Session 3 is off to a flying start! Today dawned bright and beautiful here at Timberlake. As the fog lifted off the surface of the lake, camp slowly came to life with the sounds of staffers and split session campers wolfing down a delicious breakfast of quiche, donut holes, and cantaloupe. When the gates opened, our 3A boys poured into property and you could feel the excitement emanating from every car as old friends greeted each other and new friends introduced themselves. After dropping luggage at bag drop, families walked to the chapel to chat with Catherine and me, take a family picture, and check in with our fantastic infirmary team. Then after a big goodbye hug, they were off to the races and ready to get started on an amazing session of camp. 

This afternoon our boys took their first dip in the lake during swim check and also had their cabin talks, which form the foundation of cabin life here at camp. We then headed to initiation, where our new campers joined one of our two tribes, the powerful Golden Eagles and the mighty Black Bears. We take our tribes very seriously here at camp, and once you are in a tribe, you are in it for life. Each session the two tribes compete for the ultimate prize at camp, the banner, and whichever tribe emerges victorious, has their names written down in history as champions. 

Our new Golden Eagles are: Bryson A, Milo C, Blake F, Walker F, Matthew H, Sam H, Connor J, Tyler J, Edwin K, Aidan K, James N, Kaden Pope, Fox R, and Luca S

Our new Black bears are: John B, Arturo B, Smith B, Braxton B, Graham F, Levon J, Kellan P, Finley R, Claude R, Tyler S, Luke S, Mason S, Louis W, Ben W and Will W

After dining on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and yummy apple turnovers, it was off to play our first tribal event of the session, Sock War! If you’ve never heard of Sock War before, picture a giant capture the flag style game with nearly two hundred campers and staff running around and throwing socks at one another, trying to capture the other tribe’s flag. It was a very tightly contested matchup, and we’ll have to wait until lunch tomorrow to find out who came out with the win. 

As I write this, the sun is setting over the mountains, and campers are settling in for a well earned night’s rest. We’ve really got a great group of guys here this session, and we can’t wait to see all the ways they will grow while they are here at camp. Thanks for sharing them with us here at Timberlake, and be sure to check in each night to get the daily update on all the news from Timberlake. 

Until tomorrow!

John Menendez

Director, Camp Timberlake

Proud Golden Eagle