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Excited Girls
• News • Jeff Carter

Beginning the Bustle

Girls excited for camp

“I am so ready to bust out of this car!” That’s the way one girl put it when she arrived at camp this morning. “She’s been talking about Rockbrook non-stop for the last week,” one parent explained. And, “She woke up at 4am this morning,” said another. It’s true; some strikingly pent up excitement arrived (and was released!) at camp today as 155 campers opened our third session. Every session has excited campers arriving, but this seemed extraordinary. Perhaps, it’s because these girls have been waiting most of the summer for this moment, or they’ve been following along on the web site, or they simply know how much fun they’re about to have. Whatever the reason, these third session girls are pumped! All morning as everyone arrived, we heard squeals of camp friends reuniting, enthusiastic cheers from counselors greeting their campers, and maybe a few grunts as heavy trunks were hauled up the hill and down the lines to the cabins. The whole morning was a hustle and bustle with campers and their families moving in, girls playing group games in the Hillside Lodge, groups taking hikes to Rockbrook Falls, and new cabin mates making friendship bracelets together on the hill.  All this excitement and all this action made the morning really fun and festive.

Comfort Food for the First Meal

Rick and his fantastic kitchen crew settled us down a bit with a yummy lunch of his homemade macaroni and cheese, steamed green beans, and fresh fruit salad… comfort food for the first meal. At the beginning of the meal, Sarah took a minute to explain where to find the vegetarian, gluten- and dairy-free options, the peanut butter and jelly station, cartons of milk to drink, and the two salad bars. During the meal, it took about 5 minutes for a song to break out, the first of many that will erupt at every meal in the dining hall. With all the camp songs being sung around here, it’s no surprise that girls will find themselves singing them at other times throughout the year.  They’ll be eating lunch at school and suddenly have an urge to yell out “Rockbrook request! The Coconut Song!”

Swimming in the Mountain Lake

Girl swimming at summer camp

With bright sun shining overhead, we broke into age groups for the afternoon rotating between camp tours of the different activity areas, cabin and line meetings, and swimming demonstrations. We ask everyone at camp who wants to swim (or go whitewater rafting, canoeing or kayaking) to demonstrate their ability in our lake.  It is a mountain-stream-fed lake which, very different from a warm, clear swimming pool, is quite cold and often a little intimidating for young girls used to shallow water. Consequently, it can be a shock to jump in, swim out 50 feet, back another 50 feet using a back stroke, and tread water for 1 full minute, as our demonstration/test requires. For even experienced swimmers, it takes a solid effort to overcome the cold without a struggle. Still, you would be proud of your girls for they all did very well, with only 3 needing to retake the test later. If someone struggles to complete the full swimming demonstration, we still encourage her to come and enjoy the lake, but we require that she wear a life vest and stay in the shallow area. To keep everyone safe at the waterfront, our American Camp Association accreditation requires these kinds of proven protocols.

Activity Skits in the Gym

Camp Counselor Skit with costumes

Later in the afternoon, the whole camp assembled in the gym to learn more about the different activities offered this session by enjoying a program of skits performed by the activity instructors. This is a chance for the campers to meet the different instructors and hear more about what goes on at strange sounding activities like the “Alpine Tower, “Curosty,” “WHOA,” for example (Climbing, Fiber Arts, and Adventure/hiking). For the counselors, it’s a chance to dress up, maybe sing and dance a little, and show everyone what fun it is just to be at camp. In addition to these skits, we sang activity songs, line (age group) songs, and did a whole lot of cheering to make this a fun hour.

We’re just getting started. The bustle is just beginning, but I can already tell we’ve got excellent counselors and super excited campers ready to make this a great session. Stay tuned!

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camp hobby horse girls
• News • rbc

A Spies Banquet

Kid holding her riflery target

We’re approaching the end of our main session of camp, as today was the last day of regular activity periods. With the sun drying everything (“Hot and sunny without a drop of rain,” describes the weather.), and the campers feeling fully relaxed after all these weeks together, there seemed to be an extraordinary buzz of activity today. Down at the riflery and archery ranges, the girls have been preparing to challenge the boys at Camp Carolina in a shooting tournament scheduled for tomorrow. The shooting instructors select 3 girls from each age group to join the team that travels to Camp Carolina for the friendly match, so everyone interested was eager to practice before the event. Likewise, the tennis instructors were coaching the girls who would go to play a tennis match against the team of boys. For many of these girls, they look forward to just going on the trip, regardless of whether or not they win.

