music, the decorations and the food to be served.

Transforming the Dining Hall

They take this planning quite seriously too, with every detail receiving attention. Using painted banners, carefully arranged lighting, streamers, table decorations, and various props, the CAs completely reimagine the dining hall, transforming it into a colorful new world.

They transform themselves too, becoming elaborately dressed characters. This is a big part of the fun for the CAs. They love taking on new personalities and dressing their parts, all adding to the theme of the night. These characters perform as well, both in short skits that can unfold a plot, and in choreographed dance numbers. With carefully chosen music, again based on the theme, the whole camp enjoys seeing all of this come together.

On banquet day, the CAs cover the dining hall windows with sheets while they hang their decorations, rearrange the dining hall and get ready in costume. Everyone knows they’re setting up for the big event, but anticipation builds as the theme is still a secret. Cheers go up when it’s finally time to enter and discover the theme. Let the party begin!

A Journey Through the Decades

This session’s banquet theme featured music, decorations, costumes and dancing from different historical decades as the CAs went back in time for a “Blast from the Past.” They told a story of a few travelers who go back in time to retrieve the Spirit of Rockbrook, going way back to find cavemen (all the counselors), flappers from the ’20s (when Rockbrook was founded), bobby soxers from the 50s, disco dancers from the 70s, jazzercise neon from the 80s, and skaters from the 90s. Groups of CAs represented each decade and performed dance medleys for us.

Between dance performances everyone was encouraged to get up and dance, turning the whole event into a massive dance party. Eat something (chicken tenders, tater tots, salad), dance and sing, pause for photos, take in the extravagance (so much glittery confetti!) —that’s how it went.

Friends True and Faithful

The banquet ended, as it has for decades at camp, singing the song “Rockbrook Camp Forever.” The girls stood, arm-in-arm, singing “friends true and faithful” over and over again. Hugging each other tightly, you could sense the real meaning of the banquet. It’s about friends celebrating each other, knowing deep down that they are loved. For all of us, Rockbrook is a home like that.

Thank you CA girls for a wonderful banquet. We all loved it.

Sundays are all-camp days at Rockbrook. Instead of each camper following her individual activity schedule, or a cabin group sticking together for “cabin day,” we spend the day all together for several different events. It’s a refreshing change of pace, and often filled with surprises.

Flag Raising in Red and White

This morning we began by sleeping in a little extra, which felt especially good after our busy week at camp. For breakfast, Rick arranged for fresh Krispy Kreme donuts to be delivered, adding them to our regular breakfast fare of fruit, yogurt, and cereals. Then we had time to get cleaned up and change into our camp uniforms, for campers the white shirt, shorts and red tie, and for counselors their red polo staff shirt. The whole camp, now all sharp in our red and white, lined up around the flag pole on the hill for a short flag raising ceremony. The Hi-Ups raised both the American flag and our camp flag, and we all recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang “America the Beautiful.” These simple camp traditions settle everyone down before walking down to the chapel area of camp.

Chapel on Simplicity

We call this area the “Chapel” because it’s a beautiful, quiet spot in the forest where we can gather as a community and reflect on some of the values that help make Rockbrook special. The program is not a religious ceremony, but instead a collection of short camper reflections, songs, and something by Sarah, often a children’s book— all revolving around a theme.

Today’s theme was “Simplicity.” The Middler Line campers shared how nice it was not having to bring fancy bathing products to camp, and using simple things instead. They also talked about enjoying being away from technology, appreciating friendships, nature, and even Felix, the camp dog.

Songs and Stories About Simple Things

We learned a new song called “Simple Joys,” with some campers leading it. Then we sang “Simple Gifts,” with six campers playing the ukulele and singing along. We also sang “Blue Skies,” learned the camp song, and “Heart of the Wooded Mountain,” another classic.

Sarah read a book called, Small Things Mended, by Casey W. Robinson. It’s about how taking care of little things leads to more joy. The story follows a man who starts fixing things for neighborhood kids, first a pocket watch, then a music box. Word spreads, and soon everyone begins bringing him things to fix. He decides to host weekly lunches with produce from his garden, fixes up his garden, and realizes how happy he is because he’s surrounded by friends. He discovers that even a broken heart can be fixed simply with friends.

Lately, some of us have started referring to our chapel as an acronym: Community, Happiness, Adventure, Peace, Earth, and Love. Chapel is a time to celebrate all of these things we enjoy at camp. It’s a time for us to slow down and appreciate the simple things that mean so much.

Welcome! Welcome, summer 2025! Welcome to everyone arriving at Rockbrook today for the start of their camp session. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. We’ve been planning for camp, packing for camp, setting up for camp, and dreaming about camp for weeks, some of us for months. As the opening day approached, you could feel the excitement building, the beautiful energy of it all. Something special was about to begin.

