There are people in my life who I admire, who I emulate, because they, without hope for award or acknowledgment, joyfully and selflessly give all that they can in service to others. Many of these people are campers and counselors at Rockbrook Camp.

Rockbrook campers are often recognized for their good deeds by being awarded colorful, way-cool Bend-It-Back bracelets. And I mean that. They truly are way-cool.

I watch my co-workers exemplify selfless generosity every day as they put campers first, and I watch campers recognize this generosity and give forth to others on their own as well. From volunteering to do the dishes to making a card for a friend who doesn’t feel well, RBC folks are about helping out.

To give selflessly - to put others before oneself - is a daunting task. But once the joy that is the product of such giving is recognized, it becomes the lifeblood of one’s daily action; it is the lifeblood of this place. This is a joyous place that depends upon gracious giving and gratitude. May the bracelets be a reminder of this joy and the camp that thrives in it.

Tags: bracelets, community, friends, giving, gratitude, service, sharing

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Posted in: summer-camp

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Rockbrook is all geared up for an excellent summer of climbing! What was once an appointment-only event, climbing is now offered as a weekly activity. The Alpine Tower is open every day and the gym’s rock wall is our rainy day alternative. But the adventure doesn’t stop there! To create more of a challenge, we have founded the “Blind Girls’ Walk” club. To be inducted into this wacky band of girls, a camper is blindfolded and guided up the tower with her friends’ help. Many have already joined and the line to climb is growing. GO GO CLIMBING HEROES!

Tags: adventure-camp, climbing, outdoor-activities, outdoor-adventure, rock-climbing

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Posted in: adventure

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We’ve all been waiting, been busy preparing, and been ready for the longest time, but finally it’s here. Rockbrook is open for the summer! It’s going to be fabulous, and we’re all incredibly excited! Let the fun begin! Yeah!

Tags: camp, childrens-camps, girl-camps, kids-camps, teen-camps

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Posted in: summer-camp

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It’s really starting to look like summer around camp! The leaves are fully out on the trees, the grass is really growing, and the mountain laurels are blooming (like in this photo of the Rockbrook lake taken from “canoers rock”). This part of North Carolina is just busting with amazing plants, trees and flowers. It’s almost like a jungle! The mountain laurel is just one of the more prominent examples.

Hey, have you seen the camp countdown (over on the sidebar)? There are less than 2 weeks to the first session of camp! Yea!

Tags: camps, nature, North-Carolina, outdoors, traditional-camp

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Posted in: summer-camp

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This is the week the horses begin arriving at camp. It’s exciting because all spring we’ve been preparing the barn for their arrival. There are four new stalls on the big main barn (luxury accommodations!), a new wash pad for the upper barn, and new fence sections here and there. With 28 horses coming, we also need a lot of hay, so we’re really happy to report the main barn now has 550 bales put up. It’ll be fun to see the horses enjoying the fields. The camp horses are ready. Are you?

Tags: fun, horse-camps, horse-riding, horseback-riding, horses

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Posted in: horse

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More comments and memories from a Rockbrook Alumna…

“Every memory is a favorite memory, but there was one that my friend and I do get a kick out of (by the way, her name is Natalie Berry and we have been best friends for 30 yrs). One year our cabin was one of the wild cabins. We all were friends and had gone to Rockbrook for several years. We came up with this name that whenever anything went wrong we blamed “Bob.” Needless to say it picked up like wild fire and we got in trouble for stirring things up. It’s one of those ‘You had to be there’ situations.

“I truly miss Rockbrook. It is my childhood and a great past that I can share and relate with my grandmother Virginia Summer, who also went there. Now I have a 7yr old daughter who I sing camp songs to. My wish is to send her to Rockbrook and who knows maybe one day she’ll have a daughter that she can send too.”

Tags: camp-traditions, history, kids-activities, memories, outdoor-activities

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Posted in: kids

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Here’s a classic photo that’s been circulated around a bit. It’s girls enjoying a sunset view from the top of Castle Rock at camp. A girl at an overnight summer camp can look forward to some incredible sunsets, and when she’s in the mountains of western North Carolina, there are also amazing long-range views too. It’s just another one of the great things we look forward to each summer!

Tags: girl-camps, mountains, North-Carolina, overnight-camps, sunset

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Posted in: summer-camp

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We’ve described Rockbrook’s high ropes courses before, and discussed some of the benefits that follow learning how to climb, but what does it really take to do it? What are the “tricks?” Four things are important: flexibility (to stretch and reach different holds), balance (to steady yourself standing on one foot for example), strength (to pull up, or more frequently, stand up), and lastly, concentration. Bring all these together, and you’ll be a good climber.

Here’s a picture of a girl climbing our alpine tower high ropes course. She’s standing up and over her right foot, balancing on it and leaving plent of space between the climbing poles and her body. This makes it easier to move her left foot up and provides more stability than leaning in and hugging the poles. Step by step, little by little, slow, deliberate, concentrated moves— add them up and you’ll be at the top before you even know it!

Tags: adventure, climbing, outdoor-adventure, outdoors, ropes-course

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Posted in: rock-climbing

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You’ve read about it in the most recent RBC newsletter, but what does it look like? Well, here it is, the new Rockbrook Camp sign! The old one couldn’t be repaired, so we asked local Brevard artist Matthew Lee Hoxit to design and build a new sign for the camp entrance. After showing him some vintage Rockbrook catalogs, and selecting one of the old fonts we liked, Matthew put together this design, found the local materials (oak and locust), hand carved the sign, and installed the whole thing. We love it, and think you will too!

Tags: Brevard, camp, North-Carolina, summer

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Posted in: summer-camp

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We have an absolutely fantastic camp staff lined up for this summer! It’s a great mix of returning counselors and campers, plus new faces that have heard about Rockbrook. You’ll see Callie, Christine, Elizabeth-Anne, Kelly, Katie, Beth, Elise, Eva, Cadey, Katy, Devon, Whitney, Michelle, Kathleen, Brooke, Lexie, Kasey, Lillian, Cara, Bridget, Lori, Bianca, Jenna and Emily —to name just a few of the old RBC folks. In fact, more than half the overall staff are returning to camp with previous Rockbrook experience! That’s another important way that all those great Rockbrook Camp traditions live on— through an excellent group of counselors.

Tags: camp-counselors, jobs, staff, summer-employment, summer-jobs

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Posted in: counselors

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