Camp Blog

Over the last few days we’ve found ourselves in a weather pattern that’s common to this area in the summer. The days begin cool with temperatures in the upper 60s, far enough below the dew point for the whole camp to be blanketed by fog. It’ll be so thick that all the lush green of camp becomes more grey and mysterious. There’s also dew on everything exposed, all that humidity moistening our world. By about 10:30am, though, as the sun peaks out over the mountain behind camp, things begin to warm up and all that condensed moisture evaporates. The fog lifts and we can see the distant mountains again with a blue cloudless sky and bright sun. It’s a glorious display each morning.

Later in the day, that rising moisture makes a dramatic return in the form of a thunderstorm. As it rises and encounters cooler air, water vapor condenses forming clouds and even ice crystals that collide creating static electricity. This accumulating moisture and electrical charge eventually becomes unstable and the cloud releases lightning and rain. For us, we see a thunderstorm in the area around 3 or 4pm most days, and ordinarily lasting less than an hour.

Sometimes, these thunderstorms miss us; they pop up nearby, but not right over camp. Other times, however, we want to move everyone inside, protected from the threat of lightning, while the storm passes through. We have an automatic lightning warning system that sounds an alarm when there is a threat of lightning nearby. We all know that when we hear the alarm, even if it’s not raining or thundering, we should immediately seek shelter. The system works great. It continuously monitors the area and will sound an “all clear” alert when it’s safe to go outside again. We’ve heard that system about everyday lately!

On Wednesday afternoon, as groups of campers scattered about for their cabin day activities, we enjoyed a clear afternoon without a storm. One cabin of girls wore their swimsuits for a hike to the “Mermaid Cove.” This is a wonderful spot on the camp property where Dunns creek drops into a protected pool of water. There’s a rock face on one side, a smooth rocky “beach” on the other, and nice waterfall in between. The pool also has a sandy bottom, making it an excellent little swimming spot. A game of “Marco Polo” turned into a wild splashing time.

Another cabin group went in the opposite direction and hiked up the trail toward Castle Rock and to the “Nest.” This is another unique natural feature on the Rockbrook property where a cave has formed in the rock. Generations of Rockbrook girls have visited this cave, and now when we do, we bring hammocks. We’ve added anchor points in the rock where the girls can string the hammocks and enjoy hanging out in that unique setting. There’s a great view of the forest from up there!

Meanwhile, 4 cabins of Juniors took a trip out of camp to Dolly’s for an afternoon ice cream treat, but also to the Puckerup Berry Farm. The farm is a place to explore, to see rows and rows of carefully tended flowers and vegetable plants, and to marvel at its chickens and resident bunny. The girls had a great time cutting and arranging flowers, holding the bunny (so soft!), and getting to play with the chickens. Interacting with animals like this never fails to make the girls smile.

Finally, the needlecraft activity has been working on small sewing projects. Using cut swatches of fabric, yarns, buttons and beads, the girls have been sewing small purses, making stuffed pillows, and really getting into embroidery. The embroidery hoops make it easy for the girls to carry around their projects in a ziplock bag, and adding a few stitches whenever they have a minute of free time. One camper told me she was sewing a pillow for her brother. I said that was nice of her, and she replied, “Yeah, he’s 5 years old.”

Overall, the girls this session are relaxing more and more into the special feeling of camp life. They’re busy with activities while also enjoying the blocks of free time each day. They’re getting to know each other more and finding friends everywhere. Conversations are deepening, laughter is more frequent, and simple acts of kindness are feeling natural. What makes us a community— shared experiences and caring relationships built on kindness —is working its true magic. Each day this all grows stronger, building the Rockbrook experience we all love.

This is the time of the year when we are commonly busy giving tours of camp. We get tour requests all year long, but we encourage families to come during the summer when camp is in session. It’s not unusual to have a tour scheduled each week, and multiple before the end of the summer. I think families hear about Rockbrook and then try to squeeze in a visit before we finish up for the season and school takes over.

It’s a delight for us to show people around and provide a first-hand glimpse into camp life. For people who haven’t seen Rockbrook, a tour is nothing short of marvelous, even magical. That’s because it’s easy to see how special this place is, how it differs from most other places in fascinating ways.

