The weather was beautiful for our campout, sunny, light wind and seasonably cool. We setup our tents starting around 10:30 Saturday and then made grilled cheese and ham sandwiches for lunch. Because of the drought, no campfires were allowed. So we did all of our cooking on propane stoves. Also we had a propane fire pit that we placed in the fire ring. It gave the nice appearance of a small campfire but didn’t have much heat.

After lunch, nine scouts did an orienteering course where each station had a scenario written on a card about a case to apply first aid. The scouts were split into two groups by their two patrols. The scouts navigated to each station and wrote down their first aid solutions. Back at camp, the first aid merit badge counselor was there to review their answers. One patrol missed a station and went back out to find it. The patrol that finished first were awarded LifeStraws.

During the afternoon, the scouts made two large pots of chowder which included corn, onions, carrots, potatoes, milk, vegetable broth and spices. One pot also had chicken and the other was only vegetables. At 3:00, guests arrived and joined us for an early dinner since daylight was short. Guests included parents, cub scouts and girl scouts.

It was dark by 4:30 but there was a full moon that started to rise around sunset. We sat around the the fire pit with our simulated campfire. Some scouts settled into their tents as early as 5pm and others talked by the campfire until 8pm.

We were up early to see a beautiful sunrise on a clear morning. We made bacon and pancakes for breakfast. Then we packed up and cleared out of camp by 9am.

 

We had a good group of 10 scouts for the Turkey Shoot at Camp Greenough this year. We arrived at camp around 5pm Friday and setup our tents as the sun was setting. We made cheeseburgers and hot dogs for dinner. Then we went to the safety instruction meeting which was held at the new Welcome Center building. The weather was clear and mild and we could see stars and the planet Jupiter. I came across a snake in the dark on the road which turned out to be a Milk Snake.

We got up at sunrise on Saturday and made oatmeal for breakfast. Then we were ready at the starting time for the events and were able to do shotgun, rifle and tomahawk in the morning. For lunch, we had hot turkey and gravy sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce which the scouts really liked and ate it all up. In the afternoon, the scouts did archery which was the last activity and then we had free time. We went to the Trading Post and got snacks and hot chocolate. Then we played kickball until it was time for the awards ceremony. Dane got 4th place in the junior shotgun. Luca for 1st place in the senior shotgun by shooting 15 of 15. And Luca got 2nd place in the senior rifle with a score of 44 out of 50. Dane got a gift certificate and Luca got two turkeys to take home.

For dinner, the scouts made chicken stir fry with onion, pepper and rice. The scouts ate this all up as well. Because of the dry weather, the town didn’t allow campfire. Still the OA put on a campfire without a fire for the camp. There were some goofy skits including our troop doing a ‘visible bench’ skit where a pot filled with water was left on the back of a scout being a bench. Scouts went to bed early around 8:30.

Scouts were up before sunrise on Sunday. We made bacon, hot chocolate and pancakes for breakfast. Then we packed up and headed home around 8:30.

 

This camporee had around 1000 scouts and was very well organized with many volunteers. The scouts were divided into three groups for doing three activity periods: service project, merit badges and Presidents Trail. We arrived at Pageant Field in Quincy around 10:30 Saturday and setup our camp and made grilled cheese and ham sandwiches for lunch. The weather was warm and sunny. There was an opening ceremony which included the mayor of Quincy who spoke of the key role by John Adams in the American revolution.

Saturday afternoon was our first activity period of a service project. We went to the Dorothy Quincy Hancock historic house where we planted bulbs and shrubs and cleaned up some trash. When we got back to camp, we found that the wind had blown some of our tents over. So we fixed up the tents and staked them down more securely. Then we met some Civil War soldier reenactors who showed the scouts how to do some drills. Before dinner we had some free time and played baseball using a long pole for the bat and a football for the baseball. We made chicken alfredo for dinner. Then there was a patriotic evening program with two fife & drum bands and the singing trooper Dan Clark.

Sunday started with a beautiful sunrise but soon grey clouds rolled in and a cold rain started. We made breakfast sandwiches of sausage, egg, cheese and muffins. Our activity block for the morning was merit badges. Several scouts did the chess merit badge and others did space exploration. The merit badge classes met under the pavilion and were sheltered from the rain. By late morning, there was a break in the rain and the space exploration scouts got to launch rockets which was a fun adventure.

We had hot dogs, chips and potato salad for lunch. We also made oatmeal-chocolate-peanut butter cookies on the gas stove skillet. Our afternoon activity was the Presidents Trail walk which was 5+ miles and included the Church of the Presidents, Adams Academy with a museum exhibit by the Quincy Historic Society, John Adams house, the hill where Abigail Adams and John Quincy watched the battle of Bunker Hill, and Peacefield. We had guides for our walk who explained the sights and there were reenactors at a few stops. The rain held off for the walk except towards the end.

