April 2008 Camporee at Broad Creek

On April 4th we went  to our annual camporee at Camp Saffron at Broad Creek. On Friday when we got there, we set up camp, lit a fire and had a snack. We stayed up until 11:00. In the morning we split up into patrols and cooked breakfast. Some of the breakfasts were eggs, bacon and sausage. After breakfast, we had to clean up and go to the opening ceremonies. The flag was raised and then we went by patrols to different stations.  Some of the most fun stations, in my opinion, were the orienteering course, cutting a log with a saw in a certain amount of time, survivor man where we had to answer questions about surviving in the wild with only a daypack, and the station where we had to figure out was wrong with a campsite. Around 4:30, we headed back to our troop campsite to get ready for dinner. The whole troop ate together. We had pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans.

After dinner, we went to what was kind of a campfire. The fire didn’t light until the end of the campfire. Patrols did skits and cheers and awards were given out. After that, we had a real campfire at our campsite. We sat by the fire, played games, and then went to bed. In the morning, we ate breakfast quickly and went to the closing ceremonies. One patrol from our troop, the bears, won an award. Then it was time to leave. We took down our tents, patrolled the campsite for any trash, said goodbye to our friends, and went home. The camporee was very fun and I hope that the next time that I write to you, I will have more fun things to tell you.

Until then,
Matt

Gettysburg Camping Trip in May 2008

As I was on the way to camp, I wondered, HOW MUCH LONGER TO CAMP!!!!!!!!!!  After a long 2 hour drive to Gettysburg on a cold May night (it felt like fall).  We set up the tents and found tent mates.  Then we had a great snack before we played all night.  Then we went to bed after a usual troop 746 Friday night on a camping trip. 

The next morning we ate breakfast and played some more.  After breakfast we went on a long, 6 hour hike around the battlefield.  We stood by the artillery on Little Roundtop, climbed the rocks at Devil’s Den, checked out the peach trees at the Peach Orchard, saw the great Wheatfield, visited the site of the Charge of the 20th Maine, and looked upon the memorials around the battlefield.  We walked about 8.3 miles that day.  And that didn’t include McPherson’s Ridge, Culp’s Hill, and the Unfinished Railroad Track.  After the long and tiring hike, we watched a light show at the largest military model in the US.  For free!!  After the show, we went back to camp to play and cook diner.  After dinner, we went to an ice cream social.  That ice cream was delicious!  After the social, we had a chapel service.  Later that night, people from a local ghost tour group came to talk to us about the ghosts of Gettysburg.  Then we went to bed. 

The next morning, we ate breakfast and cleaned up.  Then we left for home.  What a great weekend.

Until then,
RC

Troop 746 Triannual Out West Trip July 2008

The West.  Rushing rivers flow through valleys.  The snow tops the peaks of the Grand Tetons.  Bison roam on plains.  Bears browse through forests.  Geysers spout boiling water.  Beauty is everywhere.  This amazing landscape is where I spent two weeks camping with the Boy Scouts.

On Saturday, July 12 most of Troop 746 woke up early.  We had a plane to catch.  Not all of us flew.  Two families drove out, one a tour of the country, the other pulling a trailer.  I had to wake up at 2:30 a.m. and leave by 3:30 a.m.  At the airport, we all gathered together for a group of 25 Class A (in full uniform) Boy Scouts, many of whom have never flown before.  We had two flights, one to Cincinnati, and another to Salt Lake City.  In Cincinnati, we had an hour layover before the next flight.  The problem:  we were all hungry for lunch, even though it was 7:30 a.m.  The two best options, McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A, were packed.  I was lucky to find a self-serve hot dog station and bought lunch there.  After the lunch rush, we boarded our plane to Salt Lake City.   When we landed after a long flight, we rented three 12-passenger vans and a mini-van for two weeks.  We rode in the vans for over three and a half hours, and finally arrived at our first destination, Flaming Gorge, Utah.  We set up camp and went to bed.

Flaming Gorge is a pretty awkward area.  At the time we were there, all the trees were a burnt.  The next morning, we went to Flaming Gorge Dam.  We took a tour, watched a movie, and fed fish while we were here.  After tour the dam, we went back to camp to decide what to do.  We finally decided to split up, half of us go swimming, half of us go fishing.  I went swimming.  It was very cold!  After my cold little dip, we went back to camp to sleep.
  
The next day, we woke up, cleaned up camp and left.  We drove for two and a half hours to Fossil Butte National Monument.  At Fossil Butte, we observed prehistoric life that used to live in that area.  Did you know that most of the west used to be a lake?  After a visiting the museum and watching a film, we ate lunch by a trail.  After lunch we hiked up the trail.  This was no easy trail, going a mile and a half long and 400 feet high.  After tiring ourselves up this trail, we drove another two and a half hours, three hundred miles.  Then, we arrived at the Grand Tetons.  Right before we entered, we saw a bison!  When we parked our vans, I saw my friend and classmate Bailey, who was RVing.  After those experiences, we went to our campsite, set up camp, ate dinner and went to bed.

