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Today was the day when the girls attending our third session of the summer could finally begin their long awaited time at Rockbrook. Beginning at 8:15 am or so and continuing throughout the morning, girls and their parents (and sometimes their dogs too) lined up and drove through our check-in sequence patiently tolerating each step of the process. It was obvious to me that this last bit of waiting in line was torturous for the girls given how long they’d had already been waiting for this day, some waiting for months or even a whole year for this. Thankfully the line kept steadily moving and soon the girls were meeting their counselors on the hill.

It’s a big deal to get ready for camp. There’s all the health forms, the covid testing and protocols (Thank you for doing that!), the packing, and the travel —all of these take a lot of planning and effort. Meanwhile, the campers have visions of camp in their heads —all the new people they’ll meet, the different activities they’re looking forward to trying, and the surprise events they know are coming. There’s a lot to be excited about, especially when it’s been building all summer long.

No wonder we saw girls literally vibrating with excitement, sometimes nervous excitement, but clearly jittery, wide-eyed and happy this day had arrived. These girls were ready! They were ready to get all this preliminary stuff out of the way, to stop just thinking about camp, and to finally get started doing it.

When they met their counselors at the last stop of the arrival process, each camper received a name tag made from a slice of mountain laurel and strung on a piece of lanyard. It starts out simple, but we encourage the girls to personalize their name tags adding nicknames, beads and other decorations that they might desire. Some can get quite elaborate! This summer the campers also receive a purple lanyard and clip so they can keep a mask handy. Especially at the beginning of the session, we are asking everyone to wear a mask when they are inside a building (except in their own sleeping cabin where masks aren’t necessary). We’re hopeful that our pre-camp COVID screening has been successful keeping the virus out of camp, but in case we were not 100% successful, masking like this will help minimize the spread of an infection if one should crop up. We hope to be able to relax these standards as the session unfolds.

After a fantastic comfort food lunch (homemade mac-n-cheese, salad and cool fresh watermelon), the age groups took turns touring the camp, meeting with their Lineheads, and heading to the lake for the “swim demos.” The tours are especially fun for the new campers because they learn about the major buildings in camp (dining hall, health hut, gym, office, etc.) as well as the different activity areas (archery and riflery ranges, climbing tower, tennis courts, nature nook, etc.). For the returning campers, the tours are another chance to chat and get to know the other girls in the cabin, and really to begin to settle down into the rhythm of camp.

It being so hot and sunny today (not record heat for us, but still close to 90 degrees), most everyone was happy to have a chance to jump in the lake this afternoon. Our “swim demos” are our introduction to the lake, and when the lifeguards assess how comfortable each camper is swimming in our chilly mountain lake. Showing you can jump off the dock, go under water, swim confidently and tread water for a minute are what we ask each camper to do for the swim demo. Campers who can’t do all of this comfortably can still enjoy using the lake, but we will limit access to the certain parts of the lake or ask they wear a lifejacket as appropriate. These are the summer days when the lake is very popular. For everyone!

This photo helps summarize the feeling of camp at the moment. It shows a cabin group hanging out after the swim demo, chatting and getting to know each other. I think it shows a little bit of awkwardness, but also the beginnings of friendships. This makes good sense for a group that’s been here only a few hours. I’ve found it can sometimes take a little time for the girls to loosen up and relax, both new and returning campers alike. Coming to camp is a big change from life at home, and it simply can take a little getting used to. It can take some time to dig into the activities (we’ll launch right into that tomorrow), to understand that folks at camp are genuine and nice (no posing necessary), to realize that this is a place where it’s easy to be included. It often takes a few days to understand the rhythms of camp and to become more confident away from parents.

But I can tell we’re off to a great start, and whatever awkwardness is lingering at the moment will certainly fade. There are more stories to be shared, natural wonders to explore, new activities to try, and fun surprises to experience this session. There are more smiles on the way!

It’s a question you’ll here around camp, and one that girls have asked me probably every year. “What’s your favorite banquet?” Usually, I try to answer in a way that doesn’t commit to any single favorite. I’ll say something like, “I’ve seen so many good ones!” Which is true, since over the years I’ve been to more than 40 different banquets. Of course a few are more memorable because they are exceptionally well done— elaborate costumes, detailed wall decorations, great music, and entertaining dance numbers and skits. Generally though, all banquets, these end of session parties, are really fun events that everyone at camp looks forward to.

