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We’re finding ourselves in a typical summer weather pattern. Like the last couple days, and probably for the next few, today began cool and foggy. The temperature and dew point hovered together around 67 degrees when we woke up, with the humidity about 99 percent. We’re pulling a lot of moisture out of the Gulf, and there’s no major weather system to push it out. As the sun warmed things up, all morning we enjoyed bright skies with big puffy clouds. Higher up near our surrounding mountains the air is much cooler, so as our moist air near the ground warmed, evaporating the dew, it began to rise. That clash between the rising moist air and the cooler air above it created what we expected: a thunderstorm.

Today’s storm happened just after lunch, around 2pm. Perfect timing! Our lightning alarm sounded and everyone scattered back to their cabins for rest hour. For the next hour or so we watched the storm drop more than half an inch of rain… all that moisture returning to the ground. By 3:30, the storm had passed and the sun was back out for the rest of the day. You can see how an afternoon thunderstorm can become a recurring thing. By the way, if you’re interested in the weather at Rockbrook, our weather station publishes its data here and here.

Sometimes we’re simply caught in the rain, getting wet and cooling off. This can inspire some pretty silly stuff. For example, yesterday the Hi-Ups decided, since they were already wet, to dance around in the rain and then roll down the hill wearing trash bags. Why? For no particular reason other than the fun of it. Today, a couple of senior campers found themselves walking in the creek, and soon with no warning having a splash battle. Both examples ended up with everyone soaking wet and laughing hysterically. Once again, there’s proof that camp offers a joyous freedom to relax into the world, to be fully present and playful, no matter what the weather. We adults might occasionally summon the courage to say, “Ah, what the heck!” and dance in the rain, soaked to the skin. But kids at camp? They do it instinctively and without hesitation. Lucky them!

Several of the craft activities at Rockbrook are led by day-staff specialists, artists and craft artisans who can offer more knowledge and experience than a cabin counselor. These are crafts where more instruction makes all the difference. Woodworking is a perfect example. It involves a range of essential skills and concepts, not to mention sharp cutting tools that require careful handling. Pottery, too, benefits from experienced teaching, especially when girls are learning to throw on the wheel. Having someone close by to demonstrate techniques and offer hands-on help can be the key to success. Weaving in Curosty and Needlecraft are two more examples. In each case, the girls are learning something new, often quite sophisticated, even as they’re simply having fun exploring their creativity.

In the end, it’s a summer day at camp with its misty mornings, midday showers, muddy hands and feet, and a special unbounded laughter we cherish. It’s a daily rhythm we’ve come to love, rain and all.

Rockbrook is always a place of celebration, but the 4th of July gives us an extra special reason to kick things up a notch! And the festivities start first thing, even before the rising bell.

The riding staff members, dressed in their finest red, white and blue, ride decorated horses up into camp! This morning, they spread out and rode down each cabin line shouting, “The British are coming! Wake up! Wake up!” (a playful nod to Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride). We’ve done this for years at Rockbrook, but it’s still a fun surprise for the girls to wake up hearing hoofbeats outside their cabins. A little sleepy-eyed, the girls stumble out onto the hill and gather around the flagpole where the Hi-Ups lead a flag raising ceremony.

Down at the lake, the counselors we have from the UK performed a short skit that ended up with all of them jumping in the water, proving again that the British are already here.

All this patriotic spirit and celebration, continued throughout the day. Red, white and blue decorations transformed the dining hall with streamers, posters, and ribbons hung in every direction. We set tables with patriotic headbands, stickers, glitter, and temporary tattoos that quickly became the most popular accessories of the day, giving our regular camp activities an extra dose of stars-and-stripes sparkle.

Rick and his fantastic kitchen crew prepared a special lunch for everyone, something that he serves only occasionally because it takes multiple people three days to make. Using traditional ingredients, they made us 4 different varieties of tamales. Masa corn flour, stock, and different fillings like cheese, chicken, peppers and onions, plus two different sauces (a red and a green) are all wrapped in a corn husk and then steamed for two hours. Altogether they made about 1,200 tamales! Giant pots of steaming tamales filled the kitchen. Unwrapping warm, freshly steamed tamales for lunch. What a treat!

