Well, another day down and closer to our return! I don’t want to make it sound like I’m hoping for camp to be over … I’m not. I’m an enthusiastic camper. While the Scouts are tearing all over the forest and doing energetic things, I’m in the HQ building working on these videos and doing paperwork. Summer Camp for me is a time to relax and regroup, and enjoy the kids’ activities. I can see them all grow a little in responsibility and self-confidence during the week.
I’m not just sitting around all the time, though. I visit the various activities and classes to see if any of the kids are having problems. I’m also getting my fair share of exercise … it’s about a half mile from the main camp to Sequoia campsite, where we are living this week, and I walk that several times a day. The land is a bit rolling, so there are ups and downs to the trek .
Yesterday Scoutmaster King participated in the Horseshoes tournament, and that will be completed today. He also participated in the clay shoot and placed second. Mr. Williams has been assisting with Merit Badge classes, providing transportation and guidance. All of the adult leaders sat down together last night in the HQ building and came up with a suggested skeleton plan for the Patrol Leaders’ Council to plan next year’s events. Hopefully, that will give them some ideas, and added to thir own ideas, should bring the Troop a great program next year.
This is the first year I’ve taken the computer and video camera to camp and provided pretty much near real-time video to those left behind. It’s great, and with WI-FI here, it’s easy to upload and make available to everyone. Just wish I had the time to refine the video content a bit more. What you’re seeing is pretty much raw video clips strung together. When I get back to “civilization”, I’ll do a bit more editing.
Well, lunchtime is approaching, and I can’t miss the chicken fingers and potato wedges! The food here at Cherokee has been very good, and the boys seem to like it just fine, many going back for seconds (but not for the broccoli and cheese night before last !
Tonight we’re cooking in the campsite. Steve is orchestrating a Low Country Boil for the adults (shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob, etc with the appropriate spices). Sounds great. He’s also doing a couple of dutch oven apple cobblers. Pictures tomorrow!
Well, another day has come and gone. The boys have gotten into their groove as far as their merit badge schedules are concerned, and most seem to be enjoying themselves. There were a few cases of homesickness among the new Scouts, being away from home and parents the first time, but nothing serious.
Parents, you’d be surprised what your kids are up to! Cleaning our toilet, picking up trash and their clothing, setting the table for meals and cleaning up afterwards … but don’t worry, they’ll be back to normal by the time they get back .
Everything, as I said, is pretty much getting routine to them by now, so I may skip a day or so with my reports from camp. We’re taking good care of your boys, and will return them to you only a little worse for wear!
Well, we got to summer camp right on schedule. We left the church ahead of the scheduled time, and had lunch in Hendersonville, NC at a Subway. We arrived at Camp Cherokee in the early afternoon, and after check in and a tour of the camp, we arrived at the campsite and got our gear stored and our sleeping arrangements set. At about 6:30 we all headed down to the dining hall for a great fried chicken, mashed potato, and green bean dinner.
Somehow, in the confusion of the evening, we missed most of the opening campfire, but there was lots of fellowship in the campsite … ball games, card games, and just plain old talking and horsing around. We all got to bed at a “reasonable” hour, and most seemed to sleep well.
This morning we were up early and cleaned up our campsite before breakfast. The menu for breakfast was fresh fruit, pancakes with syrup, sausage, cereal, and milk. From there, the boys went off in all different directions to their merit badge classes.
I just got a text message that I’m now a grandpaw! Zoe was 9 lbs 2 oz, and 22 inches long.
The intrepid group of 7 scouts and 3 scouters set out early Saturday morning for an overnight hike on the C & O Canal footpath. There were dire warnings of rainstorms, but they persisted, and did get in a day of hiking. In addition to the weather, there were problems with staging the transportation at the ending point of the hike, so it was decided to essentially make it into a day hike. Everyone had a great time, and all want to return to do justice to a longer trek next time.
I took a day of vacation from work last Friday to attend the retirement ceremony for one of our Committee members, LCDR Dave Y. Quite impressive. Nearly 20 years in the submarine service, and now a civilian . Three of our Scouts and one Cub from Pack 122 performed a flag folding ceremony, and I was really proud of them. They really did a great job.
Dave is an invaluable member of the Troop. He pretty much handles all of the internal accounting (fundraisers, scout accounts, etc.) This year, he organized and directed our annual mulch sale, and brought it to its most successful conclusion ever. We’re really grateful that he found a job here in the area and he and his three sons will be staying with us for the forseeable future.
