Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, Alums & Friends,
The frozen tundra has thawed! Spring sprang a few weeks ago, and while it was sluggish in it’s arrival, it has finally arrived. We write to you from a sunny, beautiful day in northern Wisconsin. And folks, it just doesn’t get any better than that. This is such an exciting time of year….we’ve got people trickling into camp at a pace that was relaxed for a few weeks, but has become much more feverish. Training for our staff has already started with four trip leaders involved in Wilderness First Responder training last month, our full trip leading staff already here and already gone on their first trip! They’re spending a few days rock climbing in Minnesota, and then a few days paddling on a river in western Wisconsin. We’ve got several staff members getting their Lifeguard Training certification, several others will renew their LGT and
CPR in the coming days, our climbing staff starts their training with an AMGA instructor in just a few days, we have ski boat driver training starting in the next few days….and then we’re gonna get really busy!
There is certainly no doubt that what makes camp special is the people we have here. The campers and the staff living, working, and growing together is the big enchilada. We’ve often referred to the physical setting of camp as no more than a collection of “buildings and trees” when the kids aren’t here, and while that is absolutely true, there is something very good about this particular collection of buildings and trees. It could well be 100% psychological, but our 300 acres on the shore of Lake Towanda has a soothing, comforting, inviting quality that strikes you when you take your first look around. It is just so beautiful and serene, even when it is teeming with youthful activity, that it draws you in, and helps you feel at ease. If you’re joining us for your very first summer this year, just wait till you see the place. If you’ve been here for about as long as you’ve been alive….wait till you see the place!! Camp has never looked better. We’ve had the nicest, warmest May that we can recall. The lake level is up to it’s highest point in decades, the water has warmed up quickly (no….really! Not foolin’ here!), and soon (not yet) we’ll be ready for you!
How’s this for some great news! Late last month, four explorers from camp headed out to seek out new rivers and new campsites. To boldly go where no Timberlane trip has gone before!! And…we’re proud to introduce a new river trip for our newest paddlers! This summer we will be sending 3 day, 2 night trips down the Ontonagon River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!! It is not yet on our published Trips Calendar, but it will be soon, and we hope y’all are looking forward to it!
The climbing tower upgrade is AMAZING!! The folks from Entre Prises were here for a few days, and you climbers (and future climbers) are going to be in vertical heaven!! It has taken a few years, but this current project completes an overall rejuvenation of the climbing tower in all it’s 70’ glory! Get out there and get some vertical!!
This particular issue of “Timberlife!” is the last one we’re going to write you for a while. But, not to worry…beginning when the campers arrive, we’ll start posting our “Directors’ Journal” online every 3 days or so. We’ll use that to catch you up on the happenings around camp, and also to fill you in on anything important you should know. But…again….don’t worry. If there’s important stuff like Travel Info or anything else, we’ll send you a notice via email too. Speaking of which:
YO PARENTS: If your son is a first-session or 8-week camper, we have mailed you Travel-to-Camp information via US Mail. It is also posted on your Keylog Page. You will find specific instructions about your son’s trip to camp, so please read through it carefully. If your son is riding a bus to camp from Chicago or Milwaukee, we’ve also mailed you two baggage tags that you should fill out, and then attach one to each of his duffel bags. If your son is flying en route to camp, we have added two vinyl baggage tags to your packet. Each duffel should get one vinyl tag, and one paper tag, both of which filled out with your home address information. If your son is coming up 2nd session, we will mail a travel packet to you at the beginning of July.
In other news, we have had a few inquiries about E-Readers. Most E-Readers have games built into them, and many have wi-fi and Internet 
access. So, E-Readers are NOT allowed at camp. We know how convenient they are, and we understand their allure. However, we flex where we can, and this is one of those areas where we cannot flex and still maintain our “unplugged” camp environment. We suggest you hit the book store and send up some good old-fashioned books with your camper. We also have a pretty large library in our office, and kids can come take out books whenever they wish. Thanks for your cooperation.
We also ask that you DO NOT SEND MATTRESS PADS SUCH AS “EGG CRATES” TO CAMP! Folks, we mean it. They’re totally unnecessary. Our mattresses are not the “typical” 4” cot-style mattresses you think about when you think camp. No, no. Ours are 8” mattresses with springs! They’re super comfy. When kids have the mattress covers, most of the times their bottom sheets won’t fit over the cover and the mattress. So what happens? When they lie down or put any weight on the bed, everything releases from around the mattress and bundles up in the center of the bed. Not pretty, and also not comfy. And guess what happens when camp is over? Those non-bio-degradable petroleum-based foamy, yucky things end up in our garbage cans and ultimately in the land-fill. No more. Don’t buy them, don’t send them. Thanks.
We also remind you that “flip-flop” shoes are only for inside the cabins. The boys cannot wear them outside the cabin at any time. Sandals with a heel strap that keeps the foot in place are allowed up until we gather around the flagpole before dinner. At that point, everyone must be in closed-toe, athletic shoes. This policy, which we implemented last year, reduced our frequency of foot and toe injuries by about 100%. Pretty good success rate. Thanks again for your cooperation.
