So Much Fun at Camp

When writing these blog posts, and mentioning special events for the most part, it’s easy to forget all of the “regular” activities that are going on at camp.  Everyone selects four different activities for their daily schedule, so throughout the day you can find all kinds of arts and crafts, horseback riding, sports, and outdoor adventure going on.  Kathleen our main photographer spends part of her day wandering around camp taking pictures of these activities, but it’s impossible for her to capture it all.  She might spend time at the tennis courts, for example, but she’ll be missing the action at the Alpine Tower and the riding down at the barn.

Jeff took the Hi-Ups, our oldest campers (10th graders), on a fun outing Thursday afternoon. Dressed in bathing suits and with towels in hand, we made our way to High Falls in the Dupont State Forest. It was one of those perfect summer days. The unstable, moist air of the last few days had cleared to leave wonderful blue skies, sunshine and a few white clouds. High Falls is a spectacular waterfall formed as the Little River drops about 150 feet over exposed granite. Depending on the water level, there are different sections varying in strength from a gentle sloping flow to a raging drop. We found it just right today to swim in the pool at the bottom of one section. There’s also a part forming a “sliding rock” of sorts. It was a little bumpy going down, but very fun nonetheless. On the way home, there was just enough time to swing by Dolly’s. Yum.

For dinner, we held another special meal, Restaurant Night, but to mix things up a bit, we turned it into “Harry Potter and the Night of the Restaurant.”  A group of the counselors decorated the dining hall like the great hall of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter novels, and everyone was invited to dress up as a character from the books or in simply “magical” attire.  The tables were rearranged and the counselors served the campers… roast beef, peas, potatoes and toffee bars for desert. We saw Draco Malfoy, several Harry Potters (complete with lightning bolt scar) and even Sarah dressed up as Bellatrix Lestrange to do the announcements after the meal. Music, food, costumes and skits: all just a regular part of the fun at camp.

A Full Camp Day

It was another full, busy day at Rockbrook Camp today with campers signed up for trips, special activities available, and a fun day-long theme to add even more silliness to the mix. Everyone was excited to learn about the surprise theme— Cartoon Character Day. This is when campers and counselors dress up as their favorite cartoon character. It’s certainly optional, but it was fun to see Minnie Mouse, the Tasmanian Devil, several princesses, and even spider woman running around camp. There are some very creative girls here who are always looking for a reason to dress up.

After our excellent breakfast of bacon, home fries, fresh cut fruit, yogurt and cereal, several outdoor adventure trips packed up to leave camp. Clyde and Kelsey took a small group of senior girls for a day of whitewater kayaking on the lower section of the Green River. Also, the oldest campers, our “Hi-Ups” who have finished the 10th grade, went hiking in Dupont State Forest. They hiked to Hooker Falls and climbed down to the pool of water below to wade in a bit (and take photos of course!). After the early morning fog burned off, the skies were a wonderful sunny blue, making this a beautiful trip.

Every few days or so, Jessi leads a morning Yoga class for anyone interested. Everyone gathers in the stone “Hillside Lodge,” spreads out across the wood floor with their mats, and moves through a series of beginner Hatha Yoga poses. With calm music playing, and good friends all around, it’s a very relaxing time, and it feels so good! It’s surprising how much enthusiasm there is for these yoga classes, even from girls who have never tried it before. Jessi’s teaching is a big part of that, I suspect.

For our evening activity today, we had a very special campfire with our friend Gary Greene who is a talented story teller and musician. All the campers and counselors gathered at the Spirit Fire area to enjoy Gary’s stories (“Peanut Butter,” for example) and to sing several songs (e.g., “Little Cabin in the Woods” and “The Frog Song”). Michelle helped by staging a few jokes, and leading several RBC songs as well. One highlight was his reading of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky while a few campers and counselors acted out different parts. Everyone was really engaged and entertained all evening. We loved it!

The smell of wood smoke outdoors, the sounds of crickets and frogs from the lake, being together like this in such a beautiful setting, signing and laughing … that’s real camp.

Rockbrook and the NC Cherokee

If you’ve been to Rockbrook you know how it’s located in an amazing place— tucked between two prominent rock faces, surrounded by forest on three sides and bordering the valley formed by the French Broad river on the fourth. Add to that the two freshwater creeks, two waterfalls, and the two caves, you begin to understand how unique it really is.

But did you know that Rockbrook was also the site of a Cherokee settlement? That’s right; a Native American town called Kana’sta was located right near camp. This photo is a marker telling a bit about it.  The plaque says:

Site of CONESTEE, Legendary Lost Settlement of the Ancient Cherokee Nation. Visited by British Troops in 1725. Disappeared 1777. Erected by Cherokee Historical Ass’n, Transylvania Historical Ass’n, Unaka Chapter, Daughters of American Colonists.

According to this blog, there is also a Cherokee story telling of the Kana’sta settlement leaving its town to go and live with another Cherokee group.  Two visitors arrive one day and offer to let the Kana’sta people come and live in their town “where we are always happy.”  It is a story of why the Kana’sta “disappeared.”

It’s so interesting to think about the rich history of this part of North Carolina.  Long before European settlers arrived, a group of Cherokee recognized its special character and made it their home. Today, hundreds of years later, it is home to all of us at Rockbrook.  Pretty cool.

A Summer Camp of Snow

Here’s a set of photos we took today of the amazing snow that fell at camp this past weekend. They show just how different everything looks at camp in the winter, and when it’s covered in snow!

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.