We all felt this too, not just the campers. Our staff had just finished their week long training and orientation, and they were ready to get started. Our maintenance and housekeeping staff were finishing their preparations all around the camp. Our nurses were reviewing the health histories of everyone arriving, as our kitchen staff was finalizing menus and restocking our pantry. Our office staff had been communicating and organizing stacks of paperwork, and our Directors were pleased that everything in this intentional community was coming together. We have all been looking forward to this day.

The Beautiful Energy of Finally Beginning

Of course, the campers were the most excited. For the girls returning to Rockbrook, today was a day to reunite with their camp friends. Hug after smiling hug, coming back together after a year of school was marvelous. New campers too: while perhaps mixed with some nervous energy, they also were excited to find their counselors waiting for them eager to introduce cabin mates and help everyone get oriented to camp life.

Our staggered arrival system again worked well. It allowed the queue to move along smoothly and the girls in the same cabin to arrive approximately at the same time. This is great because the girls can immediately get busy together: making beds, arranging trunks in the cabin, learning names, decorating name tags, and touring around the camp.

Once everyone arrived, the first event was to gather on the hill for a quick all-camp assembly before lunch. The morning misty weather had cleared completely by then making the view of the mountains fantastic. Sarah introduced the campers to the Hi-Ups and the other Directors, explained a few safety things (e.g., the camp boundaries, and the lightning warning system), and led the whole group in a couple of camp songs. Felix’s cameo appearance was another highlight.

Comfort Food and Community

It’s somehow become a tradition of sorts at Rockbrook for the opening day lunch to be Rick’s homemade baked Mac-n-Cheese and watermelon. With a crisp salad and steamed broccoli on the side, it’s a warm plate of comfort. It’s so melty and savory inside with crunchy breadcrumbs on top, it really is a hit. He also prepared today a gluten-free, vegan version, that was also delicious.

Swimming Demonstrations

After a short rest hour, it was time for an introduction to the Rockbrook lake, our “refreshingly cool” mountain stream-fed swimming hole. At the beginning of every session we invite all of the campers to learn about the lake protocols, for example our “tag system,” and to demonstrate their swimming ability to the lifeguards. These “swim demos” involve jumping into the water from the dock, swimming out and back a short distance, and treading water for a minute. The guards classify swimming abilities into three levels with some being restricted to the shallow part of the lake and others requiring a lifejacket. No matter their level, though, every camper gets to enjoy cooling off in the lake in some way. Today’s warm and sunny afternoon weather made the lake quite inviting, encouraging the girls to jump right in and enjoy this classic camp experience.

Activity Skits

Another assembly, this time in the gym, was devoted to the activity options available to the girls. The counselors and specialist instructors performed skits to introduce what each activity offered. Combining costumes and songs, and of course plenty of props (think kayaks, ropes, helmets, tennis rackets, and craft supplies), these skits were often pretty silly… entertaining too. Later in the evening, the campers would be selecting their first set of four activities, so these skits were a great way to spur ideas about what to try. The new music activity, “The Rockbrook Songbirds,” where the girls will learn to play the ukulele and dive deeper into the Rockbrook songbook, seemed to turn a few heads with interest. Since each camper chooses her own activity schedule, the activities are a great way for the girls to meet other friends at camp who are not necessarily in their cabin. Rockbrook is just the right size, not super small or too large, to meet almost everyone and feel a part of the whole community.

Tomorrow we’ll all scatter and launch into our first full day of camp activities. We’re ready!

Hurricane Helene in the Heart of a Wooded Mountain

We imagine you have all heard the news that western North Carolina experienced a very powerful hurricane that left quite a lot of damage in its wake. Because this area has many rivers and creeks and communities built near them, the rising waters affected a large number of towns and cities.

Many of you have reached out to find out how Rockbrook fared in this massive storm, and so we wanted to take a moment to give you an update. Overall, we feel very lucky that the damage was not as extensive as many places in our region. The most obvious damage has been to our roads and underground pipes and culverts. With the steep terrain of Rockbrook, and the two waterfalls, there were incredible amounts of water rushing down the hill and the driveway, digging up pipes and finding new ways of entering and exiting the lake. In a few places, the soil was so waterlogged that some mudslides occurred.

With so many trees on our property, there were a number that fell. Two buildings were affected by fallen trees – one of our newly renovated cabins and the red cottage at the base of our service driveway both ended up with trees on them. The stream that runs under the dining hall was so full that mud ended up inside the kitchen and dining room. The stream then continued under the dining hall, splashing up and over the bridge in front of Goodwill.

