80s Dance Party !!

On Tuesday night we also held a fabulous dance party for the whole camp, and the theme was the 1980s. The counselors decorated the gym with posters of pop slogans from the 80s like “Where’s the beef?” and “I’m a pepper, you’re a pepper, wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too.” For music, they gathered an amazing collection of 80s pop songs: Kenny Loggins, Culture Club, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Wham!, Thompson Twins, the Romantics, and so forth. But the really funny part of the evening was everyone’s costumes. You might think these “new millennium” children wouldn’t know much about the 1980s, but with a little help from the counselors we saw lots of big hair, light blue eye shadow, jazzercise leggings, baggy t-shirts pulled off one shoulder, and sweat bands.  It was like stepping back in time!  One highlight was Michael Jackson’s song Thriller, and everyone following along doing the Thriller Dance.  The whole event was good, and sweaty (!), camp fun.

After dinner Wednesday, once one of our typical mountain afternoon thunderstorms cleared, we took all of the Middlers in camp to sliding rock. This is always an exciting trip. We load campers and counselors into our buses, drive into the forest along Looking Glass Creek to the big slab of granite that forms the natural water slide. Of course, the water is really cold. We describe it as “refreshing,” but the campers say it’s “FREEZING!” Though, what a excellent mountain treat! So many wide-mouthed squeals of delight as the girls zip down the rock and into the pool of water at the bottom: It’s just great. Once we’d slid enough, our next stop was at Dolly’s Ice Cream stand for a quick sweet treat. Whether it’s a cone of Rockbrook Chocolate Illusion or a cup of Carolina Cha Cha, there’s nothing more delicious after an outdoor adventure than Dolly’s ice cream.  As you might guess, it’s a perpetual camp favorite.

Cabin Day

Wednesday is cabin day at Rockbrook. This is a special day when after a morning of regular activity time where girls go the different camp activities they signed up for (alpine tower climbing, weaving, archery, riding, etc.), we do something special in the afternoon. There are many options, but what’s unique is that each cabin has their cabin day together. Instead of pursuing different interests and activities, the girls stick together on Wednesday afternoons.

Sometimes, we’ll plan something special for an entire age group, all the Seniors for example. Today, we took all the senior girls on a trip to sliding rock in the Pisgah National Forest. If you haven’t seen it before, Sliding Rock is a natural water slide formed by Looking Glass Creek as it plunges into a pool of water. It’s a classic mountain summer thrill and everyone loves it! On the way out of the forest, we just had to stop at Dolly’s for a cone of “Rockbrook Chocolate Illusion” ice cream. Yum!

The Juniors played group games in the gym, but after dinner were excited to learn they were going camping tonight. Tara our hiking guide would lead them out to our overnight camping outpost located on the Rockbrook property out near Rockbrook falls. With their sleeping bags, flashlights and bug spray in hand, two cabins took the short walk through the woods to the outpost. Tara and Jessi built them a campfire, they roasted marshmallows and sang songs into the night. It takes a little while for everyone to settle down and go to sleep on the covered tent platforms, but that’s because it’s so much fun!

Oh! I forgot to mention the muffins today… Cranberry Walnut. They were awesome!

Sliding Rock North Carolina Fun

This part of North Carolina, in the western part of the state, is well known for its lush mountains and waterfalls. In the Brevard area alone there are more than 250 named waterfalls (Do you know the two that are on the Rockbrook Property?). Some of these waterfalls are quite remote and hidden, but others are popular places for swimming.

The most famous example of these waterfalls is Sliding Rock. This is a place in the Pisgah National Forest where Looking Glass Creek cascades about 60ft over a smooth sloping rock and drops into a deep pool at the bottom. The Forest Service has developed it into an organized recreation area so it can provide parking, lifeguards and first aid services during the busy summer months. In the last few years, Sliding Rock has become so popular the Forest Service has begun charging a small fee to use the area.

The Rockbrook Middlers and Seniors take a trip to Sliding Rock most sessions. We go at special times when the area is less crowded and we always bring our own additional lifeguards. It’s a great mountain experience for the girls, and when you top it off with a trip to Dolly’s Ice Cream stand, it really can’t be beat.

You’ll have so much fun, you might raise your foot in excitement!

Dolly's Ice Cream – A summer camp tradition

Couldn’t resist sending along this article about our favorite local ice cream shop, Dolly’s Dairy Bar. It’s from the online edition of the Hendersonville newspaper, The Times-News. If you’ve been to Dolly’s, you’ll love the article and enjoy hearing some of the trivia it reports. For example, did you know that Dolly’s has a total of 54 different flavors, including the 22 “summer camp flavors, ” and did you know that the Rockbrook flavor, Rockbrook Chocolate Illusion, is one of the top 5 flavors? Our campers just love the place.

If you’re ever in the Brevard area, you should check it out!

Jump On The Springboard – Swim !!

Something pretty great happened to me today, down at the lake in the mid-morning hours: I joined the 440 Club. In order to join this prestigious Rockbrook organization, you have to swim 100 laps across a certain distance in the lake, and once you complete those 100 laps (440 meters), you get to go to Dolly’s as a reward. Honestly, who wouldn’t attempt the 440 for a chance to go to Dolly’s? Which is why I was accompanied by about 7 other campers and 2 other counselors desperately trying to complete the 440 before the deadline tomorrow afternoon. Not only is it another one of those Rockbrook traditions that campers come back to each year, but it’s something to work hard for, something to accomplish, and it’s hard to understand how satisfying it feels to see those stars filled in on your personal 440 card unless you are actually completing the distance yourself. I spent some quality time with the lake today, which I haven’t done in awhile, and I now understand why tons of campers race down at the beginning of every free swim. Despite the cold water (which is very easy to get over) swimming down at the lake was probably the most fun I’ve had during free time since I came to camp. Wait a second, a trip to Dolly’s because I had so much fun in the lake today? I know what flavor of ice cream I’ll be ordering!