This session’s banquet was no different, but I have to say, it ranks up there as one of the best. The CA campers (9th graders) and their counselors created a one of kind experience for the whole camp that I think everyone will remember as amazing. Their surprise theme was the 1980s. They called it “Retro Rewind,” and it featured colorful characters, images and popular styling from the decade. Naturally, music from the 80s was a big part of the party, with familiar pop songs lined up in the playlist.

The sounds of Madonna, Michael Jackson, The Cure, Hall & Oats, Billy Idol, Whitney Houston, Cindy Lauper and more got everyone up and dancing, and singing along. Most banquets mix into their music selections contemporary pop songs. Not this one. They had more than enough upbeat, fun dance songs to play, songs that despite being 30 to 40 years old, were familiar to the campers and staff.

We could say something similar about the painted panel decorations that lined all the walls. They showed an incredible variety of 80s references, from music, movies, television shows, and celebrities. There were panels featuring, Star Wars, the Outsiders, Pac Man, MTV, Dirty Dancing, Ghost Busters, Top Gun (the original!), Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future, and Footloose to name a few.

The CA girls all dressed as different 80s characters. With 29 CAs and 6 counselors, there were a lot of costumes! We had smurfs, jazzersize instructors, Care Bears, Star Wars characters like Princess Leia and Darth Vader, Ghost Busters, Jurassic Park characters (including a T-Rex!), Scooby Doo and Velma, Maverick and Goose from Top Gun, Stevie Nicks, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and others

The dance numbers were fantastic! The version of Thriller, led by Michael Jackson, brought the whole camp to its feet cheering. Madonna’s performance of “Material Girl” was just as exciting. “The Time of Our Lives” from Dirty Dancing included some incredible acrobatic dance spins. The whole camp loved seeing the performances.

The campers wore their camp t-shirts to the banquet. This year’s yellow shirt fit right into the theme. They sat at tables grouped by their lines (age groups) to eat their meal and to watch the CAs perform. We ate “Tetris Tots,” “Marty McMelon Balls,” “Time Travel Tenders” “Super Sonic Salad,” and “Retro Rockbrookies” for dessert. Half the time, everyone wasn’t sitting; they were up and dancing, jumping and spinning to the 80s music.

The vibe of this 80s banquet was incredibly upbeat and joyful. All of the elements amplified the celebration— the costumes, the party favors, the candy, the black light and mirrored ball, the neon color scheme, the pumping music, the sheer exuberance of the campers singing and screaming with delight. You’ve probably never seen this many girls having this much high energy fun. It’s an experience that can’t be recreated anywhere except at camp. That’s probably an important reason why Rockbrook girls all love the banquet. They get to experience it only once a year.

But I think they also love it because it’s fun like nothing else, and that I think comes from the friendships that form the base of it all. The special bond they feel with their camp friends makes this party special as well. Knowing each other this well, caring for each other this deeply, feeling accepted and encouraged this fully, empowers the girls to let loose a little more, maybe dance with more gusto. The smiles, the singing, the dancing arm-in-arm, the energy of it all— it’s electrifying. Truly a blast.

This was a terrific banquet. Just ask anyone who was there. They’ll probably admit it’s one of their favorites.

It’s long been a theme of mine to point out how camp is different from life at home. It obviously is. After all, that’s why you send your girls. You want them to have the sort of unique experiences camp provides— opportunities to explore, worry-free time with friends, a break from technology, more fun, etc. There’s no doubt that what girls do at camp, what they get at camp, how they feel at camp, is different than their lives at home. We love that Rockbrook provides a strong sense of community, regular moments of adventure and creativity, genuine kindness practiced and received, constant face-to-face communication, and all in a beautiful setting and among really great people. It’s worth identifying these differences because I believe they are what make camp not only delightful and often surprising, but also inherently educational and formative. How a particular difference makes a difference is usually interesting to consider.

So I’m always on the look out for ways that camp life differs from the “real world.” A good example happened today after lunch when we surprised the girls with the “Biltmore Train.” This is a special event that’s become a tradition of sorts at Rockbrook, something that many of the returning campers look forward to each year. Its name is derived from the Biltmore Estate, the property near Asheville built by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895. The estate originally included a working farm, and a commercial dairy that would deliver milk products to local businesses. On a regular basis, a truck from the Biltmore Dairy would come to Rockbrook to bring milk products, in particular, ice cream. These trucks were decorated with a train motif, probably as a nod to the Vanderbilt family’s ties to the railroad business in America. It soon became a tradition for Rockbrook girls to meet the truck/train as it pulled into camp, and enjoy a cone of Biltmore ice cream right there on the spot.

