Whispers and giggling filled the cabin of Little Piney as they anxiously awaited the ringing of the morning bell. Hardly a second after the first clanging of the bell, a hundred happy shoes went stampeding towards the dining hall. The welcoming smell of coffee cake, sausage, and homemade granola greeted us at the door, and another beautiful and adventure-filled day at Timberlake was inaugurated with the sweeping reverberations of our morning yell. Robbie Edmiston led our morning chapel, highlighting the faithfulness and courage of David as he bravely conquered the fears of a nation by defeating Goliath. Camp allows many campers to face new fears and take on new challenges whether it be jumping off of the blob for the first time or going on a whitewater-kayaking trip. While the morning yell allows us to playfully acknowledge our own presence to the world, our chapel service allows us to acknowledge the presence of the One who has made our daily adventures possible.

The sun was shining and activities were in full swing today. Backpacking carried the theme of David’s faithfulness into their activity this morning as campers were working together on their trust falls. They also learned how to set up tarps and choose campsites. Logan B. helped teach the backpacking class and showed excellent leadership. In kayaking, Teddy O. continues to valiantly work on his roll, and many others focused in on learning their T-rescues. Kayaking class finished with a big game of water polo, and Jim S. scored a hat trick! Across the pond, campers in canoeing worked on their deep-water position changes, allowing them to get one step closer to their bronze bar. Maxwell C. was able to skillfully manage a canoe solo, and Alex S. and Thomas H. were the champions of the daily race across Lake Doris. Trey F., Henry S., and Thompson B. are quickly approaching their gold bars in riflery. Alex P. reviewed his sprawl and shot positions in wrestling and won his match today. Jackson I. learned his figure 8 follow-through knot… knot an easy thing to do;) Henry B., Josef M., Zach R., Jonah O., and Miles B. learned how to rappel in climbing, but their descend down the rock face made for an ascendingly good time.  Leonardo R. went on his first climbing trip today to a three pitch route on Table Rock, NC.

During free time David F. took on the ‘Goliath’ of John Menendez in a fierce match of Tetherball. Meanwhile, many campers were working on their bars in kayaking and riflery or finishing up that last tasty sour straw from Trading Post.

Over in the Enchanted Barn this afternoon the campers in pottery finished up using wet clay and the bisque firing is in progress. Rocketry has come so close to launch day, and Hugh S. has advanced so much in Rocketry that he is now helping other campers create their rockets.

Our evening activity was Mission Impossible, a competition of endurance testing the mind and body. Seminoles and Iroquois were tracking across camp competing in different challenges such as trivia, canoeing, and thunder ball to try to secure the victory for their tribe. As campers return back to their cabins or grab their sleeping bags to go sleep under the stars, many are anxiously waiting to discover the results of Mission Impossible. But they will have to wait to find out tomorrow as we enter into another adventure-filled day at Camp Timberlake.

Houston Massey