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July 7, 2014May 17, 2020 • News • rbc

Celebrating the Small (And Wonderful)

Dolly (Dolly Mama) Herron
Camp Mom

The dictionary defines the word “celebrate” in this way: “To observe (a day or event) with ceremonies of respect, festivity, or rejoicing.” In life we celebrate birthdays, holidays, weddings, the freedom of our country…the list goes on and on. These celebrations typically hold a special place in our hearts, and on our calendars.

It is no different here at camp. There may be no better place on earth to mark the transition to being one year older. The entire camp celebrates your birth with the fervor and enthusiasm for which Rockbrook girls are known. There are banners, cakes, and singing. You are queen for the day. On the Fourth of July, campers wake up to horses galloping up the line and riders shouting, “The British are coming!” Red, white, and blue are the colors of the day, and that is abundantly clear in the creative attire of the entire camp. When the sun goes down, the music comes on and fireworks rain down on the mountain. Girls of all ages dance and weave intricate designs in the air with neon glow-sticks. It is hard to tell what is more beautiful: the fireworks, or the pure and utter joy of the dancing.

The momentous occasions that are celebrated in life are certainly celebrated here, but what makes our time at camp extraordinary is the celebration of the ordinary. Away from the often harried and hurried demands of school and “real life,” we are able to slow down and live in the moment. We begin to notice the little things that make life interesting and beautiful. And we stop. And we celebrate them.

Maybe it is an inchworm that made it safely down the thin thread that it spun, from the top of the tree to the green grass below. Some days it is the muffin break and sinking our teeth into the newest, most delicious flavor yet. The constant sound of water rushing down the mountain is reason to be grateful, especially when it sings a lullaby at bedtime. The slant of light in the early evening blankets the camp in gold. And we celebrate.

One day was spontaneously proclaimed “flower day.” As each hour ticked by, more and more people adorned themselves with flowers. We were head-to-toe bouquets of color. Why? To celebrate flowers.

One camper decided that chocolate chip cookies deserved a place in the limelight. She came to breakfast in her cookie costume, and she wore it proudly.

At dinner one evening, it become apparent that banana pudding would be served for dessert. People started singing, chanting, and pontificating the glories of banana pudding.

Countless times a day, one friend will see another, throw her arms around that friend, and love her out loud. It’s not because they haven’t seen each other for a long time. It isn’t because the friend did something extraordinary. It is simply friendship, and that is worth celebrating.

The funny thing about gratitude is that it multiplies exponentially when you acknowledge it. The more you honor the many gifts that are offered up to you daily, the more you have to honor.

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July 6, 2014March 5, 2020 • News • Jeff Carter

Beautiful Moments

The ordinary frenzied tempo of camp yields to something more tranquil and relaxed on Sunday mornings at Rockbrook. Instead of all the activities, adventure trips leaving the camp property, and lively play filling our day, we take time to sleep in a bit and reflect on some of our experience together at camp. The rising bell rang at 9am (instead of 8)… Ah, sleeping in following such a busy week … and after a breakfast of Krispy Kreme doughnuts as well as scrambled eggs, English Muffins and our regular cereal, fruit and yogurt bars, the girls changed into their camp uniforms (white polo shirt, white shorts, and a red tie) in time to meet on the camp hill for our traditional flag raising ceremony. Led by the Hi-Up (10th-grade) campers, this was a particularly beautiful moment today. Met by an extraordinarily bright blue sky and sunshine above, the campers lined up around the flag pole, and with everyone so cleanly and sharply dressed, the setting made reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing “America the Beautiful” very special.

It’s a short walk from this ceremony down the lower line of cabins to the Chapel area of camp, which is a small clearing in the woods with rustic benches arranged into an amphitheater. Today the Senior campers and some of their counselors presented a program on the theme of “Nature.” Like all of our chapel programs, this gathering was not a religious ceremony, but instead an opportunity, a moment, to identify and contemplate a core value or feeling we all share at camp. This morning that meant considering our relationship with the natural world. We sang “This Land is Your Land,” “The Sound of Music,” and “What a Wonderful World,” heard short readings presented by Olivia, Nisha and Eileen, and Sam played her guitar and sang an original song. Sarah read the illustrated children’s book, Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle, highlighting its message about preserving our relationship with nature (or how that relationship enables for us “living” instead of merely “existing”). Toward the end of the program, Sarah also invited the campers to add their thoughts and ideas. First one, then another, but soon more than a dozen girls came forward to describe how camp has strengthened their love and appreciation of nature. One told of releasing a captured spider (instead of simply killing it), and another described how she wished there were more opportunities at home to be outside. With these stories and others, the girls proved they really care about this topic.

