Greetings Alumni

Alumni - Please update your contact information here. We would like to stay in better touch!

Camp Pinnacle is back and stronger than ever! Summer 2012 exceeded all expectations.  We were very excited to meet dozens  of alumni who came by for a visit this summer. Rarely a weekend goes by where we don't meet someone who has stopped by to relive wonderful childhood memories.  We love hearing your stories and getting glimpses of CP's storied past. It's clear that the learning that has taken place at Camp Pinnacle over the past 85 years stays with you.  We are of course excited to show you the many improvements we have made to both the facility and program. Camp still has the same, rustic feel, we are busy making it better!

This magical place continues to make a lifelong impression.  We will argue that for kids raised in the digital age, the camp experience is more important than ever before. The skills you learned at camp: Communciation, collaboration, leadership, respnsibility, problem solving. taking reasonable risks are better taught at camp than anywhere else.  Hopefully the friends you made here are still folks you keep in touch with and role models who have helped inspire your path.

Read an article by Charlie Kendrick about Summer 2012 from an Alumni perspective.

What Can I Do To Help Camp Pinnacle?

1. Complete our Alumni Update Form by Clicking Here.
2. Get in touch with us  855-EST-1928 (855.378.1928) or info@camppinnacle.com and say hello!
   
3. Share the news with your camp friends and get them involved again!
   
4. Reach out and encourage new campers. You can rest assured that the new Camp Pinnacle is exceptional - there is even a money back guarantee!
   
5. Donate (support scholarships)  send checks to:  Camp Pinnacle Scholarship Fund (501-3C) PO Box 1339 Flat Rock,   NC 28731

An Update on the Camp Pinnacle Summer of 2013 by Charlie Kendrick

Good things really do come to those who wait.  After two long summers without Camp Pinnacle, those of us who have loved Pinnacle since we were children were rewarded with Pinnacle’s reopening as a summer camp.  Maggie Allen and I were blessed with being part of the Phoenix summer of Pinnacle and, while I can’t speak for Maggie, I loved it. There have been amazing improvements to the facilities.  The counselors and the new programs were great.  I even grew to appreciate the grass on the ball field…who would ever have imagined there could ever be such a thing!  Most importantly, however, kids from all over the country learned and grew in an environment that builds them up and teaches important life skills like resilience, respect, reaching out to others, responsibility, and taking reasonable risks.  

For me, the best part of the summer was getting to know a new generation of Pinnacle camper.  There were lots of new faces.  Happily there were a few former campers or children of former campers and it was good to see them again and to see their parents on opening or closing day.  John, David and Sam Archer all brought boys to Camp.  I also enjoyed seeing quite a few other alumni who stopped by during the summer.  Libba Galloway of Florida was the biggest surprise.  Although I hadn’t known Libba was a Pinnacle Girl, we were college friends in Virginia.  Jervey Dupre visited from Mount Pleasant, SC.  His father, Jervey Dupre, Sr., was one of the first campers at Pinnacle in 1928 and recently celebrated his 100 birthday.  Ruth Bundy Hallman also visited, although I missed seeing her.  Her son Bob Hallman and I were counselors together and roommates in college.  Evelyn Cribb Ritchie visited from Spartanburg, SC and hopes to bring her youngest daughter to camp next summer.  Jack Adams and Rick Stanland visited on a wet day.  It was great to relive our years as campers and counselors together, but Jack and Rick were disappointed not to get to try out the new rope swing.  Wes Quesenberry visited from Atlanta on his way for some vacation time in Asheville.  Wes, like everyone else has been impressed by all of the updates that are visible all over the Camp.  