We served dinner on the hill, a classic meal of burgers, french fries, and watermelon or pineapple. The girls were surprised to find they could have a can of Cheerwine soda kept cold in the creek.

The evening activity began with a classic counselor hunt. Ten counselors hid around the camp and each cabin roamed together looking for them. Only one cabin managed to find all ten, completing their map and earning a prize trip with Casey next week. We also held a pie-eating contest. We’ve found over the years that it works best to have counselors eat the pie and the campers cheer them on. It’s actually quite difficult to eat a whole pie, but Blaire was able to beat six others in the contest.

As it grew dark, we topped the day with our own fireworks show. Casey gave out glow sticks to all the girls, and as they gathered on the hill in their crazy creek chairs, we blasted fun music. For the next 30 minutes or so, we enjoyed a dance party while the boom and sparkle of fireworks lit up the sky. As the girls twirled their glow sticks and sang along to the music, they cheered with every colorful burst.

From early galloping horses to the nighttime fireworks spectacular, the 4th of July today at Rockbrook was a day-long celebration of camp fun, red-white-and-blue flair, and good times with friends. Happy 4th of July!

Yesterday we took two groups of girls whitewater rafting on the Nantahala river, a group of Seniors in the morning and Middlers in the afternoon. Cool morning fog turned into absolutely perfect rafting weather with bright sunshine and warm temperatures, an ideal combination to buffer the 50-degree water. Both trips were equally lucky by avoiding the spotty thunderstorms that were forecast for the day.

Weather like this adds to fun, the playful, silly, often hilarious ride along the river. These rafting trips are a complete blast! The 2-hour trip, from put-in to take-out, alternates between calm floating sections and heart-pounding splashy rapids that send the girls screaming and laughing with delight. Along the way, each boat poses for the camera, waving, making a “high five” with their paddles, or “playing dead,” for example. Of course, falling out of the boat is part of the experience, sometimes accidentally when the boat hits a rock unexpectedly, and sometimes intentionally as a chance to cool off. Either way, those left in the boat work together to pull the swimmer back aboard, all while roaring with laughter. This kind of camaraderie can’t be beat.

The final rapid, a thrilling Class-III double-drop called the “Nantahala Falls,” is an awesome finale. It never fails to deliver high intensity, wide-eyed screams as the boats drop in and are briefly engulfed in whitewater. At the bottom, the girls look at each other in disbelief. “Yeah! We made it!” Like all great adventures, there’s a sense of celebration, a true feeling of success, afterwards. It’s just one type of fun we enjoy at camp.

You probably haven’t heard, but we rebuilt the Rockbrook Health Hut this year. What was once a staff cabin called “2×4” had been converted into the camp infirmary back in the 1990s. It was a small building that served us well, but recently as our team of nurses has grown (now 5 per session) to meet the increasing health care needs of our campers and staff, we decided more space would be helpful.

We worked with a local architect, and now have a wonderful, perfectly suited building. Most significantly, we now have a dozen air-conditioned overnight beds, quarantine rooms, efficient medication storage, additional bathrooms, treatment rooms, nurses’ office and accommodations. My favorite part is the covered porch on the front, with its stone approach, outdoor lighting and seating. We love how the building turned out and are really happy that the entire Rockbrook community can now enjoy the upgrade. Be sure to stop by and see it the next time you’re at camp!

Today we welcomed to camp a new group of girls, opening both our 4-week session and our first mini session of the summer. As each car arrived, pulling through our drive-thru check-in process, we could see that these girls had been waiting too long, unfairly long, for camp. Most were smiling and eager, feeling that perfect mix of nervous energy and excited anticipation. These girls were ready to get their camp time started!

There’s something quietly magical about opening up a trunk on the first day of camp. After the excited hellos while arriving, the songs on the hill at our first assembly, and the first glimpses of the lake or the horses or the dining hall, campers return to their cabins, choose their bunks, and begin to unpack. This first means making beds, organizing clothes, and shoes, and arranging trunks.

