September 2012: Camp Lou Henry Hoover

Here we are once again on the threshold of a new camping season, and 101 has once again returned from the field.

This month we visited Camp Lou Henry Hoover, a great camp located right next to Swartswood Lake near Newton, NJ. The camp is run by the Heart of New Jersey Girl Scout Council (yes, I said Girl Scout) and serves as their resident summer camp and is open all year long for weekend camping. Well maintained and open to not only Scout groups but also youth and business groups, it is a really nice place to visit should you need someplace nearby to camp. Cabins, lean-tos and tent sites are available, with equipment for loan from the camp itself. (Obviously, we didn't need any of this stuff.)

We arrived Friday night, relatively early (for us anyway) to a packed parking lot. I think we were all a little surprised to see about 100 or more Girl Scouts and Girl Scouters running around. Pulling in our first order of business was calling the ranger so he could escort us to our "primitive" site. He arrived and we started our small convoy out to the site - and as soon as we went 10 ft. all the girls realized we were Boy Scouts and started waving hello and yelling at us - we were suddenly more popular then the lead float at Mardi Gras.

The ranger escorted us out to our "primitive" site which we were lucky he was because we drove for almost a mile to get to it - and we were still in camp (though I honestly think we were on the edge of the property). Our "primitive" site included a dual, two-story lean-to with running water, sink, and flush toilets. Apparently, the GSA's definition of "primitive" is far different than that of the BSA's. So, we set up camp, started a fire (it was still pretty early) and sat around discussing...whatever. There really is no conversation rules when sitting around a fire. I made sure to remind our two scouts that they should be alone (i.e. sans a Girl Scout) in the sleeping bags in the morning,  and we hit the hay.

The next morning, while cooking breakfast under an overcast sky, the ranger arrived to bring us some paperwork, and informed us that apparently, we were the talk of the camp. The girls were asking him how many of us there were, how old we were, and if we were "cute" (and I thought boys were bad). Frankly, we thought it was all pretty absurd but funny. Our youngest scout (whom we all agree is the best looking of us all) had to be watched to make sure he wasn't swarmed by the girls - but he did offer to take one for the team and find our assistant scoutmasters dates!

While that may have been a worthy cause to spend the day as matchmaker, what we were really there to do was work on our swimming and water rescue requirements for rank advancement. So, we wrapped up breakfast, and headed over to Mrs. Emmetts' house and hit the water. While it was chilly sub-arctic, the two scouts completed all the water rescue requirements, as well as their swim tests on the first try with no issues! They were done so fast, that we then had time to hit the sailboats for a little sailing around the lake.

...and I mean a "little". As usual, there was enough wind to get out there, but the wind died just as we were heading in. So, here we are all sitting there in three different vessels for 30 minutes or more when I decided it was time to head back and get dinner ready. So, after paddling myself in, I grabbed the electric boat motor and battery and towed one vessel in while the other also paddled in. In launching the boat, I almost swamped the thing, so as a lesson, always make sure you take your time and have a counter weight.

We straightened up, said thank you to Mrs. Emmetts and headed back to Camp Cindy Lou Who Lou Henry Hoover for dinner. On the way in we grabbed some split, kiln dried firewood, and got the dinner fire going. While waiting for the fire to burn down to coals to cook on, we worked on Tote N' Chip requirements for one of our Scouts, Aiden. (The other Scout, Danny, already had his). After passing with flying colors and spending time splitting and cutting wood (which both did since practice makes perfect) we had a great dinner in the "lean-to" because of a brief, but heavy rainstorm.

Then it was sitting around the campfire passing wind shooting the breeze, and then to bed.

All in all, a great camping trip, and a very productive one at that. I'm very happy with the progress both Scouts made this weekend, having combined completed about a dozen or more requirements for Tenderfoot, Second and First Class ranks.

Now to head home, unpack and clean the gear for the next adventure: a cowboy themed weekend at Camp Winnebago!

Sorry, no pictures this weekend: both the SM and the ASM/Photographer left their cameras behind!

The 2012 -13 Season

Every year when the weather starts to cool, there is some part of my DNA that start to become active. I have a Pavlovian response to cool and cold weather - it means nights under the stars, hikes, backpacks, cooking outside, and my personal favorite - shooting the breeze around a roaring campfire.

If I had my way (and I know there are others out there) I'd make an aftershave to smell like wood smoke. I think I'd call it..."Burn"... or maybe "Coals". Even as I write this, one of my neighbors has a fire going, and it makes me want to run out and sit around drinking some hot chocolate talking about life, the universe...everything. (I know, I know, 42).