After a little free time following Chapel and before going into lunch, we all assembled on the hill under the walnut tree to announce the “Mop Awards” (highly stylized mops, that this year look like cats) to the cabins that had the best inspection record this week. Two campers were recognized as “Happy Campers” and a Junior cabin received the RBC “Spirit Paddle” for their overall enthusiasm for camp (Here they are in this photo.). The Directors made a few short announcements, and to wrap things up, the Hi-Ups helped lead several rousing songs punctuated by the Line cheers.

The afternoon event got everyone in camp moving… running in fact, as we played a new game Chase called “Around the Camp in 80 Ways.” With help again from the Hi-Ups, we set up 12 different obstacles or group challenges throughout the camp. The cabin groups, staying together, then tried to complete each challenge as fast as possible, including mad sprints from station to station. The obstacles required various camp skills, some teamwork, and other odd talents. There was untangling a human knot, hair braiding, bouncing a tennis ball on a racquet, friendship bracelet tying, riddle solving, and a swimming challenge at the lake. For many groups, the most difficult activity turned out to be starting a fire, and the messiest station involved finding a piece of bubblegum in a pan of flour. All this running up and down the hills of Rockbrook really worked up a sweat, so it was nice to find icy popsicles at the finish line, and likewise to cool off with a dip in the lake. While perhaps a little strenuous, this turned out to be a really exciting, fun event.

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July 1, 2014September 18, 2020 • Adventure • Jeff Carter

A Swarm of Smiles

With so much going on at camp and with so many people involved, all simultaneously, it’s astonishing to add it all up. While some girls are screaming as they fly by on the zipline, others are silently stretching into yoga poses listening to quiet flute music. As floor looms click back and forth slowing revealing their weaving patterns, pottery wheels spin splattering mud when a bowl forms in the exact center. One girl rides a horse and another the water slide. Campers shoot bows and arrows, as well as .22 caliber rifles. They hit tennis balls with rackets and volleyballs with their fists. As some girls tie a figure-eight into their kernmantle climbing rope, others tie embroidery floss into square knots to make a friendship bracelet. Campers are leaping off the diving board into the lake, while others are jumping on the mini tramp to flip in gymnastics. With plenty of tie dyes, paints, markers, and glitter, we have an army of girls happy to add color to just about anything. In these ways and others, camp is an energetic mass of movement, and an awesome swarm of smiling busy girls.

Have you written a letter or sent an email or two to your daughter? Here’s some info about the addresses and such, but it’s worth repeating that receiving mail is a big deal at camp. After lunch and just before the girls return to their cabins for Rest Hour, everyone checks their mailboxes. Seeing a card, letter or folded piece of paper (a printed email) is always a nice surprise, and it’s the perfect inspiration for writing a response home! In your letters, tell your girls how you’re proud of what they’re accomplishing at camp, sprinkled with some encouragement to try new things. Pass along lighthearted, upbeat news from home, while trying not to dwell on what she’s missing while away or how much you miss her. Maybe include one of these kid-friendly jokes written by our own Sofie Ehlinger. Do you know why the pig was red, for example? He was out all day BACON in the sun! Here is some more good advice about how to write to your kids at camp. In the end, “Just write!”