The next day would be a fun one.  We went horseback riding and white water rafting.  Horseback riding was pretty fun.  We rode up a riding trail and saw Eagle Rock, a rock formation in the shape of an eagle head.  After riding we at lunch and shopped in Jackson Hole, a nearby town.  Then we went rafting on the Snake River.  The water was a frigid 50 degrees.  The rapids were huge and named Lunch Counter (you get served) and Big Kahuna.  We all got drenched.  We even saw a Bald Eagle.  Since we had three rafts, we had raft wars, and I even pushed my brother in the river.  Some people boarded other rafts.  After landing the rafts, we left and went to the Pizza Hut in town for dinner.  After dinner, we went into town to finish up shopping, and then went back to camp and slept.

The next day we arrived at Teton Village, which lies under the shadow of one of the snow-capped mountains.  The snow stays on the mountain all year.  Some kids had a snowball fight on the mountaintop.  After that, we went back down the mountain to eat lunch.  Then we drove to Jenny Lake, and rode a boat across the lake to Hidden Falls.  At Hidden Falls, we hiked up an uphill trail to get to Inspiration Point.  At Inspiration Point, we took a troop picture.  After that, we hiked down to catch the boat back to the parking lot.  On the way back to camp we saw even more bison.  Then we went to bed.

The next day, we left the Grand Tetons.  We had an hour drive to get to our next destination, Yellowstone National Park.  We saw herds of bison and went to Old Faithful.  We spent a couple hours there and saw two eruptions.  We also saw some other geysers nearby.  Next, we drove to some more geysers.  After looking at them, we set up camp and went to bed.

Today was our Yellowstone day.  We saw bubbling mud (which smelt horrible, we ran away from there), geysers, and more bison.  The best part was the Yellowstone Grand Canyon Museum.  Here, we saw an elk in the parking lot.  Good thing it was friendly!  It could have done some serious damage.  After we took pictures, we went to a waterfall where we hiked down 328 steps to the base of the waterfall.  Then we had to hike all the way up and hike a good distance back to the vans.  That was a truly “breathe-taking” view!  That was my exercise for the week.  Then we went back to camp.  I finally get to rest.

Well the touring week is over.  The next morning we left Yellowstone and went to Bear Lake for a Boy Scout camp.  But that’s a whole other story.  Talk to you soon!   

RC

Local Summer Camp at Camp Horseshoe August 2008

This year, instead of staying at Broad Creek, we stayed at camp Horseshoe for summer camp. The first day, we arrived, unpacked, and went to a campfire where the staff did skits and songs for the campers. Instead of staying in tents like Broad Creek, we stayed in things called Adirondacks , which are 3-sided cabins with concrete floors. The Adirondacks have 2 bunk-beds so the highest amount of people you can have is four people in one Adirondack . After the campfire, we went to sleep.

When we woke up, we went to breakfast in the dining hall. After breakfast, we headed off to our merit badges. Some of the merit badges you could take were woodcarving, woodworking, sports, personal fitness, geology, art, and cooking. Then at noon , it was time for lunch in the dining hall. During lunch, the staff members sang songs and told jokes. Then after lunch everyone went back to their merit badges. For the first year campers, there is a first year camper program called trailblazer. In trailblazer the campers do relay races, go swimming, shoot arrows at the archery range, and shoot rifles. When trailblazer and all the merit badges were done, it was time for dinner. Some of the meals we had for dinner were tacos, chicken Alfredo, and soup and salad. Every night after dinner, the camp would do a camp activity. One night we did a scavenger hunt, and one night we did a campfire at our campsite. Then it would be time for bed. Then in the morning it would start all over again.

While we were on our way to dinner on Tuesday, the staff made an announcement that a virus had spread and that we had to evacuate the camp. Everyone was very sad. The thing I think I‘ll miss the most about Horseshoe is that every day when we woke up, went to dinner, and went to bed, they would play songs for to wake us, put us to sleep, or just to cheer us up. Even though we were only there for 3 days, it was a wonderful trip and I hope we go there again soon.

Matt

Here is one Scout's impression of Summer Camp 2009....

On the drive up, I wonder. How will this trip go? Will it be fun? Will it be boring? But in my opinion, it went great. This year, we went to a new summer cap called Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania. It had everything that Broadcreek, our usual summer camp, has. This includes a trading post (store), C.O.P.E (climbing + teamwork), Shooting sports, and many more. I want to come back here soon.

On the first day, which was Sunday, we met at the Scout building and saddled up for the two hour drive. When we arrived we ate lunches we packed and took a tour of the area so we don't get lost. While that was going on, many of the adults unloaded the gear and placed the gear under our camp's pavilion. We grabbed our gear, grabbed a buddy, and picked a tent. Like many Boy Scout camps, this one had nice summer tent that stay up the whole summer. They are big and can fit two to three campers comfortably. The only problem is that they are not completely closed, so bugs shared space with us. I hunted Daddy Longlegs at least twice a day, usually more. We also took a swim test. Our troop can swim well, so all but one got the swimmer clearance, while the other one got beginner. None received non-swimmer. Dinner was decent, but food overall was terrible. Also that night, we had a campfire. The staff put on some skits and shared news and rules. After the campfire we went back to camp and slowly went to bed.

