Today was an absolutely beautiful day at Timberlake. The morning was nice and cool, with everyone trying to enjoy it as much as possible, for we knew that it was going to be sunny and hot as the day wore on.

For breakfast, camp enjoyed some tasty pancakes and sausages. Following breakfast, counselor, Ford L led the camp in a morning yell and sent the campers off to chapel shortly after. Chapel this morning was one of the best yet, with counselor Will K using a hilarious story of how he once wrecked an entire gym as a child to describe God’s grace. After chapel ended, the campers scurried off to clean their cabins in an effort to continue to compete for The Golden Plunger Award™.

Today, the cabin of Big Slaty received a perfect 10 in cabin cleanup, surely motivating them further to try to win the coveted pizza party that comes with The Golden Plunger Award™. Moving into the afternoon, camp headed into their first activities of the day. In first period backpacking today, Edward B, Mason B, Matthew L, Evan T, Will S, and Trevor Y all learned how to purify water while out in backcountry using a water filter. Once learning about water purification, they went on a nature walk through the back of camp, learning about different plants, animals, and trees. The nature walk ended with a beautiful view overlooking the camp with the picturesque mountains in the background.

Separate from backpacking, some campers achieved their bars in several activities today. In guitar, Will S received his silver, and Isaiah M and Alex D received their bronze. Guitar is a really amazing activity when it comes to growth and learning because the progress is so visible. Instruments are super hard to learn, so we’re incredibly proud of those guys for flourishing in such a difficult activity. In swimming today, Maverick H, James G, Michael F, and Michael A all received their bronze. Also in swimming, Oliver M and Ben L received their silver. These guys have been working incredibly hard in that class to achieve those bars as well! Jack G is working super hard right now to achieve his gold in basketball, but he hasn’t quite got there yet. With his focus and determination, we have no doubt that he will work his hardest in order to achieve that coveted gold bar! Heading into the evening, the campers are ready for tonight’s evening activity, The Great Escape!

The Great Escape is a time-honored game where both tribes compete to collect all the clues which will lead them to a flag. The team to find the flag first clinches the win for their tribe! Both teams are in an intense focus right now after splitting the game played last night, with the Iroquois winning lower-cabin kickball, and the Seminoles winning upper-cabin Ultimate Basketball. It was a beautiful and wonderful day at camp today, and we’re praying for more of the same for the rest of 3B!

Grant Hemsley

Backpacking Instructor