As the sun broke over the North Carolina mountains that we are fortunate enough to call home, all of Timberlake knew one thing, that it was going to be a great last day of 3A. Campers and staff awoke to the sound of Reveille at 7 AM and made their way down to The Tuck, where they were greeted by a delicious breakfast of egg bites, muffins, and sausage.

After breakfast came cabin cleanup, and then the morning’s activities, which were filled with fun no matter where you looked. In basketball, Lance K. dominated knockout, winning 3 games out of 5. Down in riflery, Timberlake’s marksmen made their mark, delivering groupings towards their bars at a rapid pace.

The real anticipation for the day, however, was had at lunch. All session long, each cabin has been competing for the Golden Plunger, a solid gold plunger awarded to the top cabin in cabin inspection. These two weeks, Further Up took home the prize and the pizza party that comes with it. Great work, men!

After lunch came rest time and then free time, followed by the afternoon’s activities. Dinner then came next, and Timberlake was treated to a delicious meal of chicken parmesan and oreo dream for dessert. Once the meal had ended, the evening activity was announced, and the dining hall went into a frenzy when the evening activity was announced – LITTLE CHIEF AND COMMANDO!!!! 

Little Chief is a ceremony we have at the end of each week here at Timberlake. At Little Chief, campers are recognized for their growth in activities and in the cabin. 

The first portion of Little Chief is the recognition of bars in activities. Throughout the session, campers earn bronze, silver, and gold bars in their activities. We record all of these achievements – and many more – on each camper’s skin. The skin is a piece of leather each boy is given in his first summer (Parents: It will be in the yellow envelope zipped into your son’s suitcase!!) and campers bring them back every year. We keep track of their years at camp, bars in activities, tribe, commendations, and ranks in the little chief system on the skin, and it’s something you definitely do not want to miss!

The second portion of Little Chief was the recognition of commendations. Commendations are awarded both by campers and by staff and recognize servant leadership in the cabin. The following young men earned commendations tonight:

Huckleberry

Camper: Beckett B.

Counselor: Tripp C.

Finch’s Landing

Camper: Percy M., Darby M.

Counselor: Percy M., Hayes M.

Further Up

Camper: John R., Nolan B.

Counselor: Sam J., Thomas L.

Further In

Camper: Wilson F., McClane H.

Counselor: Claude C., Nico D.

Hawksbill

Camper: Zach M., Patrick S.

Counselor: Dom C., Hayes C.

Turtleback

Camper: John R., Alex A.

Counselor: Tucker P., Henry P.

Little Piney

Camper: Max W., Matthew A.

Counselor: Max W., Woodson R.

Big Piney

Camper: Walker C., Chance S.

Counselor: Declan Q., Graham W.

Stomper’s Knob

Camper: Wes D., Davis O.

Counselor: Joseph L., Benjamin A.

Little Slaty

Camper: Ford B., Tristan W.

Counselor: Tristan W., Richard B.

Big Slaty

Camper: Andres D., Peyton S.

Counselor: Ryland K., Hudson S.

Greybeard

Camper: Daniel A.

Counselor: Eiji T.

Finally, at Little Chief, we recognized campers who received promotions in the Little Chief system. The following young men earned a promotion tonight: 

Scout: William B., Dom C., Miles C., Hayes C., William F., McClane H., Thomas L., Percy M., Graham P., John R., Patrick S., John S., and Luke Q.

Guide: Wilson F., Zachary M., Darby M., and Adam W.

Pioneer: David C.

Ranger: Nicholas D.

Tracker: Benjamin A., Harrison D., Joseph L., George S., Peyton S., and Max W

Hunter: Wes D., Declan Q., Reese R., Chance S., Alexander W., and Tristan W.

Warrior: Ryland K. and Gavin W. 

Pathfinder: Daniel A., Richard B., Andres D., and Elliott S.

Once the Little Chief ceremony had ended, Timberlake made its way down from the council ring to Spencer’s Green. As I write this now, the Golden Eagles and Black Bears are locked in tribal combat over the banner. Commando is a grand ole time, and everyone is sure to be in rare form. The race for the banner is heating up, and right now, it’s anyone’s game. 

Overall, it’s days like this that remind us that camp is truly a special place with some special people. How lucky are we to spend just a little of each year in these mountains.

Until Next Time,

Charlie Richards

Senior Camp Cabin Area Director

Proud Golden Eagle