Craft Projects Emerge

Bright tie dyes

We saw all kinds of completed craft projects appear today also. Ceramics pieces emerged from the kilns shiny and colorful. Tie-dye t-shirts were unfurled to the delight of their makers. Weavings were cut from the looms, and their loose ends tied, in Cursoty. The individual months for decorated paper calendars were finally assembled. Candles received their last few dips in the colored wax. Final beads were strung on many-stranded bracelets and necklaces. The finishing stitches were added to knitted hats, and needlepoint designs. When you see all these wonderful creations, I’m sure you’ll be impressed.

Lake Party Before Lunch

Lake Party Girls

Today’s sunny weather became the inspiration for a lake party before lunch. With all the lifeguards on duty, we opened the water slide, slipped all of the floats into the water, blew up a few extra beach balls, and pumped out some fun, up-beat music to set the mood. A few girls soon took turns doing crazy jumps from the diving board, jumps where they had to act like an animal, mid-air, before hitting the water. Just lounging in the sun was also pretty popular, for example on one of the big rocks near the lake. A couple of counselors showed up with muffins (yellow cake with roasted pumpkin seeds!), fruit and drinks for everyone to enjoy. In no time, it was a fun party!

Who Dunnit: The Spy Banquet

The main event of the day, however, was something the CA campers (9th graders) have been planning since the first day of the session, something kept a secret this whole time, and something everyone looks forward to immensely… the final Banquet. This group of CAs decided to make their banquet revolve around the theme of “spies, detectives and mysteries” and entitled it, “Who Dunnit?” Their decorations, which completely covered every inch of wall spaces in the dining hall, were awesome posters of movie and TV characters like the Pink Panther, Inspector Gadget, Scooby Doo, James Bond, Men in Black, and Nancy Drew. Caution tape and balloons hung from the rafters. Then even further, all 29 of the campers dressed as a different character, from inspector Clouseau, to Dr. Doofenshmirtz, to Charlie’s Angels. All the CA counselors dressed as minions from the movie Despicable Me. The campers performed several choreographed dance numbers, enacted a skit investigating who stole the sun (I suppose a nod to the rainy weather we had this session), and served a meal of “Bondwiches,” “Secret Service Caesar Salad,” “Spaghetti & Mystery Meatballs,” and “Scooby Snacks” for dessert.

banquet interior
Scooby Doo Gang
table of girls inside banquet party

The campers and staff members, all dressed in their green RBC t-shirts, danced and sang together between skits and performances. For everyone, this was a lavish party, pushed to the limit with plenty of sugar-fueled fun. At the end, it turned a little serious though, as groups of the oldest campers presented songs to their counselors, and vice versa. They took a well-known song and changed the lyrics to express the friendship and feelings that have grown over the session. It became clear just how much these girls have shared, and how much they’ll miss each other when the session ends Thursday morning.

Yes, the Banquet night can be a little emotional, like tonight, but ti was wonderful too.

Girls Camp kids
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summer cupcake treat
• News • Jeff Carter