The Rockbrook facilities is one unique difference. Right away most people are taken by the woodsy feeling of camp— the towering trees, babbling creeks, large boulders, and very little “lawn.” Unlike the overly landscaped environments found elsewhere, Rockbrook feels more organic, like something that’s emerged within Nature on its own. There are points of natural beauty around most corners. Look up and you’ll see a shining rock cliff. Look right and there’ll be a waterfall, and left the swimming lake. Even the buildings seem to blend in— the simple, rustic sleeping cabins, stone meeting lodges, dining hall, and the two 19th-century log cabins used for craft activities, for example. Even our newer structures, like the Rockbrook Riding center with its modern barns and covered arena, carry this same aesthetic. There’s a certain feel to Rockbrook that generations of alumnae recognize when they return years later.

Beyond the facilities, touring in session clarifies aspects of camp life that are special to Rockbrook, the activities and the pace of it all. You’ll see campers weaving on vintage floor looms, firing arrows at colorful targets, and rolling their kayaks in the lake. Mornings are a particularly exciting time, with everyone visiting the dining hall for muffin break. You might even catch a glimpse of a girl zipping past the office on the final leg of the zipline course. You’ll bump into all kinds of artistic creativity— girls working with clay, colorful dyes, yarns, paints, wood, and wax. At the Riding Center you’ll see beautiful horses and girls learning to walk, trot, canter, and jump in their riding lessons. At the same time, you’re bound to see girls relaxing with a book, or just chatting with a friend as they soak their feet in the creek. It’s nearly impossible to follow it all, but it’s clear campers are having the time of their lives.

The true highlight of a camp tour, though, is meeting the people of Rockbrook. In each interaction with campers and staff members, you’ll sense their incredible enthusiasm for camp. You’ll notice the caring and friendly way the girls treat each other, the kind way they pay attention to one another. You’ll hear them chatting easily with each other and laughing at the littlest things. Meeting the girls at Rockbrook is a joy because they’re refreshingly silly, genuinely comfortable, cheerful and happy. You can tell camp is their favorite place. It’s this vibrant community spirit that makes Rockbrook special and the most delightful part of every tour.

If your daughter already attends Rockbrook, you don’t need a tour to appreciate the beauty, fun, and community of Rockbrook. You see it everyday in the photo gallery, and will no doubt hear more about it when she returns home. For those who haven’t experienced it yet, we hope they’ll hear about Rockbrook from current families and alumnae, and if possible come for a visit.

Today was a big day of whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River for our Seniors. It was a perfect, warm and sunny day and the girls had a complete blast bumping and splashing their way down the river. Here are just a couple of photos from the day. So fun!

Summer camp is sometimes compared to a party— festive, social, extraordinary, delicious, zany, and fun. Today at Rockbrook it was a pink party because to everyone’s delight we declared it “Barbie Day!” The campers knew that this would be one of our dress up themes this session so many came prepared. Some simply wore a pink t-shirt, while others had complete Barbie outfits with hats, sunglasses, and various hair decorations. A couple sported trim pink and white dresses, while others went more neon with wigs, scarves and skirts. From the nurses to the directors to the counselors and campers, there were Barbies everywhere today.

Barbie is inherently confident, outgoing and carefree, much like Rockbrook girls generally, so it was easy for Barbie mannerisms to pop up around camp today. All day girls would greet each other, in the most enthusiastic upbeat tone, “Hi Barbie!” “Hi Barbie” was the appropriate response. It was also fun to ask people, “What kind of Barbie are you?” As you know there are many Barbies, from tennis pros to yoga instructors, to rockstars and fashionistas. Everyone was glamorous in some small way, turning camp into a “dreamworld.”

This was also the first day of activities this session, so we saw many eager Barbies scurrying about Rockbrook, shooting arrows, climbing the Alpine Tower, and flying by on the zipline, for example. Apparently, Barbie is quite artistic too, enjoying needlecraft, working with clay and planning weaving patterns. The lifeguards said that Barbie loves the waterslide and jumping off the dock at the lake as well. You have to admit; Barbie is amazing.