For dinner, we made pizzas on tortillas on the gas stove. The rain was steady but tapered off enough after dinner in time for a very large bonfire. The Quincy fire department had a fire truck parked nearby just-in-case. There were a bunch of goofy campfire skits.

Monday morning was a quick breakfast, pack up, quick closing ceremony and then drive home.

We camped out at Camp Greenough to work on Emergency Preparedness merit badge with scouter Don Mack. Our troop brought nine scouts and there were six scouts from other troops.

The rainy weather was a big part of this campout. The forecast was for the rain to be scattered and to wrap up Friday night. Before the trip, it had rained steadily for over a day. Still we had some hope as we packed up to head out from Scout Hall as the rain had just let up. But then on our drive to camp, the rain started again, and the forecast kept getting worse. The rain was constant Friday evening and heavy overnight. Then the rain was steady Saturday and very heavy around lunch which turned our campsite into ponds and rivers. Thankfully the rain eased up in time for dinner and a campfire on Saturday night and finally stopped before sunrise on Sunday. Overall there was 4+ inches of rain that weekend.

We setup our tents in the light rain on Friday evening. Next, we setup a popup tarp and put a picnic table under it for cooking. The scouts made spaghetti and meatballs plus Texas toast for dinner. It took a long time to boil the water for the spaghetti and we were running behind schedule and it was past sunset. So instead of cleaning our dishes, we put them out in the rain to let nature wash them. Then we put on our raincoats and grabbed our flashlights and hiked out from our campsite at Stonewall to the Lewis & Clark campsite to meet Don Mack and start on the merit badge. The campsite was deserted when we got there and we guessed that they decided to meet at the pavilion because of the rain. So we hiked over to the pavilion and indeed found Don Mack and the other scouts patiently waiting for us. Don Mack got started on the merit badge lessons. Then we hiked back to our campsite. We didn’t see any other people in the camp but the scouts did find some frogs on the path.

On Saturday morning, we found that our popup tarp had collapsed because rain had collected on the tarp and became too heavy. The scouts made bacon, bagels with cream cheese, fruit and juice for breakfast. Then we drove over to the pavilion where we could stay dry while doing the merit badge class. Don Mack had someone from FEMA talk about the organization needed for emergency response. The scouts practiced skills like making a stretcher to carry someone. For lunch, we made sandwiches under the pavilion. Class wrapped up at 4pm and the rain was light. Scouts went back to camp and explored around the campground before dinner of burritos with ground beef. After dinner, scouts played manhunt in the sports field next to our campsite. Using a large fire starter and lots of nurturing, we got a good fire going despite the wet wood. Then we made smores including having a chance to try having a reese’s peanut butter cup in place of chocolate bar. Yum! Then about half the scouts went over to the dining hall. Don Mack arranged to have it open for us and the other troop setup a movie screen and we got to watch the original Twister. They also had popcorn and cookies for us. Double yum! Back at camp, most of the scouts opted to sleep in the dry lean-tos at our campsite instead of their tents which were a bit wet.

On Sunday morning, we made egg, sausage and cheese breakfast sandwiches. Then there was a practice emergency response scenario of a plane crash where the scouts had to deal with simulated injured airplane passengers and damage to the campground. Then there was a pizza lunch brought in.

Five scouts along with five adults started out at 4:45am Sunday morning to go from Cape Cod to Medicine Mountain Scout Camp. The drive to Logan airport was smooth. At the airport, we had a surprise that our plane was the only Delta flight leaving from terminal E instead of A. Fortunately, we had enough time to walk across the airport to our gate for our 8am flight. Our flight arrived on-time at 10:30 but the airport and Enterprise car rental were very busy, and it took until nearly noon to be on our way in a Chrysler Pacifica mini-van and Toyota Forerunner SUV.

A breakdown on the interstate slowed us down a bit and we drove through a short rainstorm that briefly dropped the temperature from 85 to 55. We stopped at a Wendy’s in Cheyenne for lunch. Then we left the interstate and drove across the plains through towns of Torrington and Lusk.

We made it to the Black Hills at the town of Custer and then drove 10 miles on a dirt road to get to camp at 6:15pm. We checked in with the camp ranger and then picked up our dinner and breakfast food that the camp had waiting for us. Our campsite was soft and grassy with some tall pines and on a gentle slope. We setup our tents and prepared dinner. The camp loaned us a ‘patrol box’ with cooking supplies and stoves. We missed the opening campfire because of our late arrival. Instead we explored around camp  on our own. Camp was in a beautiful valley with a high ridge in the distance. There was a pond with many fish, and we saw an otter. Our camp guide for the week, Don Kellogg, came over to meet us and make a plan to meet at 7:45 in the morning. Don is a scout council member and retired railroad engineer who has done summer camp expeditions for nine years.

