Author Archives: Jeff Carter

Now that we’ve finished up our last session of camp, and we find ourselves reflecting on the summer, it’s again a challenge to describe it all. Friends will ask, “How was the summer?” And, I’ll stumble through an attempt to describe it by saying “Great! So many happy people, wonderful!” That’s all true, but it barely scratches what it was really like at Rockbrook this summer. There’s so much more.

Camp was beautiful, beautiful to see children laughing and playing. Beautiful to witness girls relaxing into the rhythms of camp life, being free to explore, play, create, and discover. It was beautiful to see kindness, budding confidence, and willing enthusiasm color whatever we were doing. It was beautiful to hear easy silliness and laughter everywhere at camp. It was beautiful to feel so close to so many people.

The summer was magical too. It was full of delightful surprises, moments when we embraced the wonders of Nature. It was magical how the simplest things were fun, often hilarious, and ended up being a source of deep comfort. It was magical how everyday was both exciting and worry free, filled with new experiences.

Camp this summer was also refreshing. Our drier and cooler weather was refreshing, but so was the feeling of being a part of the Rockbrook community. It was refreshing to connect with the people so easily, to make almost instant friends with everyone, and to be embraced for our authentic selves. For many, it was refreshing to simply be away from the allure of their electronic devices.

Camp was emotional, packed with experiences that we felt deeply. We cheered for each other almost everyday. We were thrilled by all the novelty and adventure of the activities and trips. There were so many hugs, smiles, and sweet moments of affection. Sharing this much, being this open and genuine, made even the challenges we faced both manageable and meaningful.

The third session Spirit Fire brought all of this into focus. Dressed in our red and white uniforms and gathered around the blazing campfire, we couldn’t help but realize that the friendships we’d formed at camp, the experience of it all, were in a way miraculous. The speeches reflected this too. The girls talked about felling lucky to have been at camp, to have found Rockbrook. They expressed such heartfelt gratitude, and marveled at how they’d grown and “become who they are” at camp.

Yes, camp was beautiful, magical, refreshing and emotional —altogether miraculous. It was for everyone, campers, staff and directors alike, an experience that’s hard to describe, but one that we’ll cherish. We’ll remember it fondly, seek its spirit throughout our days, and yearn for its return sometime soon.

So thank you! Thank you for helping make this special experience possible, for your support, and for sending your girls. We miss everyone already. We look forward to seeing you next summer when we can come together at Rockbrook and rekindle the camp spirit we love.

One of the lovely things about life at Rockbrook is how much time we get to spend with people of all different ages. The girls who attend camp as campers can be as young as 6 years old, and they go all the way up to 16. And then there are the 17-year-old CITs, the college-aged cabin counselors, and the adventure staff, activity specialists, nurses and directors — all ranging from their 20s to their 60s! It really is true; we’re a community of 6 to 60.

The campers are sorted by grade in their cabins, and they sign up for activities by line assuring their instructors can tailor challenges to their age. Beyond the activity time and life in the cabins, however, everyday connects us with friends who are not our age. It might be when we’re grabbing a muffin on the dining hall porch during muffin break, or tossing our towel on the rock by the lake for free swim, or jumping into the gagaball pit for a game during twilight. Zipping with the awesome adventure staff, talking with the pottery specialists, and stopping by the health hut for our morning medications are other examples where we’re all mingling. It seems like we’re saying hello everyone we see: to the Hi-Ups when they’re setting the tables before lunch, to the Directors up on the porch of the office, and to the mob of counselors and campers in the “Rockbrook Runners” club as they jog by. Older girls talking with younger girls is the most natural thing here at camp.

Our all-camp special events are an excellent example of this too, like the shaving cream fight we held at twilight yesterday. This was such a fun event, literally for all ages.

We rang a bell to alert everyone to come down to the landsports field dressed in swimsuits. With some fun music pumping, the girls each grabbed a can of shaving cream and had a blast zooming around the grassy field spraying each other. The goal was simple; squirt and splatter the white slippery foam on everyone. Chase and be chased. Plunk blobs of shaving cream on anyone’s head. Rub it on their backs, pile globs into their hair, and help them create the wildest hairstyles possible.

Before long, everyone was covered in shaving cream, white and slippery, and looking utterly ridiculous. Of course, everyone was screaming and laughing the whole time too. The feeling of being covered in shaving cream, seeing everyone’s reactions, and watching the messy chaos unfold is simply hilarious. It’s the kind of silly fun we love at Rockbrook.

We also pulled out a sheet of plastic that, with a little water sprayed on it from a hose, made an excellent slip-n-slide. The girls were already plenty slippery, so they just launched themselves down the plastic and shrieked with delight on every ride. Tumbling and rolling, they had a blast.