A Summer Monday Treat

Costumes for Mardi Gras Dinner

Most meals at Rockbrook are served “Family Style” in our dining hall, with each cabin of girls sitting together at a table with their counselors and sharing platters of food. Throughout the day, everyone scatters across the camp to attend their individually chosen activities, so meals are a chance to reunite and talk about the events of the day. Tonight, however, we shifted gears entirely and rearranged the 26 individual tables in the dining hall to make 12 large tables, one for each month of the year, because tonight was “Birthday Night.” This is a special surprise dinner party where we celebrate everyone’s birthday on the same night by having all the counselors and campers sit according to the month of their birth. Tonight we made it a Mardi Gras themed dinner, so we decorated the dining hall with streamers, balloons, and posters, handed out shiny beads and masks, and encouraged everyone to dress in their best purple, gold and green.  There were so many great costumes! Some girls wore crazy wigs, or hats, lots of sunglasses, multi-colored tights, even fuzzy leg warmers. Rick prepared New Orleans style food for us too: Po’ Boy sandwiches (with lettuce, tomato and his homemade Remoulade sauce), grits with Andouille sausage, mixed berries, and Miss Vickie’s potato chips. But of course, the highlight of the night was the cakes, the 12 different birthday cakes Katie baked, each decorated by the Hi-Up campers to match a particular month. Depending on your birth month, your piece of cake was larger or smaller because the cake was divided by the number of people in that month (June had the highest number, and September the smallest number of people, by the way).  With Mardi Gras music playing, the girls had a grand time yelling “Happy Birthday” to each other (and to other celebrities), taking short dance breaks, and of course singing along to the music.

Climbing 50 Feet Up

Girl concentrating on climbing tower

If you spotted our Alpine Climbing Tower in the woods driving up our north driveway (riding the shuttle bus on opening day), you know it’s an impressive structure. It’s almost 60 feet tall, is triangular shaped because of its pyramid design, and offers dozens of climbing challenges. Even more impressive is the climbing ability the girls have been showing on the tower lately. They are swarming all over the thing, hanging upside down, conquering every element (like the “Swinging Logs,” the “Missing Link” cargo net, and “Corporate Ladder,” for example), and even climbing up sections blindfolded! Karen, our lead photographer, took this photo (and others) today by climbing the tower herself and shooting from above. It’s hard to tell from this shot, but this camper is about 45 feet off the ground! I love the look of concentration in her eye. It shows a level of focused confidence that all excellent rock climbers rely upon. Awesome stuff.

Weaving with Feet in the Creek

Camp girl using lap loom with feet in creek

Can you tell what’s happening in this photo? Blue yarn and white string, feet in some water, and a fork? It’s not a musical instrument (though I suppose it could be!). It’s a lap loom with a weaving project taking shape as the weaver sits with her feet in a creek. The fork is used to weave and tighten the weft as it traces back and forth taking shape along the warp. The creek beside the Curosty cabin, where weaving is taught at Rockbrook, carries water to fill our lake, and is generally a sunny spot in camp. That makes it very enticing as a perfect place to weave, chat with friends, and enjoy the cool water rushing by across your feet. Something this simple and wholesome, it’s relaxing, social and creative at the same time. Such a summertime treat.

Girls sitting at top of John Rock

Backpacking to John Rock

Here we have the view from the top of John Rock looking east toward Looking Glass Rock. It’s one of our favorite spots to experience the amazing green-carpeted mountains of the Pisgah National Forest. A group of girls, led by Emily and Christina, backpacked and camped in the forest Monday night (tents, backpacks, water bottles, camping stoves to cook dinner and breakfast, etc.), and on the way back hiked to John Rock for this view. Their hike brought them through Cat Gap, which touches the Art Loeb trail, and looped back to the Pisgah Fish Hatchery… for a total of about 6 miles. I heard they had an overnight rain shower, but as you can see it was sunny and fair in the morning for the hike out, capping off an excellent trip.

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Camp cabin group winning spirit paddle award
• News • Jeff Carter

Blossoming Friendship

High water on High Falls in North Carolina

It’s a big topic of conversation around here— all the rain we’ve been having. It really has been phenomenal, raining just about every day at some point, heavy showers lasting for an hour or more, and some days seeing little relief. As a result, our nearby creeks and rivers are extraordinarily flooded. For example in the Dupont State Forest, this photo of High Falls shows the power of the Little River as it crashes down 125 feet. While this amount of rain does make us shift our kayaking, canoeing and rafting schedules a bit, it also makes for dramatic hikes to view waterfalls. We’ll be busy and having a great time no matter what the weather, but I’m pleased to report that today was an almost completely dry day. We had just a tiny spray of rain for about 15 minutes, and that was it.  Good news!

