Adventure for Girls

Girls of all ages get at least a taste of adventure while at camp. Even the youngest girls (who, having finished kindergarten, can be as young as 5 years old!) are able to gear up and climb our 50ft Alpine Tower. Even before leaving the ground it’s an adventure— fitting the helmet, tightening the harness, clipping the rope to everything, and learning the belay commands. This kind of outdoor adventure camp activity introduces girls to a few technical details of climbing while at the same time providing a nice balance of physical and personal challenges. It’s balancing up little holds and remaining calm and focused despite a fear of heights.  All good things!

Rockbrook Camp's Ropes Course

“Does Rockbrook have a ropes course?”

Yes, we have an Alpine Tower. This is a special challenge course camp structure that combines both low ropes course elements and really cool high ropes course events. If you haven’t seen one of these, they are amazing. From this photo you can see a little that they are made of huge telephone poles bolted and lashed together in the shape of two inverted pyramids. This allows the youth girls to climb up three different sides, swing on ropes, balance on logs, scramble up cargo nets, and pull up on all sorts of climbing holds. There’s the “corporate ladder,” the “missing link,” the “swinging logs,” and the “bump out” to name just a few of the ropes course climbing elements on the Tower. You can imagine how popular climbing is at camp, and with all these different ways to climb, girls can come back all the time and have something new to try.

P.S. Did you know Rockbrook’s Alpine Tower is unique among youth camps because it is the only one with a roof?!

Activity Spotlight: Climbing

Rockbrook is all geared up for an excellent summer of climbing! What was once an appointment-only event, climbing is now offered as a weekly activity. The Alpine Tower is open every day and the gym’s rock wall is our rainy day alternative. But the adventure doesn’t stop there! To create more of a challenge, we have founded the “Blind Girls’ Walk” club. To be inducted into this wacky band of girls, a camper is blindfolded and guided up the tower with her friends’ help. Many have already joined and the line to climb is growing. GO GO CLIMBING HEROES!

Camp Ropes Course Climbing

We’ve described Rockbrook’s high ropes courses before, and discussed some of the benefits that follow learning how to climb, but what does it really take to do it? What are the “tricks?” Four things are important: flexibility (to stretch and reach different holds), balance (to steady yourself standing on one foot for example), strength (to pull up, or more frequently, stand up), and lastly, concentration. Bring all these together, and you’ll be a good rock climber.

Here’s a picture of a girl climbing our alpine tower high ropes course. She’s standing up and over her right foot, balancing on it and leaving plenty of space between the climbing poles and her body. This makes it easier to move her left foot up and provides more stability than leaning in and hugging the poles. Step by step, little by little, slow, deliberate, concentrated moves— add them up and you’ll be at the top before you even know it!

POW! WAM! KABLAMMO!

Pull on your tights, strap on your capes, and prepare to save the world- it’s Super Hero Day! Instead of concealing our secret identities in our usual disguises, we busted out as our alter egos and had a supper of super proportions. Tonight we’re flying into the Dining Hall for Auction Night!

This morning at Castle Rock, some campers showed their super hero strength as they climbed to the top. It rained this afternoon, but we hope to get more girls up the rock face after it dries. Also, some out-of-camp trips are in the works. In the words of one of our favorite heroes, “To infinity, and BEYOND!”

Summer Camp Counselor

We found this great picture of Ashleigh from last summer, and thought we’d pass it on. Also, we’re excited to let you know that she’ll be back this summer to work again as a counselor on the outdoor adventure staff. This looks like one of those crazy “self portraits” (holding the camera with one hand) that she took at the top of the Castle Rock climbs at camp. Awesome!