Jeff Carter is the Director of Rockbrook Camp for Girls in Brevard, North Carolina. He attended Davidson College, earned a master's from Harvard University, and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in the History of Religions. He has taught at Vanderbilt University, Davidson College, and the University of South Carolina. He received a Fulbright Fellowship to study in Nigeria, is an All-American college athlete, and a published author. Beginning in 1988, he worked for eight years as a camp hiking and rock climbing guide before becoming, with his wife Sarah, the owners and directors of Rockbrook.
We often struggle to convey just how active and engaged the campers are during an ordinary day at Rockbrook. We can list activities and do fairly well capturing things in photographs for the online gallery, but nothing beats a video. Take a look at this third video (1:48) highlighting the session. Robbie shot it last Saturday, and like the previous two, it’s a fascinating peek into the lives of your girls at camp.
Truly fascinating!
P.S. If you missed the two earlier videos of Second Session, they are here and here. 🙂
Earlier this week I had an interesting conversation with our Education Intern Hayley about motivation, specifically about how we as educators can motivate children. This internship is focused on the concept of “Social Emotional Learning,” an approach to education that holds central both the emotional lives of children and the social landscape they navigate as they grow. SEL simply recognizes that educational efforts should address the “whole child,” not just her intellectual development. In fact, many educators are recognizing that ignoring kids’ emotional triggers and social conflicts is a serious impediment to their academic learning, and perhaps more importantly, to their ability to make responsible decisions. In classrooms, schools, and even some school districts there’s a growing awareness of the importance of SEL if we are to help our kids gain the wide range of skills they’ll need to be more successful and content later in life.
One important point to make in all of this— and it’s the reason we offer an internship in social emotional learning here at Rockbrook —is that SEL has a lot to do with community, with the nature and quality of our relationships with those around us. And you see, as we’ve said many times, camp is also about community. It’s about being aware of each other, about practicing a common spirit of kindness, caring and generosity so that we treat each other with respect. We talk about being a “Rockbrook girl” as someone who contributes enthusiastically to this positive spirit, who is encouraging and helpful as a result. What’s neat is that there are so many people here modeling these values, the character is contagious. It becomes a powerful force that not only inspires girls to be their best selves (particularly in how they treat each other), it also deepens their relationships with everyone in the community and draws us all closer together.
For this reason, we believe Rockbrook is an ideal environment for social emotional learning. In addition to what we do together and all our shared experience, Rockbrook is a tight-knit community defined by how we relate to each other: again, with an explicit ethic of kindness, caring and generosity. When girls join this sort of intentional community, when the culture of camp inspires everyone to be more kind, caring and generous toward each other, they naturally grow more self-aware and develop greater social awareness along the way. This community builds relationship skills like cooperation and compassion, and of course all these forces are what drives the incredible camp friendships your daughter is enjoying.
So the answer to Haley’s question about motivation springs from this focus on community. Around here, girls are less driven by extrinsic rewards and goals, and more motivated by how an action will affect their relationship with someone. We discussed how girls make decisions within this web of relationships, and are generally careful to consider the emotions and needs of others. Thanks to the powerful community spirit at camp, behaviors are motivated by being a “Rockbrook girl,” being the caring, kind, generous, and sympathetic person we all admire. It’s what we mean around here by “RBA:” “Rockbrook Appropriate.” There’s a culture defining ethic at camp we all understand, and that serves to both motivate us and guide our decision making.
I may sound like a broken record when it comes to talking about the benefits of camp, so please forgive me. I’m just constantly made aware of how great this experience is for girls. Even though it’s wrapped in the guise of silly fun, thrilling adventure, and liberating creativity, camp really makes a difference in these girls’ lives. And it’s my daily joy to be a part of it.
A group of adventurous girls signed up for a special stand-up paddle boarding trip we offered today. It was a short drive from camp south to the Dupont State Forest where they met Charmaine Saulsbury of Dancing Trees Yoga, who would be the girls’ instructor for the morning. Charmaine teaches “SUP” and other yoga classes here in Brevard, and is one of the few yoga instructors in the country certified by the American Canoe Association.