Welcoming 116 New Campers

Today we welcomed to camp our second July mini session campers, all 116 of them. This is exciting for everyone—for the full session girls already here because they will now have many more friends to play (do camp!) with, for the returning campers (which is about 75% of them) because they will be reuniting with camp friends, and for our new Rockbrook campers because they will finally get to experience camp for themselves. For everyone, this is the kind of excitement that matters on a personal level, an excitement that’s tied to people and the positive relationships the Rockbrook community inspires. Arriving at camp fires up a joyful feeling of friendship rekindled and presently born anew. It’s a palpable vibe everywhere here.

Assembly Songs and Spirit

Camp Cabin wins spirits paddle

Around noon, once everyone had safely arrived, we gathered the whole camp on the hill in the shade (yes, there was sun out to make that shade!) of the walnut tree. With crazy creek chairs spread in all directions, the directors, activity counselors, and the Hi-Ups presented several skits and songs for everyone. For our new girls, this was their first introduction to some of the craft projects, adventures, games and activities planned for this coming week at camp. For all of us, it was a chance to belt out the line songs (Juniors, Middlers, or Seniors) loud enough to echo them across the valley.  This photo shows the cabin recognized this week for demonstrating exemplary Rockbrook Spirit… kindness, generosity, friendship, enthusiasm, and encouragement. To recognize this accomplishment, they will proudly display this RBC “Spirit Paddle” in their cabin for the week.

Swimming Demonstrations

First time swimming test

After a fantastic lunch of Rick’s homemade mac-n-cheese, steamed green beans, fresh tomatoes, and sweet watermelon (comfort food for a first meal…), the mini session girls changed into swimsuits so they could demonstrate their swimming skills to our team of lifeguards. The girls arrive in cabin groups led by their counselor, all ready to get wet. Chrissy, the Director of the waterfront, begins by welcoming everyone and reviewing all the important rules this area requires, our tag system being the most important. There are rules about using the diving board and the water slide (“Big Samantha”), about where swimming is allowed in the lake, and about when the lake is open or closed. Following this review, the girls take turns jumping in the water off of the dock, swimming 50ft out, 50ft back, and treading water for 1 minute. This can be  disconcerting, especially for the youngest campers, so we are very careful to assess everyone’s mood as they step up on the dock and to provide gentle encouragement. We want this experience to be positive, even if a girl has trouble completing the entire series of skills. When someone struggles in this deep water, we require her to swim in the shallow end of the lake and to wear a life jacket until she can pass the test later.

Activity Tour with Games and Snacks

Face painted camp girls
Girls Camp Dunking Booth

Later in the afternoon, Chase, Grace and about 14 counselors set up an “activity tour” for everyone that combined group games, “minute to win it” type challenges, a dunking booth, and fun little snacks stationed all over camp. The girls and their counselors ran from station to station… getting their faces painted, untangling “human knots,” playing “I’m a Rockbrook Girl,” nibbling popcorn and cotton candy, tossing eggs to each other (ideally without breaking them!), and dunking their brave (and eventually wet) counselors. It was a great way to spend the afternoon together, getting to know each other and the different areas of the camp at the same time.

It was a great first day of the mini session—fine weather, a really nice feeling of blossoming friendship, and good fun all around.

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Zip Line Girl flying
• News • Jeff Carter

The Wheel of Fun

Camp girl riding zip line

It being the 4th of July weekend, we all stayed close to home and enjoyed activities in camp today. This part of North Carolina is a popular tourist destination… even more so this weekend … so to avoid the crowds, we thought it a good idea to do things in camp.  For example, our zip line was humming with action all day today. Located in the woods a short distance up the trail leading to Castle Rock, the zip line begins with a high suspension bridge strung between two massive boulders. Wearing a helmet and a harness clipped into a safety cable is essential both to support the campers should a foot slip, but also to give them a small boost in confidence from the cable’s reassuring tug. The suspension bridge is a little “freaky,” as one girl put it, because it’s wobbly and (intentionally!) missing a few planks. Staring down through the gaps in the planks is indeed a little disconcerting, but it really makes you concentrate as you take each step. At the end of the bridge, perched high on the rock, the campers then clip their pulley into the zip cable. Here a little bravery is called for because the first step is out into the air with about 50 feet of nothing below.  Immediately, you are accelerating down the cable, flying by the Hi-Up cabin and zipping 450 feet across to the other side of the camp. It’s a thrilling ride! The zip ends gently over an inclined platform, where it’s just a matter of standing up and unclipping your pulley from the cable.  “Time for one more zip?” You bet!

