TIMBERLAKE
BOYS AND GENDER NON-BINARY
AGES 9-14
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
Campers Accomplishing the Extraordinary
The summer of 2023 will be my 16th year with Farm & Wilderness and my 4th summer leading Timberlake. I can’t wait for the summer! Timberlake is a place where campers can connect without screens, challenge themselves as they attempt new things, and learn to live simply in community.
Those values have always been essential to the Timberlake community and even more invaluable after the pandemic. As I look to 2023, I see us working to continue to create a place for campers to play in the woods, work in community, and live simply in the woods. All with the fun and silliness we do so well at Timberlake.!
I have a Masters in School Leadership from Harvard and a Masters in Special Education from St. Johns. I discovered Farm & Wilderness serendipitously as a freshman at the University of Southern California. I had never been camping, visited Vermont, or been on a hiking trip. I grew so much that first summer and have been coming back to Farm & Wilderness every year since. Camp Magic for real, ya’ll. I hope you’ll join us on the next adventure! You can learn more about me in my bio.
P.S. - I prefer just W! Comes from my teaching days when I was Mr. W.
| Session 1: | June 30 - July 20 |
| Session 2: | July 23 - August 13 |
| Spark 1: | June 30 - July 10 |
| Spark 2: | July 23 - August 2 |
Spark sessions are offered for new to Farm & Wilderness 9 or 10 year olds at either Firefly Song or Timberlake camps. Returning campers and campers 11 years or older are not eligible for Spark sessions. These sessions are great for campers ready for an overnight camp experience, geared towards letting your family see if our programs are right for your camper!
Housing: Cabin groups are based on age with a mix of new and returning campers. Campers begin each morning together with an uninterrupted view of the woods. The cabins are all open three-sided wood structures with individual bunks and storage for each camper. As we build community, it’s important each camper still has their space and campers enjoy personalizing their bunk.
Facilities: Shared facilities are nearby for all their hygiene needs, including fresh water and hot showers.
WHAT OUR CAMPERS SAY
Explore Life at Timberlake Camp
Every day there are new activities to challenge our campers as they explore the natural world, push through physical boundaries and create music and memories.
Mornings begin just after sunrise with campers working together taking care of animals and other chores vital for the community. After a hearty breakfast, the Timberlake band leads a full set of rousing sing alongs. After connecting through harmony and volume, everyone makes their way down to our Silent Meeting circle. We sit together in the woods and silently take the pulse of the day before jumping into a busy morning. Campers are learning and practicing diverse skills from learning knots and swinging an axe, to swim lessons, rock climbing or carpentry.
Afternoons are a time when campers are choosing the program that works best for them. After a rest hour, campers may choose a day hike on the ridgeline, ascending the crags of a stone chimney to framing out hutches for farm rabbits and joining a long-distance swim. Or they may choose an activity they or their friends are offering with staff. Through these activities, campers of every age are called on for their contributions and leadership.
Evening is a time for a different energy. Some nights we are building a stronger community with facilitated discussions on race and gender, while holding good boundaries for each other. Other nights are reserved for spectacular All Camp Games events, eagerly awaited as the sun sets. Council Fires gather our community as one for laughter and appreciation, while other nights each cabin chooses what they would like most to do. Campers settle down as the quiet bell tolls the end of the day, as they fall to sleep in good company.
EXPERIENCE LIFE IN THE OUTDOORS
Activities
Plunge in cool waters, climb the rocks, perform zany skits – challenges abound with new friends!
Outdoor Living Skills
Timberlake campers learn a variety of new skills from knot tying, knife and ax safety to plant and animal identification. They can work up to various challenges such as a guided 24 hour solo, using a map and compass to navigate back to camp and lead a trail construction team.
Trips
Campers explore the wilderness with 2-5 night canoeing, hiking or rock climbing trips providing opportunities to learn new skills for wilderness travel. Each camper learns the basics from how to set up tarps and tents, backing a well-balanced backpack and using a topographical map for navigation.
Barns and Gardens
From milking goats, sowing seeds, to collecting eggs and harvesting beans for dinner and learning how to help sustain nutrients in the land. Campers see their food comes from their efforts, not just a plastic bag.
Waterfront
Campers swim on a regular basis, jumping from the docks on a rope swing or playing Monster in the refreshing water. Swim instruction occurs regularly and campers learn paddle strokes for a future canoe trip.
Work Projects
Campers have ample opportunity to use their hands for building projects such as adding a new deck to a camp building or helping with timber framing or siding a barn. They enjoy using their imaginations to create creative structures that reflect the epic nature of Timberlake.
Arts
Creativity reigns with our Timberlake campers as they express themselves in pottery, giant hand puppets and stencil art. Our house band leads campers in songs every morning and our Council Fire holds an open mic space for skits and songs.
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Latest Posts from Timberlake Camp
What a summer, y’all.
This time every year I both can’t believe the summer is already almost over and feel a deep exhaustion of a TL summer well done. This time of year always puts me in my head; thinking about the journey we just took together and starting to plan for the next summer. I think about how we could do better, what we need to keep doing, and the epic moments we experienced.
This time of year is full.
Last night I woke our Super Seniors up at 1 AM and we walked together to the F&W Fairgrounds to gaze up in wonder at the night sky (you can see the Milky Way here!) and fall asleep after thoughtful musings.