The Biltmore dairy has since closed (It has a become a winery and tourist destination.), but we still celebrate the memory by holding an all-camp ice cream party once per session. But there’s a twist. The girls are allowed to have “unlimited” scoops of ice cream, but they only get one cone. Their strategy is to carefully (and quickly!) eat the ice cream out of the cone, and get back in line for a refill. Eat ice cream, not cone, and repeat… making a train! With each trip though, the cone begins to disintegrate, ultimately becoming a soggy blob incapable of holding any more ice cream. For the determined, it’s possible to end up with four or even five scoops. There’s a rumor that someone once ate 15 scoops, but I think that’s impossible.

Today’s Biltmore Train after lunch was exciting and fun. We had three stations set up, each with three different tubs of different flavors. This shortened the lines, and spread out the significant work our counselors did hand scooping all those cones. In the sunny and warm afternoon, the girls had a blast refilling their cones, chatting and laughing. As the cones softened, they also got a little messy, hands and faces becoming stained and sticky. But that too was part of the fun.

I asked a couple of campers if they were enjoying the event, and one said, “Oh yeah, I love ice cream!” Another, older camper said, “yes, but I’m only getting 2 scoops. That’s enough for me. You might wish for unlimited ice cream, but when you get it, it’s too much.”

How insightful! A big part of the fun of the Biltmore Train is the chance to eat multiple scoops of ice cream. Different from home where parents wisely put a limit on such a sugary treat, the campers can have their wishes for more come true at camp. But with those wishes come the consequences of getting messy and perhaps having a stomach ache. Too much of a good thing, and it can easily become bad. Or at least uncomfortable!

The Biltmore Train event is another opportunity at camp for the girls to make their own decisions, in this case how much ice cream to eat. It’s strange and exciting in its excess, but at the same time a little serious because it can end up making you feel bad if you go too far. It’s a decision of degree, of “how much” rather than “yes or no.”

It’s great to see the girls play with this decision, and to gain some experience that will help them down the road, both in knowing how much ice cream is too much, and in knowing that some decisions are matters of degree. I suspect most of the campers don’t appreciate this aspect of the Biltmore Train at camp, but it appears that some do… sticky faces and all.

Let’s take a quick look at camp “free time.” If you’ve seen the Rockbrook daily schedule, you’ll notice there are three main blocks when the girls are not scheduled to be at a certain activity, meal, or age group gathering— “First Free Swim” right before lunch, “Second Free Swim” right before dinner, and “Twilight” right after dinner. The idea behind all this free time is to avoid over scheduling the campers’ days (something that’s pretty common the rest of the year) and to provide them with even more opportunities to decide for themselves how to fill their days. We think it adds significantly to that great feeling of freedom the girls love about camp.

How the campers spend their free time is fascinating. It varies widely. They have the whole camp at their disposal, and while certain activities that require skilled instruction or special supervision for safety reasons are closed, many areas are open. So we provide lots of options, but don’t require any particular thing. For example, the girls can finish craft projects in one the many craft areas if they like. They can visit the tennis courts to practice serving or the gym to shoot some hoops, and of course the lake is staffed for those who might want to swim or cool off with a ride down the waterslide.

There are a couple of organized clubs that meet during the First Free Swim. One is the “Rockbrook Runners” running club. Anyone interested can meet at Hiker’s Rock near the dining hall and join the group as they head out on a 2-mile loop through the woods of camp. Some folks run, and others walk. It’s a gathering of all age groups and abilities. For those dedicated runners, logging 26 miles (13 for mini session campers) earns them a spot in the “Marathon Club.”

Another club meets at the lake for a different form of exercise— swimming laps. Here too, the goal is for anyone interested to swim a certain number of laps and be inducted into the “Mermaid Club.” There are different amounts of laps that each age group needs to swim to be deemed a “mermaid,” but when they complete the number, the lifeguards announce their name in the dining hall. This is true for all of the various club achievements; we recognize members during the announcements that follow a meal.

