Fairy Banquet

Today was one of those fantastic food days at Rockbrook that are almost too good to be true. It started with a special treat from Alison. She made us some of her chocolate chip scones, the kind of scones that start with flour and ice-cold butter, cut to just the right consistency, and blended to make a sophisticated “crumb,” but also with plenty of sweet chocolate to keep every kid smiling. I guess Alison was feeling creative, or maybe a little playful too, because she added a smear of orange glaze on each scone when it was fresh from the oven. They were heavenly!

At lunch it was Rick’s turn to show off a little bit. Since the dining hall was closed because the CA campers were decorating for tonight’s surprise banquet, we had a picnic lunch on the hill, and when Rick heard “picnic” he thought “barbecue.” But to do it right, you have to plan. He ordered 180 pounds of pork shoulder (“Boston Butts”) and started by first seasoning it and baking it for 4 hours. Next the grill: after hand rubbing each piece of meat with a blend of spices, he grilled them all for 3 hours, completely blackening the outside.  Not done yet though, he then smoked everything for another hour before letting the pork “rest” and cool.  It took 3 people another 2 hours then to pull all the meat off of the bone by hand. Wow, that’s a lot of work!  But it turned out to be the most amazing, tender and juicy, flavorful barbecue. Rick also made an excellent vinegar-based barbecue sauce, and served it all with buns, and his sweet potato fries and coleslaw.  The whole camp was completely stuffed after going back for seconds and thirds… and that was just for lunch.

About 6:15pm the moment everyone was waiting for arrived with the unveiling of the secret banquet theme for this session. The CA campers (who have finished the 9th grade) selected the theme on the first day of camp and spent the rest of the session planning for this night. They decorated the entire dining hall, every wall from floor to ceiling, spending a huge amount of time painting “panels,” colorful scenes on wide sheets of paper to be hung all around the inside. They decorated each table according to the theme, this time designing paper menus and adding flowers, leaves, moss and of course plenty of candy.

So what was the theme? Fairies. Each CA dressed as a different color fairy, complete with wings and plenty of glitter. The panels contained lots of nature imagery— twisted vines, large trees, and clusters of mushrooms. Flowers and twinkly lights seemed everywhere, really adding to the magical feel. The CAs played fun music throughout the dinner as they served their menu of “Thistle in a Blanket,” “Rainbow in a Cup,” “Magical Fruit Salad,” and “Robin’s Eggs.” Together all of this decoration, music, food and dancing, particularly the elaborate fairy costumes, the dining hall truly became a fairyland tonight. It was a great party we’ll remember always.

The Good Kind of Busy

Walking around camp, you can’t help but notice how busy —the enthusiastic kind of busy— everyone seems to be these days. All kinds of craft projects, for example, are taking shape: tie dye T-shirts unfolding to reveal their colorful patterns, woven mats unrolling off the looms in Curosty, glaze being carefully painted on ceramics pieces, and new bracelets showing up in campers’ mailboxes as surprise gifts from a “secret buddy.” There’s lots of physical activity too: tennis serves and volleys, archery and riflery targets with plenty of new holes, sweat- (and laughter-) inducing games of dodge ball in the gym, and impressive gymnastics exercises that require some real strength. With all this cool Nature around us, we’re ready for outdoor adventure also, with girls climbing the Alpine Tower and Castle Rock, canoeing and kayaking in the lake, and practicing their fire building techniques in the WHOA (Wilderness Hiking and Outdoor Adventure) activity.

Each morning after the first activity period, we all pause for a “muffin break.” It’s almost a race to swing by the dining hall and pick up one of Alison’s freshly baked muffins, and it’s definitely a topic of conversation to find out what flavor she’s made on a particular day. It could be something classic, like “poppy seed,” or something original like “chocolate chip sprinkle.” Today we had “pumpkin spice.” It’s neat to see girls just grab a warm muffin and chomp right down on it, no matter what the flavor. They might not have selected it by name, like from a menu, but at camp, they just dig right in and would probably be surprised to know they’ve eaten and enjoyed something with pumpkin in it!

Speaking of food, the kitchen has been getting quite a few thank you notes recently. Campers and counselors alike are feeling compelled to express their love for the food Rick and his crew are serving us. It takes a lot of work to produce homemade meals for 300 people. Imagine hand dipping sliced green tomatoes to fry for the lunch sandwiches, or kneading by hand 35 pounds of flour and butter to make the biscuits this morning, or preparing 200 pounds of barbecue chicken. Rick also makes an extra effort to stock local fruits and vegetables: this week serving corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, blueberries, bell peppers and peaches. The knowledge and care he brings to the food really comes through and everyone at camp benefits. So yes, we’re busy (again, in the best sense of the word) around here, and we eat really, really well!

