Pack 391 Winter Freeze Camp

Pack 391 absolutely picked the right weekend for their Winter Freeze Camp.  Friday and Saturday were rather mild -- though wet and a little wild during the night -- but Sunday temps were expected to drop into the 20's!

Everyone seemed to have a great time, in spite of rain and damp.  The group stayed near the pavilion for the majority of their stay, and even brought additional tarps to hang to keep out the wet and cold! Lots of great time for all kinds of activities . . . 

And you know it can't be too bad when the kitchen crew is all smiles!

We enjoy having this group at the camp and hope to see them again, soon!

Troop 4

Our first group of the new year!  Troop 4 is one of the camp's regular groups.  They came out on Friday afternoon and stayed through Sunday.  They had pretty terrific weather, considering it was January!  Unfortunately, we didn't get many pictures, but the one we did get was a doozy . . . 

They were trying their hands at smelting, of all things!  They worked really hard to try and get the fire in the brick pit hot enough to melt whatever metals they had.  Not sure if this was for a badge or what, but you know boys and fire; they had a blast working on it!

We hope they come back and camp again soon!

Troop 96 and Pack 391

We are very familiar with Troop 96 and Pack 391. For at least two years in a row now they have been our first campers of the year. The scouts have to earn their "Polar Bear Badge" which means they have to camp out when it is below freezing temperatures. Well that was not a problem as they temps were in the 20's. The older boys came up on Friday and the younger ones came on Saturday morning.

For the first time in a long time Mary Breeden was not with the group...understand she had some foot surgery. I did see Philip Anderson, Tiffany, Barry Sanders, Triston Stuckey and some others I knew. As always there was plenty of good food and probably some stories to be told.

A Terrific Finish

The Camp has really been blessed over the past few years by visiting Boy Scout troops and their young men seeking to complete Eagle Scout projects. One of those scouts is Cody Smith of BS Troop 633.  

Cody undertook a project which we've wanted completed for a while. There's a small spring that runs across Beech Bottom Trail . . .  

It never dries up and in fact, after a good rain, can be pretty substantial! It's home to minnows and frogs (and who knows what else), so it's a sweet little spot, but it's not easy to cross on foot, at least not without getting wet!  Cody chose to engineer a foot bridge to go over the spring, and he did a great job drawing up plans, raising the funds, and working with and supervising the guys from 633 to get it installed this past weekend!

We came upon the group at their lunch break (which was the perfect time to get a group shot):

But they quickly finished up and headed back down the trail to work.

The group worked well together and it seemed like everyone had a specific job to do. We were told that they chose their troop number based on Matthew 6:33: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. That's a group you want to have hanging around!

The finished project looks absolutely professional . . .

We are so grateful to Cody and the guys and families of BSA Troop 633 and hope they'll be back soon to enjoy their handiwork.

We hope you'll come down and enjoy their handiwork, too!

Boy Scout Troop 96 - Eagle Project

Boy Scout Troop 96 with leaders Bob and Mary, were up here this weekend to help with an Eagle Project. 

While there was already another group here we always try and accommodate as many groups as we can...we love to see the camp full! 

Out of the potential projects presented, Hayden Langewischk chose the one everyone one else had passed on.....probably because of the work involved. His project, which was to build a dock on Silty Bottom Pond, was a big one but they finished it this weekend. 

I must say they did an outstanding job. They first came in a few weeks ago and cleared the brush and small trees out of the area.  Then they came back and set the posts.  When the troop arrived on Friday, the project looked like this:

When they left on Sunday, however, it looked like this!

Awesome job! This is a huge asset for the camp and the work is of high quality.

We always love to see Troop 96 up here and they have become some of our most frequent visitors. In addition to the building of the dock, they did a little dutch oven badge work, too . . .

It must have been good!

Mary was a little limited as she had a walking boot on...delaying surgery until January before all the activity starts in the new year. We wish her a speedy recovery if we do not see her again before then !

Boy Scout Troop 96 Weekend

This boy scout group has been coming up to the camp for several years now and we are always glad to have them. 

The tents started out scattered out from the pavilion but when the rain came all but one under up underneath...along with a few hammocks as well. 

The boys played a few rounds of checkers...went for a hike and did a craft or two. 

The big thing, however, was a cooking contest. 

Now we're not sure who actually won, but the food did look edible!

Mary Breeden, one of the troop leaders, said she'd never made it down to the Secret Creek before...I hope she had the chance on this trip. This group may just get the top prize when it comes to cleaning up the place before they leave! As always, we look forward to their next trip.

Two Eagle Projects Completed!

The Camp has been the beneficiary of several Boy Scouts working on Eagle Scout projects this year.  The first project finish was one that's been near and dear to the heart of the camp -- taking the Nature Trail and adding tree/plant identification markers:

and over twenty birdhouses:

to the trail to make it of educational benefit.  The scout, Ethan Canup, has worked diligently for a year, working with a several different people to get this project completed and we're so excited!  We are very thankful for Ethan and Troop 8 for all the hard work and effort that went into getting the project finished.

The second project was completed by Neil Hudson from Troop 7004.  Neil chose a project that benefited the obstacle course.  Most folks when they come up don't even see the course, so Neil organized the building and installation of a large sign at the obstacle course entrance. Neil's troop came out to help him get the sign in the ground:

They did a great job!

So, two Eagle Projects are finished and several more are in the works!  We're so blessed to have the support from the Boy Scout community in Madison County!

Pack 451 Family Camp Out

This pack had never made a visit to the Camp before . . . and the weather Friday was so bad, they cancelled for that day and came up early Saturday, instead.

Luckily, though the ground was a little damp, the sun came out and made for a great camping weekend.  This group had a LOT of activities going on . . .

They started with a thorough briefing to their participants on the camp layout and rules, the safety talk and the Boy Scouts "Leave No Trace" talk.

Once that was taken care of, they had a flag ceremony and a bridging ceremony . . .

And from there, they did a great first aid presentation and even used elements of the obstacle course to help show the boys what to do in different situations!

They also used the obstacle course in the traditional sense . . .

And made sure each boy got a helping hand if he needed a boost!

The families camped both down around the pavilion and up in the top field.

Several of the adults commented they'd never heard of the Camp before.  We hear this a lot!

They had a great time and the boys had the opportunity to learn a lot, as well as enjoy lots of play time (and lots of good food, too).  We hope this pack comes back again, soon!