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• News • rbc

Cabin Day Smiles

This afternoon we happily cast aside our regular schedule for activities to give each cabin group a chance to do something together. Ordinarily, campers select their daily activities individually, scattering all the members of a cabin according to their personal preferences. It’s possible to do things with cabin mates, go swimming or zip lining for example, but it’s also common to have a totally different activity schedule from the other girls in your cabin.  Our “Cabin Day,” which happens on Wednesday afternoons, reverses that.  Each cabin group sticks together, and with assistance from its counselors, plans a whole-cabin activity of some sort.

Spa face mask funny kids

Junior Spa Experience

Our two cabins of Juniors banded together to enjoy a unique “Spa” experience at the Carrier House, the childhood home of Rockbrook’s founder, Nancy Carrier, and now the house where Jeff and Sarah Carter live with their family. With Sarah, the Junior counselors, and the camp moms all helping, the campers rotated through four different stations. One made “slime” using white school glue, borax and food coloring. I think the idea was that the slime was “good for your skin.” Another station involved a huge array of nail polish. Multicolored manicures and pedicures for all! The third station involved facials of a sticky “mud mask.” Sarah gave tours of the house for the fourth station, explaining some of the interesting history of Rockbrook along the way. All four stations took place simultaneously giving the girls plenty to do, giggle and smile about.

dyed hands from girls tie dyeing t-shirts

Middler Adventures

The Middler cabins branched in all sorts of directions for their cabin day. One made pottery and then took on the challenge of making ice cream using ziplock bags, salt and ice to freeze the cream. Another cabin went down to the garden to pick flowers and make individual bouquets. One cabin got particularly messy making tie-dye t-shirts. An adventurous cabin packed a few snacks and headed off to Rockbrook Falls hiking and when they returned switched gears and decorated tote bags. Probably the most impressive project hatched from a cabin who wanted to thank some of the non-cabin staff members at camp, like the kitchen folks, office workers, nurses and maintenance staff. They designed a “Compliment Board,” a bulletin board where campers could post compliments for these staff members. It was a sweet thoughtful gesture!

teen girls dressed for bowling

Seniors Go Bowling

Finally, the Seniors switched things up completely. The entire Senior Line dressed up in wacky costumes (of course!) and went bowling! They had a great time inventing silly bowling techniques, singing along to the jukebox, and posing for photographs. Cheers erupted with every strike, and dance moves with every gutter ball. To cap off the evening, we made a stop at Dolly’s Dairy bar so everyone could sample their favorite flavor of ice cream. It’s always an exciting event to visit Dolly’s. After finishing their cones, the girls tonight sang all of the senior songs flamboyantly entertaining the other Dolly’s customers. It’s quite a sight, our group of zany, costumed, ice-cream-sugar-charged girls singing together. You can’t help but smile seeing so many people having such a great time.

Pottery Glazing Girls
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• News • Jeff Carter

This Extraordinary Effect

Happy Camp Kids

This morning we opened a new session of camp and welcomed 134 girls and their parents to Rockbrook. For both the girls returning to camp after one or more previous summers, and the girls attending Rockbrook for the very first time, the day began with an unusual feeling of both excitement and nervousness. Like waiting in line for the most thrilling roller coaster imaginable, there was both eager anticipation of what is sure to be fun, but also some anxiety about how it will turn out. Even the counselors felt this to an extent today, this odd combination of enthusiasm and trepidation, because like the girls, this is when they meet their campers for the first time and imagine the cabin life ahead. Let’s add the parents too; they also are delighted for the many opportunities camp will surely provide their daughters, and at the same time, perhaps a little hesitant to step back and allow the experience to unfold without their oversight or orchestration.

The Jitters Fade at Assembly

This feeling is most intense the last few minutes in the car before arriving. It can last into the check in process (which thankfully was nice and quick this morning) and even bubble up as the girls are saying goodbye to their parents. It didn’t take long, however, for the jitters to fade. In fact, by the time we assembled on the hill before lunch to sing a few songs, I saw more cheering and enthusiasm than anything else. The collective energy of camp had already carried the mood, and the girls were relaxing and chatting with each other like easy friends. Simply getting together in this beautiful setting, in this case on the hill overlooking the mountains, has this extraordinary effect of calming everyone’s initial nervousness while ramping up their excitement. The assembly already proved this is going to be a great session.