“Hey Middlers! Hey Seniors! Do you want to go whitewater rafting?” That was the question we asked all of the girls on those lines, and perhaps predictably, about 90% of them said “yes,” with some choosing to do even more by camping overnight at Rockbrook’s Nantahala Outpost. These overnight rafting girls drove over on Monday night and had a great time eating dinner, making ‘smores over a campfire, goofing around in the platform cabins (with a package of glow sticks for each cabin making it even cooler), and simply enjoying this “middle of nowhere” campsite. The next morning, the girls hit the water under bright sunny skies, the perfect weather for a trip down the icy Nantahala river. For several of these Middlers it was their first time rafting, yet almost immediately, even before the first named rapid, they were laughing and squealing with delight. The Nantahala provides a nice balance of thrilling rapids with sizable waves and calm spots in the river where the girls can splash each other and even jump out for a brief swim.

I was able to take a little video as a few of our rafts came through the final rapid, the Nantahala Falls (or “Lesser Wesser” as some call it). Have a look and you can see why rafting is HUGE fun!

Our afternoon group of rafters, which was primarily Seniors this time, likewise had an excellent adventure trip with hot sunny weather, and just as much high-pitched fun.

When we all arrived back at camp, a special event dinner was ramping up, a jungle/animal themed meal we called “A Night at the Zoo.” This was a fun opportunity to dress like your favorite animal and have a dinner party singing jungle and animal songs. So tonight we had an entire table of cats, a few butterflies, a squid, a platypus, bears, a turtle, several bunnies, a pink panther (Director Sarah!), and a whole school of fish enjoying a meal together. Hamburgers, sweet potato fries, salad and watermelon with chocolate chip cookie bars for dessert… yummy and fun!

After dinner, during our “Twilight” period of free time (before the start of “Evening Program”), several counselors held a “pet show” on the hill where different girls could show off their “pets.” There were dog tricks, and a super strong rabbit, but the funniest was the gorilla who could do cartwheels. It was all pretty silly stuff, and as that, really great as well.

As the sun began to set far off across the distant Blue Ridge Mountains, the lyric painted on the dining hall poster during dinner tonight seemed all the more apt: “But the sun rolling high… Through the sapphire sky… Keeps great and small on the endless round.”

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August 6, 2013May 20, 2020 • News • Jeff Carter

The Wizard of Seuss

Most mornings at 8am, our 100-year-old camp bell, hung high in the oak tree below the dining hall, wakes us up with its distinctive notes. It’s a sound familiar to every Rockbrook camper since 1921, the year the camp was founded. Today, however, a very different, though equally distinctive, sound echoed through the camp first thing— bagpipe music. Local musician Chappie Powell, who is also the son-in-law of Steve who works with our camp office crew, arrived early this morning to surprise everyone with a short concert. Perched on a rock in the center of the grassy hill, he played wonderfully and filled the entire camp to everyone’s delight. The girls were surprised and at first didn’t quite know what to do, but soon there were small crowds of curious campers straining to get a glimpse of Chappie while he played. Morning in the mountains… and bagpipes! It was a very cool experience.

After breakfast, the girls were eager to start their activities because today was the last full day of our regular schedule this session. This meant returning to Curosty to remove weavings from the looms, touching up paintings begun in Hobby Nook, visiting the garden to pick flowers, making one last s’more over a campfire built in WHOA, taking another ride on the zip line or climb up Castle Rock. A few girls took a final kayaking trip to the Nantahala too. More importantly, girls all over camp knew they wanted simply to be with their friends as our precious time together was coming to a close. While it feels good to complete a project, to have something we’re proud of like a freshly glazed pottery mug or even a riflery target pierced by a bullseye, it feels even better to work on it with your best friend. The product might be cool, but it’s the process we truly love.

Tonight’s special event dinner is something everyone’s been looking forward to since the start of the session— the surprise theme banquet presented by the CA campers. After discussing and settling on a theme, preparing for weeks (painting banners for decorations, writing scripts for skits, rehearsing group dance performances, gathering elaborate costumes, and selecting special food and music), and setting up the dining hall all day, tonight was the night to reveal the theme and throw an amazing party for the whole camp. And the theme was 100% unique— The Wizard of Seuss.

Combining characters from both the Wizard of Oz and different Dr. Seuss stories, we heard a new tale about Dorothy, Toto, the Lion, Tin man and Scarecrow being caught in a tornado and finding themselves in the “Land of Seuss” where they met the Lorax and the Once-ler, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Star-bellied Sneeches, the Grinch, and the Cat in the Hat.

