Without question, Camp Highlander is most alive when a bright summer sun is shining down on the mountain; when the rich, lush greens of hemlock and poplar and oak trees stand as silhouettes against the backdrop of a bright blue Carolina sky; when the sound of children laughing and shouting and cheering echoes across camp.
But then comes fall.
Though the days grow shorter and colder, and though a deep silence settles in over the mountain, an incredible transformation also takes place – one that few of us who call Camp Highlander home ever have the chance to witness.
The vibrant greens of summer fade into brilliant flashes of red and orange and yellow. The clear blue canvas of a summer sky is replaced by a lazy, fog-thickened autumn gray. Newly fallen leaves blanket the earth and muffle the mountain, turning even the loudest interruptions into the faintest of whispers. In a strange and beautiful way, Old Forge comes alive in an entirely new sense.
Summer remains our favorite time of year at Camp Highlander, but the arrival of fall offers an incredible glimpse into a world of color and change and transition that one truly has to see to believe.
Our iconic entrance gate, waiting to triumphantly open once again.
Or, more accurately, welcome home!
Though our horses are gone for the year, their privileged crosswalk remains.
Our camp buses rest in a field of leaves after another adventurous summer.
An autumnal stairway leads to the summer office.
I think we’ll need more than a broom.
Fall colors, not campers, now occupy these cabins.
The heart of camp on a quiet fall morning.
The road through camp engulfed in a sea of orange.
Basketball, anyone?
Gus’ Place draped in fall color.
Nice try, climbing wall, but we still see you!
The best place to enjoy the fall color is up in the trees!
Silver Lake perfectly reflects the beauty of the season.
About Camp Highlander
