Summer 2022 at Camp Timberlake is officially underway! As I type this the sounds of a raucous game of sock war are ringing throughout the camp as our two tribes begin the competition for the ultimate prize at camp, the banner. 

What’s the banner you ask? What’s sock war? What’s a tribe? We will explain all those things and more here in the Timberlake blog. Every night we will post a short summary of our day here at camp. We’ll explain all that happened and even give you some insight into some of the wacky days and special traditions we have at camp. The hope is for all of our families to get a glimpse into the world that your boys are experiencing here at Timberlake. So here we go!

Today was picture perfect. That’s partially due to the beautiful weather we enjoyed all day here at camp, but mostly it was picture perfect because today was the day camp came alive. From the lake up to the cabins and everywhere in between you could hear the sounds of laughter and happy chatter as old friends reunited and new friendships were formed. Boys arrived and got settled into their cabins and then shared a picnic lunch with their new cabin mates. 

This afternoon we all took a quick dip in the lake for swim check and then went to initiation. Here at Timberlake, we have two tribes, the powerful Golden Eagles and the mighty Black Bears. A boy is initiated on his first day at camp and once he is in a tribe he is in it for life. Today we proudly initiated a whole group of new warriors, faithful to their tribe. 

Our new Golden Eagles are: Knox B, Will C, Murphy D, Holden G, Winston G, Greyson H, Nat H, Oliver H, Dylan H, Stephen J, Rives J, Henry M, Reed M, Ashton M, Luca M, Sebastian P, Noah P, Max S, Callen S, Harrison T, Andrew T, Whit W

Our new Black Bears are: Zach A, Henry A, Owen A, Duke A, Jimmy A, Charlie B, Neal C, Alex D, Jack H, Tommy H, Ryan H, Jude K, Henry L, Preston R, Andrew S, Edward S, Patterson S, Finn S, Wesley S, Gus T, Luke T, Hugh W, James W, Allen W, Nathan W, Zach W, Haakon W

After initiation we headed down to the Dining Hall to enjoy a delicious dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy and corn. At the end of dinner we got to celebrate James T’s birthday which was an absolute blast. Birthdays are camp are always a ton of fun. 

Following a quick fire drill (safety first people) the campers learned that our first evening activity of the summer would be Sock War! Perhaps the most famous of evening activities, Sock War is essentially a giant game of capture the flag, where instead of tagging people to get them out, you through a balled up sock at them. It is a high energy game of high level team strategy, dozens of individual one on one skirmishes and lots and lots of fun. 

The sun is beginning to set on an amazing first day of camp and I am struck by how lucky we are to have such a great group of campers joining us this session. Thank you for sharing your sons with us this summer and be sure to check back in every night!

Great Camping, 

John

Director, Camp Timberlake