With absolutely perfect weather, and with enough boards for everyone, the group made their way to Lake Julia, a gorgeous forest lake with a mostly undeveloped shoreline. This lake is also usually deserted, as it was this morning, providing a wonderful, quiet, calm setting for the paddle boarding. After giving them a few simple instructions about standing and balancing on the boards, Charmaine led the girls out in the water where they practiced several yoga positions. Attentive balance is already important for yoga, even more so when perched on a narrow floating board! The whole morning was a nice blend of relaxation and physical activity in a beautiful setting, something completely new and engaging for the girls.
Here’s another glimpse into life at camp these days from videographer Robbie Frances. Once again he’s done a great job capturing simple moments around camp, some of the action, and many of the heartwarming smiles we’re seeing everywhere.
It’s not quite 2 minutes long, but has such a nice feel, it deserves to be watched more than once.
You may already know about “muffin break,” that time each morning between the first and second activity periods when the whole camp thinks about one thing. For some of us, though, it’s our favorite time of the day, or at least a moment we look forward to with glee. The muffins themselves are obviously the main reason the girls run to the dining hall porch to receive their surprise flavor muffin (Today it was vanilla cherry.), but I think we also love muffin break because it’s a great time to check in with everyone. It brings the campers and counselors back together after being scattered about the camp for the various activities. It’s a chance to ask, “What did you do in tennis?” or “Wanna go with me down to archery?” I love seeing everyone enjoying their muffin, chatting about their day so far, and excitedly heading to their next activity. It’s one of those unique aspects of a typical Rockbrook morning.
A parent recently wrote thanking us for the experience Rockbrook provided her daughter, in particular the opportunity our program provides girls “to just be girls” and to “play outside.” It is one of the principles that has guided us for many years: that girls need time and a place that encourages them to explore nature, really feel the natural elements around us, and ultimately to not fear the outdoors, but see it as beautiful, wonder-full, and a source of comfort. Rockbrook does that; we have plenty of free time built into our daily schedule so the girls can build a fairy house from rocks, leaves, yarn and twigs. Living in open-air cabins, we can’t help but hear and smell the forest around us, and perhaps catch a glimpse of a racoon or skunk wandering by. There’s bound to be a spider cricket (“Spricket”) in the shower or under your bed. There are several creeks to explore and play in, even for just a minute right before lunch. So that’s typical around here too— the inescapability of Nature. And as this parent suggested, this experience is “invaluable” in today’s modern world. Don’t you think?
We received another letter this week (an email actually), this time from a Hi-Up camper who attended the first session of camp this summer. This young lady from Virginia is 16 years old and has been a Rockbrook camper for the last 5 summers. Her letter is also a thank you note of sorts, a note expressing her gratitude for what her Rockbrook experience has provided her. I think the letter is remarkable because she mentions very specific memories like the trail to Castle Rock and the intensity of planning her Banquet as a 9th grader, but also what these experiences have meant to her after camp—loving her true self and bonding so closely with friends. But here, let me share a portion of the letter:
Dear Rockbrook,
I’m writing this to say thanks. Without you, I don’t know what kind of person I would be. Without you, I wouldn’t know what pure juvenile happiness is like. Thank you for judging me not on my grades or looks but on my kindness, resilience, and the volume of my truest laugh. Thanks for teaching me to cherish the sound of rain on a tin roof and the reviving air of the mountains. Thanks for memories of chasing each other around covered from head to toe in shaving cream, and laughing so hard that tears streamed down our faces. Thanks for helping me be OK with my imperfect skin and to love myself because I’m strong and can climb all the way up the winding path to Castle Rock. Thanks for teaching me endurance and a work ethic because god knows you need that when you have to stay up half the night for three weeks planning for a party just with the hope that’ll it make a few little girls smile as huge as you did when you were standing wide eyed at your first banquet. Thanks for giving me the best friends I could ask for– ones who know everything about me and love my realest self. And thanks for making me laugh and cry and scream so dang hard.
