It was a spectacular Saturday here at Father Son weekend! As the fog lifted over the mountains there was a distinctive fall chill in the air as we all headed down to the dining hall for a delicious breakfast of eggs, sausage, hash browns and biscuits. While most of teh guys enjoyed the hot meal, some opted for the yogurt, fruit and granola bar and still others went for some good old fashioned cinnamon toast crunch and milk. 

After breakfast we continued one of the oldest traditions here at Camp Timberlake, the morning yell. The morning yell goes back for many decades and is a crucial part of the start of any day here at camp. After announcing our presence to the world by yelling at the top of our lungs, we headed to chapel for some great songs and a true story.

Next we were off to activities! There were a ton of great ones to choose from today, including archery, riflery, Lego builders, tennis, pickleball, basketball, ultimate frisbee, flag football, airsoft, canoeing, disc golf and fishing. Dads and sons got to choose their own adventure and set their schedule for the morning, trying as many or as few activities as they wanted. 

By the time the lunch bell rang we were all ready to refuel and the tacos on the table were just the thing. After the meal we announced the winner of cabin clean up. Oh yes, we still clean our cabins on father son weekend. And the winner was…Greybeard! Well done boys. We also had some visitors as “Chad” and “Also Chad” stopped by the dining hall. Chad and Also Chad are surfers from Topeka Kansas where they want to start their very own surf camp. The only problem is there’s not much water in Topeka so it’s pretty challenging to catch waves. Chad and Also Chad were hoping to take the water from Timberlake’s lake to bring back to Kansas, but thankfully we held strong and turned them down. After all, we needed our water for this afternoon’s free swim! 

Finally, to close out lunch the sultan of fun himself came by to announce the winner of last night’s evening activity. And the winner of battleball was…the Black Bears!

After lunch we headed to free time where everybody got to have some trading post (a snack and a drink) and some folks stopped by the clothing store to get some TimberSwag. Free swim was in full swing as some of the braver dads and sons tried out the slightly chillier temperatures and did the blob and rope swing. We also had a strong group of mountain bikers hit the trails for a ride around camp. 

Afternoon activities picked back up after that and many campers tried new things they didn’t in the morning, taking full advantage of the last chance to shoot a grouping in riflery or sink a hole in one at disc golf. Dinner was a scrumptious affair of chicken parmesan, garlic rolls and broccoli. The salad bar and rice and bean bar were also popular options. As dinner concluded it was time to announce the evening activity..Sock War!

Huge cheers greeted this announcement. Sock war is perhaps the most famous of all tribal games and it certainly didn’t dissapoint. We played five rounds and all I can say at this point is that the score was tied 2-2 heading into the final round. Both tribes felt confident but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who claimed the crown tomorrow. 

We finished our day in the most classic camp way, roasting marshmallows and eating smores by a campfire. As I type this now, camp is quiet as everybody enjoys some hard earned rest. Thanks for tuning in. It’s been a great weekend so far and we can’t wait to finish strong tomorrow!

John

Director, Camp Timberlake

Former Greybeard Counselor

Two Time Golden Plunger Winner

Sultan of Fun Emeritus

Proud Golden Eagle