Girl Rifle Shooter

Benefits of a Longer Camp Session

One of the benefits of attending a full session of camp, and especially this 4-week (our longest) session, is that the girls can really dig into their favorite activities, signing up for them several times if they like.  The kayakers can take trips to more advanced rivers, the weavers can start more elaborate projects, and the girls can really improve their skills whether its their tennis serve, their archery or riflery aim, their one-handed cartwheel, or dive at the lake. These talents can take extra time to develop, so having a chance to do more while at camp can make a difference. And on the other hand, a longer session means having more opportunity to try new things, to experiment with something that might even become a new favorite. Have you ever tried acting, rock climbing, or dance? At a long session, you certainly can.

Camp wheel spin game

Spinning the Wheel of Fun

This is the “Wheel of Fun.” It is mounted on the wall in our dining hall, and is a huge hit with the campers. Reminiscent of other “clicker wheels” (think of game shows like “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Price is Right,” for example), a person spins it, hoping it will stop spinning on a something desirable. Our wheel has things like “Candy” and “Muffins,” but also “Dress a Director,” “Cabin Cheer” (work together as a cabin and present a cheer to everyone at the next meal) and “Dance Break” (pick a song to play during the next meal so that everyone can get up and dance). Girls also hope to avoid some of the spots, though… things like “Polar Bear” (which means the whole cabin jumping in the lake before breakfast), or “Lose a Turn.” We don’t spin the wheel at every meal, but when we do, it’s very exciting for everyone. We pick the person to spin by narrowing down the group with a series of criteria. It’s different every time, but it goes something like this. Chase, who often does it, will say “Stand up if your hair is in a ponytail.” And about 100 campers and staff members will stand. Then she’ll narrow it down by saying, maybe, “Stay standing if you’re wearing red.” Then maybe, “Stay standing if you have or had braces.” She’ll keep this up until there’s one lucky person still standing who gets to spin the wheel. All of the items on the wheel apply to the whole cabin, so as it’s spinning, everyone is quivering with anticipation, and when the wheel stops, the whole dining hall explodes with cheers. All in all, the “Wheel of Fun” is something we do simply because that’s what it is— fun… big fun for everyone.

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4th of July Campers
• News • rbc

Celebrating the 4th

Campers at Rockbrook on 4th of July

This morning we all paused to say goodbye to our July mini session campers. Leaving camp is hard enough on ordinary sessions when everyone departs at the same time, when the fun of camp comes to a close and new, now deep-rooted friends have to part ways. It’s even more sad on a day like today when the mini session campers leave the full session campers behind at camp. Separating this amazing community we’ve built and strengthened over the last couple of weeks, is simply tough on everyone. Of course, our consolation is knowing that we all can return next summer and meanwhile stay in touch. Thanks mini session girls for being with us. It was a great session and we’ll miss you.

New Activities After Goodbye

The full session girls spent their morning in a new set of activities. They selected these the night before, so many were excited to finally take pottery and learn to throw a pot on the wheel, or to join a huge game of dodgeball in the gym. The instructors in Curosty had the looms warped and ready for new weavers, and the wax for making candles in Hobby Nook was melted and ready to go.

Eating Pie on 4th of July
Orange carry relay race
Girl with pie on her
White team wins and celebrates

Fourth of July Feast and Dance Party

Dinner began our 4th of July celebration. First of all, Rick served us a fantastic meal of barbeque chicken, corn on the cob, his homemade coleslaw, and probably too much watermelon… an all-American classic meal. Katie, our baker had been hard at work with a special dessert too: red velvet cupcakes, with blue icing, topped with a marshmallow and a little American flag poking out the top. Amazing and so yummy too. Several counselors had decorated the dining hall (a building that sees almost constant redecoration for special events) with all manner of red, white and blue. Combined with the girls’ costumes, streamers, balloons, shiny stars and flags jumped out in all direction. They had also selected an all-American playlist of music— “Murican Music” they called it —and soon the whole dining hall erupted into a spontaneous dance party with girls singing, dancing and posing for photos with each new song. These girls were excited!

