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Scout skills training
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Hauling water to fill the fire buckets by each tent. Tent area in The Pines is limited, but is close to the pavilion. |
There's seems to be something this year about Troop 168 and campouts ... the weather is simply not cooperating. At least this time we knew it might rain and at the last minute Scoutmaster Whitacre was able to get The Pines at Camp Kickapoo for us to camp in. Although it didn't start raining until after everyone was in bed, it didn't really stop for the next 24 hours. We woke up to a cold morning made all the more adventurous by a steady drizzle and occasional rain. No one wasted any time getting fires going! Breakfast was much more pleasant since we could cook and eat under cover in the pavilion. Once KP was finished, leadership organized three classes for the patrols to rotate among: fire building, lashings and Dutch oven cleaning, and Venture Patrol pitched and taught. Camp gadget competition kept most Scouts busy after lunch. The Sharks built a tripod stand to hold a water jug and it worked great. The Vipers, after struggling with trees nearly the size of telephone poles, built a huge tripod and wrapped it with tarps to make a teepee. Vipers ended up winning and slept in it to celebrate. Dinner time is a great time to take it easy and visit around the fire. After topping off with warm vittles, everyone enjoyed some free time Having a couple of women along on the campout sure adds a different atmosphere to a Scout campout. From their highly competitive card games in the afternoon to providing SMORES for anyone that wanted them, they earned themselves a welcome back to any future campout. Shortly before lights out the rain finally stopped. Sunday morning was pretty cold, but at least the sky was clear and the wind was blowing. Breakfast in the patrols was the usual powdered sugar donuts or sweet rolls. T the Vipers cooked up a side dish of bacon and reminded the entire troop why we cook bacon in Dutch ovens and not on griddles. Their three stove fires, while short lived, were spectacular. With the sun up, we tackled the tent drying chores and got our kitchens packed. We even had enough extra time for a Scout's Board of Review and some free time tossing the football. The tents took awhile, but all finally got packed away and the trailer was stuffed and ready to go. Our traditional on-the-way-home snack stop provided an opportunity for a group picture in the sun, before we cruised back to the church for the unloading party.
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Working on the fireman chit and learning the right way to build a fire, even with wet materials. | ||
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Lashings are a basic skill every Scout can benefit from. The lashings class helped prepare the patrols for the camp gadget competition that afternoon. | ||
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Dutch oven cleaning is worth teaching over and over and Phillip W. did a great job teaching the skill. | ||
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Camp gadget competition was the final activity and the Shark Patrol built a tripod to hold a water jug. | ||
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The camp gadget winner, a tarp teepee, by the Viper Patrol. Patrol Leader Brent and his assistant are all smiles. | ||
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Starting the charcoal for dinner is all the excuse Scouts need to gather round a fire. | ||
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Cooking dinner in the Dutch ovens was easier in the charcoal pit. | ||
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Venture Patrol chows down | ||
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Sunday's wake up call for the Venture Patrol was provided by Paula and Betsy | ||
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A good influence in the outdoors, and our weekend's entertainment: Betsy & Paula | ||
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Sunday breakfast delight ... powdered donuts | ||
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I'd like those donuts cold, with a side order of bacon. | ||
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Duds: Dorland, Whitacre, Betsy, Kirkpatrick, Miller, Brouster, Jones, Luff | ||
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Everybody at the snack break on the way home. |
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