timberlake News Updates
Checking in on Timberlake!
A collection of updates from TL Director John Kakapos, organized from most to least recent. Enjoy!
We also post photos about once a week! Check out our SmugMug. Remember, the password to access these photos was sent to all CampDoc users via CampDoc email notification. We also post very occasionally on Instagram.
Thursday, July 23
Dear Timberlake Families,
Second half is up and running, and I have to say, it feels lively. There's a different energy to a session that starts on a camp already awake. Your campers stepped right into the rhythm of this place, and within a day it felt like they had always been here.
A quick note for families new to Timberlake. You'll notice I measure the summer in cycles rather than weeks. A cycle runs from one council fire to the next, and it's how camp keeps time around here. Camp time cares little about the conventions of the outside world, and honestly, that's part of the point. So when I write that we've closed a cycle, that's what I mean.
We had our first lodge night, where each lodge does its own thing. Big Lodge played Angel Soft, a sort of indoor soccer game played with a roll of toilet paper, which is exactly as chaotic and joyful as it sounds. First Lodge played salad bowl and filled the B& G Barn with laughter that could be heard from the waterfront. Senior Lodge, meanwhile, spent the evening packing out for trips and getting excited for the adventures to come
Those trips head out today, and the forecast for the next four days looks amazing. I'm already looking forward to the stories that come back with them.
Last night was our first council fire. Campers got up and shared their talents, and Trappers took on their MC duties in a decidedly medieval fashion.
It's a good start, and we're just getting going.
A quick logistical note: photos from the session are being uploaded to SmugMug, so you can head there to see what your campers have been up to. We add new ones as we go, so check back through the session. Fair warning, though, camp is a busy place and our photographers can't be everywhere at once. If your camper doesn't turn up in a batch, it almost certainly means they were off doing something great somewhere out of frame. The Password is 'Summer2026'
More soon!
Monday, July 20
Dear Families,
We've said goodbye to most of your campers now (except our 15 full season campers who are currently belting and stomping the beat to "Pink Pony Club" above my office), and camp has gone quiet in that particular end-of-session way. But the cycle lingers on in my mind, and I wanted to write one more time before it slips too far into memory and we get swept away by the second session. I am also going to add a shameless plug for the feedback survey at the top, as it helps make camp better and better.
We started our last cycle with final cabin appreciations, which is one of my favorite traditions here. There's something quietly powerful about watching a cabin sit together and name, out loud, what they've come to value in one another. These are kids who arrived as near-strangers a few weeks ago, and by the end they're telling each other exactly why they matter.
Then came Interdependence Day. The big fire, the one our Senior Lodgers built together earlier in the summer, burned beautifully. Standing there watching it catch, knowing whose hands had stacked every piece of it, was a genuine highlight. We followed the burn with a contradance, and if you've never seen a full camp of kids and staff swinging around to live calling, I can only tell you it's a joy. We capped the night with ice cream sandwiches, because some traditions have no explanation and need no explanation.
We also played S39, our big S1 all-camp game, where the campers banded together to defeat the society and reignite the spirit of TL. And we closed the session with our banquet, which this year carried a theme close to my heart: the Bugquet. It ended with our candle lighting ceremony, hard to describe but incredibly profound.
But honestly, you may be better off hearing about these final few days from the campers themselves. Throughout the session, a crew of them wrote, edited, and typed up our very own camp newspaper, The Catamount Tribune, and I've attached the final edition here. You'll find their firsthand accounts of the big fire, S39, the trips, and a great deal more, all in their own words and their own voice. It's worth a read. I'm also delighted to report that the Tribune was such a hit it inspired a rival paper across the lake at Firefly Song, The FS Sun. A little friendly press competition across Woodward ..... who says print media is dying?
I hope you're hearing wonderful stories. Ask them about their trip. Ask them about something that was hard that they're glad they did anyway. Ask them about chores, and about council fire, and about which camp song they most loved singing. Ask them what happened at S39. Ask them about a cabin cookout that was especially fun. (And let me know if you get an answer worth sharing. I'd love to hear it.)
It has been a true privilege to spend this session with your campers. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Wishing you all well,
John
John
Sunday, July 12
Dear Timberlake Families,
Hard to believe it, but we've reached the last cycle before the end of camp.
Our First and Big Lodge trips have all made it back, with our final trip returning today: a coed hiking trip with FS called Loop Runners. It's always a joy to watch campers come off the trail, and this group was no exception.
While First and Big Lodge were out, Senior Small Camp was a blast. We opened the cycle with an evening devoted to talking about identity and racial justice, and to a question I love: should we think about camp as a microcosm of the world, or more as a temporary utopia? It was a really good conversation, and the kind of thinking our campers do so well.
The next day, Barns and Gardens ran a workshop on breaking down whole animals into primal and sub-primal cuts. I led that one myself. My old F&W cooking days still pay dividends.
Then we did something a little different. We built the entire Interdependence Day fire in a single day, with every Senior Lodger at TL and FS pitching in. The teamwork, the hard work, and the structure of the fire itself were all so beautiful. It was the highest high of the summer so far, hands down.