Some may not understand how a few weeks out of the year can be so significant in ones life but they’ve never experienced Rockbrook. The scariest thing about growing up for me is not that I have to apply to college or learn to drive or get a real job, it’s that I won’t be a camper anymore. You are a hidden gem for girls In a world where things can get overwhelming and frightening at times. When we are put down you lift us up. The tears that come with driving away after squeezing my girls so tight make me realize just how lucky I am to have you. I hope someday my little girls will run down your rolling hills and splash in your cardinal lake and sing to their hearts’ content in your dining hall just as I have for so long. Thank you for forever altering my life and my self. Thank you Rockbrook Camp.
—Callan
Wow! Thank you Callan! It’s so nice to see this kind of genuine reflection on a girl’s experience at Rockbrook, and to learn it has meant so much. The letter is a heart-felt account of what we’ve often said… that camp is so much more than simply “fun.” It’s “fun that matters,” fun that makes a difference in the lives of the girls who experience it and grow to love it.
I’m still trying to figure it out, but there’s something going on here and it’s pretty cool.
If you take a look at Rockbrook’s original catalog, the one published in 1922, the daily schedule includes something a bit startling. First of all the reveille was earlier, 7:15 instead of our 8am wake up bell today, but then at 7:35 there was the “Dip.” That’s right; originally at camp all the girls took an early morning swim in the lake, and as you probably know, our mountain stream-fed lake is well known to be “chilly” or “refreshing” (euphemisms for “cold”). Jumping in the Rockbrook lake that early in the morning was certainly an effective way to wake up, and knowing the campers those days took a “morning dip” everyday helps explain a particularly odd item on the early packing list as well: an all wool bathing suit. Just imagine slipping on your (probably still damp) one-piece wool bathing suit every morning for a swim in the Rockbrook lake before breakfast! Wow! The “Dip” survives today in a tradition we call “Polar Bear,” which is simply an optional event where girls get to jump in the lake before breakfast. Today three cabins made the foggy morning plunge, and even Sarah joined them. One by one, with the shout of “polar bear!” mid-jump, we had 33 three people enjoying their dip this morning… just like the old days.
It’s not too surprising that we had so many girls willing and enthusiastic about taking a polar bear plunge this morning. We are between our July mini sessions, so instead of 210 girls (when the mini sessions are here), we have 115 full session campers right now. Honestly it feels strange to have fewer girls here, but also really nice because these are generally the most deeply rooted Rockbrook girls, the girls who absolutely LOVE camp, who are their best selves, perfectly at ease, and literally delightful (full of delight!) when they are here. For these girls, getting to jump in a freezing cold lake first thing in the morning isn’t weird or some torturous tradition; it’s another opportunity to play, to clap, scream and cheer with friends. It’s a chance to feel something real, to have an unusual experience, and to prove that they can overcome initial hesitation. Here too, like so many things at camp— activities and chores alike —being with friends you know and love deeply, makes whatever you’re doing fun.
The same could be said for all the activities that filled our morning. The creativity of pottery being glazed, threads and fibers woven into patterns, paint and dye saturating white paper and simple t-shirts. The concentration and determination required to balance on one leg and pull up the Alpine Climbing Tower, or to paddle a kayak through the lake in a straight line, or to fire a 22-calibre rifle with both accuracy and precision. The sheer muscle and effort propelling girls swimming “Mermaid laps,” smacking tennis balls on the courts, or running during the free hour before lunch. The sort of unleashed silliness that inspired so many side ponytails today (including one for me!). Song after song sung louder than usual in the dining hall during lunch… all these and certainly more, were enhanced and made more meaningful by the people and their relationships with each other here at Rockbrook.
Our evening program tonight began with everyone gathering in the hillside lodge for a special program of stories and songs presented by our friend Liz Teague. Liz is a singer/songwriter who lives nearby in Asheville, who also worked at Rockbrook years ago as a hiking guide, and whose daughter now works as a counselor. Liz brought her guitar and with help from Sarah and few other staff members, sang several old-time camp songs: “The Cider Song,” “Mountain Dew,” and “How Did We Come to Meet Pal,” for example. Liz also performed her classic “Frog Song,” a Rockbrook favorite about a frog who, after falling into a tub of milk, escapes by kicking enough to make butter. We had campers help by acting out verses of “The Rooster Song” and playing along with homemade instruments like rattles and drums. As the sun set outside, we all enjoyed the fire in the fireplace while we laughed and sang together. We closed the event with everyone making a quick s’more (How could we not with an inviting campfire blazing right there?).
