As the Rockbrook song goes – “dry or damp, we’re always having fun at camp.” This Sunday was no exception. Even with the leftovers of a tropical storm moving their way through, campers and staff alike were all smiles and greeted the day with that signature RBC pep and cheer. While some activities needed to be amended – both chapel and assembly on the hill happening in the gym – camp is all about flexibility and this was our day to practice that.
The day started with a chapel on friendship, where the junior and middler lines came together to remind us just how special the friendships we form at camp are. The most common analogy is the chocolate chip cookie friend; a friend who we may not see often, but when we do, we feel just as warm and gooey as a chocolate chip cookie on the inside! Camp, while only lasting a few weeks, offers campers the time and freedom to make some of their truest friends. Free from many of the societal expectations of the outside world and scaffolded with the trusting and fun space counselors provide, campers are able to relax and make these chocolate chip cookie friends with ease.
Our day rounded out with some unexpected sunshine and a Rockbrook surprise: Prom Night! Part of the fun and trusting environment Rockbrook provides includes lots of Rockbrook surprises. Costumes, fun, and camp magic are the three ingredients for success when it comes to a Rockbrook surprise. These surprises are special events thrown by counselors and other staff members and come as a surprise to our campers.
Each line had their own special prom location decked out with streamers, twinkle lights, tunes, and of course, costumed counselors! The juniors created their own handmade corsages out of tissue paper while the middlers and seniors showed off the dance moves they’ve been learning in the Dance activity. Dances at camp are a must, and the carefree environment of camp gives campers the freedom to dance like nobody’s watching!
This year is the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Rockbrook Camp, and so throughout the summer we are celebrating this milestone with special events, all culminating in a reunion for our alumnae in August. It’s been fun to think back over all those decades of girls coming to this haven in the wilderness and joining the very special community of camp. With this long history, there are now 4th generation campers coming from families whose mother, grandmother, and great grandmother also attended.
This afternoon the whole camp celebrated our centennial with games, activities, and special events. Dressed in their best Rockbrook gear, with as much red and white (our camp colors) as possible, the girls traveled together as cabin groups to different stations throughout the camp.
The first was called the “100 club.” It challenged the girls to complete several tasks 100 times: 100 bounces of a tennis ball on a racquet, 100 egg tosses between cabin members, 100 steps balancing a board on your head, 100 rotations of a hula hoop, and creating 100 braids collectively in the group. It turns out doing anything 100 times in a row without stopping can be tough. Let’s just say, we did break a few eggs in the process today, but with a couple of tries, every cabin hit the 100 mark on each challenge.
The second station was more creative. It asked each group to decorate a plaque to commemorate Rockbrook’s 100th year. Girls also wrote “thank you” letters to camp. Using paint, pens and markers, the campers wrote about their favorite things about Rockbrook. We will collect these and publish many of them in our annual “Carrier Pigeon” yearbook.
The third station had the girls making candles by hand, dipping lengths of wick into melted wax. While they took turns dipping, counselors offers small face painting designs… cardinals were a popular design. Also in that station, other groups made “bag ice cream.”
Meanwhile, down at the lake, the fourth station divided the groups for an exciting relay race using our floating “corcles.” These little round boats are big enough for one person. The girls used kick boards to paddle them across the lake and back, racing as fast as they could. Also at the lake, we tossed in 100 yellow rubber ducks and challenged the girls (a few from each cabin) to find a specific duck with the number “100” written on the bottom…. not a needle in a haystack, but close!
The last station rotated the groups down to the Carrier house where Sarah gave everyone a quick lesson on the history of Rockbrook. She showed them several artifacts that belonged to our founder Nancy Carrier (who grew up in that house), old scrap books, the original green uniforms girls wore while at camp, and several framed vintage photos. Sarah and other camp alumnae have just written a book about the history of Rockbrook, so she is currently our resident expert! There was also watermelon and yard games to play on the front lawn of the house.
