Our campout this weekend at Valley Pines was enjoyable. The rain stopped Friday evening, and while the skies were overcast most of the day Saturday and the woods were wet, we accomplished many things. Despite wet conditions and humidity we were able to set up a campfire and complete Firem'n Chit training for several scouts (congratulations to JB, Tom B, Antonio, Mike C, Steven D, Tim J, Andrew, Taylor, Jonathan S, Nick S, and Derek for completing the badge, and thanks to Mr. Chase and Nick C for teaching the fire starting skills). Mr, Kelley completed Leave no Trace training, and led us on a 3 mile hike after lunch. Nick C worked with several scouts to on knife and axe training, and in the process the group completed training Steve D on Totin' Chip. This group included Jordan, Joe K, Taylor, Matt W, and Derek who have all received the Paul Bunyan Woodsman award through this process.
Throughout the morning we worked on advancement skills for several scouts - as a reminder, all scouts should bring their books to campouts and to scout meetings to assure we sign off on their achievements as they are completed.
We observed quite a bit of wildlife around the campsite - many frogs and toads were seen, several small snakes, and a baby robin, likely rejected from it's nest. A photo of Matt W with one of the small snakes is below.
After all this learning and hiking the scouts made supper, played a few games, and turned in for the night. The picture below was taken just at sunrise - many scouts camped in tents around the campfire, and the older scouts slept around the campfire itself.
A big thanks to the adults who helped throughout the day, and particularly to those who stayed overnight to assure we had sufficient adult chaperones to hold the campout.
Our next Valley Pines campout will be October 22. Please mark your calendars, and plan to attend for a great time.