Your daughter will tell you she’s having fun at camp, and you’ll probably think she means dressing up, singing songs, and enjoying all the activities available here. But it’s more than that. She’s also having fun simply being here with all these amazing friendly people (forming real friendships), energized by the positive community spirit, loved and supported by Rockbrook. It’s truly astonishing!
I hope you remember the fantastic short videos Robbie Francis of Go Swan Filmworks filmed during camp last summer. We heard great feedback from parents about how much they enjoyed seeing and hearing all the action at camp. Robbie’s videos wonderfully convey the sweetness of your girls’ ordinary camp experience, so they’re a real treat to watch.
Well, we have great news because Robbie is back this summer to produce new videos for us!
He was at camp filming this past Monday and now we have his first video of the second session. It’s great fun to watch and I think you’ll really enjoy it.
It’s the 4th of July! And that means an incredibly action-packed, colorful day marked by celebration and special events. Right away in fact, it began with an odd alarm bell: members of our equestrian staff riding horses up into camp, and exactly at 8am, down into each of the cabin lines yelling “The British are coming! Wake up! Wake up!” (a reference to Paul Revere’s ride in 1775). Rockbrook has had this 4th of July tradition for many years, but it’s always a remarkable morning for the girls— hoof beats, and then dressed in a sweatshirt or robe, everyone assembling on the hill around the flagpole for the Hi-Ups to raise the flag, a reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of “America the Beautiful.”
Some of us spent the morning over at the Nantahala River on a rafting trip. Since our time together is limited and we want to give every camper old enough (5th grade and older) a chance to go rafting, we needed to squeeze in one trip today even though its a busy day on the river. Our solution to that problem was to be the first team of boats on the water, and it worked beautifully. Our seven rafts transporting 49 people followed clean lines all the way down the river, giving the girls a splashing fun ride. It was a little misty and rainy through most of the trip, but it cleared up nicely at the end for our fried chicken and watermelon lunch at the river’s end.
Meanwhile back in camp, other girls enjoyed a morning of regular activities, but with a double scoop of red, white and blue. What better day to show off our patriotic spirit with balloons, streamers, and table decorations in the dining hall, small American flags, beaded necklaces, face paint, temporary tattoos, hats and crazy flashing pins? Looking around, it was clear everyone knew which three colors to wear. It’s particularly neat to see the girls dressed like this while doing their activities. Wonder Woman on the zip line? Yes! A fireworks headband while shooting archery? Sure! Light-up star glasses for weaving a basket? Definitely. These girls are prepared and flamboyantly at ease.
For dinner, we added to our day-long celebration by holding a traditional 4th of July cook out, complete with grilled hotdogs (and veggie dogs), homemade coleslaw, corn on the cob and freshly sliced watermelon. We don’t ordinarily serve soft drinks at Rockbrook, but tonight we offered the girls each a can of Cheerwine, kept cold in the creek in front of the Goodwill cabin. Rick and his kitchen crew topped off the meal with a fun multi-layered (again, red, white and blue!) jello cup with whipped cream and a cherry on top. The weather was perfect, and as familiar “American Music” played, we had a great evening meal.
As I walked around taking a few photos of the girls, it struck me how content and relaxed everyone was. It made sense after us spending this much time together, not to mention the feeling that comes late in the day: a more soothing yellow sun, a delicious meal, and good friends all around. But the girls seemed so essentially happy tonight.