More recent alumni and former staff also visited.  Joyce Baila came over from her summer home in Brevard.  David Ethier, Mike Pesant, Trey Robinson, and George Phillips all visited on the same day.  David came all the way from London where he now makes his home.  Mike is a therapist in Asheville.  He and Glenn DeLaney were both wilderness therapists  some years ago.  Mike now has a non-hiking position, but Andy Rossway is doing the same kind of therapy that Mike and Glenn did several years ago.  Chris Keffer came up from Clemson where he was in summer school.  He and I led a group of campers up to Ghoulafletcher Rock and then came back to Camp and enjoyed the Slip and Slide.  

All in all, it was a great summer.  The sound of Pinnacle Kids once again echoed off the other side of Wolfe Lake and a new generation of young people came to love Pinnacle the way children have always loved Pinnacle.  There is room for more campers as we rebuild camp.  If you know of someone who would benefit from a great summer at Camp make sure they know about Pinnacle.  

 

Get Involved!

For many people the holiday season is their favorite time of year, but for me my favorite time of the year was always the month or two that I spent at camp. I looked forward to that time of year from the moment I got in the car and drove away from Hendersonville, NC. On more than one occasion, leaving that property brought tears to my eyes. Camp Pinnacle is a special place and one of the things I am most thankful for experiencing in my life. 

When I heard that camp was closing its doors a couple years ago I was distraught. Some of you may remember that I tried to organize a week long camp just so that the tradition and streak would not stop but it was unsuccessful. Luckily Mr. Dockendorf & Adventure Trek have come along to try to make my dreams a reality. In the fall, I spent the day meeting with Mr. Dockendorf, the new pinnacle director, Mr. Ben Lea, & the rest of the new Camp Pinnacle Staff. I was skeptical as I made my drive up the mountains as to what would be different and what they would want to change, but after spending the day with these guys I left with the same excitement that I had the night before going to camp when I was camper. This staff has a great vision for Camp Pinnacle. They want to keep what makes Pinnacle, Pinnacle, and continue to instill the values that Mr. Dobson & Mr. Kussrow had in mind when they started this place. They want every child who comes to camp to leave with new experiences that will change their lives just as my life was changed by camp and at the same time have a ton of fun. What is the point of this message? My real message is this: Spread the Word about Camp Pinnacle reopening its doors.  One day I want my kids to be able to go to camp at the same place that I went to camp, but this dream of mine and of many others needs your help. As alumni of camp, we need to tell everyone and anyone who will listen that camp is back and about the great times that we had there. Many of you may fear it won't be the same, but after spending the day with this staff I know that the traditions will be preserved and the overall experience will be better. This staff has the alumni in mind and wants to make sure that your memories are preserved and that a place that you hold in a special place in your heart continues to have a profound effect on children for years to come. So as you are home for the holidays take a moment to send an email, make a phone call or set your status about Camp Pinnacle and together we continue the legacy of Camp Pinnacle. I wish you all safe travels and a happy holidays!

Sincerely,

Trey Robinson-Columbia, South Carolina

"Okay, after a long dinner with my parents and Lee Cantey, we discussed why Camp Pinnacle stands out even when it had the same activities as other camps.  It's because of the tradition.  When you arrive at camp, you know what awards you want to receive, you're parents leave you alone while you're unpacking because they want to wander their own stomping grounds, you're grandparents have memories there, the dining hall songs are the same ones that all of the generations before you sang, and its one of the few places left in this world where one can relive our parent's childhood memories.  It has been preserved in time.  That's why we say it runs deep in your blood.  I understand most camps feel this way, but I have been to other camps and Pinnacle blood runs thicker."  -Mary Mac Evans -Spartanbug, South Carolina

Hey alumni,

Just wanted to share a quick story with you. I went to a career fair today and while one employer was reading over my resume he came to the section about my work experience at Camp Pinnacle. He said, "This is the most impressive thing about this resume. Your internships are great, but your camp experience shows that you can be responsible, a leader, and know the value of hard work. Never take this off your resume." I just wanted to say thank you for everything you, and Pinnacle, have taught and instilled in me during my time there. Hopefully you can pass along the story to future counselors.

Hope you're doing well,
Aaron Baker - Greensboro, NC