Another morning, another breakfast devoured by 120 eager mouths. Already the sun began to rise from the East while campers enjoyed the waffles and bacon this morning. The morning was full of activities and campers are already starting to earn a flurry of bars and accomplishments. This morning paintball class played an intense matchup ending with Henri P. earning his bronze bar. Soon after, Matthew J. and Joe V. could be seen running and jumping all around camp in order to complete the rigorous Deerslayer Challenge, a prerequisite for earning a gold bar in wrestling. After the grueling workout, campers must wrestle the counselor in the shallow portion of the lake, leaning on their strong technique instead of their quickly waning strength. It’s always a treat to see campers go for what is likely the most difficult bar at camp, and I am proud to announce that they both successfully earned their gold bar. Feel free to applaud from home! Another bar heavy hitter, Brandon P. is well on his way to earning his gold in riflery. That requires incredible precision. Riley P., Seamus G., Conrad A. are all very close to completing their silver bars in rifler as well.

After morning classes,  all of the campers ran down the hill towards lunch. On the menu was a camp staple: meatball subs. To no one’s surprise, the winner of cabin-cleanup was Little Piney. They are quickly pulling ahead from the rest of the pack to win the pizza party. After lunch we all walked back up the hill for a well-deserved nap during rest time. Quickly, it came time to jump back into the fold for afternoon activities. Drew S. and John H. hosted an airsoft tournament, one of many great ways to earn marks towards Little Chief promotions here at camp. Hosting a tournament requires the ability to plan ahead, follow through on challenging tasks, and speak in front of a crowd — no easy feat. Ryder D. learned how to “throw” on the pottery wheel. I’ve attempted this several times and can personally say that it is very difficult to get the clay to turn into something beautiful, but that is exactly what our excellent teachers are capable of doing. Keegan K. and Tommy S. skillfully navigated the single track trail on the mountain biking trip and are on their way to earning bars. An afternoon full of activities made the dinner of jambalaya  and corn bread even more delicious.

Tonights evening activity was a bit different than usual. Instead of one big game, each cabin broke up into little activities. Tomahawk, Big Piney, and Stompers all began their evening with a free swim. We even opened up the water slide. Little Piney had an awesome Pizza Party. Big Piney then went up to the Mark to camp out and eat s’mores. Little Slaty went to the cooking kitchen and played top chef, competing against each other to bake the best cookie. Big Slaty put the puppies to bed and went on a hike to the Shelter to camp out. In the morning, their counselors will surprise them with wood fire-cooked eggs and bacon. Yum! Greybeard took the biggest trip of all! They drove to turtleback falls and went to a park to grill burgers and hot dogs. Cabin Night is one of the best nights at camps because campers and their counselors get to have a lot of time together. Some of the best friendships are made on these nights!

Once again, Camp Timberlake is quiet while the sounds of the creek and the birds continue to move around us. Stay tuned for what happens tomorrow!

Thomas Carr