The next event was mostly about white, and not so much red or blue: a giant shaving cream fight! After a quick change into swim suits and short walk down to the landsports field, we had a grand time spraying each other with white slippery foam. The girls raced about, armed with a can or two of the stuff, spraying and smearing each other, pausing only briefly to pose for a photo now and then. With shaving cream lathering your hair, and all over your body (in some cases, every square inch!), you can strike a pretty funny pose. There was also a slip-n-slide set up, and Richie, Rockbrook’s Site Manager, brought over a fire truck from his Volunteer Fire Department boosting our messy fun with a giant 40-foot spray of water. There’s nothing quite like the exuberance of a shaving cream fight, and when the weather is warm and sunny like it was tonight, it’s extraordinary.
Not everyone wanted to get messy in the “fight,” so as another option we prepared one of the creeks in camp for gem mining. Of the several creeks running through camp, the one that feeds the lake —and which also is a common place to see Juniors exploring, building makeshift bridges from twigs, and racing their flip flop in the current —was the perfect location. We primed the creek with several 10-pound bags of “special dirt” from a local gem mine and gave the girls sifting pans to use in the creek. Gems kept appearing for a good hour as a few extra determined girls stayed focus on their panning.
All of this led up to the day’s finale, our Fireworks show. As the girls and their counselors arrived and set up their crazy creek chairs on the hill, some under blankets, Chelsea and Emily gave everyone a glow stick to play with as they waited for it to get dark. Of course, we had music pumping from speakers set up nearby, and the girls easily joined in singing along, some even getting up to dance now and then. By 9:30pm we were launching mortars high in the sky and enjoying the multi-colored flashes and booming sounds of each explosion. For the next 35 minutes or so, the girls cheered and sang with their friends while we presented our show.
This has been a wonderful 4th of July celebration. I’ve heard it from more than one camper— that they love celebrating the 4th here at Rockbrook. I hope you can now understand why.
It’s sometimes difficult to describe life at camp, to convey how the girls at Rockbrook feel about the experience overall. They’ll tell you they are having fun, or they’ll say things like, “I love camp!” or “This is great!” But what are some of the emotions that go along with it? What are the campers feeling while they’re here?
Seeing all the smiles and hearing so much laughter, “happiness” is the first feeling to notice. There’s obviously so much joy and exuberance percolating up throughout the day at camp— screaming with delight while flying by on the zip line, laughing so hard at a skit you’re rolling around on the floor, smiling from the string of friendly greetings that seems to follow you everywhere. Yes, the girls here are happy, and we could say at times “excited,” “thrilled,” or “elated.” Of course, there are challenging emotions now and then too, bugs that bother. A camper might feel frustrated, for example when she misses the target in archery, or even angry when there’s a disagreement with another girl in her cabin. These are all common and expected emotional responses to life in the camp community.
There’s another word, perhaps a little surprising, that describes a general feeling at camp: unburdened. It’s a feeling of freedom, in many ways, a welcome relief from the pressures, limitations, and expectations kids bend to throughout their ordinary lives. Put differently, I think modern life is burdensome for kids in specific ways that camp life addresses. How we live at Rockbrook— mostly outside, free from technology, as members of an accepting community, active and engaged, but with free time to explore the world and who we truly are as individuals —is in this way unburdening.
Think about what’s happening at camp, and how it differs from your daughter’s ordinary experience.
At camp, we ditch technology. Here, instead of diminishing, and flattening experience, our communications are unfiltered, personal, and face to real face.
We have plenty of free time throughout the day to play, explore, create and rest. Here at camp, our schedule is always built with flexibility and openness.
Camp lets us avoid social pressures to “be” (look and act) a certain way. Here, girls can be who they really are, their authentic selves, because they feel genuinely accepted and included no matter what.
At Rockbrook, we put aside competition and find ways to cooperate and support one another. Games are for the intrinsic fun of it rather than to determine a winner.
We’re outside most of the day, closer to the wonders of nature, and free from the constraints of regular automobile travel and being indoors.
Camp is also full of action. We’re doing things all day long, not sitting still at a desk or being passively entertained.
And we’re never alone. Camp life is immersed in kindness and caring, inseparable from the positive relationships (so many friends!) that comprise our community.
Can you see how each of these aspects of camp life contrast with specific burdens our kids face ordinarily? Kids these days endure a lot, admittedly for often good reasons, but I also believe they benefit from being unburdened in these ways at camp. (Life at camp certainly includes its own set of challenges, and yes burdens, but that’s a topic for another post!)
