Ready for Adventure

You might know that there are a lot of camps in this part of western North Carolina. About 100 years ago (104 years for Rockbrook), camps started popping up as mountain retreats from the summer heat, but also places with great access to nature. Cleaner air, cooler temperatures, and spectacular natural features like lakes, waterfalls, rock cliffs and long range mountains views were a real draw. While parents established cottages and visited resorts, camps catered to their kids, offering a place more suited to their interests and needs. Camps have survived this long because kids love being here, and now I think there are 16 overnight camps in this county alone.

One big advantage for camps in this area is the incredible access we have to nearby forests and wilderness areas, which makes all kinds of outdoor adventure possible. A few miles south of Rockbrook is the Dupont State Forest, 10,000 acres of protected land known for its huge waterfalls, lakes and hiking trails. North of camp is the Pisgah National Forest which is over 500,000 acres and likewise is known for its rock faces, trails, scenic streams and waterfalls. Our very own camp property is a 200-acre mini example of these forests with Castle Rock, Rockbrook Falls, old growth trees, trails and hidden swimming holes. Rockbrook is uniquely fortunate in this way.

I mention all of this because in addition to the regular daily activities at camp, the four in-camp activities each camper has as part of their day, Rockbrook’s outdoor adventure staff plans special out-of-camp trips that are optional for the campers. These trips are announced during meals and girls can sign up to go. It means missing their regular activities, so the decision can be a dilemma… you can’t do everything! “Should I miss riflery and pottery to go hiking?” It can be a tough choice, but there’s always a big interest to try these adventures. Some trips are only half a day, like a day hike to an overlook. Others take a whole day, like whitewater rafting, kayaking or rock climbing in Pisgah. Despite this dilemma, these trips are quite popular among the girls.

This week, for example, there was an adventure trip everyday. There was a day hike in Dupont, and another in Pisgah, on Monday. Tuesday, which is generally our big rafting day, brought almost all of the Middlers over to the Nantahala for a day of whitewater and splashy fun. On Wednesday, we saw girls flying through the trees on the Zipline course and in the evening, all of the Seniors braving the chilly ride down Sliding Rock. The Kayakers took trips on both Thursday and Friday, to the French Broad River and the Tuckaseegee River. There was also an overnight backpacking trip for Middlers on Thursday night. Another group spent the night camping in Eno hammocks on the camp property… adventure glamping among the trees in hammocks… “Glammacking,” we might call it.

It might be easy to forget about these trips happening when there is so much regular in-camp action. Some girls, though, try to go out of camp for these adventures whenever they have the chance. There’s so much to see, new thrills and challenges to experience, on these trips. They are another way for the girls here to try new things, things that require a little nerve, a little extra effort, and a little real-world challenge. Our regular days provide moments like this, but trips turn it up even more.

Of course what makes these trips so fun is not just the novelty or rush of the experience. It’s also the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it… jumping off the rock that starts the zipline, staring down the rushing water of sliding rock, steering your kayak through the rapids, and so forth. Overcoming these sorts of challenges becomes almost natural for the girls here because they’re surrounded by supportive friends, bolstered by true camaraderie. It’s what we all do. Camp girls will tell you; they’re ready for adventure! And that’s pretty neat.

summer camp girls rafting in north carolina

First Session Highlights Video

Here’s a real treat for you: our first highlights video of the summer. We’re fortunate again to have Robbie Francis of FrancisFilmworks working with us this summer. Robbie’s been coming to camp, filming and making these videos for us since 2015. He has a marvelous knack for capturing so many of the sweet moments of camp life, and editing it all into a couple of minutes of video.

This place is rich with enthusiasm, full of action, and far too complex to summarize. These videos provide a wonderful glimpse into our world. I think you’ll really enjoy watching.

A Cabin Day Afternoon

First session Rockbrook campers have been settling in for a few days now, and it’s just the start of camp! They have already had incredible experiences, including white water rafting, weaving, pottery, backpacking, and many more. One of the best parts of the week is cabin day, which takes place every Wednesday afternoon of the session. 

afternoon cabin group swim

Camp provides the perfect environment for creativity and opportunities for counselors to have fun with their campers. This is especially true for cabin day, because the possibilities are endless! Counselors and programming team members spend hours each week planning special afternoon activities for campers by gathering supplies, workshopping group experiences, collaborating with other counselors, and finally executing plans. Each cabin has different activities tailored to their interests and personalities. When I was a counselor it was always fun to hear what my campers liked and then develop an afternoon where they could all have fun together. It is an amazing opportunity for campers to bond, especially since they aren’t all together as a group in activities during the day.

