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Fun in the hot sun - Stearns Webelos Camp 2008
Sunday, July 27:
The Scorpion Patrol is off to Stearns Webelos Camp for four nights, including our last night at Webelos Outpost. The weather looks pretty good - hopefully not too hot and humid and let's hope that those isolated thunderstorms miss us.
This is the first time in recent memory that everyone in a den has come to camp - great job, Scorpion Patrol!
In addition to just plain fun, those Webelos Scouts who haven't completed their Outdoorsman activity pins will earn them - we'll award them at the campfire at Outpost and it's one of the four activity pins required for the Arrow of Light. In addition, Scouts will earn a variety of belt loops and academic and sports pins.
Thursday, July 31:
We're back. Although we always say this, it was the best summer camp ever! And this is the last Cub Scout summer camp for the Scorpion Patrol - next year, it's Many Point Boy Scout Camp with their new Boy Scout Troop!
We arrived on Sunday evening after the obligatory dinner stop at Culver's in Buffalo. It was a small session. In addition to our group, seven Scouts and six adults, there were only another fourteen Scouts and twelve adults in camp. So there were no lines at free time!
We had a great opening campfire with classics like the "Bumblebee Tuna Song," "If I weren't a Stearns Camp Counselor," and an updated version of "Give me the Honey, Bunny!" Note to future summer campers: don't sit on the edge of the amphitheater - the mosquitoes will carry you off (no matter how much insect repellent you use)!
More details on camp after I get my schedule and remind myself what we did and when. The short version is archery, bb guns, campfires, canoes and row boats, climbing, field games, the world geography belt loop and pin, Carl's famous LEAP course, paintball, and swimming. Not to mention great meals - thanks to the new camp cook, Norma, the food was great!
Webelos Outpost was great - thanks, Nathan! We hiked to Outpost near Johnson Shelter all the way from the dining tent up the road through Camp Heritage and past Diamond Lake Shelter and then through the camp's backcountry through Camp Gilwell. Camping is hard work - once we got there, "all" that we did was set up tents, gather firewood, build fires, and make, eat, and clean up after dinner and dessert. Several Scouts were quiet in their tents before we could even sing "Scout Vespers!" Boy, did they miss great stars as our campfire faded away!
Breakfast was in the rain. Fortunately, Nathan, our counselor, started the fires. So boil-in-the-bag omelets were on time. And, because of the rain, we got out of putting our wet tents away. But we packed up our gear, patrolled the camp for garbage, and hiked back (the rain stopped) and learned a little about the "Leave No Trace" guidelines. Thanks, Nathan and staff, for taking care of that on Friday when they dried out!
Click on thumbnails to see full size image.
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