Cheering Camp Kids

Rick’s famous homemade mac-n-cheese recharged everyone for lunch. There was a gluten free version and a separate vegan version for those campers and staff who preferred them. Of course, our super stocked salad bars and bowls of mixed fruit balanced out the plates. Around here, the dining hall is more than just a place to eat and chat; it’s also a place to sing! And even during this first meal, the girls didn’t hold back. They were belting out the songs as if they’d been waiting all this time to experience the roar of “An Austrian Went Yodeling” and the “Coconut Song.” In this session, 85% of the campers are returners, so most everyone in the dining hall knew the words to sing along. Incredible! Eating together, signing together, laughing and talking together helped further pave the way for the girls to settle into camp.

Camp Counselor Skit

After lunch, each cabin group was off and running— walking tours of the camp and all the activity areas, cabin meetings on the lines, and a stop at the lake for an introduction to the waterfront, the swim tag system, and a swimming demonstration. Ordinarily, our mountain stream-fed lake feels surprisingly chilly. That may have been true today too, but the hot afternoon sun made it more refreshing. After demonstrating their swimming ability, every camper earned a “swim necklace,” color coded based on her ability.  The different necklaces alert our lifeguards where in our lake (the shallow vs. the deep end, for example) campers can safely swim.  Spending time at the lake is very popular, so it’s important for everyone at camp to have a chance to cool off there.

The last bit of orientation came in a series of hilarious skits performed by the different activity instructors. Using the stage at the gym, each group of counselors assigned to an activity presented something to describe what they do and to entice the campers to select that activity later tonight when everyone’s first rotation is chosen. For example, the three drama teachers performed a silly improvised song, the climbers demonstrated their belaying, and the weavers presented example projects that the girls can make in Curosty (the fiber arts cabin). There are always more activities and trip options available each day than there is time to do them all, so the girls have to makes choices about what they’d like to do at camp, and these skits help them decide.

Kayak Camp Girls French Broad Section Nine

Kayak Camp Update

Kayak Camp update! This weekend we also began our second specialty session devoted entirely to whitewater kayaking, the “Rockbrook Rapids.” We added these intensive trip sessions in response to a growing interest in Kayaking at Rockbrook. Over the years our lead kayaking instructor, Leland Davis, and his staff have really inspired the girls at camp, and now we have some amazing paddlers eager for more action on the river. The girls arrived on Friday, and after a short roll clinic in the lake and getting their gear organized, they were off to run their first river, the Tuckasegee. The next day, they paddled the Nantahala, and then today, section IX of the French Broad all the way down to Frank Bell’s Rapid, a famous class IV drop. Three rivers in three days! Leland reports that, “the level of paddling going on out there is off the charts with these girls!” We’re posting plenty of photos in the online gallery, so you can follow along.

Happy camp, everyone!  We’re nothing but excited now!

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Camp Candle Event
• News • rbc

A Marvelous Culmination

Sometimes it’s fun to show off your skills in a competition. Ordinarily around here, we don’t hold contests to determine who is the best at something, since we’d rather pay attention to the fun of what we’re doing than to keeping score. But we’re still building our skills along the way, improving our shot in archery and riflery, our rock climbing ability, and our weaving technique for example.

Camp rifle tournament
camp tennis tournament

Tournaments with Camp Carolina

Tuesday, we got a little more serious because we invited the boys from Camp Carolina over for three friendly matches pitting our girls against their boys in tennis, archery and riflery. In recent years, our girls have traveled to Camp Carolina for these tournaments, so we were especially excited to host.  To show it, the girls were ready with painted banners decorating the courts and shooting ranges, along with matching team outfits— custom t-shirts, all black for the riflery girls, white with big yellow tennis balls for the tennis team, and grey for the archers. The final tally gave the boys a slim margin of victory in both archery and riflery, while the girls ended up winning in tennis. If your daughter participated, I’m sure she’ll be proud of the outcome either way.

Another Night at the Museum Banquet

Museum Banquet

After weeks of planning and preparation, Tuesday night the CAs (9th graders) unveiled their surprise banquet theme to the rest of the camp. Entitled “Another Night at the Museum,” the theme transformed the dining hall into an amazing collection of Art, Culture and Natural History museum displays. The CAs dressed as elements of these displays: Roman and Egyptian figures, a dinosaur, living paintings (e.g., A Girl with Pearl Earring), Albert Einstein, tourists who visit a museum, and the counselors as security guards. The campers arrived dressed in their red Rockbrook t-shirt and were thrilled to see all the painted posters lining every inch of wall space in the dining hall, and then amazed as the CAs performed a series of skits and dances where the Museum characters came to life and interacted with everyone. There was music and dancing, candy to enjoy, and a real celebratory feeling. It was an incredible fun evening for everyone.