For dinner Rick and his crew chose a traditional menu: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. The baker made delicious centennial cupcakes with a buttercream frosting for dessert. Those went fast!
The highlight of the day was the cool fireworks show we enjoyed after dark. Ordinarily we shoot fireworks once a summer on the 4th of July, but we thought we should celebrate Rockbrook’s birthday with just as much enthusiasm. We had fun pop music playing, and as the girls danced and sang along to the music, they cheered as each colorful explosion lit up the sky above the lake. It’d been a while since most of us had seen a fireworks show making it even more enjoyable. Happy Birthday Rockbrook!
Part of the joy of being at camp is having the freedom to do things just for the fun of it. It’s one part of what we mean in the Rockbrook mission statement by “carefree summer living.” We know that most children feel certain pressures at home and at school, perhaps to be productive (like adults) or efficient (also like adults). Camp is a special environment where girls are allowed to put aside those adult-like cares and concerns, and revel in the fun of this community of friends, active and outdoors.
A good example of this is a shaving cream fight, like the ones we held today for the three different lines (age groups). There’s no real serious purpose to the event. It’s girls in their swimsuits, a sunny patch of grass, a can or two of plain shaving cream per person, and the overall goal of smearing the slippery foam all over oneself and the others nearby. For some the goal might be to cover every inch of your body with the stuff. For others, it might be to completely lather your hair and then make crazy hairstyles. It’s also a chance to sneak up and surprise a friend with a handful of cream splattered on her back. You see, all of these are simply for fun, messy, slightly mischievous fun. Today we also pulled out a long piece of plastic to make a slip-n-slide. It turns out, bodies covered in shaving cream slide extra fast when sprayed with a little water from a hose. Again just for fun, but really big fun the girls.
“Just for fun” applies to a lot of the regular activities at camp, even ones that for some can be taken very seriously. For example, dance can be a serious endeavor for some girls, one that includes hours of training, rehearsals and performances. Dance can be someone’s profession! Our dance activity at camp is more lighthearted. It does include learning specific dance moves or a choreographed routine, but it’s intentionally a little silly. It’s meant to accommodate a range of talents and experience so everyone can feel good giving it a try. Not a great dancer? We want to prove that dancing can be fun no matter what your sense of rhythm or timing. Feel a little awkward on the dance floor? When something’s just for fun, you don’t have to be “good” to enjoy it. Encouragement and support in a non-competitive community make trying something new all the more enjoyable, no matter how it turns out. Girls who are serious dancers have told me they love dancing at Rockbrook precisely because it’s not serious. They love being free to experiment and be silly (since that’s not as celebrated ordinarily in their dance world). I’ve heard this same comment about tennis and swimming too. Even though they need to be serious at times, kids also need to do things just for fun.
All that being said, what happens at camp is not “just” fun. The experience of being here is not simply some kind of fleeting entertainment. As I’ve said before, camp is “fun that matters.” In addition to the outward physical skills developing at camp— learning to sew, to do a cartwheel, to play gaga ball, to shoot a bow and arrow, and so forth —girls are improving their self confidence by accomplishing so much independently from their parents. They’re becoming more resilient as they deal with manageable setbacks or disappointments. They’re definitely improving their social skills living so closely within this small community. Perhaps most importantly, they’re discovering more about who they are and feeling good about their authentic selves. Wrapped in a thick layer of big fun, there’s a lot of really important, long-term personal strengths developing at camp as well.
It’s been great to see all the action at camp this week. It’s not too surprising since there’s always a lot of activity at Rockbrook— 28 different groups of kids all doing something different, simultaneously. Scattered all around the camp, there are sports for playing, experiences of adventure that await, and opportunities for creativity for the girls at camp. Our absolutely gorgeous, perfect weather of the last few days, though, has somehow made this buzz of happily busy girls seem even more lively than usual.