Red, White and Blue Relay Challenges

The night’s activity was even more thrilling because it was a 3-team, relay challenge. All the girls divided into red, white or blue teams, dressed in their color, painted their faces, and arrived at the gym ready to shout their team spirit. Representatives from each team bobbed for apples, ran a 3-legged race, tossed an egg back and forth, thawed a frozen t-shirt, raced to fill a bucket with a sponge, carried an orange without using hands, threw a pie at a counselor, and ate a pie as fast as possible. Throughout all these relays, the roar of the cheering team members was almost deafening as the girls jumped and shouted from the sidelines. Wow!

Camp girls are Best Friends Forever at Rockbrook Camp
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rainy event at camp
• News • Jeff Carter

Almost Irrelevant Rain

Well, yesterday I spoke too soon, bragging a bit about our great timing in the midst of this unusually wet weather pattern, for today was a truly rainy day. We had rain overnight, rain this morning during breakfast, during rest hour, and except for an occasional break, all afternoon and into the evening too. I suppose we should have expected it, with the forecast using “100%” to describe the chance of precipitation, and that green/yellow/orange color on the radar maps all the way down through Florida. Still, when it comes to your raincoat, or what around here we call a “dew coat” (rain is just a “heavy dew,” right?), it feels odd to need it all day long.

Why Rain Doesn't Flood Rockbrook

You might think flooding would be an issue with all this rain, and that would be correct for the French Broad River, which has now crested its banks and has turned many local sod and corn fields into expansive lakes. Rockbrook though, with the exception of a few of our horseback riding fields, is high above the flood zone, set on the hill between Dunn’s Rock and Castle Rock. For us, this kind of heavy rain swells our creeks creating more powerful, rushing waterfalls. Over many years, we’ve learned to channel this water, and send it strategically through pipes and down various gutters and ditches. The camp facilities do quite well, even with this much rain… almost 4 inches today total.  Wow!

camp gymnastics bar
indoor wall climbing
kids playing dodgeball

Our camp people are quite well too. Beyond the fact that most of our activities can carry on either because they are suited to being indoors, in our gym, on a porch, or one of the stone lodges or activity cabins, or because they can be reshaped to happen inside (climbing our indoor wall instead of the Alpine Tower, for example), there is something about our “outdoor lifestyle” at camp that makes rain almost irrelevant.  Living outside most of the time, we grow used to being a little wet, a tad bit muddy, and cool enough to wear long sleeves at night. We actually enjoy hearing the rain on the roof at night, feeling the warmth on our hands from a fire in the lodge fireplace, and snuggling in our cozy cabins. This weather… Although I’ll admit a little less of it would be nice! … seems like a natural part of our camp experience. While the sky might be crying, at Rockbrook, we aren’t sad we’re getting wet.

Shaving Cream Laugh
slip and slide girl
Girls squirting each other

Celebrating with Slip-n-Slide and Shaving Cream

When you’re a little wet already, one idea is to celebrate it, and get even messier. That’s exactly what about half the camp chose to do this afternoon when we pulled out the slip-n-slide and a dozen cases of shaving cream. With only the occasional slight drizzle overhead, the girls attacked each other with foam spraying. They painted each other with the stuff, drawing designs on backs, “six packs” on stomachs, and twisting extreme hairstyles. Being covered with slippery shaving cream also makes for quite a ride down a wet sheet of plastic. This is the kind of mischievous fun, in this case that’s surprisingly sanctioned, that’s also completely hilarious. The girls, and quite a few counselors too, laughed and laughed as they got messier and messier, pausing once in a while to slide down the hill on their stomachs or knees.

Spirit Fire in the Lodge

Tonight was the last night for our first July mini session girls, and also the night of their closing “Spirit Fire” campfire. The rain made holding the program inside the Hillside lodge a good idea. So with a huge fire roaring in the fireplace, all the mini session girls and their counselors spread out on the floor in Crazy Creek chairs to sing traditional camp songs and hear tributes to all the successes of the session.