The decorations were awesome and colorful with a forest of Tuffula Trees, lights, glitter, streamers, a model house with the legs of a crushed witch sticking out, and lining every wall, paintings depicting characters and scenes from the Wizard of Oz and Dr. Seuss books. For dinner, the girls chose to serve tri-colored tortellini, green eggs and ham, zucchini, and an amazing dessert of Thing1 & Thing2 cupcakes complete with blue icing.

The entire evening was a wonderful celebration of camp creativity and teamwork that everyone enjoyed and will certainly remember.

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August 2, 2013May 20, 2020 • News • Jeff Carter

Downright Magical

Learning to canoe first means learning strokes, and there’s no better place to practice than on flat open water. This morning, Emily led a canoeing trip to Cascade Lake for 11 campers to do just that. With boats loaded and other gear stowed in the trailer, they drove just 15 miles to the lake and put on the water. Right away it became clear for the girls that when there is no current to move the boat, propelling and steering requires attention and skill— forward and back strokes, J-strokes, pries, and sweeps. Fortunately, it was a calm, windless morning, with bright sunshine overhead, which made it easier to maneuver the boats. It took a little practice, but soon the band of boats made it all the way down the lake to Hooker Falls, where the girls had time to beach the boats and go for a short swim. After a light snack, the crew paddled back across the lake to load up the boats and make it back to camp for a late lunch. The girls returned excited and happy about how “amazing” the trip was.

Meanwhile, the regular activities at camp carried on. In Curosty, the fiber arts craft cabin, girls were learning to knit, for example. Working with two knitting needles, instead of paddles, these girls were learning stitches, not strokes. Here, fine hand skills are required to twist, pull and flip the yarn while keeping the tension consistent. Like canoeing, practice pays off when learning to knit as well, but in the end, you have something soft and warm, maybe a little uneven, but handmade nonetheless. Riding the zip line, on the other hand, doesn’t take any practice, or require strokes or stitches. Nope, all you need to zip line (beyond the harness, helmet, tether and dual pulley) is a little nerve, and maybe a couple of lungs full of air to release as a scream when you fly by high above the camp (oh, and 43 facial muscles for a smile as well!). In the activity we call WHOA, the girls have been learning to build a campfire, and when successful, perfecting their marshmallow roasting technique. Whether aiming for lightly golden brown or charred to a crisp, roasting a marshmallow is the kind of outdoor activity these girls are happy to practice.

When Chase announced that the Biltmore Train would be arriving today after lunch, the dining hall exploded with shrieks of laughter and delight. Like Oprah had just given them some unimaginably fantastic prize, girls were jumping up and down in unison, clapping, waving their arms in the air, even collapsing with what looked like tears in their eyes. Yes, the thought of an ice cream party can do this to a group of girls, especially a huge ice cream party like this where everyone can have multiple— in some cases 5 or 6! — cones if they please. It’s been a long Rockbrook tradition to hold this once-per-session ice cream extravaganza called the “Biltmore Train.”

During the dinner announcements, another wild frenzy of screaming broke out when Chase invited everyone down to our grassy landsports for a twilight shaving cream fight and slip ‘n slide. This is another special event that, because it’s so much fun and because we do it only once per session, the girls really look forward to. Campers and counselors alike arrived dressed in their swim suits ready to get messy. Each armed with a can of shaving cream, it took about 5 seconds for the girls to begin squirting and smearing white foam on everyone. Nobody was safe; even the photographer (me) ended up covered.

For the next 30 minutes or so, the girls became more and more covered with the stuff, happily shaping outrageous hairstyles, finger painting messages on their stomachs, and adding to the designs on everyone else. We also set up a slip ‘n slide. Now covered with shaving cream, essentially coated in slippery soap, the girls took turns running and launching themselves down the long sheet of wet plastic. It’s a great time for them to roll and tumble as they glide along two or three at a time. Being this slick, some of the girls easily slid about 80 feet! After a quick rinse with the hose, it was time for a warm shower, some dry clothes, and evening program in each Line’s lodge.