Today I think we set a new record for bringing campers to Sliding Rock. We started with a small group of about 25 mini session Seniors and their counselors by packing a picnic lunch and heading into the forest around noon. In the bright sunshine and over the roar of the falling water, the girls had a great time screaming their heads off sliding down the chilly ride. Later, around 5:30pm, we loaded up all of Rockbrook’s Middlers, which turned out to be a huge group of 95 people once we got all of the counselors and lifeguards in the equation! We headed straight for the Rock, and fortunately found it mostly deserted so we could all slide plenty of times. Many of these Middlers had never been to Sliding Rock before making this an even bigger treat for them. An hour or so later, we gathered everyone again and drove to our favorite picnic area in the forest, a special spot ideal for large groups. The girls were probably most excited about our last stop, however: Dolly’s Dairy Bar.  “This is the best place in the world!” one camper yelled as we pulled into the parking lot.  It certainly is the only place where you can order a cone of “Rockbrook Chocolate Illusion,” which might be a little over the top, in all its chocolate glory (but probably not!).  Combine this many girls with this much ice cream and you’ve got a grand time.  I have to say it was a little late, and definitely dark by the time we arrived back at camp, but I didn’t hear a single complaint or even comment about that.

Full-Throated Fun

One of the activities offered each day at Rockbrook is something called “Nature.” While rather broadly defined as anything involving the plants, animals and forests of camp, it’s a real treat for the campers. The notion of exploration, of discovery, describes it pretty well also, because mostly the campers are tromping around through the woods and finding fascinating bits of the natural world. With more than 200 acres of Rockbrook property available, the counselors have come up with loads of really fun ways for the girls to be true naturalists. They take stream hikes, stopping to turn over rocks looking for crayfish and salamanders. Like in this photo, they take nets and capture tadpoles at the lake to compare their stages of development. Or, they may simply hike through the woods, perhaps bushwhacking off-trail, to marvel at some of the huge old growth trees on the property.  Of course part of the fun is getting a little dirty and truly feeling the grit and grime of what they find, but that’s one of the things that helps the girls appreciate the beauty of it all, and for us, is something we can feel good about because of the benefits outdoor experience provides.

During one of the swimming activities this morning, the counselors greased up a watermelon for the girls and organized several fun relay races. There’s still plenty of silt coming down the creek and into the lake making the water cloudy, and this made the watermelon a little more difficult to find when it went under. Having to hunt for a hidden, submerged fruit is surprisingly fun because it can appear far from where you expect it. On a bright sunny day, this is good old fashioned fun, and it comes with a sweet tasty watermelon treat.

Being Wednesday, the afternoon was our cabin day, a time when instead of each camper pursuing her individual schedule of regular activities, the cabin groups and their counselors stay together for special whole-cabin events. Each cabin decides what they would like to do. Many involve hiking, like along the gentle trail to Rockbrook Falls or the steep and severe trail up to Castle Rock overlooking the camp. Today, a few cabins played group games on the hill, a couple of Junior cabins played board games, and others relaxed on the porch of the Lakeview lodge making friendship bracelets. One cabin was caught doing outdoor yoga!

All of the senior cabins took a special trip right before dinner. Dressed in their bathing suits and with towels in hand, they loaded up the buses to head out to a special spot in the Pisgah Forest for a picnic. Our timing was excellent because when we arrived, we were the only people there to enjoy a wonderful grassy field, trimmed with awesome shade trees and just the right number of picnic tables. Rick packed us another amazing dinner of fresh corn on the cob, tortellini, warm rolls, and cool, bright red raspberries. The late afternoon sunshine was gorgeous and we had plenty of altitude to keep things breezy and comfortable. After eating, we couldn’t help but skip around the field and play an exuberant game of “Duck Duck Goose.” You might think teenage girls would be “too cool” for this kind of game, but not so with this crowd.