Down at the barn, all of the horses were moved up to the highest part of our riding center, doubling up in the stalls and in the arena. The water filled up the lower ring and reached the outer stalls in the lower barn and also covering the bridge to the pastures. Everyone and all of the animals at Rockbrook are safe. While we still don’t have power or water, the cleanup effort has begun, and we are assessing the repairs needed to all of the buildings.

As many of you have asked how you can help, we are including the link to donate to our Building Fund, and to help with relief for our wider area, please consider the World Central Kitchen. We are so grateful for our Rockbrook family, and we are happy to report that all of the damage will be fixable by the time our 2025 season begins. Please be patient as our communications from camp have been slowed by this event. We can’t wait to see you all again!

Just ask any of the Senior campers at Rockbrook to tell you about the first camp banquet they attended, and you’ll hear about an incredible, all-out, all-camp celebration that takes place at the end of each session. You’ll also learn that banquets are always a surprise, with a unique theme chosen by our CA (9th grade) campers. These girls take on the challenge of designing, planning, and executing every detail of the party with its elaborate decorations, themed treats, performers in costume (our CA girls and their counselors), skits, music, and dancing. Their secret theme brings all of this together into an unforgettable event. I bet every camper can tell you the theme of every RBC banquet they’ve ever attended.

Banquets are memorable for several reasons. First, the element of surprise combines with the awe that washes over the girls as they step into the dining hall and witness its complete transformation. Virtually every inch of the room is decorated to fit the theme: painted posters cover the walls, tablecloths and decorations fill the tables, and lights, streamers, and other props hang from the ceiling. With characters in full costume dancing around, the music and decorations combine to create an entirely new world. For the younger campers, this first glimpse can be nothing short of mind-blowing. And then, as the CAs perform skits and choreographed dances, the excitement builds into a lively, high-energy dance party for everyone.

The Outer Space Theme

Last night’s banquet, for our 2024 third session, was called “Rockbrook in Orbit,” and brought us into outer space. The theme included planets, sparkly stars, familiar constellations, colorful comets, glowing moons floating above, and all sorts of aliens and a few astronauts. Ms. Frizzle appeared too! With twinkling lights strung above and the tables decorated with space tablecloths, souvenir cups, temporary tattoos, and fun stickers for everyone, plus candy treats, the party was set.

For the menu, the CAs served fruit kabobs as an appetizer and then cheese pizzas as the main course. But the main event was the “dance battle” between the CAs dressed as aliens and the astronauts. First, there was a battle, but then another dance when they made peace. The counselors, dressed as astronauts strapped to rockets blasting off, performed their own dance number too. The famous dessert “Rockbrookies” rounded out the meal.

For the campers, who came dressed in this year’s RBC t-shirt, the banquet was an exciting mix of party treats, popular foods, the CAs’ performances, and a massive dance party. With great upbeat music pumping throughout, the girls would dance with their friends, eat a little something, dance some more, pause to enjoy the next performance, and then repeat. You can imagine the fun of this. Sure it’s a little hot and sweaty, but together with your camp friends, there’s nothing quite like it.

Closing Songs and Rockbrook Camp Forever

The final part of the banquet is a tradition where the CAs, and afterwards the Hi-Ups, sing a song to their counselors thanking them and expressing their connection with each other. The counselors likewise sing a song back to the campers. It’s a sweet moment of reminiscing about the session and a beautiful expression of just how close these campers and counselors have become. Now, in front of everyone, they’re crying and laughing at the same time, hugging and leaning on each other. The whole camp then comes together to sing “Rockbrook Camp Forever,” a song that’s been sung at every RBC banquet for as long as we can remember. It’s a perfect way to end the celebration and express our appreciation of camp and each other. As the song aptly reminds us, “Friends, true and faithful” …that sums it up nicely.

A Community of All Ages

One of the lovely things about life at Rockbrook is how much time we get to spend with people of all different ages. The girls who attend camp as campers can be as young as 6 years old, and they go all the way up to 16. And then there are the 17-year-old CITs, the college-aged cabin counselors, and the adventure staff, activity specialists, nurses and directors — all ranging from their 20s to their 60s! It really is true; we’re a community of 6 to 60.

The campers are sorted by grade in their cabins, and they sign up for activities by line assuring their instructors can tailor challenges to their age. Beyond the activity time and life in the cabins, however, everyday connects us with friends who are not our age. It might be when we’re grabbing a muffin on the dining hall porch during muffin break, or tossing our towel on the rock by the lake for free swim, or jumping into the gagaball pit for a game during twilight. Zipping with the awesome adventure staff, talking with the pottery specialists, and stopping by the health hut for our morning medications are other examples where we’re all mingling. It seems like we’re saying hello everyone we see: to the Hi-Ups when they’re setting the tables before lunch, to the Directors up on the porch of the office, and to the mob of counselors and campers in the “Rockbrook Runners” club as they jog by. Older girls talking with younger girls is the most natural thing here at camp.

