The sun rose over the lake this morning as the boys awoke to the sound of birds chirping and frogs croaking. There was an extra level of excitement as we celebrated a very special and unofficial holiday today, Tropical Tuesday! Many of the counselors donned their finest Hawaiian shirts and we devoured a delicious breakfast of eggs, sausage links and breakfast potatoes, (though some campers of course opted for golden grahams milk). Though we were all wearing the proper gear, it was generally agreed upon that this tropical Tuesday was starting off a little chillier than most, but the crisp mountain air made for a beautiful start to the day.

After breakfast we went to chapel where Rien shared a true story reminding us that God is our comforter in times of trouble, and then it was off to cabin cleanup! All of the cabins worked hard as they cleaned their personal areas and did their chores in pursuit of not just good hygiene, but the golden plunger of course. The golden plunger is awarded to the cleanest cabin in camp at the end of the session and comes with a celebratory pizza party. Greybeard currently possesses the plunger but Little Slaty made a strong early statement that they would be pushing for the plunger themselves by scoring a 9.75 and winning the day.

We had three trips head out this morning. Henry O, Banks P, Ryker R, Barrett G, and Sam H went on a kayaking trip to the Tuckaseegee River. H-P, William B, Richard B, Brayden C, Lucas O and Garret S Went bouldering at beacon heights and finally we had Archer B Churchill C, Wyatt M, Colin M, Ben M, Liam R, Sam Henry W, Elliott W, Gus A, Hayden B, Ben G and Solomon P go whitewater rafting on the French Broad River.

Lunch time arrived to the sounds of raucous cheers when the campers discovered that macaroni and cheese was on the menu. We also announced the winners of last night’s evening activity. And the winner of the Great Escape was…The Golden Eagles! It has been a back and forth start to the tribal games this two weeks and the competition for the banner is starting to heat up. We also had some very tropical visitors when two of the most famous surfers of all time “Chad” and “also Chad” showed up to lunch to remind us to stay hydrated. Hailing from the famous surfing hub of Topeka Kansas, Chad and Chad know how to catch rays and catch waves. They were pretty awesome and bore a striking resemblance to some of our counselors, but hey, either way it was great to have those guys visit.

In afternoon activities, Grant H dominated in airsoft, winning three games including a 1V1. In Field Sports Eli F achieved his silver bar. In Riflery Gus C not only earned his bronze bar but also shot a bullseye! In PAWS Ethan P taught one of the puppies, Tupelo, how to shake. Finally Landon S did some awesome work on the lake in Kayaking, practicing his roll.

After a delicious dinner of BBQ chicken, roasted potatoes and corn Senior camp headed to the Outback to play an intense game of stealing skins while Junior camp had a blast playing California Kickball (picture regular kickball, but waaaaay more tropical and crazy). We don’t know who won the games yet but it was a night of tightly contested games and lots of fun.

As the sun sets on another fun day at Timberlake, campers are sleeping soundly in preparation for the great days still to come.

John Menendez,

Camp Director