4 silly camp kids

Counselors usually have the best luck balancing an “active” activity with a more relaxing, crafty activity. This way, there is something for everybody in the cabin that plays to the campers’ different temperaments. Counselors can also come up with themes for the day, including pirates, fairies, mermaids, detectives, animals, or anything that fits with their campers’ unique interests. Campers and counselors can hike to Castle Rock or Rockbrook Falls, go to the mermaid pools, use the lake, use our activity spaces to make crafts, and make special memorabilia to represent their cabin group that year. We are so lucky to live in this beautiful space at Rockbrook, so the possibilities are endless. Counselors and our programming team work extremely hard to pull this off every week, and campers always have so much fun!

The best part of cabin day, in my opinion, is the opportunity to spend time as a cabin group outside of the cabin. Beyond the day-to-day in-cabin routines, there are not many instances where everybody in the cabin is together at one time. Cabin day is one of the best ways to cultivate a positive cabin dynamic and strengthen the camp experience. Connection is the foundation of Rockbrook, and this is just one example of how we build it. 

Relaxing and Compelling

Today, we woke up to a cool misty fog dulling the greens of the forest. It was only about 58 degrees, so as the girls made their way to the dining hall for breakfast bundled up in all sorts of fleecy long-sleeved things, they were clearly not at home. No climate controlled room, but instead the moist smell of crisp mountain air. No clatter or buzz from an alarm clock, but rather the ringing of Rockbrook’s 100-year-old bell. Conversation in the cabin, friendly calls of “good morning!” between cabin mates, spurred everyone along. No school, or swim practice, or carpool to reach on time, but instead a day with friends filled with different activities to look forward to. Today was when we would really dig in to camp life.

camp girl smiling with horse

The first thing to notice about what we might call a “regular day” at camp is that it is packed with action, completely filled with girls busy doing things in the many activities. Out in nature, together with other girls of varying ages, they’re deeply involved being challenged in sports, being creative in the arts, and being thrilled by adventure. And the variety of these experiences is incredible. They’re riding horses, shooting arrows, and climbing our Alpine Tower. They’re weaving on looms, sawing through wood, and zipping along high among the trees. They’re hitting tennis balls, and rolling out balls of cool, moist clay. They’re learning too! Learning about some of the local birds, about how to aim a target rifle, about the parts of a whitewater kayak, and about how to do a cartwheel, for example.

But they’re also learning something else that could be even more important. They’re learning to relax into whatever they’re doing, even when they aren’t in a group activity (a “class” with a “teacher’). Our “regular days” have three dedicated blocks of free time for the girls when they are not in a scheduled activity: a “free swim” before lunch and dinner, and a chunk after dinner we call “Twilight.” These are true free times when they can be with friends, visit the lake, play a game like tennis or gagaball, or just relax on the hill. Different from the regimen of school where each minute is “on task” for the most part, camp life provides time (and space!) to explore, discover, connect and meander no matter what a camper’s inclination. Combine that with an almost endless supply of friendly companions and we’ve got something really special. It’s both relaxing and compelling at the same time. Hmmm… is that a definition of fun? Maybe. No matter what, I’d say it’s the perfect combination to help kids grow.

Camp is great like that. It fosters so many positive personal developments, from making friends to the kind of self-confidence that sprouts from new experiences in a supportive environment. There lots more to be said about that!

For now, I hope you’re enjoying the online photo gallery we update everyday. The photos provide just a glimpse into our days at Rockbrook, but they do convey some of the action, the delight, and the spirit we all enjoy. They’re fun to see, but I bet you’re jealous you can’t enjoy it too!

Beautiful Energy

Welcome! Welcome, summer 2025! Welcome to everyone arriving at Rockbrook today for the start of their camp session. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. We’ve been planning for camp, packing for camp, setting up for camp, and dreaming about camp for weeks, some of us for months. As the opening day approached, you could feel the excitement building, the beautiful energy of it all. Something special was about to begin.