All-Camp Shaving Cream Fight

Our all-camp special events are an excellent example of this too, like the shaving cream fight we held at twilight yesterday. This was such a fun event, literally for all ages.

We rang a bell to alert everyone to come down to the landsports field dressed in swimsuits. With some fun music pumping, the girls each grabbed a can of shaving cream and had a blast zooming around the grassy field spraying each other. The goal was simple; squirt and splatter the white slippery foam on everyone. Chase and be chased. Plunk blobs of shaving cream on anyone’s head. Rub it on their backs, pile globs into their hair, and help them create the wildest hairstyles possible.

Before long, everyone was covered in shaving cream, white and slippery, and looking utterly ridiculous. Of course, everyone was screaming and laughing the whole time too. The feeling of being covered in shaving cream, seeing everyone’s reactions, and watching the messy chaos unfold is simply hilarious. It’s the kind of silly fun we love at Rockbrook.

We also pulled out a sheet of plastic that, with a little water sprayed on it from a hose, made an excellent slip-n-slide. The girls were already plenty slippery, so they just launched themselves down the plastic and shrieked with delight on every ride. Tumbling and rolling, they had a blast.

An evening like this proved once again that these Rockbrook girls know how to have fun together. From the youngest junior to the counselors and directors, we all shared this experience of foamy glee. Where else can you laugh this hard, yet feel so relaxed around friends? Where else does age matter this little? Where else can something as simple as a shaving cream fight bring so much joy? Only at camp, of course!

A little change of pace feels good on a Sunday morning. With this much action, all this chatting, singing, and playing throughout or regular days, sleeping in for a little extra rest is great. Our day today began with a later wakeup bell and the girls drifting into breakfast, still in their pajamas if they wished. For an extra breakfast treat added to our sausage, eggs and bagels, the girls found freshly delivered Krispy Kreme donuts on their tables. Back at their cabins afterwards, the campers changed into their red and white uniforms, ready for the flag-raising ceremony and Chapel gathering.

The Hi-Up campers, our seasoned 10th graders, serve as the color guard for the flag raising. With the whole camp circling the flagpole on the hill, they raised both the American flag and a special Rockbrook flag commemorating the camp’s Centennial in 2021. We sang “The Streams and the Mountains,” which is a sweet traditional Rockbrook song, and then made our way to a special amphitheater in the woods for our Chapel program.

Chapel on Connection

At Rockbrook, what we fondly call “Chapel” isn’t a religious ceremony but a communal gathering where we pause and reflect on some of our core values. Each chapel revolves around a theme, featuring songs, poems, and often a story read by Sarah. It’s a time for everyone, regardless of their family’s religious/secular background, to feel comfortable and connected. The campers themselves select the readings and songs, and Sarah invites them to share what the theme means to them. Past themes have included community, generosity, friendship, and Nature. Recently, “Chapel” has become an acronym: Celebration of Happiness, Adventure, Peace, Earth, and Love.

Today’s theme was “Connection.” A few campers shared their thoughts on what “Connection” means to them during their time at camp— “We’re all connected,” “I feel so connected to nature here at camp.” “Connection is friendship,” for example. Sarah read the children’s book, My Thoughts Have Wings by Maggie Smith. She talked about building a “nest of connections” that can hold our thoughts safely. The girls seemed to nod in agreement when said that camp helps us build that nest.

Renaissance Fair on the Lawn

The afternoon was devoted to an all-camp activity down on the grassy Carrier House lawn— a lively Renaissance fair! The event buzzed with excitement, offering a variety of activities that allowed campers to bop from one to the next as they pleased. They could do something active, something creative, have a little snack, dance and frolic with each other. Like Barbie day, the girls knew before camp to bring costumes, so there were some great ones. Lots of maidens, a few jesters and knights, a elf or two, and even a dragon were seen.

Campers could weave intricate flower crowns, try their hand at juggling, ribbon dancing, and hula hooping. We played games like a burlap sack race (“The Burlap Bounce”), cornhole (“The King’s Kernels”), and a hidden table shuffle game with goblets (“Bamboozled”). Campers worked on calligraphy and painting portraits of each other. For another game, they scoured a mysterious path searching for golden doubloons, which they could trade in for prizes. Elsewhere, an intriguing gypsy was telling fortunes, and the “Wench’s Tavern” served kettle corn. Throughout the event, we played Medieval-infused musical remakes of popular tunes to keep things lively.

Be sure to visit the photo gallery to see more of our fun Ren Fair afternoon.