Spirit Fire Campfire girls

Several girls from each line (Juniors, Middlers and Seniors) stood and spoke about their experience at Rockbrook, what they learned, the friends they’ve gained, and why they love camp so much. In the same way, both new and returning staff members made remarks. Sarah always speaks at the end of our Spirit Fires, and tonight she reminded us about how “the ‘Spirit of Rockbrook’ inspires kindness and generosity,” and how she hoped everyone would carry that spirit home with them. The small candles everyone lights at the end of the program likewise represent the “Spirit of Rockbrook.” With their candles lit, the girls formed a circle on the hill to sing one last song. It was a gorgeous sight… misty mountains looming in the background, dim blue hazy sky overhead, and the warm yellow glow from more than one hundred candles… All these girls and young women bonding in this special way, in this special place.

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whitewater rafting action
• News • Jeff Carter

A Giant Success

If you’ve been paying attention, as we do, to the weather forecasts for this area over the last few days, it would seem that rain would be a constant companion for us. Everyday we’ve been told there would be a 70, 80, or even 90 percent chance of rain. Indeed it has rained every day this week, but happily we’ve been lucky about when it has rained. For example, today we took a group of seniors whitewater rafting, and when we left camp at 7:15am there was a steady, drenching rain. Most of the camp was asleep, but these brave, determined girls woke early and headed out, nervously glancing to the sky. As we drove through the rain toward the Nantahala River, and as the sun rose to heat things up a bit, the clouds parted and we found bright sunny skies. This made for a perfect trip… Fun splashing around, “accidentally” falling in, and the thrill of crashing through each rapid’s waves. The ordinarily cold water of the Nantahala even felt a little warmer than usual for some reason. The girls had a blast on the water… the kind of outdoor adventure we love around here … enjoyed a picnic lunch by the “Worser Wesser” Falls, and were back at camp in time for their afternoon activities.

Girls Whitewater Rafting
Camper wearing leather purse she made

Leather Purses in Hobby Nook

In the craft cabin tucked into the woods just below the first cabin of the lower line, the cabin we call “Hobby Nook,” the girls taking “Folklore” have been up to something cool. They’ve been making these neat leather purses. Just a few instructions, and even fewer materials, are needed to get started. The girls cut pieces of soft leather into shapes, punch holes and sew everything together with other strands of leather. Some girls trimmed their creations with beads, while others attached braided friendship bracelet patterns… mixing media and craft activities at RBC! As you can see, the results are dazzling, and a clear source of pride for the girls.

Rick's Kitchen Creations

I should probably write more about the food we are all enjoying at camp, because it’s been so yummy and good. Rick and his crew constantly amaze and satisfy us all.  There are so many examples— his baked cheese grits (with scrambled eggs and bacon) we ate for breakfast, the massive bowl of secret-recipe guacamole he added to our “taco lunch,” the baked chicken, homemade tomato soup, fresh steamed broccoli and warm focaccio bread —all examples of Rockbrook eating well. Don’t be surprised if your daughter comes home with a new favorite food. Maybe it’ll be something simple like raspberries and blueberries on waffles, but it might be lemon hummus with roasted red peppers and pine nuts!

Riflery girl bullseye target

The scattered rain showers of late haven’t stalled the action at our riflery range. The girls down there, girls of all ages, have been steadily improving their shot. And they have been shooting a lot! From the gym and even from near the lake, you can hear that “pop pop” sound of the .22 caliber rifles discharging. From this photo, you can also see that the coaching provided by instructors Leah and Haley is really paying off. Each day we hear (usually announced to cheers in the dining hall) of new members joining the riflery “Bullseye Club.” Check out Anna’s perfectly centered shot!  Awesome!