We all felt this too, not just the campers. Our staff had just finished their week long training and orientation, and they were ready to get started. Our maintenance and housekeeping staff were finishing their preparations all around the camp. Our nurses were reviewing the health histories of everyone arriving, as our kitchen staff was finalizing menus and restocking our pantry. Our office staff had been communicating and organizing stacks of paperwork, and our Directors were pleased that everything in this intentional community was coming together. We have all been looking forward to this day.

summer camp arrival
summer camp bunk setup

Of course, the campers were the most excited. For the girls returning to Rockbrook, today was a day to reunite with their camp friends. Hug after smiling hug, coming back together after a year of school was marvelous. New campers too: while perhaps mixed with some nervous energy, they also were excited to find their counselors waiting for them eager to introduce cabin mates and help everyone get oriented to camp life.

Our staggered arrival system again worked well. It allowed the queue to move along smoothly and the girls in the same cabin to arrive approximately at the same time. This is great because the girls can immediately get busy together: making beds, arranging trunks in the cabin, learning names, decorating name tags, and touring around the camp.

Once everyone arrived, the first event was to gather on the hill for a quick all-camp assembly before lunch. The morning misty weather had cleared completely by then making the view of the mountains fantastic. Sarah introduced the campers to the Hi-Ups and the other Directors, explained a few safety things (e.g., the camp boundaries, and the lightning warning system), and led the whole group in a couple of camp songs. Felix’s cameo appearance was another highlight.

It’s somehow become a tradition of sorts at Rockbrook for the opening day lunch to be Rick’s homemade baked Mac-n-Cheese and watermelon. With a crisp salad and steamed broccoli on the side, it’s a warm plate of comfort. It’s so melty and savory inside with crunchy breadcrumbs on top, it really is a hit. He also prepared today a gluten-free, vegan version, that was also delicious.

After a short rest hour, it was time for an introduction to the Rockbrook lake, our “refreshingly cool” mountain stream-fed swimming hole. At the beginning of every session we invite all of the campers to learn about the lake protocols, for example our “tag system,” and to demonstrate their swimming ability to the lifeguards. These “swim demos” involve jumping into the water from the dock, swimming out and back a short distance, and treading water for a minute. The guards classify swimming abilities into three levels with some being restricted to the shallow part of the lake and others requiring a lifejacket. No matter their level, though, every camper gets to enjoy cooling off in the lake in some way. Today’s warm and sunny afternoon weather made the lake quite inviting, encouraging the girls to jump right in and enjoy this classic camp experience.

Another assembly, this time in the gym, was devoted to the activity options available to the girls. The counselors and specialist instructors performed skits to introduce what each activity offered. Combining costumes and songs, and of course plenty of props (think kayaks, ropes, helmets, tennis rackets, and craft supplies), these skits were often pretty silly… entertaining too. Later in the evening, the campers would be selecting their first set of four activities, so these skits were a great way to spur ideas about what to try. The new music activity, “The Rockbrook Songbirds,” where the girls will learn to play the ukulele and dive deeper into the Rockbrook songbook, seemed to turn a few heads with interest. Since each camper chooses her own activity schedule, the activities are a great way for the girls to meet other friends at camp who are not necessarily in their cabin. Rockbrook is just the right size, not super small or too large, to meet almost everyone and feel a part of the whole community.

Tomorrow we’ll all scatter and launch into our first full day of camp activities. We’re ready!

camp swimming goggle kids

Hurricane Update

Hurricane Helene in the Heart of a Wooded Mountain

Flooded waterfall on Rockbrook camp NC property

We imagine you have all heard the news that western North Carolina experienced a very powerful hurricane that left quite a lot of damage in its wake. Because this area has many rivers and creeks and communities built near them, the rising waters affected a large number of towns and cities.

Many of you have reached out to find out how Rockbrook fared in this massive storm, and so we wanted to take a moment to give you an update. Overall, we feel very lucky that the damage was not as extensive as many places in our region. The most obvious damage has been to our roads and underground pipes and culverts. With the steep terrain of Rockbrook, and the two waterfalls, there were incredible amounts of water rushing down the hill and the driveway, digging up pipes and finding new ways of entering and exiting the lake. In a few places, the soil was so waterlogged that some mudslides occurred.

With so many trees on our property, there were a number that fell. Two buildings were affected by fallen trees – one of our newly renovated cabins and the red cottage at the base of our service driveway both ended up with trees on them. The stream that runs under the dining hall was so full that mud ended up inside the kitchen and dining room. The stream then continued under the dining hall, splashing up and over the bridge in front of Goodwill.