James and the Giant Peach

Camp Giant Peach Play

This afternoon the whole camp (and a few invited parents and guests) gathered in the gym to watch a performance of this session’s musical, “James and the Giant Peach.” Adapted from the children’s novel by Roald Dahl, this play tells the story of an orphan boy, James, who befriends several magical insects, and despite his cruel aunts, Spiker and Sponge, embarks on a journey to New York City inside a giant peach. Fantastic and offbeat, it was fun to see how much the girls enjoyed acting the parts and singing the songs of the show. During a brief intermission, the dance classes presented their end-of-session choreographed shows. The whole afternoon was really entertaining— a marvelous culmination and artistic celebration of the session. These girls have talent!

The Spirit Fire

Closing our session tonight was the ceremonial campfire we call “Spirit Fire.” This is another of the long traditions at Rockbrook. The campers and staff dress in their uniforms and gather around a great campfire set on the large rock (“Vesper Rock”) overlooking the camp lake for a program of traditional songs and personal reflections offered by counselors and campers from every age group. Tonight the fire looked gorgeous glowing orange amid the crowd of red and white uniforms, huddle closely. As the sun set and the woods around us grew bluer, then more grey before turning black, we could hear the waterfall splashing into the lake and the crickets chirping all around. In this beautiful setting we heard speeches recalling how Rockbrook has become important to these girls, the friendships formed, and the many ways we’ve all grown over these last few weeks. Sarah talked about the importance of finding moments during our busy lives to slow down and reconnect to those around us, like we do here at camp. She encouraged the girls to keep a journal throughout the year to record important experiences and to provide a quiet moment now and then for reflection.

We hope time at Rockbrook has a lasting positive effect on the girls who attend and settle into the culture of this place. The feeling that comes from joining this kind of caring community can make a powerful difference in these girls’ lives, enlivening and recharging their deepest humanity, strengthening who they are long after camp. It’s been a pleasure this session to witness so many wonderful examples of this transformation. Thank you everyone for helping to make it possible.

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Camp archery girl pulling
• News • rbc

This Place is Bustling

wood working camper
Wood Working Bracelet

During breakfast we announced another special activity for the girls today: a visit to George Peterson’s woodworking studio for a tour and project workshop. George has offered different workshops like this to our Rockbrook girls for three years now. His wife Margaret is an Alumna, and his two daughters attend camp every summer. George is widely known for his art, his creative carving, etching, burning and painting of different species of wood, old wooden skateboards, and skis. He’s displayed his work in galleries in New York, Tokyo, San Francisco, and Atlanta, and continues to work as a professional artist out of his studio, The Circle Factory.

When the girls arrived, George first toured them around the studio pointing out several of his specialty tools, like drills, saws, torches, and the giant lathe he uses to turn logs into huge bowls. The girls were fascinated by the stacks of raw materials they saw too: slabs of wood, old skateboards, leather cords, paints and inks. There were finished pieces and works in progress displayed almost everywhere. Each girl was then able to make their own project, a leather and wood bracelet. With help from George and Margaret, the girls used a drill press, a carving tool, sandpaper and a metal “RBC” brand to shape a small chip of multicolored skateboard that they then sewed to a leather strap. There were multiple steps to the project, but the girls each had a cool, one-of-a-kind bracelet to wear proudly when they were done.

tennis camp girl
camp archery girl shooting

A Morning of Camp Activities

For all of us who stayed in camp, our morning was filled with a whole range of activities. Girls were climbing high above camp on Castle Rock, trying to “slay the dragon” (which is lingo for climbing to the top of our route called “Dragon Tail”). Others were whooping as they flew through the trees on our zip line course. A few Senior girls took on the challenge of climbing the Alpine tower blindfolded, while at the lake, Sarah and Stephanie, our kayaking instructors, were teaching a roll clinic. Archers and riflemen (girls actually!) were gleefully shooting holes in their targets. Equestriennes were gliding their horses around the arena, outdoor ring, and jump course. Girls played tennis; they shot basketball, and swam laps in the lake. Of course, there was non-stop arts and crafts too, from weaving on the loom to stringing beads and glazing pottery, making candles and blended dot painting. It’s difficult for our photographers to capture all this activity— though they do pretty well! — but you can tell, this place is bustling!