An evening like this proved once again that these Rockbrook girls know how to have fun together. From the youngest junior to the counselors and directors, we all shared this experience of foamy glee. Where else can you laugh this hard, yet feel so relaxed around friends? Where else does age matter this little? Where else can something as simple as a shaving cream fight bring so much joy? Only at camp, of course!

This is the time of the year when we are commonly busy giving tours of camp. We get tour requests all year long, but we encourage families to come during the summer when camp is in session. It’s not unusual to have a tour scheduled each week, and multiple before the end of the summer. I think families hear about Rockbrook and then try to squeeze in a visit before we finish up for the season and school takes over.

It’s a delight for us to show people around and provide a first-hand glimpse into camp life. For people who haven’t seen Rockbrook, a tour is nothing short of marvelous, even magical. That’s because it’s easy to see how special this place is, how it differs from most other places in fascinating ways.

The Rockbrook facilities is one unique difference. Right away most people are taken by the woodsy feeling of camp— the towering trees, babbling creeks, large boulders, and very little “lawn.” Unlike the overly landscaped environments found elsewhere, Rockbrook feels more organic, like something that’s emerged within Nature on its own. There are points of natural beauty around most corners. Look up and you’ll see a shining rock cliff. Look right and there’ll be a waterfall, and left the swimming lake. Even the buildings seem to blend in— the simple, rustic sleeping cabins, stone meeting lodges, dining hall, and the two 19th-century log cabins used for craft activities, for example. Even our newer structures, like the Rockbrook Riding center with its modern barns and covered arena, carry this same aesthetic. There’s a certain feel to Rockbrook that generations of alumnae recognize when they return years later.

Beyond the facilities, touring in session clarifies aspects of camp life that are special to Rockbrook, the activities and the pace of it all. You’ll see campers weaving on vintage floor looms, firing arrows at colorful targets, and rolling their kayaks in the lake. Mornings are a particularly exciting time, with everyone visiting the dining hall for muffin break. You might even catch a glimpse of a girl zipping past the office on the final leg of the zipline course. You’ll bump into all kinds of artistic creativity— girls working with clay, colorful dyes, yarns, paints, wood, and wax. At the Riding Center you’ll see beautiful horses and girls learning to walk, trot, canter, and jump in their riding lessons. At the same time, you’re bound to see girls relaxing with a book, or just chatting with a friend as they soak their feet in the creek. It’s nearly impossible to follow it all, but it’s clear campers are having the time of their lives.

The true highlight of a camp tour, though, is meeting the people of Rockbrook. In each interaction with campers and staff members, you’ll sense their incredible enthusiasm for camp. You’ll notice the caring and friendly way the girls treat each other, the kind way they pay attention to one another. You’ll hear them chatting easily with each other and laughing at the littlest things. Meeting the girls at Rockbrook is a joy because they’re refreshingly silly, genuinely comfortable, cheerful and happy. You can tell camp is their favorite place. It’s this vibrant community spirit that makes Rockbrook special and the most delightful part of every tour.

If your daughter already attends Rockbrook, you don’t need a tour to appreciate the beauty, fun, and community of Rockbrook. You see it everyday in the photo gallery, and will no doubt hear more about it when she returns home. For those who haven’t experienced it yet, we hope they’ll hear about Rockbrook from current families and alumnae, and if possible come for a visit.

Today was a big day of whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River for our Seniors. It was a perfect, warm and sunny day and the girls had a complete blast bumping and splashing their way down the river. Here are just a couple of photos from the day. So fun!

Summer camp is sometimes compared to a party— festive, social, extraordinary, delicious, zany, and fun. Today at Rockbrook it was a pink party because to everyone’s delight we declared it “Barbie Day!” The campers knew that this would be one of our dress up themes this session so many came prepared. Some simply wore a pink t-shirt, while others had complete Barbie outfits with hats, sunglasses, and various hair decorations. A couple sported trim pink and white dresses, while others went more neon with wigs, scarves and skirts. From the nurses to the directors to the counselors and campers, there were Barbies everywhere today.

Barbie is inherently confident, outgoing and carefree, much like Rockbrook girls generally, so it was easy for Barbie mannerisms to pop up around camp today. All day girls would greet each other, in the most enthusiastic upbeat tone, “Hi Barbie!” “Hi Barbie” was the appropriate response. It was also fun to ask people, “What kind of Barbie are you?” As you know there are many Barbies, from tennis pros to yoga instructors, to rockstars and fashionistas. Everyone was glamorous in some small way, turning camp into a “dreamworld.”

This was also the first day of activities this session, so we saw many eager Barbies scurrying about Rockbrook, shooting arrows, climbing the Alpine Tower, and flying by on the zipline, for example. Apparently, Barbie is quite artistic too, enjoying needlecraft, working with clay and planning weaving patterns. The lifeguards said that Barbie loves the waterslide and jumping off the dock at the lake as well. You have to admit; Barbie is amazing.

