We’ve described Rockbrook’s high ropes courses before, and discussed some of the benefits that follow learning how to climb, but what does it really take to do it? What are the “tricks?” Four things are important: flexibility (to stretch and reach different holds), balance (to steady yourself standing on one foot for example), strength [...]

You’ve read about it in the most recent RBC newsletter, but what does it look like? Well, here it is, the new Rockbrook Camp sign! The old one couldn’t be repaired, so we asked local Brevard artist Matthew Lee Hoxit to design and build a new sign for the camp entrance. After [...]

We have an absolutely fantastic camp staff lined up for this summer! It’s a great mix of returning counselors and campers, plus new faces that have heard about Rockbrook. You’ll see Callie, Christine, Elizabeth-Anne, Kelly, Katie, Beth, Elise, Eva, Cadey, Katy, Devon, Whitney, Michelle, Kathleen, Brooke, Lexie, Kasey, Lillian, Cara, Bridget, Lori, Bianca, [...]

Kids having sustained outdoor time is one really great benefit of camp. When most kids’ lives are spent inside (at school, at home, in the car) and therefore usually “plugged in,” it’s really nice to experience the beauty, complexity, and intensity of nature— the awesome view from a mountain top (”That’s so far!”), the [...]

There are so many fun activities for teens at summer camp: sports, outdoor adventure, horseback riding, and of course arts and crafts. At Rockbrook there are more than 26 fun activities! This is a photo taken one afternoon in our needlecraft class, and it looks like everyone is working on a needlepoint or [...]

Can you tell what these girls are doing? Does it look “dramatic?” Do they seem to be “acting” with “feeling?” Maybe they’re in a “play?” Those certainly are intense “expressions.” Their posture really tells a story. That’s right it’s girls from the Rockbrook camp Drama activity! All the [...]

Rockbrook girls kayaking! Here’s a photo we found the other day of a kayaking trip we think is from the 1990s. It’s true; whitewater kayaking trips on local rivers (like the Nantahala) have been a part of our whitewater program for more than 20 years. Even now, we’ll take out a few [...]

RBC Riders! Get excited to meet “Gordon” from St. Andrews College! Gordon is a 17.1 hand gray thoroughbred gelding and is eager for his first summer at Rockbrook Camp. His favorite things are Jenna Branson (affectionately known as “JB” at the barn) and training for dressage. You’ll recognize him when you see [...]

Long-time Rockbrook counselor Beth Dobson sent us this great old photo of some Rockbrook Girls. “I was going through some old family photos yesterday and found a picture of my grandmother at RBC. I edited the photo to point out which girl is actually my grandmother. Beth Davies Allee Gruen was born in 1921, so this [...]

There’s just nothing quite like it! All the fun of camp… the running around, the tower climbing, the sports, the teatherball, the hiking up to Castle Rock (and more ) …can really get you kind of hot and grubby. Jumping in the lake for a little swimming is really the perfect [...]

Archery for teens and kids is still an amazingly popular thing to do at camp. Even if you’ve never held a bow before, let alone shot an arrow, it doesn’t take long to figure out the basics. And before you know it, you’ll feel really good about hitting the target, even getting a [...]

The regular sessions at Rockbrook are either 3 or 4 weeks long, and most of the girls who return to camp each summer select one of these as their camp session. In addition though, we also have several 2-week-long “Mini Camps” offered throughout the summer— one in late June, two in July, and one [...]

Where do you stay when you to come to camp? Rockbrook is a summer residential camp where campers stay in simple wooden cabins. Set with wooden-framed bunk beds, and divided into two sides, most hold 8 campers and 2 counselors. Between the two sides is an area called the “dog trot.” This comes [...]

Here he is! Profound is a 15.2 hand 12 year-old chestnut Oldenburg gelding. This will be his first year at Rockbrook camp and he’s excited to get to know all the campers. Profound was a show horse for several years before coming to St. Andrews College and still gets to do horse [...]

The other day someone asked about our camp philosophy. We’ve written about it on the “Our Philosophy” page of Rockbrook’s main website, and that page does a good job, but what else should we say? Well, another way to put it is to recall how camp is such a fun and nurturing environment, [...]

Here’s a set of photos of our whitewater rafting trips on the Nantahala River. Each session we take girls over to the river for a fun-filled day rafting. The Nantahala is one of the best known whitewater rivers in the southeast and always offers an exciting ride. Check out the photos and [...]

Just a funny photo to share here… This shows some of the most popular footwear at camp. For kids, youth and girls, this is the way to go, and since it’s summer, you want something cool, something that can get wet even. As you can see Crocs are definitely a big hit, but [...]

“What’s the Rockbrook Stable Club?” A riding camp for girls should be more than just riding; it should also be learning about horses. That’s why girls who are truly “horse crazy” love Rockbrook’s ground lessons, what we call the “Stable Club.” This is a chance for girls to have “extra time at the barn [...]

Outdoors activities, like overnight camping, are one of the things children really look forward to at camp. Getting together with friends, hiking into the woods, setting up a campsite, having dinner around a campfire, making s’mores, and sleeping in a tent are all so much fun. Just being outdoors like this is so [...]

There is a pest, a small insect native to Japan called the “hemlock woolly adelgid,” that is threatening the health of hemlock trees all across the eastern United States. From Maine to Georgia, along the Appalachian mountains and Piedmont, hemlock trees are dying, and unfortunately Rockbrook has not been immune. Perhaps 75% of [...]