The girls at Rockbrook may not use the word, but they certainly feel it. I asked a few campers today if they felt “unburdened” in any way at camp and they all enthusiastically said, “Yes!” That feeling of “aahh, I feel good” could be the loosening of pressures, lifting the weight of competition, dissolving the cloudy film cast by technology, the opening of the self usually kept under wraps. Life at camp elicits these feelings, and it does feel really good. In fact, we might say it’s the perfect context for a really great time.
Let’s just add this notion of unburdening to the many reasons why girls love camp. OK?
It’s been an amazing few weather days, with everyone surprised by how cool it’s been. If you’ve been checking the Rockbrook Weather Station, you know what I mean. For example, this morning it was a chilly 51 degrees (!), which means overnight we had perfect sleeping weather (in our open-air cabins), and in the morning everyone layered up with sweat shirts, long pants, and in some cases hats. The humidity has also been unusually low, so as the day warmed into the 70s with clear blue skies, it felt wonderful to be outside. It didn’t take long for the girls to shed their layers and enjoy the sunshine as they romped about the camp for their activities.
So many twins! Not actual twins (mostly, since we do have a few sets of biological twins at camp right now), but costumed twins could be spotted around camp today, since, yes, it was “Twin Day.” We love costumes at Rockbrook, and tend to take any chance we can to dress up, to put on something— and the wackier the better —that’s out of the ordinary. There’s something inherently fun about taking on a different character, perhaps completely changing your hair (neon purple!), wearing a shiny black cape, or even changing your accent (Arrrrh, pirates!). It’s good fun to dress up, but more importantly, it’s active creative fun, and not some kind of passive entertainment. There’s no recipe or formula for how to make your twin costume; you and your friend have to decide. Same shirt, shorts, glasses? What about hairstyle? And since our dress up days at camp are always open to the whole group, there’s both a performance element, and a sense of pride that comes from presenting your costume creativity to everyone else. In this way, participating in a group costume event like Twin Day provides a real boost to our (admittedly zany) community. When we’re into it, it brings us together. It can be a little disconcerting to see two girls wearing lab coats playing tetherball before lunch, but you can’t help but smile at the sight.
While girls were trotting with horses, zipping high among the trees, and tying t-shirts for dye in camp, about 60 middlers and seniors spent part of the day in Swain County rafting the Nantahala River.
The Nantahala has been ranked as the best class II whitewater river in the southeast because it offers both incredible scenery as it passes through a steep, forested gorge, and a perfect mix of whitewater rapids, calm stretches, and an exciting class II+ drop for a finale. Back in the early 1980s the US Forest service awarded Rockbrook a permit to raft the Nantahala, and since that time we are one of the very few camps to do so with its own equipment and guides. Over the years, taking a whitewater rafting trip has become an extremely popular adventure outing for Rockbrook girls. There’s no additional charge and we offer the trip to everyone who is old enough to go (that’s a limit placed on us by the Forest Service): the middlers and seniors. One camper explained to me that this was her fourth time down the river— every year she’s come to camp —and it’s more fun every time. “Best trip ever!” One of the defining features of the Nantahala, and I’m sure you’ll hear about this from your daughter if you ask her about rafting, is the temperature of the water. Thanks to the frigid bottom-of-the-lake water released into the river by the Duke Energy hydroelectric project, falling into the 50-degree river is an unforgettable, wide-eyed, breath-taking experience. Toward the end of the 2-hour trip, it’s a safe bet that most toes are numb. Of course, there’s a thrilling rapid around each bend of the river, and a boat of laughing, singing friends to keep the whole trip exciting and fun.
Back at camp, our evening program tonight was an all-camp special event down in the gym, and as you might guess, we turned on the costumes again, this time to the theme, “When I grow Up.” This is a brilliantly conceived costume theme that can accommodate the conventional (I saw a doctor or two, a “professional equestrienne,” and a soldier, for example.) as well as the imaginative, like a shark trainer, a unicorn princess, or a food fairy. All of the costumes were resourceful, mostly eclectic and certainly colorful.