This past weekend was the SR-7A Order of the Arrow Conclave, where the seven lodges in the section came together at Bayport Scout Reservation in Jamaica, Virginia, for a weekend of fun, competition, and training. I arrived early Friday morning to help with registration of the 235 members of our lodge scheduled to attend. Registration went much easier this year, due to some committed individuals and prior planning. We were essentially done by late that night, except for a few stragglers.
Saturday morning, before sunrise, the Vigil Rededication took place, followed by a hearty breakfast. Throught the day, displays by groups such as the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, City of Newport News Parks & Recreation, Hampton Air & Space Museum, Busch Gardens Willamsburg, and many more were available. There were also inter-lodge sporting competitions to capture the coveted “Golden Arrow”, training sessions, and lots of fun and fellowship. As usual, there was patch trading with a group of diehard traders looking for the elusive patch to complete their collection. The dining hall volunteers did a great job with meals, making everyone happy, not to mention well-fed.
Saturday night the results of the competitions were announced with Tutelo Lodge taking the Golden Arrow once again. Then Ranger John from Nawakwa Lodge regaled us with one of his great narratives that had everyone laughing. After he finished his act, we had a great band perform … GatorHead. The keyboard player is a former Wahunsenakah Lodge Chief and an Eagle Scout.
Folowing the show, it was time for the feast. Each lodge brought food and shared it with all the other lodges. There was Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Jerk Chicken (in several degrees of hotness), Venison, drinks, desserts, etc. All of the food was great and I don’t think there was much left! I crawled into my tent around 10 pm, but I know the noise went on until after midnight.
Sunday morning, following breakfast, there was a chapel service, and then it was time to help the other lodges to move their gear and people to the satellite parking so they could begin their trips home, some of them driving more than 6 hours. After that, it was time for us, as host lodge, to start the cleanup, policing the grounds, cleaning the facilities, and then packing ourselves up. I left camp at about 1:30 pm and made my hour and a half drive home. It was a great weekend, and I think all of the the one thousand or so attendees went home satisfied.
Wakeup came early on Saturday. I was up at 6:30am, getting ready for the final day of our big fundraising event … mulch delivery. Sales were up this year, with quite a few repeat customers. I arrived at the church to meet the rest of the Troop at 7:45 and we quickly got under way loading the smaller pickups and trailers for local deliveries. The two large Ryder trucks left for our supplier to pick up more 2-cubic foot bags.
This continued, over and over again, all day, with the full trucks making the rounds, the Scouts delivering the bags at each customer’s house, and then back to resupply with more mulch. There were a few breaks when the trucks had to pick up another load and for lunch, but everyone kept pretty busy all day. The final bag of mulch was placed in a customer’s driveway at 6:30pm that evening.
That wasn’t the end of the day, however! Myself and Bruce, along with four Scouts were at Sandy Bottom Nature Park at 7:30pm for the Pack 11 Arrow of Light and WEBELOS crossover. Of course, I forgot the Troop flag and had to run back to the church to pick it up . Anyway, to make a long story short, we welcomed three new members into the Troop, finally getting home at 9pm, making for a very long day.
The first weekend in May, we’re backpacking on the C&O Canal … leave early Saturday morning, drive to the DC area, on the trail around 10am, camp Saturday night on the trail, and then backpack to the destination for the trip home on Sunday. Springtime is just full of activities!
Last weekend, the Troop made its way to Shipman, VA, which is between Charlottesville and Lynchburg on US 29. It was sort of an introduction to basic backpacking and primitive camping for the newest members of the Troop. They backpacked in about a mile and then set up camp around a small lake.
For most of them, it was their first experience with dehydrated or freeze-dried foods, but the general consensus was that it was edible and really wasn’t too bad. I think they sampled chicken & rice, beef stew, spaghetti, and a few other entrees in addition to GORP, energy bars and the usual backpacking fare.
As you can see in the video, we had a perfect camping spot … a small pond with grassy banks in the middle of a wooded area. Saturday all day was gray with occasional drizzles, and then late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, we had some heavier showers. Of course, as we were breaking camp, the sun came out and the clouds dissipated … typical Spring camping .
The area we camped in is private property and we are indebted to the owners for allowing us to camp there. Nelson County is bordered by the Blue Ridge mountains, and is the location of Walton’s Mountain, for those of you that remember the TV show or the book. Nearby is the Wintergreen Ski Resort.
It was a great weekend, but the Scouts were glad to get home Sunday afternoon. This month, we have a planned trip to backpack a section of the C & O Canal, and of course, the Section SR-7A Conclave is being hosted by our OA Lodge at the end of the month.
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. Three of our Scouts and one Cub from Pack 122 performed a flag folding ceremony, and I was really proud of them. They really did a great job.
. Anyway, to make a long story short, we welcomed three new members into the Troop, finally getting home at 9pm, making for a very long day.