Every camper sets up their bunk a little differently. Some start with books and stuffed animals, lining them up on side shelves. Others carefully place their toiletries in caddies, hang up towels on cabin hooks, or string battery-powered fairy lights. Zippered pouches full of markers, card games, friendship bracelets in progress… these small treasures appear, one by one, and find their places. All the while, counselors are guiding the process and answering questions.

Photos from home get pinned up. Favorite blankets are arranged just so. There’s pride in getting it “just right,” but also freedom, because there’s no perfect way to set up a bunk at camp. Each one reflects the personality of the camper who calls it hers.

As each girl arranges her space, the cabin itself begins to come alive. There’s a buzz of conversation: “You brought that book too?” “Can I borrow your nail polish?” A sense of belonging starts to settle in alongside the duffels and trunks. New friends and old become bunkmates. Cabins become cozy homes.

By the time the lunch bell rings, rustic cabins that were empty that morning are now full of life, laughter, and a little bit of chaos. The session is only just beginning, but already the rhythm of camp has started to take hold. Unpacking may seem simple, just about the “stuff,” but it’s also the first moment of connection: camper to bunk, camper to cabin, camper to Rockbrook.

We closed our first session as all Rockbrook Camp sessions have over the years: with a campfire we call our “Spirit Fire.” With the whole camp gathered around a blazing campfire, everyone dressed in their red and white uniforms, we paused to recognize our time together and consider what this means to us. This was a chance to sit shoulder to shoulder, even arm in arm, sing a few traditional songs and listen to campers and staff members alike speak about their camp experience this session. The warm glow of the campfire, the sounds of spring peepers and crickets all around, and the emotions of the moment combined to make a beautiful setting.

As campers and staff members stood to speak, we heard about camp being a “place like home.” One small Junior said it was so easy to make friends at camp, even with older girls. A new staff member said she’d never felt so loved by so many people at once. Every speaker provided a beautiful reminder of what we all cherish about Rockbrook.

This is camp with our very best friends, genuine support from a caring community, joyful silliness, singing and dancing, and more Nature than you can name. Just being here, together with each other, is what makes it special.

In a world that’s too often divided, racked by forces that isolate us from each other, this kind of community really is precious. Where else can we relax and be our true selves, fully knowing that we still belong no matter what? Where else can we celebrate each day, laugh with abandon, and feel this kind of positivity so deeply? Where else is there a carefree enthusiasm for just about everything? It’s true; camp is magical, and these campers have proven it.

Thank you everyone for being a part of this special place. Thank you parents for trusting us with your daughters, and for understanding the value of camp. Fortunately, even though we’re sad this session has come to an end, we’ll carry with us the Spirit of Rockbrook. Until we gather again next summer, may that spirit continue to warm us all.

Ask any Rockbrook camper to name something they look forward to at camp, and they’ll likely tell you about their session’s Banquet. Many will even tell you it’s their favorite event at camp, and therefore is something exciting just from the anticipation that builds throughout the session. The Banquet is held on the second to last night, so it’s a celebration of everything that’s grown while we’re here: the creativity, the enthusiasm, the joy, and of course the deep friendships that tie this community together. It’s a party unlike any other because it happens here at camp with all of these great people.

The CA campers (our 9th graders) take on the task of creating the magic of this event. From the very first day of their session when they select a secret theme for the Banquet, they are planning and preparing. They make all the decisions about the program, their costumes, the music, the decorations and the food to be served.

They take this planning quite seriously too, with every detail receiving attention. Using painted banners, carefully arranged lighting, streamers, table decorations, and various props, the CAs completely reimagine the dining hall, transforming it into a colorful new world.

They transform themselves too, becoming elaborately dressed characters. This is a big part of the fun for the CAs. They love taking on new personalities and dressing their parts, all adding to the theme of the night. These characters perform as well, both in short skits that can unfold a plot, and in choreographed dance numbers. With carefully chosen music, again based on the theme, the whole camp enjoys seeing all of this come together.