The event was a goofy spin-off from the popular game show “Family Feud.” For us it was more like “Cabin Feud” where groups of girls from each Line (age group) attempted to guess the most common answers to questions like: What’s a fruit that has lots of seeds? Or, What’s a sport that does not involve a ball? Or, What do teenagers like to do when they’re bored? Counselors knew the top 7 answers to each question and as team members correctly guessed answers, the team earned points. Meanwhile the audience rooted for their friends, shouted helpful suggestions, and had a great time following the competition. Each winning cabin (per age group) would receive a delicious-looking cookie cake trophy, so the audience went wild with enthusiastic cheering whenever a group won a round. It was a fun spirited evening celebrating our collective creativity.
Today we opened our second camp session of the summer welcoming a little more than 200 girls to Rockbrook with what can easily be described as explosive results. Starting with the very first camper arriving, you could feel a special energy that rapidly expanded all morning, reaching its height around 10am. In what seemed like no time, we had more than a hundred girls through the check-in process and happily filling the camp with their enthusiasm and excitement. Each arriving camper added to the emotion of the day— anticipation realized, joyful reunion, simple affability, immersive natural beauty, immediate belonging —amplifying everyone’s experience and making even the first few minutes at camp fun. Most of the girls were wearing their new RBC t-shirt, so as the morning unfolded, we saw more and more red and blue on the grassy hill. An opening day like today is always a wonderful mix of meeting new campers who are attending Rockbrook for the first time, and seeing former campers returning to camp. With this much power, these girls are going to have a great session.
Naturally, we didn’t idle while everyone was arriving. Once parents said goodbye, groups of campers formed for friendship bracelet making, a hike out to Rockbrook falls (the largest of the waterfalls on the camp property), a game of tetherball or gagaball, or just playing in the creek that feeds the lake. Other groups took tours of the camp, exploring the different activity areas, even heading down through the tunnel to go see our new covered horseback riding arena.
Around noon or so the whole camp gathered under the walnut tree on the hill for a quick program of introductions and songs. Led by Sarah, this was a chance for the girls to show their camp spirit by singing their line songs and for everyone to meet the line heads, Hi-Ups and a few special activity instructors. Sitting together like this, standing to cheer now and then —all with a gorgeous mountain view in the background— it seemed like the magic of camp was already at work. The girls were relaxing and opening up, lounging together, and chattering easily. It seemed to me camp had already (this fast!) become a haven for the girls, a special place of welcome relief ready to provide— daily experience with close friends away from technology and the pressures of school, kindness offered in a caring community, and time to explore the wonders of nature and engage new activities. Even though we haven’t yet experienced all of these, there’s already a feeling this is special.
Later in the afternoon, the campers received an orientation to the lake and demonstrated for the lifeguards their swimming ability. We ask every camper and counselor to do this “swim demo,” and based on the results, to wear a color-coded, elastic necklace whenever they wish to swim in the lake or participate in any of the water-related trips offered. With fun music playing and hot chocolate and lemonade waiting for after the swim, the girls enjoyed trying out the lake and knowing they are set for more “refreshing” during free swims each day.
Right before dinner, the counselors and activity instructors presented a series of skits to highlight what to expect in the different activities offered this session. From tennis, to archery, to rock climbing, the skits kept us laughing. For example, the Climbing instructors formed a “rock” that one climbed using a harness, rope and helmet. The Tennis instructors dressed like tennis balls and told a few jokes while being hit in an imaginary tennis match. The Paddling staff used a kayak and all the basic paddling gear (helmets, skirts, PFDs, etc.) to simulate kayaking through a whitewater rapid. The skits provided an introduction to each activity while showcasing the creativity and personality of the staff. After dinner, the girls will sign up for their first rotation of activity selections, so these introductions will help them decide what to take.
It’s been a wonderful first day for both the campers and staff members. We’re now more oriented to the camp and to the activities offered. We’ve gotten to know each other better, and now we’re even more ready to dive into the action in the morning.