It’s also common for campers to use these free swim periods to meet up with friends from different cabins or even different age groups. They’ll meet at one of the tetherball courts, the gagaball pit, or the new nine square in the air court. The youngest girls have fun during free time playing in the creek by Curosty. They’ll take their shoes off and wade in the water, rearranging rocks to make waterfalls and currents. Others will grab their crazy creek chairs and sit on the hill reading. It’s the same for the many red rocking chairs on all the porches at camp; they’re great places to relax and read a book.

During the after-dinner “twilight” time, we always schedule some kind of optional activity. It varies from playing a huge game of dodgeball in the gym to a hula hooping contest on the hill. Last night, a couple of counselors led a session of joke telling, essentially a group stand up comedy show. The counselors take turns leading these twilight activities, so you never know what will be announced at dinner.

Perhaps the best thing, however, to do with this free time is to take advantage of the freedom and simply do nothing. Yep, it’s nice for these campers to give themselves permission to just relax with no expectations of productivity or progress. Some of the older girls love this. They take showers, hang out and talk, and just soak in the vibe of camp… completely at their leisure. Like that resort vacation where you spend all day at the pool ignoring other amenities and activities, these girls enjoy just being at camp with their friends. That’s the core experience for them, and it’s made even better somehow during their free time. For them, it might be “free,” but that makes even more valuable.

Arriving at camp, as our 2nd July mini session campers did today, is always exciting. For this particular session, it was exciting for the campers arriving, after all they’ve been waiting a long time for this day, but it’s also exciting for all of us already at camp because we’ll be seeing old friends returning to camp as well as plenty of new people to meet.

The evidence for this was written on so many faces this morning. It was literally a parade of smiles… smiling parents as they saw the enthusiasm of the Rockbrook staff, smiling campers as they began to pick up the friendly vibe of camp, and smiling counselors eager to meet their newly arrived campers. The counselors really look forward to meeting their campers. After only seeing their profile photos, it’s so much better to finally meet the girls and begin to understand their personalities.

Of course, the arriving campers are looking forward to everything. They are eager to meet their cabin mates, even if that can also be a little nerve wracking for some. Entering any new social setting carries a little uncertainty, but it doesn’t take long for girls to realize that people at camp are nice. They’re kind, and want to be your friend, so that calms any nervousness that might be bubbling up.

Our drive thru check-in process worked smoothly, with most families only waiting short while to make their way through all the stations. Thank you for your patience!

By noon, everyone had arrived and the girls were busy setting up their cabins and getting to know each other. Meanwhile, the full session campers had gone to chapel, where the Senior girls led everyone in a program on the theme of “Nature.” Being at camp means immersing yourself in nature, getting to feel its forces, and personally experiencing its nuances. Camp is a place where nature is a daily participant, rather than something we shield ourselves from. How that affects us, and what that might mean, are interesting questions to think about. And what better place to do that than camp?

As we sat to eat Rick’s famous comfort food lunch— homemade mac-n-cheese, sautéed veggies, and fresh blueberries and blackberries —the weather turned a little rainy, and it looked like the forecast was intermittent rain for the rest of the day.

This delayed our swimming demonstrations a bit, but we were still able to fit most of them in between rainy spells. These “swim demos” are a way for campers to show our waterfront staff how comfortable they are in the water, swimming and treading water without difficulty. Doing that earns everyone a colored tag for the tag board, which is a system we use to keep a tally of swimmers when the lake is open. It was still a little misty throughout the “demos,” so the chilly lake water was even more surprising for the girls. But the crowd was just as encouraging and the lifeguards just as supportive of everyone taking their mountain dip. I’m sure those dry towels felt really good afterwards!

Our afternoon activity was an all-camp event we held in the gym (again, to avoid the rain of the day)— a reptile show. This was a fascinating close encounter with several different snakes, a tortoise (a 50-year-old red footed tortoise named Rex), and a detailed presentation of “ophiology,” the study of snakes.

What did we learn? Mostly, that snakes are really cool! The campers learned the difference between a poisonous snake (don’t eat it or touch it) and a venomous snake (don’t let it bite you). They learned that snakes are often misunderstood. They’re not “slimy,” and they won’t attack human beings unless threatened or provoked. We heard that some snakes will play dead if near a predator, and others will run away. The girls were able to see, and touch! if they were so brave, a 4-ft long boa constrictor from Columbia, a 5-ft long grey banded rat snake, an eastern hog nosed snake, and a yellow rat snake named Josie that looked like an over-ripe banana. Girls had questions too. “Is it true that you can tell the age of a rattlesnake by its rattle?” No. “Have you ever been bit by a snake?” Yes, but it wasn’t venomous so it wasn’t bad. “Can I touch?” Yes, please do!

