MOOOOOOOORRRRNNIIINNNNNGGGG GOOOOOOOOOODD Camp Timberlake!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is Cowboy Joe Day!! A day full of backwards, donuts, and fun. For all of you reading this who might be a little confused, let me educate you on the legend of Cowboy Joe.

Long ago, there was a man named Joe. He was a peculiar fellow who didn’t necessarily follow the status quo. Whether it was sitting on his horse backwards, having his boots on the wrong feet, or talking in complete gibberish; you could always count on Cowboy Joe sticking out like a sore thumb. Besides his quirky behavior, Cowboy Joe was also renowned for his famous donuts, or “nut do’s,” as he would call them. During the California Gold Rush, everyone was heading west to find their fortune, and Cowboy Joe decided he wanted to as well to sell his nut do’s. Unfortunately for him, he got a little turned around and started heading east, eventually settling here in Marion, NC, in the Blue Ridge foothills. To celebrate the legend, we take one day a session to deviate from our typical schedule.

It starts off with a much-needed extra hour of sleep, but instead of the bugle echoing across camp, senior staff rides around on the golf cart (in reverse, of course), going cabin by cabin with energy off the walls to bring us our fresh nut do’s and chocolate milk. There were also apples, yogurt, and Nutrigrain bars brought in behind to give us some real calories for the day. Instead of maybe heading to the morning yell or chapel, we cleaned our cabins and went straight to the Mark for a tribal evening activity. A fierce game of Ball-Battle (Battleball/Dodgeball). The fact that it was 9:30 am did not bring down the level of intensity in the slightest. Sam S made a heroic stand for the Black Bears, facing on a plethora of Golden Eagles without fear. After getting the blood pumping, it was time to go to our normal daily activities. However, normal might be a stretch. In keeping with the theme of backwards, everyone went to their 4th period first, ensuring there never be a dull moment. Next, we ventured to the dining hall for lunch (being in the middle, it essentially stays the same) for an all-time camp meal. CHICKEN AND WAFFLES!!! A personal favorite of mine and many other campers. To add a twist to the mid-day meal, all the counselors went to sit with their junior or senior camp equivalent. For example, Greybeard and Turtleback switched counselors for the meal since they are the oldest two, while the youngest two cabins, Huckleberry and Little Piney, also switched counselors. I was lucky enough to sit with Finch’s Landing and have a great meal. After lunch, we typically go straight to rest time, but today, everyone booked it to the trading post for the beginning of free time. Along with the mad dash for snacks and a drink, the middle four cabins (Hawksbill, Turtleback, Little Piney, and Big Piney) had a free swim! At the fencing pavilion, Trevor S was working on his silver dueling against the counselor. At some point today, we did have to take a break, so we then retreated to our bunks for THE BEST TIME…REST TIME.

While all of this was going on this afternoon, Lewis J, Luke F, James B, Brooks L, Logan W, Andrew R, Nicholas R, Mason S, Duma M, and Solomon P took on the G5 Mountain Biking trails. Following rest time, we went on to 3rd and then 2nd period enjoying a nice sunny afternoon with Quay B working towards his silver bar in swimming and Henry B did a sick backflip in diving. Also, on the waterfront, Noah P caught 9 FISH in a single class! Of course, this day would not be complete without some savory pulled pork and the best mac n cheese in the state. I can never get enough. Since we did not begin the day with a morning yell, there was no better time to lift our voices to the heavens than now. The evening yell sent us straight to chapel with a story from John about his father going onto a driving range to retrieve a club he had thrown getting hit by golf balls in the process. This story answered the question of “Who is Jesus?” talking about how Jesus took all the pain and suffering by dying on the cross for our sins when he did not have to. From there, we headed on to Spencer’s Green for the County Fair. Filled with fun activities like innertube sumo wrestling, water balloon toss, tug of war, and coke floats. As everything winded down and we went back to our cabins, everyone said “you thank” to Cowboy Joe for riding backwards on his horse into Marion all those years ago.

Chancellor Reynolds

Big Piney Counselor

Proud Black Bear