Dressing up like this is a big part of Rockbrook. We love it because costumes always add a little silliness to whatever we’re doing. They help us laugh at ourselves, lightening things up a bit, proving that it’s OK to let your guard down and enjoy the freedom in that. When a lot of people are dressing up, it’s even better, as that sets an overall tone that brings us together. Costumes help you sing more, dance more, and be more playful. They help you lean into things with a more joyful and open attitude. Putting on a costume is just more fun like this. Ask your girls, they’ll tell you.

Our Barbie theme carried over into dinner too. With pink shiny mylar table cloths, pink streamers and flags, and few Barbie treats to accompany our meal of hotdogs, roasted potatoes, homemade coleslaw and baked beans, the real showstopper was the Barbie brownies with pink icing. We sang a few songs from the Barbie movie and ended the evening with a Barbie fashion show. So much silly pink fun.

A quick note about mail… keep sending it! Here are the instructions to send mail. Receiving mail is a big deal at camp, so the more cards and letters and emails you can send, the better. Trust me; your camper is craving something in their mailbox. Go ahead and send something. It’ll make her day.

Today we opened our third full session of the summer, welcoming another group of campers to Rockbrook. This is a very exciting day for everyone. The counselors woke up early and were ready, dressed in their red polo shirt uniforms. Each was eager to meet a specific set of campers that would be in their cabins. The Hi-Ups, our 10th graders, had arrived the day before and they too were ready to help with the flow of the check in process. That process was steady and smooth all morning. Parents arrived at their assigned times and that helped us minimize waiting in line. As each car pulled up, it was clear the campers were even more ready. We saw enthusiastic smiles mixed with a few nerves over the charged feeling of it all. For these campers, the day they had been waiting for had finally arrived, and they were practically twitching with excitement. So welcome to Rockbrook!

About seventy percent of the girls arriving today are returning to Rockbrook, and for them this meant reuniting with camp friends, getting big hugs from people they hadn’t seen in a year. New campers quickly found their cabin groups and their pen pals, and soon were being pulled right into the rhythms of camp life. They were setting up their bunks, visiting the camp store to pick up their pre-orders, meeting loads of equally excited people, comfortably chatting all the while.

For everyone arriving at Rockbrook, there’s a real sense of relief. It’s a relief from the anticipation that builds leading up to camp, but more important, camp provides an escape for kids, a unique place of joyful freedom and exploration. You can sense this right when you arrive. The people here are warm and welcoming. There’s a contagious energy that creates spontaneous bursts of singing, dancing, and laughing. Just having this many friendly people together creates an electric atmosphere that charges up just about everything we do. This is all so different from regular life, it’s a welcome change. Rockbrook’s focus on community and fun creates a marvelous spirit we all enjoy, and I would say need more than ever. Today that spirit began to work its magic right away. You could see it on everyone’s faces.

Once everyone had arrived, we all gathered under the walnut tree on the hill for a chance to sing a few songs, meet the directors and special staff members, and be reminded of a few camp protocols (about our lightning warning system, for example. This system warns everyone to go inside if it detects lightning in the area).

After lunch, which was a comfort food meal of Rick’s homemade mac-n-cheese, fruit and salad, we launched into line meetings, camp tours, and a visit to the lake for our swimming demonstrations. Each line (age group) took turns coming to the waterfront to learn about our tag system and the opportunities to swim each day at camp. Those opportunities vary based on each camper’s swimming ability, but regardless of their ability, we have a way for everyone to enjoy cooling off at the lake if they want to. We do not force every camper to take a “swim test,” but instead invite them to demonstrate their comfort in the water so we can understand how best to keep them safe while at the waterfront.

We’ve standardized the “demo” to jumping off the dock, swimming out about 60 feet, back 60 feet using some sort of backstroke, and treading water comfortably for one full minute. It’s that last part that gives some girls trouble. The Rockbrook lake water is chilly and treading for that long in deep water can be a challenge to do with strength and confidence. Our three bands (and corresponding tags) of yellow, green, and blue indicate whether we’ll require a lifejacket or not, and where in the lake it will be safe to swim. Soon, the tag board was filled and the girls were set to swim at the lake during free swims, and to sign for swimming as one of their activities where they could improve and perhaps change band/tag colors.

The afternoon excitement didn’t end there. After drying off, we all assembled in the gym and the counselors took to the stage to showcase their activities through lively skits. Complete with costumes, songs, and the occasional gymnastics and dance move, these performances offered campers a glimpse into the fun and opportunities each activity holds. Since the girls would be choosing their first set of activities later that evening, these skits provided valuable insights into who will be teaching each class and what to expect.

This session is off to a great start. The enthusiasm for camp is already ramping up as the girls settle in. Stay tuned!