Bright and early on the first July morning of this year, the sun came up, shrouded by the mist of the mountains. The light was faint at first, but the spirits of campers were alight with adventure as an early breakfast hike went out. This crew got up real early and reached the summit of Lookout Mountain just in time for breakfast, led by the fearless Aaron Haynes. They cooked some good oatmeal and then came back to camp just as the rest of the men finished their breakfast.

Timberlake then went outside the dining hall and yelled louder than any man has heard all summer. The trusty Rusty Walden led the men in a wild and intense scream. Chapel was next, and everyone got to sing along to the classic “Pharaoh, Pharaoh” as well as “Anchor for My Soul”, to the tunes of “Louie, Louie” and “500 Miles”. David Parker, climbing instructor, spoke about the gracious giving of God, which was powerful and moving. After cabin cleanup was finished and the floors sparkled, the men of Timberlake started activities.

Today on the lake, the kayaks were out and rolling. Ben Broshar worked hard on his roll. Whit Smith started learning some excellent wet-exiting from his kayak. Over on the tennis courts, Breyden B. rocked his forehands during second period. At the archery range, fletchings whistled through the air as several bullseyes were expertly shot into targets. At each bullseye, both instructors Stephen and Davis took on sets of pushups. The backpacking hut was also busy, with campers learning important knots for the adventurous outdoors.

Lunch was just in time with some chicken sandwiches, and many important things were announced during the meal. Last night, in the intense battle called The Sock War, where many socks are thrown and flags are captured, the Seminole tribe took the victory. As well, the cabin Big Slaty was once again (for the second day in a row) announced as the winners of today’s cabin cleanup. Soon after, most of the campers were fast asleep during Rest Time for a short nap, only to wake up quickly and jump right back into free time. The Trading Post was open briefly, and the campers grabbed a quick snack or a bottle of Gatorade, just to fuel the intensity of their Spikeball and tetherball games.

As the afternoon drove on, the activities were back with just as much energy as the morning. Up in the Mark at wrestling, men learned the proper stance and footwork of the sport. Joshua Burgess especially excelled. Santiago S. learned his stance and then practiced hand fighting with Michael R., Conrad, and Will S. Down in the Enchanted Barn, at the oft-overlooked activity of pottery, many ocarinas (types of clay whistles) were fashioned by the campers. Cooper Denning created a beautifully decorated piece that was of note to all the instructors. Under the luxurious shade of the guitar hut, quite a few campers such as Will Hands and Collins Morgan learned the basic chords of guitar, being taught by both the activity instructor and the campers Austin Torres and Bobby Graves. As activities wound down, campers filed down to the dining hall for a delicious meal of stir fry and rice, followed by some cherry cobbler.

Soon after dinner, the lower group of cabins was off for a free-swim filled with a blob, diving boards, and more. The upper cabins went up to the field at Spencer’s Green for a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Once these activities finish up, each and every cabin will have a special activity just for them and their counselors. Some will be roasting s’mores, others will be hiking up to the shelter at the top of Tomahawk trail to sleep the night in this beautiful weather, and still others will be having a free swim.  Then cabins will go to sleep, and the sun will hide its face from the glory of camp Timberlake.

It was a great second day of this session at camp, and the beginning of these two weeks could not have been better. We are all excited to see what the rest of our time has in store. Tomorrow will be a new day filled with new adventures, and we cannot wait.

Counselor Davis
Greybeard
Guitar Instructor and Proud Iroquois