Lightning and Hailstorm

Just as lunch ended today and the girls were heading back to their cabins for rest hour, the sky began to darken and suddenly our lightning warning system sounded its alarm. A few stragglers took off running, and about 3 minutes later we all jumped when a loud crack of a lightning struck nearby, not so close that we could tell where it hit exactly, but close enough to be frightening. Fortunately, everyone was safely inside, but then as the storm built overhead, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped 15 degrees, and a hard rain began to fall. A moment later, it was hailing pea-sized hail! For about 5 minutes, that storm passed by and put on quite a show. Several girls told me later that this was the first time they had ever seen hail.

Camp Carolina Dance

The main event of the evening was something many of the girls, particularly the Senior campers, anticipate and look forward to every summer: a dance with Camp Carolina. This was a chance to get cleaned up a bit (find that hairbrush), pull out a special outfit, costume, or glittery makeup, but mostly to enjoy jumping around with friends to favorite pop songs.

Camp Dance Girls
Girls Camp Dancers

With both camps involved, there are too many children to hold a single dance for everyone, so we held two again: one dance at Rockbrook for the younger boys and girls, and another at Camp Carolina for the older ones. For about and hour and a half, both dances kept everyone moving, pausing now and then for a photo or a water break. Everyone was hot and sweaty by the end of it all, but the girls had a great time dancing together and singing along to the songs. Oh, and there were boys there too, though that didn’t seem to matter much. It was a fun, classic way to spend an evening at camp.

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quick camp friends
• News • rbc

Happily Leaping

Girl Campers Outside
Girl Campers arriving

Opening Day Excitement

The first sign is the red and white balloons floating at the entrance, and the second is the smiling Hi-Up campers greeting you partway up the driveway. Then at the top the hill, when you see the mob of cheering counselors dressed in their staff uniforms, it’s clear something special is happening, something VERY exciting. It’s the opening day of camp! …in this case, for the mini session campers arriving to join the full session girls who have been at Rockbrook for two weeks now. For everyone— new and returning campers, and all of us already at camp —this is an exciting day. It means camp can finally begin for these girls arriving, reuniting with camp friends from last summer, and equally, it means we all have a renewed chance to make new friends in this active outdoor environment.

It was particularly cool and foggy first thing this morning, with the Dew Point (62 degrees) almost equal to the temperature (62.5), and, according to our camp weather station, with 99% humidity, the fog was really thick.  It was the perfect morning to wear long sleeves, or, as one camper decided, to wrap yourself in a blanket at breakfast. When the sun popped over the hill, miraculously burning off the fog, we were treated to a perfectly warm, bright summer day ideal for exploring the camp, meeting all these new people, and then enjoying sample activities like a hike through the woods to Rockbrook Falls, jewelry making in the shade of the hillside lodge porch, archery, and gaga ball.

We held a quick assembly on the hill right before lunch to introduce everyone arriving to the directors and program staff, to recognize the cabins with the best inspection scores (awarding them the mop trophies), to learn about our lightning protocol (in response to our Thorguardian system) and the boundaries of the camp, and just to enjoy singing a few songs together, charging up our camp spirit.

An orientation to our waterfront area was also an important part of the day. We want to make sure everyone at camp understands our tag system and feels comfortable swimming in the lake. The new girls zipped right through their “swim demos,” happily leaping in the water to earn their blue, green or yellow swim necklaces (Notice them being worn by the four girls below). These soft elastic necklaces indicate to the waterfront staff a camper’s swimming ability and thereby where she can safely swim in the lake, in the deep areas, or perhaps restricted to the shallow section, for example. We make it possible for everyone at camp to enjoy the lake in some capacity, and the lifeguards are always willing to help a girl improve her swimming skills if she’s interested.

water-slide-splash
agility-course-camper
obstacle-leap
hommade-light-sabres
dizzy-bat-game

Star Wars Jedi Training Academy

We always plan something big for Sunday afternoons, some kind of all-camp event that integrates many of the components that make a great party—music and dancing, costumes that revolve around a theme, snacks, activities, games and challenges with prizes to win. What better way to launch our new camp session too? So with the help of the full-session Senior campers and counselors, we held a Star Wars themed carnival, or more precisely, a “Jedi Knight Training Academy” down on our landsports field today. There were a dozen different activity stations, each related to Star Wars: “Jedi Agility Training” that included a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader, a “Death Star Destruction” shooting game that used Nerf pistols, and an archery game where the girls had to hit a Sith solder with a paint-dipped arrow, for example. The girls made their own lightsabers using a foam pool noodle and different types of tape. They solved a matching game puzzle, and got their faces painted (“The Face is with You”), one girl turning her whole face into Yoda’s! We had girls dressed as the character Rey, several Jedi Knights, Yoda, and of course many with the hairstyle of Princess Leia.