Down at the Rockbrook Riding Center, dozens of girls have been taking their mounted riding lessons. There are 32 horses in the barns this summer, some smaller, gentle ponies, and others larger and more schooled for our advanced riders hoping to improve their jumping skills. Our covered riding arena is large enough to be divided into two sections, comfortably allowing two separate lessons at the same time. Outdoors the round ring is the perfect place for beginners to simply walk their mounts, and down in the large lower ring, you’ll find the faster rides and jump courses being set up. This means there can be times during the day when four different lessons are happening, each with 4 or 5 horses and riders. The equestrian staff have a big job keeping all of this organized, the horses well cared for, and the eager campers involved.
A new activity this summer (one that was planned for last summer, but as you know did not happen) is woodworking. Using hand tools, the girls are learning basic woodworking skills like measuring, cutting and joining. They are making picture frames, candlestick holders, and tic-tac-toe boards. In addition to staining the final projects, they are using wood burning tools to decorate. The newly renovated wood shop area is turning out to be a nice place to work on these projects.
After a minor delay resurfacing our clay tennis courts at the start of this session, we are back to hitting and playing this classic racquet sport. The girls love playing on these courts. They are shaded much of the day, and the clay surface helps keep them cool. The tennis instructors plan drills and fun tennis exercises, always trying to keep things lighthearted. While the girls are learning important tennis skills— racquet grips, strokes, serving —our first goal is to have fun. We’re not competing; we’re playing. It’s not a tennis match; it’s a tennis game.
Ziplining is something that almost every camper does at some point during her session. All the age groups can do it. Zipping is certainly optional, but when you see how much fun the girls are having as they fly by high above the office, it’s hard to resist. The whole course takes about an hour to complete. It includes a zip that crosses in front of a waterfall, another that lands on a gentle slope in the forest, and a third, the fastest, that flies 450 feet down from a rock cliff. The course also has three bridges: a burma bridge, a suspension plank bridge, and a fun “missing plank” bridge.
It’s worth repeating that our days at camp are filled with action. Unlike much of our time during the school year, we’re not inside, sitting down, staring at a screen trying to focus. We’re not bored at camp, even without electronic entertainment. We’re not lonely, even without updates from our social media “friends” or “followers.” At camp, there’s always plenty do, and plenty of great people to do it with. It can be as simple as soaking your feet in the creek or as exciting as paddling through a whitewater rapid in a kayak, but the life we lead at camp is lively and real.
Yesterday a longtime camp dad who was curious about how camp was going asked me, “how is camp different this summer?” He meant that given the lasting effects of the pandemic and continuing COVID restrictions, are there significant differences from previous years?
Well sure… like all things, some aspects are the same, and some are different.
Probably the biggest difference this summer is how we are scheduling our in-camp daily activities. We are rotating through the various options as cabin groups instead of individually. Following guidance from the state health department, we are spending the majority of our day in these groups (“cohorts”). Everyone in the cabin will ride the ziplines together, make a tie-dye t-shirt together, and learn archery together. Such togetherness! You can imagine this challenges the girls to work on their inter-personal skills, to be better communicators, and at times to compromise. The counselors are aware that this summer will require them to focus a bit more on group dynamics making sure everyone is heard and respected, equally included in the cabin’s activities, whether that be clearing the table after meals or gathering up towels and sunscreen for a trip to the lake, for example. In one cabin there are bound to be messy girls and neat girls, those who are always ready and those who tend to be late, some that instinctively pitch in to help and some who are in their own world. Yet despite these differences, and the potential frustration they can cause at times, the girls handle this togetherness well. They adapt to the quirks of others, and learn to express their frustration kindly if things get too tough. Of course, the more time spent together, these girls are becoming closer friends with the others in their cabin. All that shared experience is building mutual understanding and care. I hope you got a sense of that from yesterday’s video. All the hugs, cracking up hilarity, and easy breezy conversation follows naturally among friends this good. Of course, this special bonding among camp friends happens every summer, but this year I suspect it will be even more pronounced among bunkmates.
