Summertime can be hot, as I’m sure most of you are experiencing firsthand these last few days. The same is true here at Rockbrook where the daytime high temperatures have been in the upper 80s, even hitting 91 Monday and Tuesday (which is unseasonably warm). The great news about camp is that we have plenty of ways to stay cool even through the hottest summer days.
For example, our swimming lake is always a popular place to be. A mountain stream constantly refreshes the water keeping it delightfully chilly. The girls love doing tricks off the diving board, zooming down the 60-foot waterslide, swimming “mermaid laps,” and just goofing around in one of the many floats. In addition to the swimming activity periods during the day, there are two “free swim” times (one before lunch and the other before dinner) when anyone can head down to the lake for a dip.
Another place to cool off at camp is in the creek that runs through the center of camp, in front of the Goodwill cabin and behind the Curosty cabin. This creek, along with Dunns Creek that feeds our lake, is another favorite spot. You’re bound to find campers with their feet in these creeks. They might be weaving a basket, working on a painting or drawing, or looking for salamanders in the WHOA activity. Some girls just like to sit near the creek when they have free time, reading or tying knots in a friendship bracelet.
Whitewater rafting is a more adventurous way to cool off at camp. Any Middler or Senior who is interested (and who earned a blue swim band) can take a whitewater rafting trip on the Nantahala River. Rockbrook is known as a rafting camp since we take so many girls down the Nantahala. We have a special permit to use our own equipment and guides allowing us to easily take everyone who wants to go. And just about everyone does! It’s a splashy whitewater experience, full of laughing and goofing around. There are plenty of chances to pose for the camera between the rapids stretching along the nine mile section we run. With the water temperature of about 50 degrees, the girls are definitely staying cool!
There’s one more way that I think camp helps the girls here cool off. It’s a bit more abstract, but in some ways more lasting. It’s the cooling off they find from the pressure and stress they often experience at school. Of course this varies from person to person, and is more prevalent in older children, but it seems that kids these days endure a lot. They are subject to a vast array of expectations to perform, thrown into all sorts of competitions, and fed flashy idealized versions of what it means to be successful. Think of what online media is teaching. It might be easy to forget, but it takes work to be a kid, to measure up in these ways. It takes a lot, and our girls can feel that heat.
Fortunately, camp provides a release from all that. Life at Rockbrook is an unburdening for kids. Living mostly outside, away from the lure of technology, as members of an accepting, encouraging community of caring people, being active and engaged in the real world, free to explore, discover and meander with friends —camp is a relief. That’s why the girls will tell you they “feel really good” at Rockbrook, all while having a really great time. That’s what I call pretty cool.
A quick note about mail. Your girls love receiving cards and letters in their mailboxes, but there’s a balance to be found. When it comes to letters to camp, quality beats quantity. Read this article for tips about how to write to your camper. It spells out a few ideas about what to write, and what to avoid writing about. I think you’ll find it helpful.
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