On banquet day, the CAs cover the dining hall windows with sheets while they hang their decorations, rearrange the dining hall and get ready in costume. Everyone knows they’re setting up for the big event, but anticipation builds as the theme is still a secret. Cheers go up when it’s finally time to enter and discover the theme. Let the party begin!

This session’s banquet theme featured music, decorations, costumes and dancing from different historical decades as the CAs went back in time for a “Blast from the Past.” They told a story of a few travelers who go back in time to retrieve the Spirit of Rockbrook, going way back to find cavemen (all the counselors), flappers from the ’20s (when Rockbrook was founded), bobby soxers from the 50s, disco dancers from the 70s, jazzercise neon from the 80s, and skaters from the 90s. Groups of CAs represented each decade and performed dance medleys for us.

Between dance performances everyone was encouraged to get up and dance, turning the whole event into a massive dance party. Eat something (chicken tenders, tater tots, salad), dance and sing, pause for photos, take in the extravagance (so much glittery confetti!) —that’s how it went.

The banquet ended, as it has for decades at camp, singing the song “Rockbrook Camp Forever.” The girls stood, arm-in-arm, singing “friends true and faithful” over and over again. Hugging each other tightly, you could sense the real meaning of the banquet. It’s about friends celebrating each other, knowing deep down that they are loved. For all of us, Rockbrook is a home like that.

Thank you CA girls for a wonderful banquet. We all loved it.

Sundays are all-camp days at Rockbrook. Instead of each camper following her individual activity schedule, or a cabin group sticking together for “cabin day,” we spend the day all together for several different events. It’s a refreshing change of pace, and often filled with surprises.

This morning we began by sleeping in a little extra, which felt especially good after our busy week at camp. For breakfast, Rick arranged for fresh Krispy Kreme donuts to be delivered, adding them to our regular breakfast fare of fruit, yogurt, and cereals. Then we had time to get cleaned up and change into our camp uniforms, for campers the white shirt, shorts and red tie, and for counselors their red polo staff shirt. The whole camp, now all sharp in our red and white, lined up around the flag pole on the hill for a short flag raising ceremony. The Hi-Ups raised both the American flag and our camp flag, and we all recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang “America the Beautiful.” These simple camp traditions settle everyone down before walking down to the chapel area of camp.

We call this area the “Chapel” because it’s a beautiful, quiet spot in the forest where we can gather as a community and reflect on some of the values that help make Rockbrook special. The program is not a religious ceremony, but instead a collection of short camper reflections, songs, and something by Sarah, often a children’s book— all revolving around a theme.

Today’s theme was “Simplicity.” The Middler Line campers shared how nice it was not having to bring fancy bathing products to camp, and using simple things instead. They also talked about enjoying being away from technology, appreciating friendships, nature, and even Felix, the camp dog.

We learned a new song called “Simple Joys,” with some campers leading it. Then we sang “Simple Gifts,” with six campers playing the ukulele and singing along. We also sang “Blue Skies,” learned the camp song, and “Heart of the Wooded Mountain,” another classic.

Sarah read a book called, Small Things Mended, by Casey W. Robinson. It’s about how taking care of little things leads to more joy. The story follows a man who starts fixing things for neighborhood kids, first a pocket watch, then a music box. Word spreads, and soon everyone begins bringing him things to fix. He decides to host weekly lunches with produce from his garden, fixes up his garden, and realizes how happy he is because he’s surrounded by friends. He discovers that even a broken heart can be fixed simply with friends.

Lately, some of us have started referring to our chapel as an acronym: Community, Happiness, Adventure, Peace, Earth, and Love. Chapel is a time to celebrate all of these things we enjoy at camp. It’s a time for us to slow down and appreciate the simple things that mean so much.

First session Rockbrook campers have been settling in for a few days now, and it’s just the start of camp! They have already had incredible experiences, including white water rafting, weaving, pottery, backpacking, and many more. One of the best parts of the week is cabin day, which takes place every Wednesday afternoon of the session. 

