The Moments We Never Forget

It’s Friday at Rockmont, which means everyone from cabin 1 all the way to cabin 44 is going on a campout tonight.

If this sounds like a huge undertaking, that’s because it is.

Logistically, things would be much easier if we didn’t do this campout. Organizing and distributing gear, food, water, and firewood for a few hundred boys is no small task (shout out to our Work Crew for making sure these needs are met for each of the four big campouts over the summer!).

Despite the many challenges, we fervently believe that the campout is integral to what we are doing here at Rockmont.

Like other summer camps, we prioritize safety and fun at Rockmont. Additionally, we prioritize growth.

This is at the center of the campout program. 

The reality is, not every camper is going to love the campout.

Some will be uncomfortable at times, some get nervous as it approaches, and many will long for their cozy bed when they lay down in their tents. But within each of these feelings is growth.

Campers learn that while they may be afraid to camp out, they can still do it with support from their counselors and friends. When they return, they learn that even though they were uncomfortable, they pushed through alongside their cabinmates and forged stronger relationships. Campers learn that while building a fire is exhausting and dirty work, the payoff of getting to cook their dinner and tell stories around an open fire is well worth the struggle.

Inside of each camper is strength, and many have never had the opportunity to see what they are truly made of before an experience like this. 

This growth is often summer-defining, and many of our returning campers who feared the campout their first summer absolutely love the campout in their following years. Those campers are crucial in walking alongside more wary campers and encouraging them that they can do hard things. 

Throughout a camper’s time at Rockmont, campouts transform from nerves and discomfort, to resting by the campfire, finding constellations in the open night sky, and watching the sun rise and set with friends they will have for the rest of their lives.

So to all of our campers braving a night out in the wilderness, whether it’s on our own Rockmont property or one of the beautiful campgrounds in our area, have fun, rely on your counselors and cabinmates, and take it all in.

These are moments you’ll never forget.

 

– Miles Murphy

Marketing & Adventure Director