One highlight of the event were two huge inflatable games: a 25-foot tall, dual water slide, and a challenging obstacle course called “Leaps and Bounds.” The girls lined up for multiple slides and leaps on each. Meanwhile, our snow cone machine ground ice for snow cones all afternoon, helping keep us cool in the sun.  Group dances to favorite songs, racing about with water pistols, activity in all directions, we had an excellent camp party going on!

We’ll be ready for our first full day of camp activities tomorrow, the girls scattering and eager to give everything a try. Stay tuned; it’s going to be great!

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camp picnic kids
• News • Jeff Carter

Flamboyantly at Ease

wonder woman zip line small child
Rafting group wave

It’s the 4th of July! And that means an incredibly action-packed, colorful day marked by celebration and special events. Right away in fact, it began with an odd alarm bell: members of our equestrian staff riding horses up into camp, and exactly at 8am, down into each of the cabin lines yelling “The British are coming! Wake up! Wake up!” (a reference to Paul Revere’s ride in 1775). Rockbrook has had this 4th of July tradition for many years, but it’s always a remarkable morning for the girls— hoof beats, and then dressed in a sweatshirt or robe, everyone assembling on the hill around the flagpole for the Hi-Ups to raise the flag, a reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of “America the Beautiful.”

Morning Rafting on the Nantahala

Some of us spent the morning over at the Nantahala River on a rafting trip. Since our time together is limited and we want to give every camper old enough (5th grade and older) a chance to go rafting, we needed to squeeze in one trip today even though its a busy day on the river. Our solution to that problem was to be the first team of boats on the water, and it worked beautifully. Our seven rafts transporting 49 people followed clean lines all the way down the river, giving the girls a splashing fun ride. It was a little misty and rainy through most of the trip, but it cleared up nicely at the end for our fried chicken and watermelon lunch at the river’s end.

Meanwhile back in camp, other girls enjoyed a morning of regular activities, but with a double scoop of red, white and blue.  What better day to show off our patriotic spirit with balloons, streamers, and table decorations in the dining hall, small American flags, beaded necklaces, face paint, temporary tattoos, hats and crazy flashing pins? Looking around, it was clear everyone knew which three colors to wear. It’s particularly neat to see the girls dressed like this while doing their activities. Wonder Woman on the zip line? Yes! A fireworks headband while shooting archery? Sure! Light-up star glasses for weaving a basket? Definitely. These girls are prepared and flamboyantly at ease.

Camp picnic kids
4th July face painted child

For dinner, we added to our day-long celebration by holding a traditional 4th of July cook out, complete with grilled hotdogs (and veggie dogs), homemade coleslaw, corn on the cob and freshly sliced watermelon. We don’t ordinarily serve soft drinks at Rockbrook, but tonight we offered the girls each a can of Cheerwine, kept cold in the creek in front of the Goodwill cabin. Rick and his kitchen crew topped off the meal with a fun multi-layered (again, red, white and blue!) jello cup with whipped cream and a cherry on top. The weather was perfect, and as familiar “American Music” played, we had a great evening meal.

As I walked around taking a few photos of the girls, it struck me how content and relaxed everyone was. It made sense after us spending this much time together, not to mention the feeling that comes late in the day: a more soothing yellow sun, a delicious meal, and good friends all around. But the girls seemed so essentially happy tonight.

The Giant Shaving Cream Fight

The next event was mostly about white, and not so much red or blue: a giant shaving cream fight! After a quick change into swim suits and short walk down to the landsports field, we had a grand time spraying each other with white slippery foam. The girls raced about, armed with a can or two of the stuff, spraying and smearing each other, pausing only briefly to pose for a photo now and then. With shaving cream lathering your hair, and all over your body (in some cases, every square inch!), you can strike a pretty funny pose. There was also a slip-n-slide set up, and Richie, Rockbrook’s Site Manager, brought over a fire truck from his Volunteer Fire Department boosting our messy fun with a giant 40-foot spray of water. There’s nothing quite like the exuberance of a shaving cream fight, and when the weather is warm and sunny like it was tonight, it’s extraordinary.

shaving cream smile

Not everyone wanted to get messy in the “fight,” so as another option we prepared one of the creeks in camp for gem mining. Of the several creeks running through camp, the one that feeds the lake —and which also is a common place to see Juniors exploring, building makeshift bridges from twigs, and racing their flip flop in the current —was the perfect location. We primed the creek with several 10-pound bags of “special dirt” from a local gem mine and gave the girls sifting pans to use in the creek. Gems kept appearing for a good hour as a few extra determined girls stayed focus on their panning.