What a great camp day! Adventure, creativity, time outdoors, yummy treats, and goofing around with friends— it’s been downright magical.

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July 12, 2013June 30, 2023 • News • Jeff Carter

Her Authentic Self

One important goal we have for everyone at Rockbrook, campers and staff members alike, is for each person to relax and be her “authentic self.” If the “real world” pressures us to conform to lofty ideals of personality, comportment and beauty, we want camp to be a haven from those pressures. It’s fine for our home and school lives to address these ideals, but if taken too seriously and if applied too rigorously, children can end up being more “fake” than “real,” and in the long run, unhappy. They can lose track of their true personality, spirit and character because they want to be who they believe others (parents, peers, preachers and professors) want them to be. Oscar Wilde put it this way. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” But how can we guide and educate our children, yet also foster their true selves? How can we promote real self-esteem and self-confidence more powerful than external social pressures? It’s a lofty goal for a camp community, but how is it possible?

There’s quite a lot to this, but I think part of the secret of camp, part of what makes it so successful at being this kind of haven for girls, is the nature and strength of the relationships that form our community. As I have mentioned before, Rockbrook is an intentional community staffed by a group of well-trained, caring adult role models who know the importance of compassion, generosity, and contribution. Instead of competition, we applaud blameless communication and cooperation. Instead of insecurities and self-doubt, we inject genuine encouragement. Instead of being left out or ignored, girls here find a place of listening, respect and care.

There’s really no better way to put it; at Rockbrook there’s a feeling of being appreciated and respected, loved, for who you really are. And the girls can sense it. They feel connected to everyone here, and supported by them. It’s within this special environment, this tight-knit community of friends, that girls can feel safe enough to let down their guard and laugh their heads off, get their feet completely muddy, dance in front of a crowd, wear an outrageous costume, jump off of a rock (tethered to a zip line cable!), shoot a real gun or arrow, and connect so deeply with so many wonderful people.

This is another reason why camp feels so good also. It’s a relief from that nagging anxiety that can accompany social pressure to perform or be a certain way. How wonderful it is to be free of that pressure! Rockbrook is that kind of haven. It’s a place where, for a brief time each summer, your girls can celebrate their true selves growing more secure and confident. Of course, all of this might just mean your girls are “comfortable” here and are having a lot of “fun,” but I think it’s much more than that.

Girls dancing to live music at Rockbrook

Today was “International Day” at camp. To celebrate, we welcomed Ras Allen and the Lions, a Reggae band to play an outdoor concert for us on the hill during dinner. They set up on the Hillside Lodge porch. The girls relaxed in their crazy creek chairs, applauding and cheering between songs. Many of them also hopped up to dance, especially when the band came down to the crowd for a drum solo. Singing about “Beauty and Love” and “Organic” gardening, among other things, Ras entertained the campers and counselors for 2 hours. Live music, some good food, a little dancing, and all with really great friends— it was a nice way to spend a Friday evening.

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July 11, 2013May 24, 2020 • News • Jeff Carter

Unforeseen Rewards

It’s hard not to mention the weather in these posts. We spend so much of our time outside, it only makes sense that how hot or cold, wet or dry, it is outside would make a difference both in our plans and in what we might wear (raincoat or just a fleece today…?). You have to stay flexible too, because the weather can change minute by minute in this part of North Carolina. It can be hot, humid and sunny at noon, and then cool and breezy just an hour later. For example today we had a picnic lunch planned for our mini session seniors, and with everyone loaded in buses, we set out to our favorite spot in the Pisgah only to meet a huge rainstorm when we arrived. Not to be discouraged, and with the help of a little weather radar, we continued climbing making it eventually to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Pounding Mill Overlook.

At an elevation of 4700 feet, there we had risen above and away from the rainstorm and found ourselves just above the clouds with bright sunshine all around. It was gorgeous! We could easily look south and see Looking Glass Rock, and east to view Mount Pisgah (elev. 5721 ft). What better place to lounge on the grass and eat our picnic? In the end, this was an example of changed plans that were better. Being rained out meant finding unforeseen rewards. Stopping on the drive back for a quick cone of Dolly’s ice cream, while perhaps appearing unplanned, was a perfect polish to our afternoon trip.

