It was a monumental Monday here at Camp Timberlake! As we started into our final week of first session, it was amazing to see all the great things our campers were learning and the adventures they were having. Today was a particularly big day for our out of camp trips so I think it’s best to start there. We had four, that’s right, four different trips out of camp today, two of which were overnight expeditions and honestly I wish I could have joined our guys of any and all of them. First, our two night backpacking trip that left yesterday afternoon continued their hike around the Cat Gap Loop, summiting John’s Rock today for a breathtaking view of the valley. The “Man Trip” as it is popularly known, will camp out again this evening and then David F, Barrett G, Sam C, Graham W, Aubrey S. and Harrison C. will return to Timberlake tomorrow. We also had an awesome group of kayakers take on the mighty Tuckasegee River and reports were that it was an absolute blast. The Tuck, as it’s known around here, is my favorite river of all the ones we send campers on. It has lines through the rapids that are clear and gentle enough that it is a great spot for beginners, but also has enough nuance that it can be a place where even advanced paddlers can really work on their skills. Today, Sean A, Barrett C, Matthew D, James B, Reid P. and Sam J. absolutely styled it, honing their skills and gaining confidence along the way.

Not to be outdone, our mountain bikers also took to the trails today. CJ R, Elliot A, Dakota M, Owen M, Sully R, Hayes T, Lewis J. and Sawyer P. got the chance to ride the G5 trail system in Old Fort today and did awesome. Although some reported their legs felt “like Jello” after the big climbs and steep descents, they also said it was an epic adventure and a ton of fun.

Speaking of epic adventures, our advanced kayakers made history today as they headed out for their second overnight kayaking trip of this two weeks. Not only is this the first time we’ve taken double kayaking overnighters in 1B, but they are also challenging themselves on some fresh water. Today, the paddlers went to section 9 of the French Broad River. This is a popular run and where we take many of our whitewater rafting trips. Tomorrow they are headed to the mighty Nolichucky River to enjoy a “sweet and steazy” run down this gorgeous river. With some extra fun rapids to paddle along the way, I can’t wait to hear all about Noah P, Jack V, Ryker R, Quinn B, Banks P, Henry O. and Case M’s adventures when they return to camp tomorrow evening.

Whew! That was so much out of camp adventuring I almost forgot lunch! Good news: It was delicious, as usual. Chicken tenders, sidewinder fries and watermelon slices were gobbled up by all. In the race for the golden plunger we had a 3 way tie atop cabin clean up today. Big Piney, Tiger Tooth and Hawksbill all scored an amazing 9.75 out of 10! Great work boys. We also announced the winners of last night’s tribal games of basketball and soccer…the Golden Eagles! It’s been a back and forth battle all session long and the race for the banner is still very much up for grabs. I’m proud of the way all our guys are competing with both tenacity and respect, and can’t wait to see who emerges victorious on Friday.

Not to be outdone by our tripping men, the guys really got after in activities here at camp as well. RH B and Tripp P. practiced hanging bear bags in backpacking. Charlie O got his silver in fencing. Jude V played the lead role in the Improv one act skit “Initiation gone wrong”. Rogers and Ebert gave the performance 5 starts.

Ellis W. earned his bronze bar in Rocketry, while Peter K earned his silver and Rhodes R earned his gold! Speaking of gold, Robbie G finally nailed the crux move on the gold route on our climbing tower and is one step closer to his gold bar in that activity.

Also in climbing, both Fred T. and Charlie T. made it all the way to the top of the tower and Grayson S. earned his bronze bar.

Over at Lake Newcomb, Quay B. completed his 45 minute tread (yes, you read that correctly: a 45 minute tread) in his quest for his gold bar and the cabins of Huckleberry, Finch’s Landing, Further Up and Further In beat the heat with a free swim this afternoon.

For dinner we enjoyed Hawaiian meatballs (sounds weird, tastes really good) along with pasta, corn and hot buttered dinner rolls. As the meal wound down the sultan of fun announced tonight’s tribal game… Age of Empires! An all camp game, the campers spent the evening trying to capture all 9 kingdoms for their tribe. My favorite part of this game is watching the creativity of the counselors come out as they created costumes and storylines for each of their kingdoms. Be sure to check out the photos tomorrow to see some of the best ones, and of course, tune into tomorrow’s blog to find out who won.

And with that, another great day at camp is in the books! We are so proud of all these guys, and can’t wait to see what tomorrow will hold!

Until next time,

John

Director, Camp Timberlake

Former Big Slaty Counselor

Former archery Range master

Long suffering Vanderbilt Commodore

Proud Golden Eagle