Dressing up like this is a big part of Rockbrook. We love it because costumes always add a little silliness to whatever we’re doing. They help us laugh at ourselves, lightening things up a bit, proving that it’s OK to let your guard down and enjoy the freedom in that. When a lot of people are dressing up, it’s even better, as that sets an overall tone that brings us together. Costumes help you sing more, dance more, and be more playful. They help you lean into things with a more joyful and open attitude. Putting on a costume is just more fun like this. Ask your girls, they’ll tell you.

Our Barbie theme carried over into dinner too. With pink shiny mylar table cloths, pink streamers and flags, and few Barbie treats to accompany our meal of hotdogs, roasted potatoes, homemade coleslaw and baked beans, the real showstopper was the Barbie brownies with pink icing. We sang a few songs from the Barbie movie and ended the evening with a Barbie fashion show. So much silly pink fun.

A quick note about mail… keep sending it! Here are the instructions to send mail. Receiving mail is a big deal at camp, so the more cards and letters and emails you can send, the better. Trust me; your camper is craving something in their mailbox. Go ahead and send something. It’ll make her day.

Today we opened our third full session of the summer, welcoming another group of campers to Rockbrook. This is a very exciting day for everyone. The counselors woke up early and were ready, dressed in their red polo shirt uniforms. Each was eager to meet a specific set of campers that would be in their cabins. The Hi-Ups, our 10th graders, had arrived the day before and they too were ready to help with the flow of the check in process. That process was steady and smooth all morning. Parents arrived at their assigned times and that helped us minimize waiting in line. As each car pulled up, it was clear the campers were even more ready. We saw enthusiastic smiles mixed with a few nerves over the charged feeling of it all. For these campers, the day they had been waiting for had finally arrived, and they were practically twitching with excitement. So welcome to Rockbrook!

About seventy percent of the girls arriving today are returning to Rockbrook, and for them this meant reuniting with camp friends, getting big hugs from people they hadn’t seen in a year. New campers quickly found their cabin groups and their pen pals, and soon were being pulled right into the rhythms of camp life. They were setting up their bunks, visiting the camp store to pick up their pre-orders, meeting loads of equally excited people, comfortably chatting all the while.

For everyone arriving at Rockbrook, there’s a real sense of relief. It’s a relief from the anticipation that builds leading up to camp, but more important, camp provides an escape for kids, a unique place of joyful freedom and exploration. You can sense this right when you arrive. The people here are warm and welcoming. There’s a contagious energy that creates spontaneous bursts of singing, dancing, and laughing. Just having this many friendly people together creates an electric atmosphere that charges up just about everything we do. This is all so different from regular life, it’s a welcome change. Rockbrook’s focus on community and fun creates a marvelous spirit we all enjoy, and I would say need more than ever. Today that spirit began to work its magic right away. You could see it on everyone’s faces.

Once everyone had arrived, we all gathered under the walnut tree on the hill for a chance to sing a few songs, meet the directors and special staff members, and be reminded of a few camp protocols (about our lightning warning system, for example. This system warns everyone to go inside if it detects lightning in the area).

After lunch, which was a comfort food meal of Rick’s homemade mac-n-cheese, fruit and salad, we launched into line meetings, camp tours, and a visit to the lake for our swimming demonstrations. Each line (age group) took turns coming to the waterfront to learn about our tag system and the opportunities to swim each day at camp. Those opportunities vary based on each camper’s swimming ability, but regardless of their ability, we have a way for everyone to enjoy cooling off at the lake if they want to. We do not force every camper to take a “swim test,” but instead invite them to demonstrate their comfort in the water so we can understand how best to keep them safe while at the waterfront.

We’ve standardized the “demo” to jumping off the dock, swimming out about 60 feet, back 60 feet using some sort of backstroke, and treading water comfortably for one full minute. It’s that last part that gives some girls trouble. The Rockbrook lake water is chilly and treading for that long in deep water can be a challenge to do with strength and confidence. Our three bands (and corresponding tags) of yellow, green, and blue indicate whether we’ll require a lifejacket or not, and where in the lake it will be safe to swim. Soon, the tag board was filled and the girls were set to swim at the lake during free swims, and to sign for swimming as one of their activities where they could improve and perhaps change band/tag colors.