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday were all the same schedule, so I'll combine them into one paragraph. Some woke up for Polar Bear swim. Polar Bear is a patch you can get. You need to get up for five mornings early, and jump in the pool and follow the directions of the staff. We got in, then out, then back in multiple times. The worst was story time. They'd tell a story while we're outside of the pool, freezing. It was cold, but fun and you get a patch. I did this with a couple of the boys. After Polar Bear, we went back to camp, change, and got to breakfast with the Troop. Actually, we went to breakfast with most of the Troop. Many of the older boys did a program called Boots and Paddles. They kayaked and hiked most of the week. We didn't see them much. After breakfast, we went to our merit badge classes. I took Shotgun and Archery in the morning. After morning classes, we ate lunch. Siesta followed lunch. Siesta is a midday rest time. We relaxed and played cards during siesta. Afternoon classes started after siesta. I had Space Exploration, Electronics, and Emergency Preparedness in the afternoon. Dinner was after these classes. Most nights, we had open program after dinner. Open program is when the entire camp is open, allowing you to do activities and work on or finish merit badges. This time was really fun. After Open program we stayed up and one by one went to bed.

Wednesday and Friday was different because of a couple different events. On Wednesday, we had chapel and an OA event. OA is short for Order of the Arrow. We had no open program that night. Chapel was not for a specific religion, but was for Christians. The OA Ceremony started with two staff fighting with sticks that had flames on each side. It was very intense. Also, new OA members were chosen. Friday was the last day, so many classes were already done. I had one class the whole day. Also, the first year camper program has its graduation. I attended it to support the new boys. Friday night was the closing campfire. Some troops put on skits and the staff made some final announcements. We got back to camp late and sat by our own campfire and played games.

On Saturday, we cleaned up and left after breakfast. I had tons of fun and want to go back next year.

2010 Camporee
           Every year around April, we go to the Camporee, which is a scout competition among the troops in Dulaney District. We go to stations to gain points, and we get ribbons for our patrol flag and the Camporee competition. We left Friday with high hopes that we could win the Box, which is the highest award that we can get in the Camporee competition. This year our campsite was at a different location than usual. We set up camp and our tents. Then some of us went to the pavilion with our patrol flags for judging. After that all of us got our daypacks and headed for inspections. My patrol was pretty well prepared. We went back to camp, had our snacks, and went to bed. My only regret was not being able to have a campfire like we normally do when we go camping.
           Saturday morning we got up and cooked breakfast. We headed up for the flag ceremony and then started the Camporee competition. At eleven o’clock, we all needed to be at the pioneering station. There was tomahawk throwing, log suspending, Morse code, and much more. We went back for lunch and played some games. In the afternoon, we went back to stations. When we were all done with the Camporee competition in the afternoon, we headed back for the hamburger dinner.  In the evening, we went to church and then headed to the campfire. At the campfire there were skits, songs, and videos.  Next Julian, Matt, Mrs. Lisa, and I were tapped out. To be tapped out means to be selected to join the Order of Arrow. Congratulations to all. We cleaned up camp and went to sleep.
           Sunday morning we went up to flag retirement to see the results. All the patrols did their best and completed a huge percentage of the stations. The Possums got 3rd place in their division. Congratulations! We may have not gotten the Box, but we tried our best and did as well as we could.  We all hope to do better next time. We left camp still proud of ourselves.  We were all happy it didn’t rain at all, which is rare for a Camporee weekend.
           Andrew

Broad Creek Boy Scout Camporee, April 8-10, 2011

On my first camping trip of Boy Scouts we went to Broad Creek Scout Reservation. Will, Colin, Thad and I attended the weekend for our patrol, Baden Powell. We started setting up the first tarp at around 8:00PM when the rain finally let up. We had lights out about one hour after planned, at 11:00PM. At around 5:45AM, my friend and tend mate Will and I were up after being told to be up early to cook breakfast. The sun still hadn't come up when I got up. Will, Colin, Thad and I cooked sausage patties, toasted English muffins, and Will tried to use egg rings to make scrambled egg patties to create the "Egg McEric". We had to go to late arrival inspection at 9:00AM and earned nearly all possible points for the inspection.

Our patrol's first station was to start a fire without matches. It took us an overall time of about five minutes. We then went on to the gilly womp campsite where we had to find incorrect things about the campsite. We exceeded expectations. After lunch we went to the tomahawk and rifle range. We were almost in the bull's eye range. We then continued on to shoot the azimuth, orienteering, ham radio, and show time. Our patrol got back to camp and started to cooking a one-pot stew consisting of corn, peas, chicken, ramen noodles, and gravy mix. We ate dinner and it was goooood! I also ate a couple of meatballs and some spaghetti from the Hawk's patrol. From the Eagle patrol, I had a hot dog. After dinner we all went down to the religious services. After that we went down to the campfire and our skit "The Wonder Knife" was chosen to be performed.

We went back to the tents and ate a snack and then hit the hay. We all woke up late. We had a breakfast of oatmeal and trail bars. We got out of camp around 10:00AM and got back to the scout building at around 11:30. We unpacked the trailer and headed to our houses.

Having fun,
James