It was quite a Tuesday at Camp Timberlake!

We began our day with biscuits, eggs, bacon, and breakfast potatoes and then headed to chapel, where we heard from Little Slaty counselor Carson H. After that, we were off on a day that was jam packed with fun and adventure!

Some highlights:

Oliver P. found a rock with a crystal hidden inside

Lewis J. set a camp record for the half Murph

Jack V. got the first 50 yard groupings of the summer in archery class

McKean K. and Jude V. each landed bass fish in fishing class

Grayson S., Wills W., Drew S., Hayes T., Daniel G., and Sawyer S. all earned their bronze bars in rocketry.

Whit T., Hayes T., Wills W., and Colin M. earned their silver bars in rocketry

Eli F. and Matthew G. earned their gold bars in rocketry

Anthony B. and Case E. got their bronze bars in riflery

Henry O., Ryker R., and Banks P. went on a kayaking trip to the Nantahala River.

We gathered for a lunch of chicken sandwiches (my personal favorite) and celebrated a Golden Eagle victory in the game of Search and Destroy last night.

Perhaps the most exciting moment of lunch (or maybe the entire day!) was when the cabin of Stomper’s Knob got a perfect 10 on their cabin cleanup score, and, as a result, earned the ultimate prize of pushing John Menendez in the lake with all of camp cheering them on. Sweet, sweet victory.

Today was a uniquely important day for our oldest cabin, Greybeard, as they took their traditional cabin trip. Our mission at camp is growth through friends and adventure, and we have many different ways of seeing this play out throughout the summer for our campers. We plan all of our camp trips carefully, but the Greybeard trip is one that we spend a lot of time thinking about: we want it to be an experience that accomplishes our mission: deepening their relationships with one another, helping them grow in their character, and is full of fun and adventure.

The group started their day with a fancy private breakfast at the big house (catered by Bojangles, or, as we fondly refer to it “Bo-HAN-glaze”), and then spent the morning serving our local community at the Black Mountain Home for Children. They picnicked at a beautiful hike/overlook for lunch and the afternoon, then went to the Asheville Tourist’s baseball game for the evening. As I type this, they are still out enjoying their day together, and we hope it will be a memory that they treasure for a lifetime.

Back here at camp, junior camp has just finished a rowdy game of stealing skins and is winding down for bed. Senior camp is having cabin night with all kinds of excitement: from karaoke and fist-pumping raves to free swimming and s’mores by the campfire.

John and I often look at each other and say “I can’t believe we get to do this”- and by “this”, we mean camp. Days at camp are full of magical moments: whether it’s finding a crystal inside of a rock, working hard to build and shoot off a rocket for the first time, or doing a service project alongside cabin mates, growth through friends and adventure is happening everywhere we look.

Until next time,

Catherine Menendez

Peter, Thomas, and Betsy’s mom

Golden Eagle

Timberwoman

Avid Coffee Enthusiast