All of this led up to the day’s finale, our Fireworks show. As the girls and their counselors arrived and set up their crazy creek chairs on the hill, some under blankets, Chelsea and Emily gave everyone a glow stick to play with as they waited for it to get dark. Of course, we had music pumping from speakers set up nearby, and the girls easily joined in singing along, some even getting up to dance now and then. By 9:30pm we were launching mortars high in the sky and enjoying the multi-colored flashes and booming sounds of each explosion. For the next 35 minutes or so, the girls cheered and sang with their friends while we presented our show.

This has been a wonderful 4th of July celebration. I’ve heard it from more than one camper— that they love celebrating the 4th here at Rockbrook. I hope you can now understand why.

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Camp Flag Raising
• News • rbc

Our Full Sunday

Camp Flag Raising

We all look forward to Sundays at Rockbrook, and for several reasons. First, Sundays are a day when we get to sleep in; the rising bell rings and we wake up at 9 instead of 8am. After our active week, a little extra rest this morning was a good and well-appreciated thing. The treat continues when the girls can come to breakfast in their pajamas, essentially roll out of bed, put on a sweatshirt or robe if it’s feeling chilly, and shuffle to the dining hall through the fog (both literally and figuratively!). This morning, in addition to the eggs, bagels and cream cheese, fruit, granola and yogurt, we enjoyed sweet Krispy Kreme donuts, another Sunday tradition at camp. Rick even had a tray of special gluten-free donuts for the girls who required or preferred that.

Flag Raising Ceremony

About an hour after breakfast, at 11am, the Hi-Up campers (10th graders) presented their flag raising ceremony out on the hill. Raising the flag ceremonially, including reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing America the Beautiful has been a long tradition at camp also.  The whole camp dresses in their uniform and then creates a u-shaped formation around our flagpole. Today the sun was bright making our red and white uniforms look great on the green grassy hill.

Chapel on Special Places

Immediately afterwards, everyone walks silently in a single file line to the outdoor amphitheater for our weekly “chapel” assembly. For us, this is a moment of calm in our week to reflect a bit about core principles, values and ideas, rather than a religious ceremony of some kind. The campers themselves select a theme and then design a program that usually includes songs, poems and stories that illustrate the theme, with some time reserved for Sarah to add her thoughts. Today, our theme was “Special Places” and the girls talked about what makes certain places more special than others identifying the importance of friends, feeling at ease, and fond memories. They said special places don’t have to be fancy or far away; they can be your back yard or a special tree. Sarah read the book Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel which beautifully describes that exact idea! I’m sure the girls enjoyed thinking about where their special place or places might be.

Homemade Lasagna Lunch

Our Sunday lunch, which is always something special, was another impressive presentation by Rick, the Rockbrook chef and kitchen manager. Beginning early in the morning, he made pan after pan of homemade lasagna, baking the layers of pasta, marinara sauce, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. With heaping bowls of salad and bread to complement, there was nothing but rave reviews about our midday meal.

Sponge Relay Girl
Watermelon Girl

Red Bird Olympics

An all-camp event for the afternoon is another typical Sunday activity at Rockbrook, and today we held an exciting tournament of games and relays, the “Red Bird Olympics.” First we divided all the campers into three teams, being careful to distribute the age groups, and then gave each team a bottle of washable paint to identify/decorate themselves— one red, white, and blue (The 4th of July is just two days away after all!). Take a look at the photo gallery to see how that turned out— everyone had their team’s color painted on them somewhere, maybe just a stripe on an arm or across a cheek, but in some cases much more!

Every camper participated in at least one of the relay events. Two were about careful tossing and catching: one with raw eggs and the other with water balloons. Girls on the same team would toss, and if successfully catch, they would step back to toss again from a greater distance. This continued until only one pair remained successful. Another challenge had the girls searching for a piece of gum hidden in a pie pan full of flour. We had a crazy sponge relay where members of each team raced back and forth carrying a soaked sponge, transferring water from one tub to a smaller bucket.

One station was the lake where we held 3 different relays. One was an exciting greased watermelon race that required the girls to propel a greasy watermelon through the water without using their arms or hands. The second involved transferring a t-shirt from person to person after swimming a distance, and the last involved girls covering themselves with shaving cream and then sliding down the water slide.  All three were definitely silly, but also crazy exciting to watch.