On Monday, we got up by 6am to make a hot breakfast including bacon and hashbrowns. Our first stop was Jewell Cave National Monument. We had reservations for a guided tour which started from the elevator in the visitor center and went down 250 feet into the cave to a cavernous space with the metal elevator doors, railings and walkways that felt like the lair of the bad guy in a James Bond movie. The ranger took us on a one hour walk along a paved path with railings through almost a mile of the cave. We got to see how the cave was formed and how it’s breaking up in areas. Some amazing features were how large the cave is (100’s of miles) and how much is still unknown and how it reaches the surface at only one small opening. We ate lunch back on the surface near the visitor center.

 

Our next sight was the Mammoth Site at Hot Springs. On the way, we drove through Custer State Park which was scenic. We stopped to watch prairie dogs in their ‘town’ and later stopped to see bison near the road. The Mammoth Site was a sink hole that trapped mammoths and other animals over 100,000 years. A large, open building is over the site, and staff are still actively excavating. It was cool to see the fossils in place and to see some staff actively digging and cleaning fossils. The excavated fossils are displayed in a museum attached to the dig site. Then we had a chance to practice throwing spears like the ancient mammoth hunters using an atlatl which is a short piece of wood to give extra leverage. There were practice targets including a bison and wolf, and some scouts tried throwing the spear as far as they could which was pretty far, more than possible without the atlatl. On our way back to camp, we stopped at Dairy Queen in Custer. Back at camp, we cooked spaghetti dinner.

On Tuesday, we were up early, made hot breakfast with french toast, and started out at 7:45. We drove to Custer State Park along the Needles Highway which is an amazing road over the granite peaks with some narrow one-at-a-time tunnels. We stopped at the top by Needles Rock and hiked around the ridge for a while. Then we stopped at the pull-out to view the Cathedral Peaks. Next we drove to the top of Mt Coolidge Lookout which is East of the main Black Hills and has great 360 views of the mountains and plains. Then we drove the Wildlife Loop Road of Custer State Park on the lookout for bison and we weren’t disappointed. First we came across a bison herd about 200 yards from the road. Later the road went through the middle of a bison herd, and we had to stop while some bison crossed the road right in front of our vehicles. We also saw deer and antelope. We stopped for lunch on picnic tables by the stream next to the park visitor center.

Then we headed towards Mt Rushmore on the Iron Mountain Road which is yet another super scenic road. There are pull-outs where we could see Mt Rushmore in the distance. And the civil engineers were clever to line up road tunnels so that Mt Rushmore is perfectly framed looking through the tunnel. The road also takes hairpin turns to another level called pigtails where the road curves around so much that it goes under itself. At Mt Rushmore, we had time to take pictures, tour the visitor center, watch the movie and hike the loop to the base of the mountain. Back at camp, we made chicken stir-fry dinner and had a campfire.

On Wednesday, we got up a bit earlier, made hash browns and egg sandwiches for breakfast and headed out at 7:30. We drove to Sylvan Lake Park at the trailhead #9 for Black Elk Peak, the tallest mountain in the Black Hills, and the tallest mountain going East until reaching the Alps. The trail was well-maintained with many scenic views on the way up. At the summit, there’s a stone tower with awesome views. We ate some snacks and soaked in the views for a while on top. On the way back, we took trail #5 which was also a great trail with scenic views especially of the Cathedral Peaks. A few hikers did the spur trail to the top of Little Devil’s Tower which in some ways had even better views than Black Elk because you could look at Black Elk. Back at Sylvan Lake, a picture-postcard beautiful lake, it was the definition of refreshing to take a swim in the lake and cool off.

Next we went to the Crazy Horse Memorial. The visitor center had many exhibits and a movie on the making of the monument which is still under construction. Then we took a bus ride to the base of the mountain. A special treat was to meet up with former Chatham Scoutmaster, Warren Nash, who is a crew member working on Crazy Horse and came along with us on the bus tour.

Then we drove into Hill City for a delicious dinner at the Alpine Inn where we had wedge salad, filet mignon wrapped in bacon, baked potato, Texas toast and a large dessert. We had some time to look at the shops in town and the scouts favorite t-shirt said ‘Don’t pet the fluffy cows’ with an image of a bison.

On Thursday, we had another early start making our own hot breakfast and on our way by 7:30 to the Badlands National Park. On the way, we stopped to visit the Minuteman National Monument including the visitor center and a deactivated missile silo. It was sobering to learn about how many thermonuclear missile silos (450) were deactivated under Reagan, how many active missiles still remain, how quickly a missile from South Dakota can hit Moscow (30 minutes) and how many close calls and false alarms there have been.