Down at the barn, all of the horses were moved up to the highest part of our riding center, doubling up in the stalls and in the arena. The water filled up the lower ring and reached the outer stalls in the lower barn and also covering the bridge to the pastures. Everyone and all of the animals at Rockbrook are safe. While we still don’t have power or water, the cleanup effort has begun, and we are assessing the repairs needed to all of the buildings.

As many of you have asked how you can help, we are including the link to donate to our Building Fund, and to help with relief for our wider area, please consider the World Central Kitchen. We are so grateful for our Rockbrook family, and we are happy to report that all of the damage will be fixable by the time our 2025 season begins. Please be patient as our communications from camp have been slowed by this event. We can’t wait to see you all again!

Rockbrook camp lake friends

Altogether Miraculous

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.

magical summer camp friends

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.

summer camp counselor and kids

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.

summer campfire group

RBC in Orbit

Just ask any of the Senior campers at Rockbrook to tell you about the first camp banquet they attended, and you’ll hear about an incredible, all-out, all-camp celebration that takes place at the end of each session. You’ll also learn that banquets are always a surprise, with a unique theme chosen by our CA (9th grade) campers. These girls take on the challenge of designing, planning, and executing every detail of the party with its elaborate decorations, themed treats, performers in costume (our CA girls and their counselors), skits, music, and dancing. Their secret theme brings all of this together into an unforgettable event. I bet every camper can tell you the theme of every RBC banquet they’ve ever attended.

camp banquet entrance

Banquets are memorable for several reasons. First, the element of surprise combines with the awe that washes over the girls as they step into the dining hall and witness its complete transformation. Virtually every inch of the room is decorated to fit the theme: painted posters cover the walls, tablecloths and decorations fill the tables, and lights, streamers, and other props hang from the ceiling. With characters in full costume dancing around, the music and decorations combine to create an entirely new world. For the younger campers, this first glimpse can be nothing short of mind-blowing. And then, as the CAs perform skits and choreographed dances, the excitement builds into a lively, high-energy dance party for everyone.

Last night’s banquet, for our 2024 third session, was called “Rockbrook in Orbit,” and brought us into outer space. The theme included planets, sparkly stars, familiar constellations, colorful comets, glowing moons floating above, and all sorts of aliens and a few astronauts. Ms. Frizzle appeared too! With twinkling lights strung above and the tables decorated with space tablecloths, souvenir cups, temporary tattoos, and fun stickers for everyone, plus candy treats, the party was set.

For the menu, the CAs served fruit kabobs as an appetizer and then cheese pizzas as the main course. But the main event was the “dance battle” between the CAs dressed as aliens and the astronauts. First, there was a battle, but then another dance when they made peace. The counselors, dressed as astronauts strapped to rockets blasting off, performed their own dance number too. The famous dessert “Rockbrookies” rounded out the meal.

group hug rockbrook camp forever

For the campers, who came dressed in this year’s RBC t-shirt, the banquet was an exciting mix of party treats, popular foods, the CAs’ performances, and a massive dance party. With great upbeat music pumping throughout, the girls would dance with their friends, eat a little something, dance some more, pause to enjoy the next performance, and then repeat. You can imagine the fun of this. Sure it’s a little hot and sweaty, but together with your camp friends, there’s nothing quite like it.

The final part of the banquet is a tradition where the CAs, and afterwards the Hi-Ups, sing a song to their counselors thanking them and expressing their connection with each other. The counselors likewise sing a song back to the campers. It’s a sweet moment of reminiscing about the session and a beautiful expression of just how close these campers and counselors have become. Now, in front of everyone, they’re crying and laughing at the same time, hugging and leaning on each other. The whole camp then comes together to sing “Rockbrook Camp Forever,” a song that’s been sung at every RBC banquet for as long as we can remember. It’s a perfect way to end the celebration and express our appreciation of camp and each other. As the song aptly reminds us, “Friends, true and faithful” …that sums it up nicely.

banquet alien sapce costumes

Leaving Camp

Let’s discuss the closing day of camp. You might think it’s a simple matter of arriving to pick up your child and a return to normal life. While it does mean reuniting after being separated for these past few weeks, it’s also an emotional time for most girls, and there are a few things parents can do to help their children as they leave camp.

excited camp kid painting

Pickup Time

We don’t assign arrival times for pickup like we do for the opening day drop off, and instead ask you to arrive on closing day between 9am and 11:30am. My first tip is this; try not to be either the first or the last parent to pick up your camper. It’s not always possible to avoid these extremes for pratical travel purposes, like needing to catch a flight for example, but aiming for mid-morning is best.