Our next stop on this outing was the main event: Sliding Rock. Always a favorite, this is the natural waterslide formed by Looking Glass Creek as it drops about 60 feet over a gently sloping rock into a deep pool. Going this late after the Forest Service lifeguards have left (we bring our own) is ideal because it avoids the typical crowds of summer, and thereby allows our Rockbrook girls to spend less time waiting in line and more time sliding.  Is the water cold?  You betcha!  That explains why most of the photos of the girls sliding end up showing them with their mouths open.  A few can remain poised enough to smile for the camera as they accelerate toward to bottom, but most are anticipating the plunge that awaits and just let loose with a wide-eyed, full-throated scream.  You can almost hear it in each shot.  Meanwhile, the rest of the girls waiting their turn are cheering their friends on, clapping and shouting.  It really is super exciting.

With our fill of sliding, there was one more stop to make, and it’s always a crowd pleaser.  On the way out of the forest we took that happy left turn into Dolly’s Dairy Bar so everyone could enjoy a cone of their favorite flavor of ice cream.  There were more screams and cheers of delight as we pulled into the parking lot and all the girls ran to join the line waiting to order.  Dolly’s has refined their serving so it took just a few minutes for everyone to be savoring (for some, gobbling) their treat. Yummy stuff.  It was dark by the time we made it back to camp, bringing our surprise night out to a close, but it was the kind of big group fun we love around here, and a really good time.

Worth Preserving

The NC Legislature just passed a bill, and the Governor has signed it, establishing a commission to study the current length of the school year in North Carolina. For the last couple of years, there has been a broad debate about how much classroom learning our children should have. On one side there are those that call for more time in school, more minutes in class per day and more days per year, because it’s believed academic achievement is proportional to the amount of time in school and it’s been observed that children lose some of their academic progress over the summer when they aren’t studying. On the other side, there are those that value the traditional summer break from school (June through August) and understand it as an opportunity to learn equally important non-academic skills, so-called “life skills” or “personal skills.” These are things like being creative and independent, being friendly and outgoing, being resilient and determined, and so forth.

It’s easy to guess what side summer camps come down on. We cherish the summer months because they provide time for camp, naturally, but what’s important about that is all the important “whole child” learning camp provides even as our kids are having a great time. Check out these two articles we’ve already written on this issue: Longer School Year and Amy Chua and Camp.

There’s plenty to say about this, and I’m sure there will be even more debate as time goes on, but it’s worth remembering the real growth children experience at summer camp. When your Rockbrook girls return home, you’ll see it. They’ll be more excited about things, more likely to “dive right in,” and be quick to smile and laugh at the most common moments. They’ll probably seem just a little taller, in several different ways. A camp experience provides so many benefits that are difficult to reproduce at home and at school, it can make a profound difference in a girl’s overall education, and that’s something really worth preserving.

Today, as part of our cabin day events, we took all of the mini session Middlers and Seniors to Sliding Rock. The Seniors took a morning trip and the Middlers an evening trip. With snacks packed (and a complete dinner for the Middlers— Rick’s chicken potato casserole, coleslaw, bacon, and nectarines— an amazing, delicious combination), we loaded all the buses for each trip into Pisgah. On both trips we went “after hours” so we could have the rock to ourselves and the girls could slide as many times as they wanted. The record I heard was 11 times. That’s a lot of slippin’ and slidin’! As the girls sit down at the top of the rock and they feel the cold water hit them in the back, it can be bit of a shock, the kind that brings out plenty of wide-mouthed screams. But as they begin sliding, pick up speed and get closer to the final plunge, just about everyone either has her hands in the air, is holding her nose, or is screaming her head off! Sometimes all three!

Topping off these trips, we just had to stop at Dolly’s so everyone could pick out a cup or cone of their favorite flavor of ice cream. Dolly’s is a wonderful ice cream stand located at the entrance to the Pisgah Forest that offers more than 50 different flavors, one of which is named after Rockbrook (there are 20 other camp flavors too), “Rockbrook Chocolate Illusion.” Yes, it’s an all-chocolate flavor with fudge, brownies and chocolate chips mixed in, but also mini-peanut butter cups to “lighten it up.” A little over the top, but yummy.

We are all having a great time… a getting a lot out of it!

New York Banquet

Rick (here he is in this photo!) has been cooking some phenomenal meat over the last couple of days. Today he grilled 160 pounds of pork shoulder to make his own barbecue for the campers. He started by baking all that meat in a low heat oven for 10 hours, and then moved over to the charcoal grill for the finish cooking to give it a great grilled taste. We were shocked when the camp polished off every scrap. Everyone must have loved it, not to mention his homemade coleslaw and sweet potato chips. With cups of lemonade, we all enjoyed a picnic on the hill. Ah, don’t you just love summer?!