We entered Badlands National Park from the East entrance and stopped at the Door Trailhead where we hiked about a mile into the Badlands which felt other-worldly with an unusual rocky landscape. It was hot at around 100 degrees and the reflection from the rock walls made it feel like an oven. Then some scouts went to the visitor center while others went on another short hike on the Notch Trailhead which went to a notch at the crest of the Badlands mountains with views down to the plains. Then we met up for our packed lunch at the visitor center and took time to see the exhibits and park movie. Next we drove the park loop and stopped at several pull-outs with various views of the changing layers and colors of the Badlands. On our way out of the park, we saw more wildlife including prairie dogs and bison. We stopped at Wall Drug which is a spectacle, and we all got some tasty ice creams. Back at camp, we made chili-mac for dinner.

On Friday, we again got up early to make our breakfast and head out by 7:30. We drove through Newcastle on the western side of the Black Hills up to Devil’s Tower National Monument in Wyoming. We hiked the trail that goes around the base of the tower which was neat to see close up and from all sides. It has the tallest volcanic columns known in the world (over 600 feet). We saw a few climbers including an 11-year-old girl. There were beautiful views down the Belle Fourche river valley from the trail. We went to the visitor center and some scouts earned their junior ranger badge. We ate lunch at the picnic grounds at the base of the mountain.

We drove back to the Black Hills, this time from the north and into the Spearfish Canyon. We stopped at the Bridal Veil Falls and walked up to the base of the falls. Then we drove up to Roughlock Falls which had some walking paths along the falls and stream. The stream had many trout that we enjoyed watching. The drive back to camp through Cheyenne Crossing was yet another super scenic route. We stopped again at Dairy Queen for Blizzards in Custer.

Back at camp, we made pork chop dinner. Then there was a closing camp flag ceremony and campfire. During the flag ceremony, we could hear an approaching thunderstorm. So the camp staff moved the campfire from the amphitheater to next to the pavilion where we could be under the pavilion roof. The thunder and lightning made a dramatic background to the camp program. When the program was over, the storm was still going and it was raining heavily. So we stayed under the roof for about 30 minutes until the storm passed. It was wild to watch the storm and hear the thunder from the pavilion and feel the strong wind shift, sometimes blowing hot from one direction and then blowing cold from another direction. Back at camp, we had a big campfire and smores.

On Saturday, we didn’t need to get up early but another thunderstorm blew in around 5:30am and woke us up with strong winds that were loud in the pine trees, heavy rain and loud thunder. They could rename the camp from Medicine Mountain to Thunder Mountain. Fortunately the storm was over by 6am when we started getting up. We ate breakfast, packed up camp and loaded our vehicles by 9am.

We drove to Evans Plunge in Hot Springs. This is a public pool fed by natural hot springs. The pool is in a very large building and has slides, water volleyball and rings. Next we drove to Torrington for lunch at Arby’s.

Our last stop was Fort Laramie National Historic Park which is a very historic spot having been a trading post, important stop on the Oregon Trail, and military headquarters for the Indian Wars. We saw the park movie and exhibits at the visitor center. Some scouts earned their junior ranger badge for the fort. There were many restored rooms to see including the calvary barracks. There was also a vintage saloon selling sassafras sodas.

From the fort, it was all travel back home. There was an amazing sunset over the Rockies as we approached the airport. After getting to our gate, we got dinner at the food court. Our overnight flight was delayed two hours because the airline needed to find one more flight attendant. The rest of our travels went smoothly, arriving 8am at Logan Airport and back to Chatham around 10am.

The scouts enjoyed all our stops and there were a variety of favorites. One liked the Badlands best, another Black Elk best, another Bridal Veil Falls best, another Jewell Cave best, another Mammoth Site best, another Fort Laramie best. Overall, the Black Hills are beautiful. We got to experience a lot and there’s a lot more still to see.

This year we got reservations for Friday night camping. We met after school and started our hike at 4:30. Another boy scout troop was camping and there was some confusion with the park ranger about which campsites were ours. We got it all sorted out.

We made spaghetti and garlic beard for dinner. Just as dinner was ready to eat, we saw lightning and heard thunder, and soon it started to rain. We quickly ate dinner while the rain wasn’t too heavy. Then we sheltered in our tents as the rain did get heavy. One benefit to the rain is that it washed our dinner dishes.

In the twilight, we went to the beach for a campfire. It was a challenge to get the fire going because everything was wet, and it was windy. After many matches and persistence, we did get the fire going. Then the wind was a help to fan the flames, and we had a good fire for making smores.

In the morning, a group of scouts heading out at 7am to go to a soccer playoff finals game. The rest of us hiked back at 9am. We saw lots of wildlife on the marsh trail including turtles, crabs, frogs and many birds.