Our hope is that the girls are now a little more informed about snakes, more curious about them, and possibly less frightened by them. At camp, we caution the girls to stay away from any snake they might see, and to alert a counselor. If the snake is venomous, we have a special tool one of the directors can use to catch it, and remove it from camp. We won’t kill a snake, just release it somewhere farther away from the people at camp. After today’s presentation, I think the girls do have a new respect and admiration for snakes, but also an understanding about being cautious around them.

A couple of camper dads sent me a link to an article in the Wall Street Journal about summer camp. It’s an interesting memoir of sorts by Rich Cohen entitled, “The Life Lessons of Summer Camp: The Enduring Frontier.” The article is behind a paywall requiring a subscription to read it, but I thought a couple of the points it makes are worth highlighting, mostly because they apply to Rockbrook as well. I really appreciate the fondness he has for his years at camp, and the long lasting impact those years have had on him as an adult. He claims, “Everything important I know, I learned at camp.”

He’s not talking about the things he learned in his activities, like how to shoot archery or roll a kayak. He means more important things like being a stronger person, being independent enough to solve his own problems, and confident enough to “face new situations, read hierarchies, make my way among strangers, [and be] able to adapt.”

I’d say similar things for the girls at Rockbrook. As an adult, they might be able to remember how to weave on a loom or shape a wooden cutting board, but what’s important is their learning to be a good friend through kindness, to be more independent and confident when facing new things, and to be more comfortable being who they really are. There are many of these deeper lessons learned at camp.

Cohen’s article also summarizes the history of summer camps in America from its earliest example, the camp established in 1861 by Frederick Gunn, through the many camps established in the early 1900s devoted to “character building” and time outdoors closer to nature. Camps have of course changed over the years— shorter sessions, better food, and way more photos being taken —but the core experience of camp remains the same.

“[Camp is] still not home. It’s still no parents. It’s still new people. It’s still the woods. It’s still the world. It’s still 15 bodies in a bunk, stiff beds, wool blankets, no TV, rank odor, fungus, bugs, pranks, bed-wetters, summer friends, dark nights and star-filled skies. It’s still your best chance of getting them away from the phones and screens. It’s still paradisiacal and green. And it’s still what we need— now more than ever.”

“Spin the wheel! Spin the wheel!” That’s a shout we hear now and then in the dining hall. It’s a call for us to play a game that selects a lucky person to come forward and spin a “prize wheel” we have mounted on the wall. Somewhat like the wheel that was spun on the old game show “The Price is Right,” when the wheel is spun, a clicker lands on a space indicating a particular “prize.” For us, it might be “free toothbrush,” “joyride on the golf cart,” or the most coveted, “trip to Dolly’s.” This past week a Senior cabin won “Mystery” on their spin of the wheel. What was the mystery prize? Spraying me with silly string! Yes, apparently that is big fun for these campers to each empty a can of silly string on me, spraying me as I sat in a chair. Other campers and staff watched and cheered as the sticky string built up all over me. Like so many things at camp, it was fun and funny, a little bit messy, and something everyone enjoyed. I bet it’s also something we’ll all remember for a long time!

The other surprise of the day was a visit from six fascinating furry creatures— llamas! We met this visiting herd down at the land sports field where we learned each llama’s name and a little bit about their temperament. We took the llamas for a walk, pet them, and fed them some hay. The girls also ran with the llamas, racing them across the grassy field. It was great fun to be this close to them, to even give them a hug. Of course, we took lots of photos trying to capture how excited the girls were about the experience. After all, how often do you get to hang out with llama? It was an unexpected thrill for most everyone.

Camp is always a place of celebration, but since today was the 4th of July, we had another reason to kick things up a bit and make the day special.

It started right away, even a bit before the rising bell, when eight riding staff members, dressed in their best red, white and blue, rode horses up into camp. They had the horses painted and dressed as well. On cue, they rode up and down the cabin lines yelling “The British are coming! Wake up! Wake up!” (a reference to Paul Revere’s ride in April of 1775). Hoofbeats in the morning! Hearing all this and still dressed in their pajamas, the girls stumbled out onto the hill for a flag raising ceremony led by the Hi-Ups. Everyone also recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sleepily sang “America the Beautiful.”

