Rock Climbing Summer Camp Trip

After breakfast we hike up the hill in camp to reach Castle Rock. Locking carabiners, harnesses, helmets, rock climbing shoes, and ropes… everything in place for a day on the rock. Put on the gear and tie into the rope with a follow-through figure eight knot. Wait for the belayer to get set and begin the commands. “On belay?” “Belay is on,” she says. “Climbing?” “Climb on,” you hear, and you’re ready to go. A left foot up and you’re off. Lean to the right. A foot switch. A little tricky spot, but you get it. This is real rock climbing! Amazing view at the top. A quick rappel and you’re down. Great job!

Summer Camps 4 Kids – Canoeing

Speaking of canoeing, it’s still a summer camp activity we offer at Rockbrook. Like most of the adventure activities, we have a progression where kids first learn basic skills and safety procedures, and then move up to more challenging aspects. For canoeing, we learn the names and uses of the equipment (the boats and paddles, for example), then practice different paddling strokes and techniques to steer the canoes in the water. With all of that firmly in place, we’re off to one of the local rivers— the French Broad, the Green, the Tuckaseegee, or the Nantahala. Each offers its own unique challenges and whitewater thrills.

Girls Summer Adventure Activities

Here’s a middler (who’s finished either the 5th or 6th grade of school) climbing up the route called “Whim” on Castle Rock. It’s just one of the rock climbing routes we have on the camp property. There are definitely some challenging spots, with a cool “foot-switch” move about half way up, so we’ve given it a rating of 5.6. Overall, this climb is about 70 feet high, but it feels much higher because it’s got an amazing view of the French Broad River valley from the top. In fact, this picture of Ashleigh is that view.

Just a glimpse into the great outdoor adventure we have at camp.

Sleep Away Summer Camp Hiking

This is one of those places that almost knocks you over when you see it. It’s a view from the top of John Rock in the Pisgah National Forest (which is right near camp). Hiking through the dense, almost jungle-like, woods for a few miles, being a little sweaty from the climb in elevation, suddenly you pop out to this fantastic view. It’s so surprising and breathtaking. Down almost 1000 feet, you’re looking north toward Looking Glass Rock (one of our camp rock climbing destinations). What a treat! It’s really something to look forward to when you go to a sleep away summer camp in the mountains of North Carolina.

Outdoors Adventure Rafting

Perhaps the most popular outdoor adventure trip at Rockbrook camp is whitewater rafting. We take every girl who is old enough (5th graders and older), and who wants to go , rafting down the Nantahala River, which is located a little west of camp. It’s just a regular part of camp, and everybody looks forward to it. Rockbrook has an overnight outpost near the river, so many campers choose to turn the trip into an overnight camping adventure as well.