The afternoon excitement didn’t end there. After drying off, we all assembled in the gym and the counselors took to the stage to showcase their activities through lively skits. Complete with costumes, songs, and the occasional gymnastics and dance move, these performances offered campers a glimpse into the fun and opportunities each activity holds. Since the girls would be choosing their first set of activities later that evening, these skits provided valuable insights into who will be teaching each class and what to expect.

This session is off to a great start. The enthusiasm for camp is already ramping up as the girls settle in. Stay tuned!

There’s really nothing quite like a Rockbrook Banquet, the spectacular end-of-session party that celebrates our time together at camp. Every session, the banquet is something everyone looks forward to with building excitement. Leading up to it, there’s chatter about the surprise theme. There are rumors about secret costume choices and decorations that might be involved. The whole camp knows it will be an epic, one-of-a-kind party. It will be something crazy fun, a sensory explosion, even at times an emotional event that we’ll all remember. It’s true; “unforgettable” is often used to describe the banquet.

You may recall the CA (9th grade) campers are the hardworking, creative masterminds behind the banquet. They select a secret theme on the first day of camp and then spend all session preparing for the event by painting decorations, designing costumes, selecting menu items, and choreographing musical dance numbers. Their goal is to transform the dining hall into a unique party scene with lights and colorful decorations like streamers, balloons, table props, and yummy treats.

The real magic of a banquet, though, comes from having your camp friends together for the party. It’s a night to celebrate the fun you’ve shared this session, filled with music, dancing, great party food, fun entertainment, and sweet treats galore.

Anticipation for the banquet builds all day as the CAs decorate the dining hall which has been hidden by sheets hung over the screen windows. Near dinner time, everyone gathers outside dressed in their camp t-shirts. When the moment arrived tonight to begin and we rang the bell, everyone screamed with glee. It also started raining, but all the excitement easily overpowered any discomfort of being a little wet (which is pretty typical of life at camp!)

The CAs started by having everyone crawl along the porch through a tunnel made from extra tables draped in sheets and with fairy lights inside. There wasn’t a clue as to the theme inside. But once they entered the dining hall they were met by some of the most popular musical artists around, people like Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, LanaDel Ray, Zach Bryan, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo. That’s because tonight’s banquet was a music festival entitled “Redbird Music Fest!”

The dining hall was decked out with music festival-themed decorations, hundreds of streamers draped from the ceiling, and even a disco ball. They had musical instrument props and funny inflated microphone props as table decorations, colored glasses to wear, souvenir cups, colorful table clothes, and even more fairy lights— all adding to the festival feel.

There were four choreographed dances. Britney Spears started with a skit where her “security guards” (who were the CA counselors) pretended the backup dancers were missing. The lights went out, and suddenly spotlights hit Britney as she performed “Hit Me Baby One More Time.” Everyone loved it.

Next Sabrina Carpenter danced and performed “Please Please Please,” followed by Taylor Swift singing her hit “22.” The final performance was a Zach Bryan dance to the song “Revival” where everyone danced around the dining hall singing along. Between each performance the banquet was a massive dance party with the girls and the counselors jumping and dancing together.

Throughout the night, they served pretzel bites, chicken tenders with waffle fries and cookie dough for dessert. Everyone was thrilled!

As we end every banquet, the whole camp stood and sang “Rockbrook Camp Forever.” Arm-in-arm and filled with emotion, the lyrics “friends true and faithful” really hit home. It was a truly special moment that perfectly captures the spirit of camp. It was the best kind of party, the kind that’s fun but also brought everyone closer together. It’s like camp in that same way.

Here are a few highlights from today at Rockbrook, from the perspective of a Rockbrook alum, occasional camp mom and substitute camp photographer. I was reflecting on Sunday’s chapel where the theme was ‘small gifts’ we receive every day such as friendship, a rainbow, a sweet note, a happy memory, a helping hand or a hug. I was given the gift of being a photographer on this gorgeous day at Rockbrook camp.

When you are carrying a camera around RBC looking for special moments to capture on a memory card, it turns out they’re pretty easy to find. Every time I looked, I found something that made my heart light up with joy. There were so many moments I’ll mention just a few highlights. 

