Father Son Weekend is always one of the best weekends of the year here at Timberlake and this year has been no exception! Our dads and sons have packed more fun into the past few days than most people will experience in a year, and we’re not done yet. Here’s a quick recap of the weekend so far. 

Things started out strong on Friday afternoon as first time campers and veterans alike checked in to camp. After getting settled into cabins and exploring the property a bit, we all headed to the dining hall (we call it ‘The Tuck’) to enjoy our first taste of Timberlake fare, and it did not disappoint! We gobbled up a delicious dinner of pulled pork, coleslaw, mac and cheese, and corn pudding. Some also decided to give the salad bar a try and we all enjoyed the apple turnovers served for dessert. Each night here at camp we participate in an evening activity. This is a big camp wide event or game played all together after dinner, and the exact activity is always a mystery. Our evening activity director, aka the Sultan of Fun, announces the game at the end of the meal and tonight we were thrilled to hear that we would be playing Sock War! 

But before we could start the competition, we had to initiate all of our first time Timberlakers into one of our two tribes, the Golden Eagles and the Black Bears. Tribes are a tool we use here at camp to create a sense of belonging for each of our campers right away, and also to model and teach healthy competition. Once you are initiated into a tribe you are a part of it for life and your tribal colors sink all the way to your very soul. Yesterday we initiated a great crew of warriors, faithful to their tribe. 

Our new Black Bears are:  J Whittaker A, William C, Luke C, Abel F, James F, Derek G, Chris H, Tony K, Henry L, Patrick L, Harry L, Mike L, Teddy L, Brooks L, Edward M, Campbell N, Sean R and Anderson V. 

Our new Golden Eagles are: Hayes A, Matt A, Robert D, Bobby D, Evan F, Chris F, Chase F, Justin F, Sutton G, Frederick G, Joshua I, Ari K, Harris J, Clint J, Townes J, William J, Joseph M, Tom M, Ford N, Adam N, Gates O, Pace O, Smith O, Blake O, Tripp R, Bennett R, Brooks S, Jack W, Zach W, Nolan Y Gilbert Y, Michael M, Zane L and Eric L. 

Next up was Sock War, a giant capture the flag style game. Even a little rain couldn’t deter us as the Golden Eagles and Black Bears battled it out for supremacy. After the game we headed back to the cabins for some well deserved shut eye. 

This morning dawned bright and beautiful and we started the day with some scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns and biscuits. Fueled up, we all announced our presence to the world via The Morning Yell (and yes that’s just what it sounds like), and then headed to chapel. After chapel we jumped into our daily activities. There were simply too many good stories to tell, but all of camp was buzzing as the boys tried out archery, riflery, airsoft, pickleball, rock climbing, canoeing, fishing, fencing, disc golf, mountain biking and many other activities. 

We scarfed down some tacos for lunch and even had a visit from Mr. Hydration after our meal, who reminded us to keep filling up our water bottles to stay hydrated. The sultan of fun then returned to announce the winner of Sock War…the Black Bears! Cheers of joys mingled with cries of anguish in the dining hall as the Black Bears celebrated the first tribal victory of the year, but fear not Golden Eagles!, for redemption is just a few hours away. 

Free time was a blast after lunch as everybody hit the lakefront. Beach volleyball, 9 square, gaga ball were rocking on the sand and the rope swing and blob were full throttle in the water. We even got to debut our new deep water solo wall! For those who may not know, a deep water solo wall is a climbing wall positioned over deep water. Climbers scale the wall without ropes (but wearing a PFD) and try to make it all the way to the top. If they fall they get a refreshing dunk in the lake! It was a huge hit and really awesome to watch the courage our dads and boys showed giving it a try. 

As I finish this, everybody is back in activities for a few more hours before dinner. Who knows what the sultan of fun will have in store tonight? Be sure to tune back in tomorrow for the recap of the rest of the weekend and thanks so much for sharing your guys with us this spring!

Until tomorrow, 

John

Director, Camp Timberlake

Proud Golden Eagle