In fact, that’s a good part of the fun— cheering on your teammates as they tackle the challenges of the games.  The girls made up cheers for their teams, jumping and screaming in support. The cheering was absolutely wild during the “human knot” event.

In the end, we weren’t sure which team actually “won” the Olympics because we didn’t keep score. I suppose we could have, but how would that matter? Like so much at Rockbrook, for these games too, the fun was in the doing not in the measuring of what’s done.

After dinner and spending some time signing up for a new set of activities that will start in the morning, all the girls grabbed their crazy creek chairs or sleeping bags and pillows to head down to the gym for a movie.  We first danced to a few pop songs while everyone was arriving, watched a fun animated short film called Presto, and then enjoyed the Pixar feature film Inside Out. Gathered together and relaxing this way was a nice close to our very full day at camp.

Camp Color Girls
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relaxed camp relaxed
• News • Jeff Carter

Active Creative Fun

Small Camp Girls


It’s been an amazing few weather days, with everyone surprised by how cool it’s been. If you’ve been checking the Rockbrook Weather Station, you know what I mean. For example, this morning it was a chilly 51 degrees (!), which means overnight we had perfect sleeping weather (in our open-air cabins), and in the morning everyone layered up with sweat shirts, long pants, and in some cases hats. The humidity has also been unusually low, so as the day warmed into the 70s with clear blue skies, it felt wonderful to be outside. It didn’t take long for the girls to shed their layers and enjoy the sunshine as they romped about the camp for their activities.

Camp Twin Day Costumes

Twin Day Costumes

So many twins! Not actual twins (mostly, since we do have a few sets of biological twins at camp right now), but costumed twins could be spotted around camp today, since, yes, it was “Twin Day.” We love costumes at Rockbrook, and tend to take any chance we can to dress up, to put on something— and the wackier the better —that’s out of the ordinary. There’s something inherently fun about taking on a different character, perhaps completely changing your hair (neon purple!), wearing a shiny black cape, or even changing your accent (Arrrrh, pirates!). It’s good fun to dress up, but more importantly, it’s active creative fun, and not some kind of passive entertainment. There’s no recipe or formula for how to make your twin costume; you and your friend have to decide. Same shirt, shorts, glasses? What about hairstyle? And since our dress up days at camp are always open to the whole group, there’s both a performance element, and a sense of pride that comes from presenting your costume creativity to everyone else. In this way, participating in a group costume event like Twin Day provides a real boost to our (admittedly zany) community.  When we’re into it, it brings us together. It can be a little disconcerting to see two girls wearing lab coats playing tetherball before lunch, but you can’t help but smile at the sight.

Rafting the Nantahala

While girls were trotting with horses, zipping high among the trees, and tying t-shirts for dye in camp, about 60 middlers and seniors spent part of the day in Swain County rafting the Nantahala River.

Camp Rafting kids
Nantahala Kids Rafting

The Nantahala has been ranked as the best class II whitewater river in the southeast because it offers both incredible scenery as it passes through a steep, forested gorge, and a perfect mix of whitewater rapids, calm stretches, and an exciting class II+ drop for a finale. Back in the early 1980s the US Forest service awarded Rockbrook a permit to raft the Nantahala, and since that time we are one of the very few camps to do so with its own equipment and guides.  Over the years, taking a whitewater rafting trip has become an extremely popular adventure outing for Rockbrook girls.  There’s no additional charge and we offer the trip to everyone who is old enough to go (that’s a limit placed on us by the Forest Service): the middlers and seniors. One camper explained to me that this was her fourth time down the river— every year she’s come to camp —and it’s more fun every time. “Best trip ever!” One of the defining features of the Nantahala, and I’m sure you’ll hear about this from your daughter if you ask her about rafting, is the temperature of the water. Thanks to the frigid bottom-of-the-lake water released into the river by the Duke Energy hydroelectric project, falling into the 50-degree river is an unforgettable, wide-eyed, breath-taking experience. Toward the end of the 2-hour trip, it’s a safe bet that most toes are numb. Of course, there’s a thrilling rapid around each bend of the river, and a boat of laughing, singing friends to keep the whole trip exciting and fun.