As I was getting my steps in on the way to the barn, I got sidetracked by all of the action that was happening at Garden Art! Garden Art is located literally in the Rockbrook garden, so the campers enjoying this activity are surrounded by all types of gorgeous growing flowers, some fresh fruit and a small flock of chickens just clucking away. One of the chickens was laying an egg in its coop. Several girls were feeding the chickens that were wandering around their fenced yard. So many nature crafts were in progress. I just couldn’t help but stop and take note. The activity leaders were guiding the campers through their choice of a myriad of crafts. One group was making natural dye by smushing bugs and flowers then creating a canvas using their dye, flowers, leaves and more. Others were doing macramé with cotton cord and sticks they had gathered, carefully tying knots to make wall art. Also, the girls had collected rocks of all shapes and sizes and summoned their imagination to paint creative designs in bright colors! I felt so fortunate to wander upon such a peaceful scene!

At horseback riding, a group of Junior Line campers were pampering the miniature horse named Jolene. Jolene lives down by the barn in her own little house. She was sunning in her outdoor enclosure and the girls were having the time of their lives giving that horse a fun ‘hair do”, petting, brushing and pouring all their love into that sweet animal. Not only were the girls enjoying themselves, but that mini horse was spoiled rotten. What a memorable experience for everyone involved. 

I also visited with a group of girls whose needle craft projects were taking shape. It was so refreshing to enjoy the moment while learning a new activity and engage with campers who came to RBC from Massachusetts to Paris, France! I never cease to be impressed by the kindness, confidence, creativity and character these Rockbrook girls radiate. Parents and guardians, you deserve kudos for this generation of young women you are guiding into adulthood. I’ve enjoyed meeting many of them in the past couple of days!

—Betsy Appleby
   Camp Mom, photographer and former camper

Thinking about tonight’s evening activity, I realized it’s been years since this session has had a chance to experience it. Other sessions have been luckier in the past couple of years, but not our full second session girls. I’m referring to the dance with Camp Carolina. There’s a long history of these camp dances where the boys from CCB and the girls from RBC get together for the evening for dances, but since the 2020 pandemic closures, we’ve been fighting contagious diseases off and on. We’ve scheduled camp dances since then, but things keep popping up that force us to cancel. It might have been pink eye, or strep throat, or some other virus, but it’s been a while when both camps were healthy enough to mix and mingle. For these second session girls, the last camp dance they had was in 2019!

Needless to say, the screams of excitement where deafening when we announced that we’d be having a dance tonight. We surprised everyone with the news at dinner and explained that we’d be loading up the buses in 20 minutes. Waiting until the last minute like this cuts down on the time we might spend getting ready. Still, it was funny to see the Senior girls sprinting across the hill toward their cabins to try and sneak in a quick shower. The counselors did a great job keeping things silly by dressing in costumes instead of “dressing up.” These camp dances are far from being serious. Even so, the girls had their hair brushed and were somehow able to find clean clothes to wear. The boys looked sharp too.

Long ago we realized that splitting the girls and boys into two simultaneous dances, one for the younger and another for the older children, was a good idea. This way only half of each camp needs to be transported. We drove the older girls over to Camp Carolina and they drove their young boys to Rockbrook. Both dances happened in the gyms at each camp.

The music at both dances was a mix of familiar pop songs and well-known group dances. Some of these are so popular you can count on them being played, like the “Cha Cha Slide,” and “Cotton-Eyed Joe,” for example. Also, for some reason the techno song “Sandstorm,” from 2001 seems to always appear. We also heard Taylor Swift and ABBA, which isn’t too surprising, as well as “Party Rock” and “Party in the USA.”

The dancing for the younger kids was impressively varied compared to the older girls who mostly jumped up and down with a hand raised in the air. Clustered together, the whole crowd would jump to match the beat of the music. We saw a long conga line at the Rockbrook dance, and plenty of chatting and laughing as each new song came on.

With coolers of water and cookies available to recharge everyone, both dances kept up an impressive pace for more than hour of excited bopping about. Everyone seemed a little surprised how fast the time flew by when we announced it was time for the girls to head back to RBC and the boys back to CCB. We were all a little sweaty by the end, but I think most agreed that the dance was “really fun.” A classic camp evening out.