June 2016

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June 6, 2016March 5, 2020 • News • Jeff Carter

Equally Full

Our first full day of camp began this morning with every activity area ready to launch into action. A full breakfast of orange juice, fresh fruit, oatmeal, granola and yogurt got us started, and the morning assemblies (held in each age groups stone lodge) of up-beat camp songs set the tone for an equally full day.

The other day, after being asked, I counted up the number of buildings at Rockbrook. Including all of the camper cabins (25), activity buildings, staff housing and support buildings, there are 53 different structures at camp. That’s a lot of roofs! And today every one of them was being used for the jam-packed life that we enjoy at camp.

Eight different places were home to creative craft projects. Weaving colorful yarns on the looms in Curosty with Nancy, pinching and rolling clay in one of the pottery studios, tying friendship bracelets, dripping dye on t-shirts, making layers of paper collages, brushing on watercolor paints, embroidering small swatches of fabric— the girls began many, many art projects.

Sports too! The girls shot rifles and bows with .22 caliber bullets and arrows hitting their targets. They balanced on the beam after stretching in the gymnastics area of the gym. All three tennis courts saw various tennis drills and short games. The gaga ball pit also was stirred up by game after game, with girls jumping and swatting as the ball bounced in their direction. Of course the lake, which (next to the dining hall!) is probably the most popular place in camp, was humming with fun as the girls flew down the water slide, performed tricks off the diving board, and just played around on different floating toys. As the weather cleared up throughout the day, the lake seemed to become even more popular.

The first riding lessons also took place today, with the girls who wanted to ride meeting new horses during one of the 4 activity periods. There were riders in every ring just about all day long. The outdoor adventure staff offered climbing on the Alpine tower, trips through the zip line course, a hike to Rockbrook Falls, and opportunities to learn the basics of whitewater kayaking down at the lake. Ellie and Jamie, our dynamic kayaking instruction duo, enticed dozens of girls to try out the cool new whitewater kayaks added to the Rockbrook fleet this summer.

Rick’s famous “cheesy bread” and homemade vegetable tomato soup, Becky’s fresh “Confetti” muffins, and chocolate chip cookies and milk before bed, were all top-10 foods popular from last summer that we enjoyed today as well.

With all of our activity areas cranking, familiar camp foods, a chance to spin the wheel in the dining hall (more about that later!), hula hooping on the hill during twilight, and evening program featuring silly, hilarious skits performed by each cabin group in their line’s lodges, it felt good to have a full day at camp. Everyone seemed happy, energized and settled in, which proves it doesn’t take long for girls to feel comfortable and at home here. It would make you smile to see it.

Eager Enthusiasm

Today, our very first day of camp this summer, was exciting. We opened the summer 2016 summer season today with our first session girls arriving all morning beginning around 8:30. Like every opening day of camp, it was exciting for everyone— the campers, counselors, and directors alike. But there’s something special about the first opening day of the summer. We’ve had to wait for so long, have so many new fun things planned, been preparing the camp facilities, gathering equipment and supplies from new kayaks to yarn for weaving. We’ve been thinking about camp for months, literally all year long waiting for this day! Mostly, and this is the best part, we’ve been thinking about all the great campers who will be attending Rockbrook this summer, all of your great girls. It’s wonderful to see them again, to see how they’ve grown and feel their excitement for camp. For the new campers too; it’s a delight to welcome them to Rockbrook. Bringing all of this together, the eager enthusiasm and anticipation for camp, made the morning full of smiles, cheers, and hugs. With this kind of feeling, it’s already clear this is going to be a great session.

After speeding through the arrival process (perusing the latest RBC gear, meeting the office folks and medical team) and getting settled in the cabins, parents said goodbye and the girls launching right into group games (hula hoops!), hiking the trail to Rockbrook falls, tying their first friendship bracelet of the summer, warming up their tetherball arm, and just catching up with a new camp friend sitting on the hill while enjoying the view.

Camp life is life lived outside… or at least mostly outside, with our rustic screened cabins, and daily outdoor activities. The weather is naturally always a factor. Like today when the forecast called for a 90% chance of rain after lunch, we thought we’d surely be unable to open the lake for our “swimming demonstrations.” As is often the case here in the mountains however, the rain was spotty, hitting some places more than others, and we were lucky most of the afternoon. Clouds rolled by with patches of sun appearing now and then allowing us to hold a Reggae dance lake party during the swim demos (with hot chocolate waiting for the girls after sampling the chilly, stream-fed Rockbrook lake), tour all of the camp activity areas, laugh through counselors performing their activity skits, and sing songs together during an assembly of the entire camp on the hill. A sprinkle of rain cooled things down at one point, but it didn’t slow us down much at all.

We’re off to a wonderful start. The group of counselors we have this summer, fresh from our week of pre-camp training, is one of the best we’ve ever had. Each one brings talents and skills to teach, but more importantly is a lovely, kind person who will take great care of your girls while here at camp. Likewise, the administrative staff from last year have returned and are ready to guide everyone as we reform the community that makes Rockbrook special. It’s a pleasure for all of us to be here with your girls.

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