Another difference this summer is where we are eating our meals. We knew that our ordinary dining hall experience wouldn’t allow us to keep our cohorts properly distanced, so this past winter and spring we made significant expansions to two porches, one on the dining hall and the other on the hillside lodge. This has allowed us to split where our age groups eat their meals (creating “neighborhoods”), and to have about two thirds of the camp eat outdoors (the remaining third eats inside the open-air screened dining hall). Admittedly, this has created logistical challenges; serving the food, bussing the tables, making announcements, cleaning larger areas are all more difficult. But with help from the CITs and the Hi-Ups, the kitchen staff has done an amazing job keeping us fed. Where we are sitting is new, but we still enjoy made-from-scratch meals, freshly baked muffins everyday, and the fun group dining experience of singing camp songs between bites.
We are also having all camp picnics on the hill more often. Tonight’s dinner is a good example: charcoal-grilled burgers (or an “Impossible” plan-based option), all the fix-in’s like lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese, a side tossed salad, with hand-cut, oven-roasted fries. The kitchen crew cut more than 150 pounds of potatoes to have enough for everyone! There was even a homemade “oat bar” for dessert. There’s a reason girls love the food at Rockbrook.
Speaking of dessert, we surprised the girls after lunch today by having an ice cream party out on the hill. Affectionately known as the “Biltmore Train,” this is a long tradition at Rockbrook where the girls can indulge in several ice cream cones on a warm summer day. And today was exactly that: a beautiful sunny day, breezy and with very low humidity. The girls split into their age groups and lined up in three areas of the hill as counselors scooped and scooped for about an hour. Two or three cones later, you can imagine that the girls were quite, shall we say, “energetic” as they headed to their afternoon activities.
By the way, I don’t talk much about the weather in these posts. But if you are curious about what’s happening, you can check our Rockbrook weather station. It’s located on the roof of the office, and measures temperature, humidity, precipitation, etc., and through Weather Underground, provides a forecast as well.
For about 60 campers, the rest of the evening took them into the Pisgah National Forest for a ride down the famous Sliding Rock. Once again, going after hours was delightful. With our own lifeguards on duty, the girls and their counselors were able to slide 2 or 3 times before it was too dark to continue, though honestly I think they would have kept going if we let them. Screams and cheers, the splash of cold whitewater, and a dramatic plunge into the pool at the bottom— a night a Sliding Rock is full-on camp excitement.
So are things different at camp this summer? Yes and no. How we change activities, where we eat our meals, some of the logistics of trips and special events, plus new daily health checks, mask wearing under certain situations, and extra cleaning, are all different. Much still remains the same too: living immersed in this beautiful natural environment, being active everyday, developing social skills, having time to play, being independent, and growing more confident. Rockbrook is still a unique place where girls feel so at ease their authentic selves blossom, and being true like that helps them forge the most incredible bonds of friendship. All the best stuff about camp, the most important and lasting stuff, clearly remains.
Robbie Francis of Go Swan Filmworks is returning this summer to film and present a series of highlights videos, each a unique glimpse into life at camp.
It’s Robbie’s 5th year making these occasional videos for us. Every time, he has the amazing ability to convey a sense of the action, creativity and genuine closeness that make up our days.
Robbie filmed earlier this week and now we have his first video. Take a look and enjoy!
You may be familiar with the idea that kids should be encouraged to go outside of their “comfort zone.” And that at camp, there are many chances to do that. It’s almost inevitable, in fact. New activities, new people, new food, new weather— life at camp is very different from the “comforts of home.” For most children, all that newness is bound to be challenging in some very unexpected ways, especially when it occurs without one of the main sources of comfort in a child’s life: her parents. But after all, that’s exactly the point. Because it’s so different, camp is not supposed to be entirely “comfortable.” It’s supposed to be (appropriately!) challenging. Some of the magic of camp comes from that fact, and when combined with a supportive, encouraging community, it’s a powerful force… even transformative.