GLUTEN-FREE? Another little reminder. If your son is gluten-free, we’ve got ya covered. (Mike is gluten-free too!) We will provide all of our gluten-avoiding campers (and staff) with gluten-free bread, pastas, pizza crusts, cereals, and any other staples. And we’re not talking about the yucky stuff that’s out there (spoken from years of personal experience!) Our local grocer is carrying the full line of Udi’s products and other good stuff. There will be no extra charge to you for this. What we are asking is that you NOT send any of these things up to camp for your son. We know that each of us may have our favorites in the gluten-free world of foods, but it has just become too big for us to 
manage so many separate preferences.
YO OLD GUYS: If we assigned you a camp Little Brother, you should have spoken with him already. If you have not, please pick up the phone! We also want to remind you that we sent you an email indicating which trips you are eligible for this coming summer. We have pre-signed up several guys on the Apostle Islands, BWCA, Quetico, and Isle Royale trips already, but there is still room! So, if you are qualified for any of these trips and you wanna go, please have your parents email or call or email us. With this awesome group of trippers we have this year, you’d be crazy to miss out on these fantastic wilderness trips!
We have 3 returning staff members to tell you about. Welcome back to LORENZO WILSON who is back for his 9th summer at camp. Lorenzo is from Chicago, is 22 years old, and he will again be a cabin counselor, helping out with Riflery, Baseball, and Basketball. TAYLOR FRISHMAN joins our illustrious CIT group this summer. And, after an absence of 7 summers, we are so pleased to welcome back HEIDI FOGO for her 8th summer at camp. Heidi is an RN who was our camp nurse for 7 summers back in the early 90s. She most recently worked as a health care coordinator for the UW system’s summer programs, and we know we are going to be very well cared for with her joining our health care staff again.
And we’re happy to welcome aboard HARRISON METCALF, for his first summer at camp. Harrison is 22 years old, and has just graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL with a degree in Philosophy. He’s originally from Oak Park, IL and grew up near our own Jake Reuter! Harrison has been playing guitar for 11 years, and studied music and voice in college. He also took an archery class in college. He will be a cabin counselor, will head up our Guitar program, and help out with Archery.
In Indianapolis, ZEV BURTON had a lead role, playing the part of Bagheera in his school’s rendition of “The Jungle 
Book.” He also played varsity tennis this spring. While on a road trip from St. Louis with his dad, JACK LYNCH was hanging out around the Blue Bird Café in Nashville and he ran into JONAH HOFFMAN and “old-timer” ELIOT GOLDFARB. Other happenings in Nashville include a visit from “old-timer” RYAN COHEN with the IAN JACOBS, MATTHEW & TYLER JACOBS, MICHAEL GORDON, and CAM & GAVIN GORDON. And our Nashville kids will enjoy a pre-camp pool party hosted by JACOB VINER and his family. GRAHAM ELIOT traveled from Nashville to Chicago to help JOEY ROSENBLUM celebrate his Bar Mitzvah last month. They were joined by “old-timer” MICHAEL BREEN as well as Clevelanders MATTHEW & ZACH KALLMEYER, and Graham got to hang out with JOSH MEYER in Chicago too. A short while before that ZACH KALLMEYER celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in Cleveland, with many of the same camp folks there with him. Back in Chicago, Bar Mitzvah congrats go to ETHAN LETWAT who celebrated last month. And LEO SCLAMBERG is a YouTube hit playing guitar, singing, and sporting his signature hat.
BRAVO TO OUR JUNE BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS! Time to warm up those pipes, y’all! We get to sing to them in person this month!! Jordan Fine - 6/2/1995, Zack Piell - 6/2/1999, Luis Prieto - 6/8/2003, Ari Kaden - 6/10/2003, Ben Kaden - 6/10/2003, Alex Peck - 6/10/2001, Grant Kibel - 6/12/2001, Cameron Hardegree - 6/13/2001, Josh Spaeth - 6/14/1999, Ryan Hearst - 6/15/2000, Scott Gold - 6/16/1999, Marshall Strawbridge - 6/16/1999, Lisa Salaway - 6/17/1964, Drew Mutchnik - 6/18/2004, Jackson Schneider - 6/18/2005, Emmet Wilder - 6/18/1992, Ari Asarch - 6/20/1998, Zack Connell - 6/21/2003, Darren Mitchell - 6/22/1995, Jared Settler - 6/22/2005, Mike Cohen - 6/23/1961, Charlie Lovett - 6/23/2003, Eli Selz - 6/23/1999, Parker Dawson - 6/24/1999, Patric Raftery - 6/26/2004, Adam Cortes-Ferrie - 6/27/1999, Alex Freedman - 6/28/1999, Avi Hiken - 6/28/2001, Tyler Newmark - 6/28/2001, Joey Rosenblum - 6/28/2001, Henry Levy - 6/29/2002, Joe Levy - 6/29/2002, Spence Litow - 6/29/1999, David Wine - 6/29/2001, Noah Goldblatt - 6/30/2004.
So, that’s it for this season’s monthly newsletters. Remember, once your boys arrive, we’ll post regularly (every 3 days or so) on our Directors’ Journal. We hope you enjoy it. Smile, everyone!! Summer is here!!!!
Benches up,