Camp provides the perfect environment for creativity and opportunities for counselors to have fun with their campers. This is especially true for cabin day, because the possibilities are endless! Counselors and programming team members spend hours each week planning special afternoon activities for campers by gathering supplies, workshopping group experiences, collaborating with other counselors, and finally executing plans. Each cabin has different activities tailored to their interests and personalities. When I was a counselor it was always fun to hear what my campers liked and then develop an afternoon where they could all have fun together. It is an amazing opportunity for campers to bond, especially since they aren’t all together as a group in activities during the day.

Counselors usually have the best luck balancing an “active” activity with a more relaxing, crafty activity. This way, there is something for everybody in the cabin that plays to the campers’ different temperaments. Counselors can also come up with themes for the day, including pirates, fairies, mermaids, detectives, animals, or anything that fits with their campers’ unique interests. Campers and counselors can hike to Castle Rock or Rockbrook Falls, go to the mermaid pools, use the lake, use our activity spaces to make crafts, and make special memorabilia to represent their cabin group that year. We are so lucky to live in this beautiful space at Rockbrook, so the possibilities are endless. Counselors and our programming team work extremely hard to pull this off every week, and campers always have so much fun!

The best part of cabin day, in my opinion, is the opportunity to spend time as a cabin group outside of the cabin. Beyond the day-to-day in-cabin routines, there are not many instances where everybody in the cabin is together at one time. Cabin day is one of the best ways to cultivate a positive cabin dynamic and strengthen the camp experience. Connection is the foundation of Rockbrook, and this is just one example of how we build it. 

Today, we woke up to a cool misty fog dulling the greens of the forest. It was only about 58 degrees, so as the girls made their way to the dining hall for breakfast bundled up in all sorts of fleecy long-sleeved things, they were clearly not at home. No climate controlled room, but instead the moist smell of crisp mountain air. No clatter or buzz from an alarm clock, but rather the ringing of Rockbrook’s 100-year-old bell. Conversation in the cabin, friendly calls of “good morning!” between cabin mates, spurred everyone along. No school, or swim practice, or carpool to reach on time, but instead a day with friends filled with different activities to look forward to. Today was when we would really dig in to camp life.

The first thing to notice about what we might call a “regular day” at camp is that it is packed with action, completely filled with girls busy doing things in the many activities. Out in nature, together with other girls of varying ages, they’re deeply involved being challenged in sports, being creative in the arts, and being thrilled by adventure. And the variety of these experiences is incredible. They’re riding horses, shooting arrows, and climbing our Alpine Tower. They’re weaving on looms, sawing through wood, and zipping along high among the trees. They’re hitting tennis balls, and rolling out balls of cool, moist clay. They’re learning too! Learning about some of the local birds, about how to aim a target rifle, about the parts of a whitewater kayak, and about how to do a cartwheel, for example.

But they’re also learning something else that could be even more important. They’re learning to relax into whatever they’re doing, even when they aren’t in a group activity (a “class” with a “teacher’). Our “regular days” have three dedicated blocks of free time for the girls when they are not in a scheduled activity: a “free swim” before lunch and dinner, and a chunk after dinner we call “Twilight.” These are true free times when they can be with friends, visit the lake, play a game like tennis or gagaball, or just relax on the hill. Different from the regimen of school where each minute is “on task” for the most part, camp life provides time (and space!) to explore, discover, connect and meander no matter what a camper’s inclination. Combine that with an almost endless supply of friendly companions and we’ve got something really special. It’s both relaxing and compelling at the same time. Hmmm… is that a definition of fun? Maybe. No matter what, I’d say it’s the perfect combination to help kids grow.

Camp is great like that. It fosters so many positive personal developments, from making friends to the kind of self-confidence that sprouts from new experiences in a supportive environment. There lots more to be said about that!

For now, I hope you’re enjoying the online photo gallery we update everyday. The photos provide just a glimpse into our days at Rockbrook, but they do convey some of the action, the delight, and the spirit we all enjoy. They’re fun to see, but I bet you’re jealous you can’t enjoy it too!