My hunch is that most parents who send their kids to camp already get this. They don’t want their kids to sit back and coast through life always choosing what’s the easiest. They don’t want their children to develop a habit of complacency, to always need a road map of conformity to feel safe. They don’t want their children to be afraid to explore, or be tethered too tightly to what’s familiar and predictable. They don’t want their kid’s world to be that narrow and fragile, that strict and ultimately stale. Even though it might feel good at first, the “Comfort Zone” is ultimately unfulfilling. The irony is that it’s us parents who effectively build this trap for our kids just as we care for their needs. We are the ones who supply the comfort zone, making it extra plush, and some us are darn good at it!
Of course, the opposite should be avoided too. We don’t want our children to be in danger, to be faced with extreme consequences, or to risk permanent suffering. There are situations where attention to safety warrants taking specific, careful action to protect our children from harm. Certainly, we do our best to help our kids avoid being in the “Danger Zone.” We don’t want the challenges our children face to be so extreme they become discouraged. We don’t want them to take on so much risk that there is no way to recover. We don’t want for them to explore so much that they become lost.
There’s a sweet spot, however, between comfort and danger. There’s what’s been called the “Growth Zone.” And it’s where we try to dwell at Rockbrook. There are plenty of challenges to be found here, for sure. There are bound to be moments when your daughter will struggle, experience some kind of minor setback, or feel frustrated by something not going exactly like what she’s used to. There are challenges built into the activities too: hitting the target in archery, reaching the top of the climb, threading a needle, centering your clay on the wheel, and so on. And there are even challenges to just living at camp and being part of this community: doing cabin chores, working through personal disagreements, handling the crickets that find their way into the cabins, and trekking up and down all the hills, to name few.
I hope you can see how all of these challenges are appropriate, ones where the girls here can successfully develop the skills, confidence, and perseverance to overcome them and grow. That’s where the the camp community is crucial. All around us at camp there are helpful friends. There is encouragement and support. There’s coaching and plenty of good role models to demonstrate how attitude and effort can make a big difference in moments of discomfort. And when so much of camp life is also incredibly fun, there’s a unique power inspiring girls to carry on and accept the challenges that come. The result is recognizable personal growth in self confidence and resilience. Over time, adapting to challenging situations becomes normal, expected. In this special environment, camp girls develop a sense of who they are— capable and strong. They begin to understand that what’s new and different is potentially an opportunity. They realize that stepping out of their comfort zone, but not so far to be in danger, is a recipe for growth. They learn that growing, not comfort, is what makes life fun.
Will your girls describe their camp experience like this? Certainly not in so many words, but I’m sure they are absorbing this idea. They’re living in the growth zone everyday while they’re here at camp. I love the idea that amidst all the action and silly fun you see at camp, there’s something lasting and beneficial happening too. Such good stuff!
Welcome to camp! “We welcome you to Rockbrook Camp, we’re mighty glad you’re here!” …as the camp song goes. Today the girls attending our June Mini session arrived to begin their long awaited time at camp. Driving through our new check-in procedure, we saw plenty of excited girls eager to hop out of their cars and get started. There may have been an occasional dose of nervous butterflies, both for some campers and their parents— which is completely normal even for seasoned campers —but all the smiling faces and enthusiastic people to meet helped smooth things along nicely. Thanks to everyone for helping make this opening so smooth. Arriving on time, having your forms completed, and organizing medications and other medical needs, benefitted everyone.
When they arrived, every camper received a personalized name tag made from a slice of mountain laurel strung on a length of lanyard. We’ve made tags like these at Rockbrook for generations. The girls decorate them further over the course of their session, and over the years build quite a collection. I’ve even seen alumnae return to camp years later wearing the name tag they personalized as a child.
While our maintenance crew moved luggage to the cabins, the counselors played get-to-know you games with the girls who had already arrived. The name tags help with that! The rest of the morning was spent setting up the cabins, each group of girls and their counselors making beds, arranging trunks, and hanging decorations. Our cabins, most of which are original to the camp, are simple and rustic— all wood, screened windows, and a couple of lights. No air conditioning! No electrical outlets! But they are cozy! Once the girls settle in, comforters go on beds, books on shelves, and towels hung in the “dog trot” area, the cabins are quite comfortable. Something tells me that despite starting out clean and organized, they won’t stay that way for long!
