Green Salamanders at Rockbrook

There is a secret about the western part of North Carolina, something few people know. It is home to more that 50 distinct species of salamanders (Order Caudata), with North Carolina as a whole having the highest salamander diversity in the world! The so-called “Lungless Salamanders” (Family Plethodontidae) are the most numerous and include one species listed as Rare and Endangered by the State: the Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus). This is the only salamander in North America with green markings, hence its name. These little guys have very specific habitat requirements and are rarely seen.

It just so happens, though, Rockbrook’s Castle Rock and Dunn’s Rock provide a perfect habitat for the Green Salamander. There are plenty of moist, shaded rock crevices for the salamanders to hide in, and for the females, to lay their eggs. Green Salamanders spend most of the year in cool rock crevices, but hide in trees during the summer. They ordinarily live to become 10-15 years old.

Today, Alan Cameron, a 7-year volunteer with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, came out to Rockbrook for a Green Salamander field expedition. Another naturalist had observed Green Salamanders at the base of Dunn’s Rock, so Alan wanted to verify his hunch that they would be on Castle Rock too. Within 4 minutes of arriving at the rock, he found a Green! Alan believes that the environment on the camp property is ideal for this salamander and that there is likely a very healthy population of them here.

It’s neat to know (now definitely) that Rockbrook is home to this rare and endangered species of salamander. This is important because Rockbrook will always preserve its unique habitat and thereby help insure this special amphibian survives.

Square Dance!

A lot of climbing happens at Rockbrook. Everyday, in fact, there will be a group of girls climbing something, somewhere in camp. The most popular of these climbing activities is our Alpine Tower. It’s a unique high ropes course tower that is 50ft tall and is located in the woods behind our gym (here’s a map of camp to show you. The Tower is to the left on the map). There are dozens of ways to climb the Tower, from easy ladder-like routes to more gymnastic events that require more strength and daring. This makes it excellent for girls of all ages and something that’s always new exciting because there are plenty of new routes to tackle. When climbing, the girls are safely on belay, so they are also learning about the climbing equipment, safety rules, and belay commands. In case of rain, we can also move to the gym and hop on our climbing wall. It has several shorter routes up two faces and a corner. When the girls are ready for climbing a real rock, they can head up the trail above camp and climb our very own Castle Rock. There are six different fantastic climbs to choose from, right here in camp!

Another interesting phenomenon at camp these days is all the decoration going on. There’s evidence of creativity and imagination all over the place. For example, just about every wrist has several friendship bracelets adorning it (not to mention the “bend-a-back” bracelets girls receive as gifts for doing an unexpected good deed and the green waterslide/swimming bracelet). There are some really complicated patterns being made! In the dining hall, there are colorful painted posters from different special events and birthdays, and in the cabins, wonderful ceramics projects, baskets, drawings, and weavings are stacked up to bring home. I’m sure many will be treasured gifts for you.

Also today we had a special program available for the campers to learn about moss. A local moss expert, Annie Martin, came for the day to lead 4 “moss expeditions” where the girls hiked a bit to gather different varieties throughout the Rockbrook property. Then each camper made a miniature moss garden to demonstrate what they found. The different colors and textures of our local mosses make these gardens really cool.

After dinner, we another camp dance with a local boys camp, this time with High Rocks. Instead of modern music though, this dance was a square dance. We split the age groups again so our seniors could travel to High Rocks and their younger boys could come to Rockbrook. It took a little while for everyone to relax (seeing boys can jingle the nerves, apparently!), but once they heard the music and saw that it’s no big deal to be goofy holding hands and stomping your feet, and that it’s fine to “mess up” your do-si-do, the girls really had a good time. We took a break for cookies and lemonade, only to dance some more afterwords. And again for those girls who didn’t want to participate in the dance, we had an alternative; several counselors hung out with these campers and made friendship bracelets while listening to music. It was an exciting evening with lots of smiles and good feelings all around.

Hiking, Climbing, Rafting and Yoga!

Almost everyday, various special activities are offered in addition to the regular activities. Several campers climbed up and enjoyed the view from the top of Castle Rock, the big rock looking down from the east side of camp. Then, others stretched, toned, and relaxed in a yoga class, which finished with head massages.

Brevard is known as the “Land of Waterfalls” for a reason! Several campers opted to go waterfall exploring in Dupont State Forest, which boasts over a dozen.

If that wasn’t enough, an overnight rafting trip went out as well. Girls went to our Nantahala Outpost, ate s’mores and enjoyed time by the fire. Then, they’ll raft first thing in the morning!

Making Every Day Count

Think the rain will slow Rockbrook girls down? No way! Instead, we write and sing songs about it; and in the process, hopefully learn that a positive attitude can brighten the gray-est day. RBC is located in a temperate rain-forest. Often mornings are misty, and it’s common for there to be a shower in the afternoon. Occasionally, activities like tennis and archery will be moved inside. Counselors know how to make the most of this time by engaging the girls in group games, riddles, and other outside-the-box activities. Indeed, some girls’ best camp memories are from rainy days – perhaps the sound of the drops on the tin roof, a cabin heart-to-heart talk, splashing in puddles, and other moments that are surprisingly meaningful and fun.

Singing in the rain.....

Here are lyrics from some RBC classics that campers have sang for generations:

“Well the days are so pretty that we never complain – even when it dews, also known as rain!”

” Smile though the skies that are blue turn gray….Smile though it’s rainin’, you’ll forget the naughty fella that has stolen your umbrella!”

“Here we are, here we are together! Having fun in fair or rainy weather!”

“We’re learning to make every single day count in the rain or shine or sun…”

In addition to regular activities, today campers climbed on Castle Rock in the morning, and some adventurous gals left for an overnight rafting trip. For evening program, cabins were given an object, that they then come up with an alternative usage, and commercial demonstrating how it works. All in all, it was a full, wet, and fun-filled day at RBC!