At breakfast, the campers were met by a second blast of red, white and blue decorations. The dining hall had streamers, posters (one read, “We love Betsy Ross!”) and ribbons hung in every direction. We set out red, white and blue head bands, stickers, glitter and temporary tattoos on all the tables. It seemed like most of the campers were happy to take advantage of the tattoos! Combined with their own festive costumes and accessories, we had a shockingly patriotic color scheme going on. Singing in the dining hall picked up the theme too, with the girls belting out versions of “Yankee Doodle,” “Your a Grand Old Flag,” and Katy Perry’s “Firework.”

The day was mostly filled with the girls attending their regular activities. Flashes of red, white and blue appeared all around camp— climbing the alpine tower, weaving baskets in the creek, shooting riflery, and riding horses at the riding center, for example. The muffin flavor of the day was “Firework Funfetti.” During the first free swim time before lunch, about 30 or so counselors and campers ran a 2-mile course around camp: the “Firecracker Run.” Also during that free swim period, the lifeguards held a greased watermelon relay race. The team that won enjoyed cracking open the watermelon and eating it afterwards.

We served dinner on the hill, a yummy supper of Rick’s barbecue chicken (and tempeh), homemade potato salad, coleslaw, and watermelon. We don’t ordinarily serve soft drinks at camp, but for tonight’s special occasion we offered the girls each a can of Cheerwine, kept cold in the creek in front of the Goodwill cabin. For dessert it was blondie cookie bars with red, white and blue (again!) icing decoration.

The evening event was hilarious— an all-camp color run and slip-n-slide! This had the girls change into their swimsuits and come down to the grassy landsports field. There, the counselors set up an obstacle course that challenged the girls to run through the course while having colorful powder thrown at you. Of course, the real goal was to be hit by the colored powder and get messy. For the slip-n-slide, our property manager Richie brought over a firetruck (He’s the Assistant Chief of our fire district.) and used the hose to keep everything wet and slippery. We had music playing, which added to the wild and crazy feeling of the event. You’ve never seen such exuberance! One camper told me, “I love this!” Being that messy, laughing that hard, slipping and sliding with friends… it was a one of a kind experience.

As night fell, the finale of the day was our own fireworks show. Casey was ready with glow sticks for all the girls and a fun playlist of music to blast during the show. For the next 30 minutes, we all enjoyed another dance party, as the girls twirled their glow sticks, sang along to the music and cheered with every sparkling blast in the air.

It’s hard to beat a day like this with so much celebration, with one exciting surprise after another. When you have all these great people having this much crazy fun, I can’t think of a better way to spend the 4th of July.

Everybody knows that Sundays are different. They’re probably different for you, and they’re different at camp too. Instead of our regular activities, we have several all-camp events. This provides a nice reset, a chance to celebrate our community values all together, dress up, and of course have some silly fun.

It starts by sleeping in! Yes, on Sundays everyone gets an extra hour of sleep, waking up at 9am instead of 8. This feels great, and usually is very welcome after the past week of solid adventure and activity. It takes kids a day or two after arriving to settle down, but for the most part, people sleep really well here at camp… “Best sleep of my life!” one teenage camper told me. Maybe it’s the fresh air or perhaps our days filled with things that exercise all our senses, but when it’s time for rest, Rockbrook girls know how to rest!

Right after waking up, everyone skips their cabin chores and comes to the dining hall in their PJs (and wearing a cozy sweatshirt to block the morning chill). We enjoyed a regular breakfast of eggs and sausage, cereal, fruit and yogurt, but had a special treat of glazed doughnuts as well.

For the last few days, we’ve experienced a typical summer weather pattern for this area. Waking up, it’s cool and foggy, with everything outside feeling a little damp. Then by the time muffin break rolls around mid-morning, the fog has burned off to reveal crisp, bright, warm sunshine and our gorgeous distant mountain view. About rest hour time, the skies darken and we often hear thunder in the distance. And like today, we have a storm roll through that soaks us for about 20 minutes before moving on. Once past, we’re back in action.

By the way, you can always check our Rockbrook weather station if you are curious about what’s happening at camp.

After breakfast, once everyone had changed into their camp uniforms, the Hi-Ups led everyone in a flag raising ceremony on the hill. Everyone looked sharp in the bright morning sun, and in their red and white.