Girls Banquet posing
Girls Camp children

A Mini Session First: The Rainbow Banquet

Dinner tonight was another surprise, and a first for Rockbrook. Our 9th graders who are staying for the current mini session presented a banquet to the camp, just as the full session 9th graders will do in a couple of weeks. We ordinarily don’t have a mini session banquet, mostly because planning one (painting decorations, rehearsing skits and dances, designing props, etc) takes more time than is really available in a short session, but this group of nine girls really wanted to do it. And they did an amazing job presenting “Rockbrook Under the Rainbow,” their banquet celebrating “colors.” Each CA dressed in a different color, all the colors of the rainbow plus white and pink (ROYGBIV + WP), and their counselors in tie dye t-shirts. Colorful designs like spirals, stripes, polka dots, and stars covered every wall. A multi-colored parachute hung from the ceiling, and the centerpiece was a “ball pool” filled with bright plastic balls and a rainbow of colored balloons. While this banquet didn’t pull out all the stops of our full session banquets, it showed the CAs’ impressive enthusiasm and their hard work. And judging from the other campers’ excited response— the dancing, singing, cheers and applause —the whole event was a giant success Thank you CAs!

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Sunday Morning girls
• News • Jeff Carter

Such a Beautiful Sight

We begin our Sundays at Rockbrook differently than other days of the week by, at least for the morning, slowing down our ordinary zany pace. First of all, we sleep in a little, enjoying extra rest, and then shuffle to breakfast before doing cabin chores and even before getting dressed… Pjs with a fleece pulled over, and robes being typical. Just rolling out of bed feels good once in a while! For breakfast we have a special “real world” treat waiting— freshly delivered Krispy Kreme doughnuts to supplement our regular cereal, fruit and yogurt bar, and today toasted English Muffins and warm scrambled eggs.

Sunday Morning Camp
Camp Chapel Presentation
Chapel Girl sitting
Girls camp outdoor assembly

Flag Raising in Red and White

After breakfast, the campers return to their cabins to change into their camp uniforms (white polo shirt, white shorts, and a red tie) and around 10am assemble on the camp hill for a flag raising ceremony conducted by the Hi-Up campers. Like Rockbrook girls have for decades, everyone forms a line around the flag pole, recites the Pledge of Allegiance, and sings “America the Beautiful.” Today under sunny, deep blue skies, surrounded by the full green of the woods around us, and with the breath-taking view of the mountains in the distance, all these girls in their red and white made such a beautiful sight.

Chapel: Reflecting on Community

Following this brief ceremony, the girls walk along the “path of silence” to the Chapel area of camp, which is a small clearing in the woods with benches arranged like a theater. Today the Senior campers and counselors presented their program on the theme of “Community.” Instead of a religious ceremony, these gatherings are for us a brief time during our week to pause and appreciate one another, and to contemplate the fundamental values and feelings we all share, no matter what our religious upbringing at home. We want all girls, irrespective of their religious beliefs, to feel comfortable and included at Rockbrook, so we strive to make our Chapel programs reflect that priority. Today Samantha played the guitar as her cabin mates sang a song they wrote. Several other girls spoke about how Rockbrook feels like a family to them, with each person bringing different gifts to the group. Everyone sang “Lean on Me” (the classic song by Bill Withers), and Sarah spoke at the end after reading the children’s book Anansi the Spider. Based on a West African trickster tale, it tells the story of how the moon came to hang in the sky for all to enjoy. These are sweet moments where your girls prove how sensitive and caring they really are.

Mop Awards and Assembly on the Hill

Before heading into lunch, everyone gathered again for a more lively assembly on the hill. Here the Line Heads awarded the “Mops” (highly decorated mops… this session as 3 different “minions” from the movie Despicable Me) to the cabins with the best record of cabin inspections. The Hi-Ups performed a skit/song about their duties in the dining hall.  Three counselors competed in an exciting “minute to win it” style challenge of apple stacking to see which cabin would be “dressed” the next day by their counselor. With a few announcements from the directors, and a few rousing hand-clapping versions of the Line songs, everyone was pumped up.

Alien Counselor Hunt

Our afternoon activity put a twist on a favorite classic, the “Counselor Hunt.” Today we found ourselves on an alien planet where all kinds of crazy, friendly though shy, aliens (our counselors dressed up) were hiding. Each cabin took on the mission to scour the planet (all over the main part of camp) to find aliens and return them to our spaceship (the dining hall). There, we would discover that each alien had a mysterious gift or prize to convey to the cabin who found her… Special snacks, having rest hour by the lake, or picking out the night’s movie, for example. Be sure to check out the photo gallery to see all the colorful aliens the girls discovered.

Alien costume counselor
Game of counselors dressed as aliens
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