In addition to the climbs on Castle Rock, here on the Rockbrook property, we are also located nearby Looking Glass Rock in the Pisgah National Forest. Looking Glass is one of the best and well-known rock climbing areas in the southeast, with hundreds of routes that offer a range of challenges. Clyde and Abby took a group of middlers to the Nose Area of the rock to climb today. This area has fantastic views of the mountains as well as wonderful rock. There are a couple of easier routes to try, so everyone gets up to catch the view. Perfect weather made an even better trip.

This was the night we’ve all been waiting for, the night of the Banquet. The CA campers (9th graders) have been planning and preparing for the banquet since the very first day of camp. They picked a theme and revealed the costumes, decorations, skits, music and dance, and food to create a special evening for the rest of the camp. Their theme? New York City. They had taxi cabs, graffiti artists, broadway lights, soft pretzels, street performers, subway cars, lots of candy (of course!) and more. It was an amazing transformation and performance, and everyone at camp enjoyed it. The creativity and hard work that went into the banquet really showed. Thank you CAs!

Tomorrow is the last full day of camp for this session, and it’s gonna be a busy one!

Camp Outdoor Living

The weather has been just great these last few days of camp. It’s been warm and sunny during the day with highs in the mid 80s, but still nice and cool, around 60 degrees, when we wake up in the morning. Hearing thunder off in the distance, we’ve realized an afternoon thunderstorm or two have been nearby, but at least so far they have all missed us directly. Being so close to the weather, living outside while at camp, is one of the best parts of the experience at Rockbrook. We spend so much of our ordinary lives inside climate controlled spaces, it’s great for children to be able to feel the natural world a little more, to reconnect to the power of their senses. Cool, sweet watermelon by the lake on a hot summer day… Yum!

Down in Curosty, one of the craft cabins at camp (and one of the oldest, predating 1900), the girls have been learning to weave on the looms. Our fantastic weaving instructor Alison has many projects set up: belts, headbands, and wider place mats. Here’s Velvet working on a tabletop loom and making a narrow strap that will probably become a belt. It takes real concentration to operate the harnesses that move the heddles up and down, making the different patterns, but on these top looms there are usually a simple set of levers to press.

Late this afternoon we loaded up all the seniors to take them on a surprise trip into the Pisgah National Forest. They all came prepared dressed in bathing suits. The first stop was Sliding Rock, the natural water slide well-known in this area. Looking Glass creek rolls about 60 feet over a big smooth rock and then plunges into a deep pool at the bottom, so what used to be just a pull-off of the road is now a major attraction in this area. The girls absolutely love it! Over the roar of the waterfall, it’s a series of piercing screams as the girls take turns sliding down in pairs or triplets. Did I mention the cold water? You can imagine how that amplifies everything!

After sliding (some of the girls went down 6 or 7 times!), we drove down to another spot in the forest for a picnic supper. Rick set us up with homemade hummus and veggies, fruit, sandwiches, chips and chocolate brownies. This was a nice time for everyone to eat and talk about their experiences sliding down the rock. But perhaps the highlight for everyone was our last stop of the evening: Dolly’s Dairy Bar. There’s nothing like a yummy ice cream cone of your favorite flavor to top off the day. Singing songs out front, laughing and eating a super sweet treat— what nice trip!

Summer Living

Breakfast this morning made everyone happy. Rick served us his signature french toast, bacon, syrup, and cut fruit (cantaloupe, blueberries and blackberries). Like all the food he prepares for us at camp, this wasn’t something pre-made and frozen in a factory. He hand dipped each piece of bread, and grilled them all with a little sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon. No wonder everyone was so stuffed during morning assembly! But then after the first period of activities was done, there were plenty of girls interested in the chocolate chip muffins Liz baked for us. Not too surprising!

The rest of the morning was packed with our regular camp activities. With their new schedules, the girls were eager to climb the alpine tower, meet and ride a new horse, and learn the proper techniques of archery. Crafts are just about everywhere at camp, as well. Walk around and you are sure to spot all manner of media in the mix—fibers, string, clay, dyes, papers, paint, leather, fabrics, thread, yarns, markers, and all kinds of natural products. There’s creativity percolating in just about every corner.