Either that or there is a house on fire somewhere, but since I hear no sirens, that can't be the case.

For the new year, my assistants, committee chairman, members of Crew 100 and I sequestered ourselves for over 8 hours pouring over campsites, maps, information and websites figuring out our entire schedule for the next 10 months on a humid Saturday in August. I'm happy to report that not only did we schedule all our camping trips for the month, we also worked out what skills we were lacking in, and when and where to build them up. In some cases, the basic groundwork is there, we want to get more advanced - so you can light a fire with one match? Do it with none.

Yeah, I said it. (You parents will thank me when the zombie apocalypse comes.)

What do we have scheduled? How about:

1) Asbury Park Zombie Walk in October
2) Thanksgiving Dinner on our November campout
3) Day trip to NYC in Decemeber
4) Themed campouts!
5) Rifle shooting
6) Camping trip combined with a day at the Franklin Institute in Philadephia
7) Nature Rank Requirements
8) Orienteering Rank Requirements

... and that's some of the stuff we have scheduled on top of our normal array of wacky adventures. Did I also mention that every campsite this year is a brand new (to us) camp! It'll be pandemonium!

Sometimes I wonder who gets more excited for campouts - me or the Scouts. 

While all our Scouts are returning "veterans" this year, we are always on the lookout for fresh meat new recruits. If you know anyone, or you yourself are looking for something new and different to do other than play video games all day, come down on a Friday and see what the fuss is about!

This ain't your daddy's Boy Scout troop!

Summer Camp 2012

Once again this summer we found ourselves at our home away from home for summer camp, Camp Turrell nestled in at the southern end of the Catskill Mountain range, and home to that rarest of beasts - the summer camp staff member.

Returning to the same site from last year, Campsite F, or F Downtown... actually, we're thinking of adopting the site and renaming it Campsite T (for Tortuga) but we haven't totally sold ourselves on that either. Basically, the site is part of the larger Campsite F (where we were for years, but as times and attendance changes, we are forced to give up or space to other, larger troops... but we don't mind) though because of the upswing in camper participation at Camp Turrell, the idea has been thrown out there to turn this little piece of the larger into its own site.

Frankly, we're thinking of just making it another campsite, and asking for forgiveness later... but I digress...

At any rate we found ourselves in our same site as last year, smack dab in the middle of camp - which is right where we want to be. Close enough to all the merit badge classes, but hidden from the general public paths. Basically, we want staff to know we are there, but not know where we are... which has been pretty easy when staff doesn't venture far from their assigned work areas.

We were a small tribe this year, 5 Scouts and 2 adults, but what we lacked in numbers, we made up for in hard work and studying. We built our annual monkey bridge, but also we:

a.) between 5 Scouts earned over 30 merit badges
b.) had one rank advancement from Tenderfoot to Second Class
c.) celebrated not one, but TWO birthdays
d.) combined with another small troop (3) came in second place in the Water Carnival!

Wednesday  found us being visited by Crew 100, who assisted another Scoutmaster in opening the Orange Trail within camp. This trail, while not "abandoned" per se, had not been maintained in quite sometime - perhaps as long as 10 years. We are now proud to say that the trail is open, and work on continuing the nature trail stations is in the planning stages. Hopefully sometime over the winter, the station will be put up and a guide will be developed for the whole trail.

...and this was all accomplished despite the weather. Yes, Mother Nature was quite erratic during the week, ranging from cool in the morning, to windy, to humidity levels the equal Ecuador, to a small "hurricane" to just plain H O T. The kind of humidity and hotness that just drains the energy right out of you - well, maybe everyone except Danny. He had energy right up until he got in the car on Saturday morning.

I have to say, that as a Scoutmaster I am really proud of our Scouts. They not only accomplished all of the above (and special props to the crew for their work on the trails) but the also worked together and played together without any issues. There was no arguing, bickering, attitude or rudeness to each other or other scouts and staff. Yes, they need some motivation now and again, but I never had to be on top of them 24/7. They learned and understood what had to be done, what needed to get done, and when it was time to play, and when it was time to work. There were no major injuries, no homesickness, and no fights.

While my job is never a walk in the park (in fact, its like having a part-time job) having well-behaved, and a unified troop does make it a whole lot easier. Thanks guys!

I wish I could say more about the week, but its a lot of scouts going to and from merit badge classes, and my assistant and I making sure that everything is in order - and what we are going to do, not do, or change for next year. It is surprisingly the easiest camping trip of our entire year!

Summer camp is for scouts - not adults :)

Pictures can be found here.