Every year October to November is packed with adventure at Troop 11.  First comes our District Camporee, then usually an OA Fall Fellowship Weekend (this year an Ordeal was substituted), we added a Philmont Crew fundraiser / campout at Smith’s Fort Plantation in Surry this year then were off to the annual Blackstone Fellowship (kind of a mini Jamboree of sorts) the first weekend of November.  This, my friends, is Camptober and I’m proud to say, we made it through it in fine fashion.  No moss growing on a T11 Scout, maybe on the “dragging part” of the Scoutmaster but definitely “none” on the scouts!

Mr. Barnes and I both have already penned our Fall Camporee thoughts and while he was covering the Ordeal, I was assisting with the ”Whigs and Rebel Deli” at Smith’s Fort Plantation.  This was another opportunity for the Philmont Crew to earn funds for the trek next year.  The younger boys help out with parking duty and we also help out the craftsmen and the promoter when and where needed.  Cheerful service for sure, but with an all you can eat buffet.  Just don’t eat ALL the profits!   

This time we went all out with not one, not two but three 10×20’s put together to make a kitchen and dining room complete with a tarp floor, propane heaters, light strings, a Christmas tree and a boom box with Christmas tunes a play’in.  Still two 10×10 pop-ups in the trailer?  Get ‘em out here, we can use them in the front and the back.  What else we got?  Oh yeah, the three rack pizza oven display thingy the pizza guy let us borrow, the microwave, the seven or so crock pots, the gas grill, the 60 cup coffee maker and the “piesta resistance”…electricity via generators provided by Mr. Eastwood, aka Eastwood Power & Light.

Talk about a “WOW” moment, one of our scouts who had been inactive for a while told me “this is the most luxurious campout I have ever been on!”.  Kind of makes you think though, a fundraiser for a high adventure backpacking adventure requiring three trailers full of gear.  Oh well, we impressed the crowd.  That is until Sunday afternoon when a massive gust of wind converted our enclosed dining room to open air seating.  Hey you gotta go with the flow so to speak!  At least we got packed up earlier.

I slipped out Saturday night to attend the Ordeal Ceremony at Bayport and to break bread and “pork” with Mr. Barnes, Mr. Zehr and share the moment with my son Shelby as T11’s newest Arrowman!  While older brother and fellow OA Candidate Ethan was distracted raising money for his 2007 Philmont Trek, Shelby seized the moment to get his sash first.  I think it may cost us a new scout shirt though as his chest size suddenly increased a few inches due to the success of his plan.  Congratulations to Shelby and an FYI to Mom; even as a hungry, post-ordeal Arrowman, he still didn’t eat his green beans!      

Then there was Blackstone.  The boys did a fine job and really impressed one of our new dad’s with their task organization skills.  On Friday night they had camp set up and the fire going in no time.  Then up Saturday morning to Merit Badge classes and a few trips to ”Tasty Critters” during the day for a few mountain man meal morsels…and what is this again?  Oh…tastes like chicken!  Yep, don’t ask…just eat!  On Sunday the boys got up, ate, went to chapel, packed up and we were on the road by 10:15am or so.  Another great outing for Troop 11.  And by the way, we had two scouts advance in rank and twenty-two (22) merit badges earned.  Great job guys!!!

Next up is the Iron Chef but that’s three weeks down the road.  I’m sleeping in a bed ’til then.  Check back in December!

Mr. H