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!

Activities for Everyone

The first day of activities this session is full speed ahead with all of the activities ready for action. As we all enjoyed perfect summer weather (warm during the day and cool at night), campers were making pottery, designing weaving projects, and decorating their first pillow case. A few girls also went rock climbing with Clyde, our adventure director. Girls shot arrows and guns, did flips at gymnastics and cannonballs at the lake. Down at the equestrian center, Cara had girls up and riding.

Halfway through the morning at our “Muffin Break,” everyone ran for a treat freshly baked by Liz. We look forward to seeing what flavor she makes for us everyday. Today, lemon.

After rest hour, Jerry, Jessi, Tara and Michelle took a big group of campers on a hike to Kilroy’s Cabin. This is a special hike to a remote part of the Rockbrook property that first takes you to Castle Rock where you can rest and enjoy the amazing view of the French Broad river valley. From there, the hike is a bushwhack through the forest with no trail as a guide. Jerry knows the way, but few others can find the old abandoned cabin. Kilroy’s Cabin is the center of an elaborate, and maybe a little bit spooky, story told at camp. I’ll save the details for later, but it involves a nurse with red hair, love, jealousy and a car crash late one stormy night on a slippery bridge. Ooooooooo. (cue eery music!).

For dinner, a classic camp favorite was served— spaghetti with red sauce. In addition to the salad bar, each table had a bowl of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and basil, and warm bread. It really hit the spot after our action-packed day. But that’s pretty normal for Rockbrook. Camp is action!

Camp North Carolina Waterfalls

Deep in the forest at Rockbrook, there are two different waterfalls. One is tall and thin, and is located just above the heart of camp. It’s called “Stick Biscuit Falls.” Pictured here is part of the other private waterfall on the camp property, “Rockbrook Falls.” It’s a long series of smaller waterfalls made by Dunn’s Creek as it drops off of Chestnut Mountain into the French Broad River valley. You can see that this waterfall is surrounded by forest trees and is made of huge granite boulders. Look at the intense green of that moss!

For generations now, Rockbrook camp girls have taken hikes to Rockbrook Falls. Only about a mile from the center of camp, the trail to this waterfall is a beautiful walk through the western North Carolina woods.

A Camp in the NC Mountains

Rockbrook camp is set in the mountains of western North Carolina on 200 acres a few miles south of Brevard. It’s unique because the main part of camp sits in a gently sloping valley between two large rocks, granite outcroppings, that can be seen quite easily from miles away. The smaller of the two, shown here, is Castle Rock, and the other is Dunn’s Rock. Both rocks are hiking destinations from camp and offer an amazing view of the French Broad River valley when you make it to the top. On Castle Rock, we have several rock climbing routes as well. For both hiking and rock climbing, it’s a great location right there on the camp property.

Summer Hiking Birthday Party

Tonight was birthday night at camp, but a few girls were heading out for an overnight backpacking trip and would have to miss the celebration back at camp. Rather than go without, however, Jessi made arrangements to bring a few party things with the hiking group. Yep, they had their own birthday party out in the woods, complete with balloons, streamers, and an awesome cake! It was a lot of fun, and a big surprise for everyone.

Countdown To Banquet: A Hike!

This is usually the most stressful time of the summer for my 15-year-old campers, because as banquet planners a day before the big night, there are usually a million more things to do and a million more reasons to stay up 24 hours straight. Thankfully, we were given a break from all of the intense preparation today. Around 11:00 AM, Jerry approached the CA’s with an idea for a hike, and shortly after, we all loaded on to the buses and headed into Pisgah National Forest. After a vigorous drive over narrow, winding dirt roads, we stopped at a pull-off and commenced our hike. Once we made it to a clearing that had a perfect view of Looking Glass, we had a long talk about what the girls were going through, how they were handling CA responsibilities, and we were able to spend some quality time together and relax away from camp. Furthermore, not only did we go for a hike, but we stopped at a swimming hole on the way out of the forest. The drive home was quiet, but I haven’t heard the end of how much fun the girls had today; I can definitely agree when they claim, “this was one of the best days all summer.” Now that they have started moving posters to the dining hall in the stealth of night and actually setting up, all of their careful organization and creativity is falling into place. At this point, all of the CA’s are too excited to sleep, and frankly, so am I!

Summer Activities for Kids

Being at summer camp, one of the best activities for kids is hiking. In fact, even at home, taking a walk outside… maybe around the neighborhood or through the local park.. is a great way to spend part of your day. We’ve mentioned it before (and here), but playing outdoors, exploring the natural world, or simply noticing the different aspects of nature around them, is amazingly beneficial for kids.

This photo is a group of Rockbrook girls hiking in the Pisgah National Forest. The mountain in the background with the “saddle” (two peaks connected) is called “Sam Knob” (elevation 6055 ft.).

Camps in North Carolina

Rockbrook is located in the western mountains of North Carolina near Brevard in Transylvania County. This area of North Carolina is well-known for its natural scenic beauty and now has been designated as the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. No wonder, in this part of the state, there are so many summer camps in North Carolina. With fantastic hiking, great whitewater rivers, beautiful mountains and rocks for climbing, and cooler summer temperatures at these altitudes, it’s really a perfect place.