Cabin Feud Game Show

Back at camp, our evening program tonight was an all-camp special event down in the gym, and as you might guess, we turned on the costumes again, this time to the theme, “When I grow Up.” This is a brilliantly conceived costume theme that can accommodate the conventional (I saw a doctor or two, a “professional equestrienne,” and a soldier, for example.) as well as the imaginative, like a shark trainer, a unicorn princess, or a food fairy. All of the costumes were resourceful, mostly eclectic and certainly colorful.

camp game show
camper game contestant

The event was a goofy spin-off from the popular game show “Family Feud.” For us it was more like “Cabin Feud” where groups of girls from each Line (age group) attempted to guess the most common answers to questions like: What’s a fruit that has lots of seeds? Or, What’s a sport that does not involve a ball? Or, What do teenagers like to do when they’re bored? Counselors knew the top 7 answers to each question and as team members correctly guessed answers, the team earned points. Meanwhile the audience rooted for their friends, shouted helpful suggestions, and had a great time following the competition. Each winning cabin (per age group) would receive a delicious-looking cookie cake trophy, so the audience went wild with enthusiastic cheering whenever a group won a round. It was a fun spirited evening celebrating our collective creativity.

Girls Camp Relaxing
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• News • Jeff Carter

Explosive Results

girl camp rockbook

Today we opened our second camp session of the summer welcoming a little more than 200 girls to Rockbrook with what can easily be described as explosive results. Starting with the very first camper arriving, you could feel a special energy that rapidly expanded all morning, reaching its height around 10am. In what seemed like no time, we had more than a hundred girls through the check-in process and happily filling the camp with their enthusiasm and excitement. Each arriving camper added to the emotion of the day— anticipation realized, joyful reunion, simple affability, immersive natural beauty, immediate belonging —amplifying everyone’s experience and making even the first few minutes at camp fun. Most of the girls were wearing their new RBC t-shirt, so as the morning unfolded, we saw more and more red and blue on the grassy hill. An opening day like today is always a wonderful mix of meeting new campers who are attending Rockbrook for the first time, and seeing former campers returning to camp. With this much power, these girls are going to have a great session.

Settling In and Getting Started

Naturally, we didn’t idle while everyone was arriving. Once parents said goodbye, groups of campers formed for friendship bracelet making, a hike out to Rockbrook falls (the largest of the waterfalls on the camp property), a game of tetherball or gagaball, or just playing in the creek that feeds the lake. Other groups took tours of the camp, exploring the different activity areas, even heading down through the tunnel to go see our new covered horseback riding arena.

Teen girl camp assembly

Around noon or so the whole camp gathered under the walnut tree on the hill for a quick program of introductions and songs. Led by Sarah, this was a chance for the girls to show their camp spirit by singing their line songs and for everyone to meet the line heads, Hi-Ups and a few special activity instructors. Sitting together like this, standing to cheer now and then —all with a gorgeous mountain view in the background— it seemed like the magic of camp was already at work. The girls were relaxing and opening up, lounging together, and chattering easily. It seemed to me camp had already (this fast!) become a haven for the girls, a special place of welcome relief ready to provide— daily experience with close friends away from technology and the pressures of school, kindness offered in a caring community, and time to explore the wonders of nature and engage new activities. Even though we haven’t yet experienced all of these, there’s already a feeling this is special.

Swimming Demonstrations at the Lake

Later in the afternoon, the campers received an orientation to the lake and demonstrated for the lifeguards their swimming ability. We ask every camper and counselor to do this “swim demo,” and based on the results, to wear a color-coded, elastic necklace whenever they wish to swim in the lake or participate in any of the water-related trips offered. With fun music playing and hot chocolate and lemonade waiting for after the swim, the girls enjoyed trying out the lake and knowing they are set for more “refreshing” during free swims each day.

Activity Skits Preview What’s Ahead

camp climbing skit
tennis camp skit

Right before dinner, the counselors and activity instructors presented a series of skits to highlight what to expect in the different activities offered this session. From tennis, to archery, to rock climbing, the skits kept us laughing. For example, the Climbing instructors formed a “rock” that one climbed using a harness, rope and helmet. The Tennis instructors dressed like tennis balls and told a few jokes while being hit in an imaginary tennis match. The Paddling staff used a kayak and all the basic paddling gear (helmets, skirts, PFDs, etc.) to simulate kayaking through a whitewater rapid.  The skits provided an introduction to each activity while showcasing the creativity and personality of the staff. After dinner, the girls will sign up for their first rotation of activity selections, so these introductions will help them decide what to take.

It’s been a wonderful first day for both the campers and staff members. We’re now more oriented to the camp and to the activities offered. We’ve gotten to know each other better, and now we’re even more ready to dive into the action in the morning.

New Camp Friends
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