We also had an epic night game based on Among Us. Campers ran across the entire property, seeking to elude imposters and reassemble their damaged spaceship. This Special Edition COVID-safe game is in place of the traditional Spy Night and will only be played this summer – epic indeed!
This morning most of the Super Seniors slept in and the rest of us got up to start Harvest Day. We had Songs and Silent Meeting in the garden and then harvested all our vegetables. Campers helped prep them in the afternoon and we’ll have a great Harvest Meal tonight, where all the food is from our F&W land. Campers see their food comes from their efforts, not just a plastic bag.
So many camper projects. A treehouse going up behind the Trading Post, a new wolf sculpture in the Arts-Ma-Field to mark a great star gazing spot, a new board to celebrate Grand Circuit achievements, and the barn – that’s just the stuff I can remember!
Now that we are so close to the end, I feel confident to say this – we didn’t just make camp happen, we thrived. After all that we’ve been through, we made this work. Timberlake did look different this summer. Those policies that kept us safe also meant we had to do things differently, and sometimes in ways that felt so foreign. Timberlake also felt like it should. Chores got done, we sang silly songs, campers pushed themselves with ratings, we played games, and ate great food. Our campers didn’t just attend TL, they became TL’ers.
I hope to see so many of our families and campers back in the years to come as campers and staff. Starting next year I’ll be able to start hiring my oldest campers from my first summer in 2019. We did so many amazing things – I can’t wait to see how epic it will be next summer.
Camp Magic is real, y’all. Even in the toughest of times, it sustained us. TL forever.
By Jarod Wunneburger, Director of Timberlake & Director of Camp Collaboration & Coordination
We are in the middle of our Final Four events – Inter-TL-dependence Day, our giant night running game, thoughtful cabin appreciations and our epic banquet. Pick-up day is so close, but we have so much fun to be had between now and then. Your campers are rushing to complete projects, going on silly adventures with their counselors, and decided what they’d like to do with the rest of their time here.
Inter-TL-Dependence Day
In a regular edition summer all the camps would come together in July for a giant bonfire, dancing, and ice cream sandwiches. This year, we kept the thing our TL’ers love the most – lighting a giant bonfire. Every cabin contributed to building our 10’ structure and LOVED the flames (from a safe distance!) that shot up out of that. We gave beads to each other in one of the most epic settings I’ve ever seen here at TL.
Cabin
In a regular edition summer we play Society 39, our epic July night game. This year, we created an entirely new COVID-friendly game we’ll only play this summer called Cabin. Campers had to work to satisfy Cabin, a mysterious energy force that can only stay alive with camp magic. Since there was no camp in 2020, it was ravenous for camp magic. Magic indeed – we played three games in one! While rain cut the game short, it did create some pretty epic stories that campers regaled each other with!
Cabin Appreciations
In a regular edition summer we make time for quiet energy and moments. This year it’s even more essential to take moments to appreciate each other. Counselors took campers on one last adventure and then sat around a fire writing appreciations and giving verbal appreciations to each other. A quiet night in between our two tentpole events!
Banquet
In a regular edition summer, banquet is an epic transformation of our lodge. In the past we have covered the floor in sawdust, created an indoor river, a chic runway, a cave to hide from dinosaurs in, an underground bunker, a jousting tournament, and so much more. We do banquet BIG. This year, banquet is out in our Arts-Ma-Field. We are spending all day today transforming that space – bubbles, fairy lights, and tons of camp magic. It’s a big lift, and so worth it.
I can’t believe we’re already at the end, and it’s been an epic July Special Edition summer. I hope all these campers come back either as campers or staff!
Camp magic is epic, and it’s real, y’all.
By Jarod Wunneburger, Director of Timberlake & Director of Camp Collaboration & Coordination
Quest for Spinach… we need our greens! That classic F&W song has been sung for decades here, and this year we turned it into a COVID-safe Special Edition game for our kiddos. It had all the TL essentials – counselors in costumes, pool noodles, water squirters, and fun skits. It was a BLAST. We needed that play.
It has been a great summer so far. It’s hard to believe we’re over hallway done with the first session. A camp day is like a week in the outside world. When you’re in camp world, it pulls you in completely. It can be difficult to think of the time before campers were here; a time before orchestrating zany adventures, thoughtful moments, and opportunities to build.
There is so much in each day. Just today we:
- Worked on the Barn!
- Completed long distance swims on the waterfront
- Went mattress sliding!
- Created collages in the Arts-Ma-Hal
- Climbed the chimney!
- Welcomed back a couple trips!
- Had a silent meeting listening to the soft dripping of trees after a rain
- Sang our hearts out
- Played basketball and Gag
And that’s just what I know about! There are so many adventures everyday it’s difficult to keep track of them all.
In the last couple days we’ve had Belonging Nights in the various lodges. Each was a bit different to fit the age of the campers, and all focused on discussions around identity essential to creating a kind and inclusive community. Tonight is cabin cookout – hot dogs, s’mores, and cabin adventures. Tomorrow night is Inter-TL-dependence day (Pronounced “Inter-Turtle-Dependence Day”) that includes a large fire and celebrations. That’s the first day of what we call the Final Four – the big events at the end of every session. Stay tuned for an update on those soon!
Camp Magic for real, y’all.
Jarod Wunneburger, Director of Timberlake & Director of Camp Collaboration & Coordination