We closed the cycle with another council fire and beading ceremony.
It's crazy to think we are down to the final four days of camp, but they are a big four. We have a really special all-camp game tomorrow evening, followed by Interdependence Day and banquet. I won't spoil the theme, but let's just say any budding entomologists in the crowd are going to feel right at home.
Dear Timberlake Families,
Another cycle in the books, and it was a full one.
We had Guy Night this cycle, where we break into lodges to talk about masculinity and what different relationships to identity can look like. It's a thoughtful evening, and one that gives campers real room to think out loud with each other. The following night was cabin nights, when each cabin sets off on its own adventure. Cabins went spelunking, swimming, hiking, and one even held a bake-off, along with plenty of other fun along the way.
Over at Barns and Gardens, campers completed their first chicken harvest of the summer. It's a solemn and intentional experience, and one where that seriousness meets a real understanding of where our food comes from, both here at camp and beyond. It's one of the more meaningful things we do here.
We closed the cycle with backwards day, where we started with council fire and beading and ended with songs and silent meeting. Turning the day on its head is a nice reminder that camp time cares little for the conventions of the outside world.
First and Big trips head out today, and I am already looking forward to Senior Small Camp and all the great stories that come back from the trail.
One more thing. We started this morning with our young newsboys from Bobcats hawking The Catamount Tribune, our local newspaper created by campers, over at Firefly Song for a bit of a "prank." Campers and staff were typing away on a typewriter late into the night to make sure it made it to your inbox on time. Extra! Extra! Read all about it! I've attached it here for you to read the hard hitting coverage.
More soon!
Thursday, July 2
Dear Timberlake Families,
And just like that, our first cycle is complete! We measure time in cycles rather than weeks around here, since camp time cares little about the conventions of the outside world.
The big news of the day is that our Senior Lodgers come back from their trips this afternoon, and I am so excited to hear all the stories they return with. There's a particular look a camper has coming off the trail, tired and proud and a little wiser, and I can't wait to see it.
While our Seniors were away, First and Big Lodge worked diligently in their activity areas. We had a number of campers earn Woodsman ratings, two campers level up their swimming, and a brand new picnic bench built from scratch. There's something wonderful about a camper who can point to a bench and say they made it.
We also had our first Belonging night, where campers explored what it means to construct their own identity and how to speak to others about who they are. It's the kind of evening that sits at the heart of what we do here, giving kids the space and the language to understand themselves and to meet each other with real curiosity.
Last night was cabin cookout, so our corner of Woodward Reservoir was filled with woodsmoke and the scent of hot dogs cooking over the fire. One of those simple, perfect camp evenings.
Tonight we close the cycle with council fire (a mix of talent show and affirmations) before we roll into the first day of our next cycle. It will be awesome to have the hustle and bustle of everyone back in camp together.
If you havent already, check out the pictures first session so far here! The password is "Summer2026"
More soon.
Warmly,
John Kalapos
And just like that, our first cycle is complete! We measure time in cycles rather than weeks around here, since camp time cares little about the conventions of the outside world.
The big news of the day is that our Senior Lodgers come back from their trips this afternoon, and I am so excited to hear all the stories they return with. There's a particular look a camper has coming off the trail, tired and proud and a little wiser, and I can't wait to see it.
While our Seniors were away, First and Big Lodge worked diligently in their activity areas. We had a number of campers earn Woodsman ratings, two campers level up their swimming, and a brand new picnic bench built from scratch. There's something wonderful about a camper who can point to a bench and say they made it.
We also had our first Belonging night, where campers explored what it means to construct their own identity and how to speak to others about who they are. It's the kind of evening that sits at the heart of what we do here, giving kids the space and the language to understand themselves and to meet each other with real curiosity.
Last night was cabin cookout, so our corner of Woodward Reservoir was filled with woodsmoke and the scent of hot dogs cooking over the fire. One of those simple, perfect camp evenings.
Tonight we close the cycle with council fire (a mix of talent show and affirmations) before we roll into the first day of our next cycle. It will be awesome to have the hustle and bustle of everyone back in camp together.
If you havent already, check out the pictures first session so far here! The password is "Summer2026"
More soon.
Warmly,
John Kalapos
Monday, June 29
Dear Timberlake Families,
We're off and running, and what a start it's been! Your campers arrived in great spirits and have settled in beautifully — cabins are feeling like home, new friendships are forming fast, and the whole place is buzzing with that unmistakable first-week energy.
We kicked things off the first night with a classic Timberlake game called Kingdoms. It's a little tricky to describe — imagine tag crossed with the card game War, with a lick of trivia thrown in — but it's a camp favorite for good reason, and it had everyone running, laughing, and scheming together right out of the gate. A perfect way to break the ice.
The last couple of days have served up gorgeous swimming weather, and general swim has been an absolute blast. There's nothing quite like a Vermont lake on a warm afternoon, and the campers have been making the most of every minute.
This evening, First and Big Lodge laced up and headed out on a hike to Sauders Rock, while Senior Lodge got themselves packed and ready to head out on their trips over the next couple of days.
It's been a great start to the summer, and we're just getting going. More soon.
Warmly,
John