The chapel theme today was “Friendship.” “Chapel” is not a religious service at Rockbrook. Instead, it’s a time for the girls to settle down a bit, and think about one of the core aspects of camp life, our camp values, and our time together as a camp community. Past themes include: honesty, kindness, trust, generosity, nature, and community. The girls take turns contributing to the program, reading poems or other quotes, singing songs, and sometimes simply saying what the theme means to them. Sarah usually reads a children’s book. Today she read, “The Invisible Boy,” a story about a boy who gets left out at school, but when a new child arrives at school finds a way to be friends. She asked, “Do you know anyone at camp who might be feeling invisible? What can you do to help people make friends?”

Sunday afternoons means a surprise special event. Today we had a camp-wide scavenger hunt followed by a square dance in the gym. This was a “Gold Rush,” where cabin groups roamed about camp trying to find hidden gold coins. The girls were looking all over, under and around everything in camp, doing their best to collect as many coins as possible. But there were bandits too, people who could approach a cabin and demand all of the gold the group had collected! If the cabin group could answer a trivia question correctly, they could keep their gold. There were prizes to be won for the group with the most gold, and a special prize for finding the “Golden Nugget.”

To round out the afternoon, there was a square (!) dance held in the gym. With Hi-Ups and counselors calling out patterns and demonstrating different moves, we played fun country dance music like the Virginia Slide and the Boot Scootin’ Boogie, as well as some traditional bluegrass. The girls came dressed in their favorite western wear, flannel bandanas and boots. It think there were at least a dozen pink cowboy hats. It was a little wild when “swing your partner” became swing anyone, but it was active and fun. We clapped along to the music, laughed and smiled, and enjoyed ourselves letting loose a bit. All good healthy camp fun.

The girls at Rockbrook select their regular daily activities after they arrive at camp. Twice a week they are presented with options that rotate through the different age groups, sharing the arts, adventure, and sports activities. From these options they select 4 activities to try for the 3 days, before selecting a new set. Of course there are more options than there is time to try them all, so selecting can sometimes be tough. Choosing any four means not selecting all those others.

There are two exceptions to this: horseback riding and ziplining. Girls sign up for horseback riding by discussing their interest and experience with our Riding Directors Kelsi and Brittany on opening day. And once assigned to a regular lesson, a girl can keep that lesson time all session long. So for example, she might ride during first period 5 days a week, or just a couple of days a week, depending on interest. For some girls, riding is so central to their daily schedule, they get a lot of exercise walking up and down and through the tunnel to the riding center.

Ziplining is different too because we know that almost every girl wants to take a ride through the course. For this reason we schedule every cabin a time slot during their session. It’s not required that girls zipline, but this way we can make sure everyone gets a chance.

Between these activity periods are blocks of free time, three in particular: right before lunch (1st “free swim”), before dinner (2nd “free swim”) and immediately after dinner (“twilight”). Heading to the lake during the free swim times is a great way to cool off in the middle of the day, especially if you’ve been doing something active in the morning like climbing, horseback riding, or tennis. It’s when the waterslide is open as well, making free swim times even more inviting.

The two different tetherball courts at camp are almost always in motion. It only takes a couple of minutes to play a quick game, or to just hit a bit, and just two people are needed to play. When there’s more than two, the girls take turns challenging the winner of each match.

Gagaball is more fun with a larger group of kids. It’s a version of dodgeball where everyone is inside an octagonal court. A single ball bounces around, being hit, not caught, by the players. The goal is to avoid letting the ball hit you. If it does, you’re out and the remaining players continue to play. The last person still in wins.

A new ball game available for the girls during their free time is called “9 square in the air.” This is a game that also takes a large group of kids. The game happens under a structure making a grid of 9 squares (about 3×3) above your head. Each person stands under a square. Like volleyball, you play by hitting a large ball out of your square and into another’s square. If a person misses, hits twice, or doesn’t hit the ball into another square they are out and a new person rotates in. It’s a fun group game.

Campers can also spend their free time down in the gym playing basketball. Another option is meeting a friend at the tennis courts to hit for a while.

The after dinner “twilight” period is a wonderful golden hour time when many campers like to hang out and play on the hill. Some bring out their crazy creek chairs to sit and read, work on friendship bracelets tied to their water bottles, or just talk while watching the sun slowly set in the distant mountains. Playing in the creek by Curosty is a popular option too. That might mean building a dam of sorts from small rocks and mud, or racing flip flops down the length of the creek.

