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As the sun broke over the leafy foliage of these North Carolina mountains that we are fortunate enough to call home for a small portion of the summer, the men of Timberlake rolled out of bed prepared to face whatever challenges would await them on the first day of the session. Both campers and counselors made their way down to breakfast ready to fuel up for a busy day at camp. Today, the campers were treated with a Timberlake favorite, pancakes and bacon!

 

After breakfast, Timberlake met outside the dining hall for the first morning, led by Rusty W. The morning yell is always a special part of a day at Timberlake, and today was no exception. Afterwards, camp made its way up to Chapel. Today in Chapel, Camp Director Adam B. spoke about his wrestling days back in high school. Overall, the message focused on man being glorified solely through God, an incredibly powerful message.

 

Following Chapel, Timberlake moved on to cabin cleanup, a personal favorite of many campers. During cabin cleanup, each camper is responsible for his personal area, which is his bed, cubbies, and trunk, and a specific job within the cabin. Typical jobs include toilets, sinks, showers, sweeping the cabin floor, and porch and grounds. Each job is pivotal to a cabin’s success, and in order to win, each job and personal area must be close to perfection. After the cabin is cleaned, two cleaning “experts” grade it, and the results are announced every day at lunch.

 

After cabin cleanup, Timberlake went their separate ways to their activities. During first period, Kevin R. shot a bull’s-eye making counselor Stephen M. do push-ups. Over at the lake, Taylor C. demonstrated his proficiency at freestyle during swimming, and in kayaking, Tucker H. made great improvements in his paddling ability while Ben B. helped teach and lead the class. After one hour, the campers made their way to second period, eager to learn new skills. In tennis, Jake L. learned forehands and moved one step closer to his bronze, and all the way across camp on Spencer’s Green, Nick L. stepped onto the field in soccer and dominated as a goalie.

 

As second period ended, Timberlake again made its way down to the dining hall for a lunch of tacos in a bag and chocolate cake. The dining hall was close to silent as everyone chowed down on one of the favorite meals at Timberlake. After the meal had ended, the mood in the dining hall abruptly changed as anticipation began to fill the air for the first cabin cleanup results of the session. When all was said and done, Big Slaty, the second oldest cabin, was announced the champion of the day with a 9.5.

 

Following lunch, Timberlake split off into the two tribes, Seminole and Iroquois, to elect tribal leaders. Each tribe has four leaders, a Chief, or the head of the tribe, the Medicine Man, second in command, and two Lookouts, leaders of the lower cabins. Each position is voted on solely by the campers, and it is a true honor to be even considered for a tribal leader. Today, the Iroquois elected Quinn M. as Chief, Bobby G. as Medicine Man, and Dravis R. and Witt S. as Lookouts, while the Seminoles elected Nick L. as Chief, James B. as Medicine Man, and Walt M. and Issac L. as Lookouts. All of the guys elected to their positions are extremely excited and I’m sure that all of them are going to do a fantastic job.

 

After the tribal elections came rest time, generally regarded as the favorite thirty minutes of the day by all the campers, and then free time. During free time, the campers are free to do whatever they wish, and they take advantage of all the opportunities. Today, free time was dominated by trading post, in which every camper is allowed to have one candy and one drink.

 

Next came third period and Timberlake again went their separate ways to their activities. In fencing, Jack B. taught basic footwork to his class, and in rocketry, multiple campers finished their rockets on the first day! After third period, campers made their way to fourth period ready for the final activity of the day. In backpacking, Keegan K. moved one step closer to his bronze by learning three knots, the bowline, figure 8, and trucker’s hitch. In climbing, Quinn M., Nick L., and Taylor C. all climbed the overhang in the Mike, and in soccer, Blake C. dominated his opponents and earned the “Golden Boot”.

 

Finally, Timberlake met up for one last meal at the dining hall, a dinner of spaghetti, meatballs, and s’more pockets. After thirty minutes everyone had finished eating and the evening activity was announced. Tonight, Timberlake is playing Sock War, which, over time, has established itself as one of camp’s favorite evening activities. As I write this, the Seminoles and Iroquois are entrenched in a battle that is greater than any one man.

 

After the evening activity, Tomahawk will raid the trading post, Little Piney will do the waterslide at the lake, Big Piney will sleep out at the Mark, Stomper’s Knob will roast s’mores at the Backpacking Hut, Little Slaty and Big Slaty will have fun at Spencer’s and, finally, Greybeard, the oldest cabin, will make the trek up to the Shelter.

 

All in all, today was a great first day of the session. There is still much to do, but after today, I’m sure that each camper will be inspired to do great things. Timberlake is truly a great place and today embodied everything that I love about camp.

 

Until Next Time,

Counselor Charlie

Big Piney

Tennis Instructor

Proud Seminole