One of the nice things we've got are candid shots. In many cases there are a half dozen or more shots of the same group photo, as the scouts set up and clown around. Looking back at these we're fortunate to be able to see these young men in a lighter moment, and it gives a great opportunity to reflect on just what they were doing or thinking at that time.
The two photos below are from a campout at Valley Pines in 1956. This was held during the school vacation week, and when they arrived on Sunday afternoon there was four inches of snow on the ground. The scouts had to first clear the snow in order to put up their tents, and then they cooked and camped by patrols. All of the first afternoon and evening was spent setting up tents, cutting firewood and cooking supper. The first night is reported to have been a typical stay up late night, and very few scouts got any sleep.
Monday night there were skits, and the meeting was held there as well. Rank advancement and other activities were held at that time. Some scouts who did not camp on Sunday evening, or who were not able to camp on Monday were brought to the meeting by members of the troop committee, so all could participate.
This campout, and many of the ones in this era, were spent clearing the land around Valley Pines in preparation for the building of the cabin. Besides the ordinary camp duties there was a great deal of work to do cleaning out fallen timber, preparing white cedar logs for the shelter, and preparation of small firepits for cooking. The well had been added by this time, so clean drinking water was available.
Assistant Scoutmaster Ron Parry was in attendance and in charge of the camp, aided by Senior Patrol Leaders Haig Alemian and James Gaffney.
The two photos below show the serious shot used for the Scout News edition, and a less serious shot taken at the same time.
Scouts in this photo include, from left to right in the front rwo, Charles Krabek, Lloyd Archibald, Albert Cicchese, Ronald Parry, Clifford Gaffney, William Glover, and Neil Fulton. In the back row, Peter Marshall, Alan Risley, Alan Alemian, Thomas Peterson and Allen King.
Note the expression on Ron's face over his shoulder at the rabbit ears in the second photo. Unfortunately, history does not identify who the brave, or rather foolhardy, soul is behind Ron....
Photos of this campout, and many others, will be included in our 100th anniversary materials, and will be shown in our Valley Pines display. A future posting will include many photos from Valley Pines spanning the 1950's to present day. Keep an eye on the BLOG for these. And if you have suggestions for posts, please let Mr. Chase know.