While camp is definitely action packed, we also make sure to provide plenty of time when the girls can do what they want— time before lunch, right before dinner and right after dinner —freedom for swimming, hanging out in their cabin with friends, playing games on the hill, exploring the creek by “Curosty,” chatting with their counselor, preparing a skit for evening program, or just reading a book. It’s long been part of Rockbrook’s philosophy to make camp a welcome relief from the overly scheduled routine of life back at home and school. We believe kids need a special place, a haven, where they can set their own pace, follow their own interests and thereby allow their own sense of fun to flourish. It’s really what summer vacation was meant to be.

Lunch was an impromptu picnic on the hill with hot dogs, all the fixins’, chips, and watermelon. It was a wonderfully sunny afternoon, with a light breeze now and then. We sat in our crazy creek chairs, listened to music and just soaked up the scene on the grassy hill.

Jeff took the Hi-Ups on a really cool waterfall hike in Dupont Forest after lunch. They went straight to High Falls so they could enjoy a little swimming in the pool at the bottom of the huge waterfall. There’s even a short sloping section of the falls that can be a “sliding rock” of sorts. We did spot a couple of northern watersnakes hiding amid the rocks, and while quick to get out the way, still got our hearts pumping a bit! One was very small, a baby snake, and did get at least one comment about being “cute.”

Dinner tonight was also a special event: Harry Pottery Restaurant Night! The girls were encouraged to dress up like their favorite Harry Potter character, adopt a European accent of some sort, or just come prepared to “add to the magic.” Ellen became Professor Trelawney, the divination professor. Several campers became students at Hogwarts, complete with capes and brooms, and even Sarah dressed up as Narcissa Malfoy. After dinner, keeping the theme, we had a wand making workshop for the girls. With ribbons, glitter, and colorful tape, they decorated wooden sticks to make really cool looking magic wands.

Keep those comments coming!  We really appreciate it!

A Rafting and Riding Fiesta

For a bunch of Middlers and Seniors, today was a big day of whitewater rafting on the Nantahala. Right after breakfast we loaded up three buses of them, and with a picnic lunch packed and ready to go, we set out to meet our regular team of rafting guides at the head of the river. Rockbrook is fortunate to be the only girls camp to have a US Forest service permit to run trips on the Nantahala River. This allows us to hire excellent guides (people we know are great with kids), have our own equipment (top of line Avon rafts for example), and schedule trips when we want. It also allows us to take every camper rafting who is old enough (5th grade and older) for no additional fees. The weather today was absolutely perfect for rafting. Warm and sunny is ideal when it comes to the chilly water of the Nantahala, and also for inspiring splash fights between rafts. The girls had a great time paddling the river, singing camp songs during the calm sections, and screaming their heads off when heading down the rapids.

Down at the equestrian center, the riding lessons are going well. The beginners already have their favorite ponies to ride— “I love Annie, and I love Cool Beans!” And the intermediate riders are working on posting, while the advanced lessons the girls are practicing their canter and jumping. It seems the barn is always a popular place to hang out.

Lunch today in camp was a delightful picnic on the hill. Rick served up hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixins. He made a giant batch of macaroni salad, had coleslaw, potato chips and pickles to round off the plate. Same weather here: sunny and warm, but cooler than the past few days. The girls brought out their Crazy Creek chairs and spread out across the hill to soak up the mountain view and chat over lunch. It was one of those great, classic summertime feelings we always enjoy at camp.

“Happy Birthday Everyone!” was the theme for dinner. It was a special event called “Birthday Night” where we rearranged the dining hall tables so everyone with the same birth month can sit together. It’s really fun to find out who shares your month and maybe even the same birthday as you, and even more so, to share the special cake for each month. You can imagine it’s a busy day in the kitchen for Liz as she bakes 12 cakes! Fortunately, the Hi-Ups help decorate all of them. To make the event even more festive, we served Mexican food (tortillas, quesadillas, beans, steak fajitas, rice, salsa, sour cream and homemade guacamole), decorated the dining hall with brightly colored piñatas, posters and balloons, and had the girls dress up for a “Fiesta.” Latin music played over the sound system, and we all wished each other happy birthday (and other celebrities we could think of… “Happy Birthday Justin Bieber!”). Yummy good fun.

We spotted this article in USA Today about the art of letter writing, and how camps are a place where kids, and parents, can practice that skill, reconnecting to an important form of communication. We’re always encouraging letter writing at camp, both from parents to campers and vice versa. Go check out the article, and you’ll see why!