Today we were able to complete this session’s whitewater rafting trips on the Nantahala river. Here too, a little flexibility really paid off. Most of the rivers around here are too high right now, and even the dam-controlled Nantahala was unsafe on Tuesday. With a little shuffling of the adventure schedule, we were able to run the trips today instead. We also decided to push the first trip to earlier in the day to boost our odds of avoiding the predicted afternoon thundershowers. I’m happy to report that everything went perfectly, and with no rain! Boats of singing (and at times screaming!) girls wearing white helmets, 72 people in two groups— our Rockbrook rafting days turn heads on the river.

One aspect of taking an adventure trip, like whitewater rafting, kayaking, or rock climbing, for example, is the decision to skip your regular in-camp activities. Girls know that by signing up for these trips, they’ll have to miss archery, horseback riding, pottery and any other their scheduled activities. This can be frustrating for campers attending short sessions, but it soon becomes clear that it’s impossible to do everything at camp, and you always have to choose among options, thereby skipping certain opportunities. It’s a good lesson in decision making. To select also means to neglect. Fortunately, at camp, whatever a girl selects is guaranteed to be a fun-filled, good choice.

Our evening program tonight brought the return of our friend Daphne from “Cold Blooded Encounters” and 16 of her cold-blooded friends to the gym for her animal show. One by one, she presented each animal walking it around the crowd of shocked and at times wide-eyed girls. She described whether each animal— snake or lizard for example —was poisonous, where it lives in the wild, what it eats, and other unique aspects of its behavior.

Some of the reptiles were familiar to the girls, like the Eastern Box Turtle and the Black Rat Snake, creatures that can be found at Rockbrook. Others, though, were more exotic like an Emperor Scorpion, a Tomato Frog, a Tarantula, a Bearded Dragon, and a huge Reticulated Python. At the end of the show, Daphne invited the girls to touch her python, disproving their belief that snakes are “slimy,” and showing that they are instead smooth, cool and muscular. It was an exciting, informative evening.

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July 10, 2013May 24, 2020 • News • Jeff Carter

The Rockbrook Shake

The Harlem Shake… Odds are you’ve seen a version on YouTube because back in February it was a worldwide viral meme, with thousands of groups uploading dance videos to this same song. The Wikipedia article on the Harlem Shake does a good job explaining it. Well, today we made our own Rockbrook Harlem Shake. And Wow! The girls were really excited to make it, all dressed in their craziest costumes. Sarah starts it off, but when the beat drops, about 200 people turn the scene into a wild dance break. Be sure to watch it (several times, to catch it all!) in HD and in Full Screen!

Girls dressed for the harlem shake video

These photos give you a better, up close, sense of what it felt like to make the video (click them to see a larger version). The dancing is brief and intense, with arms swinging wildly, jumping, rolling, and twirling in all directions. Kayaking and climbing equipment, gymnastics moves, and a parachute all made appearances. Long hair flew in every direction. The looks on everyone’s faces show just how fun and funny the whole experience was.

Overall, we have here a wonderful summary of the energy and spirit these girls bring to their time together at Rockbrook.

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November 30, 2012March 25, 2023 • Counselors • Sofie Ehlinger

Take our Holiday Challenge!

Each year, we challenge our staff to spread the camp spirit around their community well beyond the summer. The holidays are a great time to utilize the lessons you learned while working at camp. See if you can complete all ten of these holiday tasks by the new year!

1. Try something new. It can be anything- a new food, signing up to volunteer – whatever you want!

2. Slow things down and spend some quality time with your friends.

3. Reminisce about the passing year. Think about all the fun you had in 2012. Be prepared for all the good times you’ll create in 2013.

Learning how to use a camera — Reminisce About the Passing Year

4. Be silly! Have a dance party, sing in the shower, put on a costume!

5. Lead the charge. Be the one to start something. Organize a food drive in your neighborhood – start a jump rope contest – make and deliver wreaths to all of your neighbors.

6. Get Crafty! You don’t need to spend a fortune to give great gifts this holiday season. Just a little creativity and inspiration and va-la! You’ve created a gift from the heart.