During these free time periods, you’ll always find girls sitting in the many red rocking chairs found on all the porches around camp as well. Clustered in groups of two or three, they are comfortable place to hang out and chat with friends.

And finally, these blocks of free time are the perfect opportunity to grab a quick shower. You can count on the tankless water heaters getting a work out before each meal and after dinner at camp.

Having this amount of free time built into our daily camp schedule is intentional. We know kids are often highly scheduled at home, zipping from school to sports, music lessons and the like, and so making sure there’s time at camp to do what they want, even if it’s just hanging out, is a very good thing. It’s another way we give girls a chance to make decisions for themselves. They get to decide, not someone else, how to spend their free time.

Giving kids control over how they spend their time, in a place where electronic entertainment is absent, helps teach them that the world is marvelous on its own. There are interesting people to play with and talk too. There are wonderful things to see and activities to try. There’s always something new to experience if you just pay attention and engage. Most likely different from home, camp free time is rich.

Seeing all the action at camp, all the happy busy kids here, it’s easy to forget that there are almost 100 people on the Rockbrook staff at any one time. There are many people working to make camp possible. There are the cabin counselors, the young women who live in the cabins with the campers, eat their meals with the campers, spend most of their day relating to them. These are the folks who most directly help set the tone at camp. They’re kind, silly, and enthusiastic. Most have been campers themselves when they were younger, and now have returned to Rockbrook to get their “camp fix” and benefit from the experience. Some have come from abroad to spend their summer at camp. And others are friends of people somehow related to Rockbrook and its history.

Cabin counselors are also activity instructors during the day. They are assigned to one or more activities where they guide, lead and instruct the campers as they do something. You can imagine this means the cabin counselors have a wide range of skills and talents. One might be certified to teach archery, and another to be a lifeguard. Some know their sports— tennis, volleyball, soccer, and gymnastics for example. Others have real talent painting and drawing, directing musical theater, or tying complex friendship bracelet patterns. Someone teaches the yoga classes while another belays girls as they climb Castle Rock. Every activity at camp has counselors directly involved at every turn.

Another area of staffing is our “activity specialists.” These are folks who do not live in a cabin with campers, but have special knowledge or skills pertaining to an activity, and therefore can be in charge. This summer we have specialists for ceramics, weaving, gymnastics, and candle/soap making. This also includes our adventure staff. These are certified instructors in whitewater kayaking and rafting, canoeing, rock climbing, backpacking, and ziplining. The best example of this is our riding staff. All 10 of these folks work to care for and train our 32 horses and also teach the mounted riding lessons all week.

The other areas of staffing are equally critical for camp to operate. These are the maintenance staff, bus drivers, photographers and videographers, the kitchen staff, and housekeeping staff. We should also recognize the fantastic team of nurses that staff our Health Hut, and perhaps most importantly, the kitchen crew that keeps us well fed with meals and homemade snacks (muffins!).

Together, along with the directors, all of these people help keep camp going. They help us stay healthy, active, and engaged with everything camp life presents. It’s a great group of dedicated people who love camp, enjoy being with kids and seeing them have fun. We’ve said it before; it’s the people that make Rockbrook.

After dinner tonight we loaded all of our buses, gathered 6 lifeguards and their gear, and took a trip to Sliding Rock. We took all of the mini session Middlers and Seniors and a few full session girls to fill the trip— 90 people in all. It’s quite a sight to see our 6 white buses and vans in a convoy driving into the Pisgah National Forest.

Looking at this photo you might think the experience of sliding down 60-feet of sloping rock and splashing into the pool at the bottom is painful. Or perhaps these girls are screaming because they’re terrified. Actually, their reaction is typical at Sliding Rock; it’s an uncontrollable scream of delight that erupts after feeling the cold water, accelerating down the rock, and anticipating the imminent plunge. Even over the roar for the falling water, these screams are plenty loud enough to be heard. Slide after slide the girls screamed and laughed, shivered a little bit from the cold water and evening air, but had a complete blast.

No Sliding Rock trip is complete without a stop at Dolly’s Dairy bar located at the entrance to the Forest. It’s become a camp tradition for everyone to take at least one trip there during their camp session. Tonight was these girls’ night. Everyone chose their favorite flavor and enjoyed a sweet treat as it was growing dark.

Back at camp, it was time for bed after this big fun evening out. So much singing in the bus, screaming and shivering at Sliding Rock, and goofing around at Dolly’s will wear a girl out! But that’s a good thing!