Being picked up first means being the first to say goodbye to everyone at camp. It feels the most abrupt having to drive away (or leave on the earliest airport shuttle) while everyone else gets to savor more time with each other. Leaving first is tough because it feels like your camp time is ending at the same time as you’re saying goodbye to ALL of your friends. It’s an intense jolt in two ways.

Being one of the last to be picked up from camp is difficult too. It’s exhausting to say goodbye over and over as each friend is called to leave while you stay behind. It’s a little sad too, as campers can’t help but think their parents have forgotten something. If you are delayed for some reason (e.g., traffic, etc.), please call the office so we can let your camper know you’re running late.

summer camp kid zipping

A Sense of Loss

It’s important to know there is a real sense of loss that comes with leaving camp. Earlier this summer I wrote about Rockbrook being a haven, about it providing relief from certain pressures and challenges girls commonly experience the rest of their lives. In ten significant ways, we saw how certain aspects of “regular life” are particularly difficult for kids. In a world that’s defined these days by constant competition and judgment (think of school), that’s reved up to a breakneck pace, lived mostly indoors and saturated with information, that’s laden with social pressures, assumed inferiority and often prejudice, and that defaults regularly to electronic media for entertainment, it’s tough being a kid. Throughout the year, there’s a lot to shoulder.

When camp provides a refuge from all of this, when girls join a community that’s free from these challenging forces, they experience the most incredible feeling of joyful freedom. That’s when they find themselves playing more, exploring and trying new things. That’s when they’re suddenly more independent, more confident, curious and resilient. That’s when they feel recharged, and begin to develop habits of kindness, of paying attention to others, and of enthusiasm for new experiences. Most importantly, the haven of the camp community provides the perfect safe environment to open up and be their true selves. And it’s this authenticity of self that enlivens the forces of friendship. Kids make their very best friends at camp as a result.

Super camp outdoor fun

So this is what your girls feel they are losing when their camp session ends. They’re losing life in a haven where they feel so good, have so much fun, and are surrounded by such great friends, and they’re returning to a world where things are more difficult. The relief they experience at camp is coming to an end, at least for now. No wonder they are bound to be feeling sad! No wonder they are often crying.

How to Help

What can you as parents do to help your girls when they are leaving camp? First, take what we know they are going through and simply be understanding. This post helps you with that hopefully. Ask her about her friends and about what she liked about camp. Show her that you are interested in her experience at camp by listening to her. You can reassure her that she’ll be able to stay in touch with her camp friends (we’ll provide a list of everyone’s contact info), and if it feels right, that she can look forward to returning to Rockbrook next year.

summer camp lake splashing

Secondly, and this is really important, do what you can to ease your girls’ reentry into their lives at home and school. Remember, there’s a huge difference here. For example, go slow firing up a busy schedule of “things we’ve gotta do.” Try your best to turn down the heat of any pressure she might be feeling with respect to school. Remind her of good friends she’ll see back at home. I also would suggest not jumping right back online, into her phone. Maybe make a deal that you’ll leave your phones off in the car for the ride home, creating a good chunk of time for talking about her camp experience. Think of it this way; everything about her smartphone is antithetical to the life she lived at camp, so you can help soften her return to ordinary life by reducing the role it plays for her. Yes, older girls may feel they have “missed their phone,” but they also now know how great they feel without it. She may not see it this way, but you’ll be doing her a real disservice by handing over her phone as soon as she gets in the car. There’s nothing worse for extinguishing the camp glow she’s been feeling while here.

Leaving camp is tough, tougher for some than others, but it’s something we all have to do. And yes, it’s sad. Our challenge becomes discovering ways we can feel glimpses of camp magic in the currents of ordinary life. I believe it can be done, especially with good friends by your side. My hope is that your Rockbrook girls will feel empowered and find the courage to do exactly that.

We’ll see you on closing day. Oh, and you might want to plan a visit to Dolly’s before you leave town. She’ll love that.

summer camp friends hug