With getting to know their cabin mates underway, we also spent some time getting to know the camp environment. Groups toured about learning the major landmarks like the dining hall, activity locations, and the office. While the entire camp property covers 220 acres, most of that is forest with the core part of camp being tucked into a valley easily navigated by foot. When the camp bell is rung to change activity periods or to call everyone to a meal, it can be heard everywhere.
After lunch, these new campers were introduced to the lake area too. Each cabin group took turns coming down to learn the lake protocols and to take the “swim test,” which we soften a bit by calling it the “swim demonstration” or “swim demo.” Showing the lifeguards that you can be comfortable in the water, swim confidently, and tread water without struggling is the goal. But no matter what a girl’s swimming ability, if she wants to enjoy the lake, we have a way for her to do it safely, perhaps by avoiding the deep sections of the lake or by wearing a PFD while in the water. As temperatures heat up during the day, the free swim times at the lake become very popular with the girls. Most days right before lunch, the lake is the place to be!
Walking around, seeing campers happily engaged with each other, laughing and smiling at the simplest things, I can already tell this is going to be a great session. There’s such a sense of freedom. And what a relief that is after the COVID restrictions of last year, not to mention the regular academic and social pressures of ordinary school life. It’s a joy for all of us at Rockbrook to have kids being kids here at camp, singing and playing, challenging themselves with new activities, and connecting with loads of good friendly people. There are stories to be shared, natural wonders to discover, and so many avenues of growth to explore. There’ll be a surprise everyday, perhaps an entirely unplanned encounter, but there’ll be something marvelous that will make your girl smile.
Life at camp will bring all this and more. Stay tuned!
There is a direct circus connection to Rockbrook. Nancy Barnum Clarke Carrier, the founder of the camp, is the great-granddaughter of P.T. Barnum, the famed “Great American Showman.” She grew up on the camp property in the house her father built in 1898, and later, after being married in 1913, founded Rockbrook in 1921. Being part of the Barnum family, Nancy inherited many circus artifacts, decorating her home with things like an elephant’s foot stool, a full-size stuffed monkey, and Tom Thumbs chair. The circus has always been a part of Rockbrook.
Today we decided to recognize that circus connection by first of all dressing like circus characters. All day at camp, there were lots of clowns, crazy hats, glasses and wigs. One especially tall clown showed up at dinner for a juggling performance! A few campers and staff members dressed like circus animals: at least one lion and several zebras. There were even two life-sized cones of cotton candy: one blue and the other pink!
After dinner, the main event was a circus-themed carnival on our grassy sports field. What better way to begin celebrating Rockbrook’s 100th year than to have inflatables, cotton candy, circus games, music and dancing?
One of the inflatables was a water slide, so many of the girls came dressed in their swimsuits. They dashed from game to game, pausing to grab some water or wait for a cone from the cotton candy machine. The games included a pingpong ball toss, a giant inflated ring toss, and a water pistol shooting game. There were three inflatables: the waterslide, an obstacle course, and a bouncy maze.
Other activities included a hula hooping club, a face painting station, and a caricature drawing booth staffed by two counselors. It took only a few minutes for them to make a drawing, and soon there was quite a lineup of girls wanting their caricature drawn.
Throughout the event we played circus-themed music and gradually added popular songs into the mix, turning the event into a fun outdoor dance party as well. The whole event was lighthearted, silly, and fun. The weather was beautiful adding even more. It had the kind of energy, and the smiling faces, you can only find at camp. Once again, let me direct you to the online photo gallery where you can see much more.
The rest of the evening saw every shower in camp running at the same time as everyone wound down after the exciting day. Your girls are doing great at Rockbrook. They’ve settled into the rhythms of camp life, bonded with their “crew,” and found each day rich and full.
