Haven’t posted in a few days but that doesn’t mean wasn’t Scouting – in fact was too busy Scouting to post in detail. This weekend our Troop was camping at Camp Nobebosco. It was an amazing trip.
Day 39:
Arrived at camp. We were the most remote campsite available which meant several trips back and forth as only one vehicle (mine) had 4-wheel-drive which was mandatory for any vehicles heading to that site. The Scouts had to adjust the duty roster for the weekend as several slots were filled by Scouts who didn’t attend. Four out of eight of our young Scouts attended. The ones who attended were the ones who all had 5 years plus camping experience between Cubs and Boy Scouts.
Day 40:
Started of early with breakfast (pancakes, bacon & eggs) cooked by the Scouts. After cleanup we took the Troop on a hike. I had printed off descriptions of the trails available including their difficulty rating. Also on the trip were one of the adult ASMs, one of our Eagles, and a younger ASM who recently aged out. Having been to the camp before they said they had a great hike for us. I’ll be honest if I was aware of the conditions we would have gone through I would have had them chose a “more appropriate” hike for the skill level of the new Scouts. Every step I was re-calculating our escape plan. The trek took us up about 1/4 mile in elevation through very rocky terrain. We made sure to stagger the adults and Scouts so that help was available for anyone who got into trouble and unlike some other groups we saw on the trails, our entire group stayed together. It took several hours to reach the top of the climb at which point we got to hike along a section of the Appalachian Trail. The elevation we had climbed to really hit home when we could say – “hey look DOWN there” at circling hawks that we were way above. The view from the top was, to quote another Scoutmaster… “Absolutely Gorgeous!”
They may have started the hike as boys, but they had the confidence of MEN after making it to the top.
The trek down was just as harrowing as the trek going up.
Once we were back down everyone was amazed at what they had accomplished. We started at the base of the mountain (off to the right of the picture at the water level). We climbed all the way to the top zig zagging through rocks, thorns, and more rocks and finished up at the base of the power lines (not zip-lines) – before heading back down.
After the monster hike it was time for a well earned lunch. This was the point when the Scouts discovered that the hot dogs on the menu would be served breadless as they forgot to include buns when they did the shopping. One of the adults on the trip started to suggest a trip to the store to grab those (and the butter that was already discovered missing) – my response “hell no.” No one starved (chilli was also on the menu) and meanwhile the Scouts got a better appreciation for what I meant when I said “make sure you double check your lists including anything you need to go WITH what you plan to cook.”
After lunch we headed down to the Ranger’s station. When we checked in one of the ranger’s assistants advised us that he was a merit badge counselor for the “Safety” and “Fire Safety” merit badges. The Scouts wanted to do Fire Safety. They worked through all the badge requirements and even got some non-required experience using fire extinguishers on live fires and how to put out a grease fire using a pan lid. The counselor was very impressed with how well they did and as their Scoutmaster I was pretty proud too. Fire Safety isn’t a “required” merit badge but after seeing what they went through I’m glad they have it. Between campfires, cooking and what they could encounter in their daily lives (one of our Scouts lost their house to a fire about a year ago) it’s definitely knowledge that’s good to have.
After completing the merit badge it was back to camp for dinner – barbecued chicken, barbecued ribs and corn on the cob.
Day 41:
After breakfast we made our way to the outdoor chapel for a Scout’s Own service that I had put together. I explained to them that often when we are camping they will not be home to attend a Sunday service, but that didn’t mean they could not demonstrate that “A Scout is Reverent” just because we were camping. It was a short and sweet service with readings from 2 of the Scouts and myself.
When we returned to the cabin we packed up and swept out the cabin and then I went over the Totin’ Chip requirements with all the Scouts. Each had time to practice sharpening knives and an axe and working with a camp saw and earned their card without question.
Something tells me there’s going to be a lot of envy going around when the Scouts who didn’t attend hear about all they missed.
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