A Scoutmaster's Blog

The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 spent a week at the Buckskin Camp of Many Point Scout Camp this summer. They had an awesome time at camp. The Buckskin staff was terrific and very helpful. The dining hall staff provided great meals in a friendly atmosphere. Even the weather cooperated by not being too hot or too rainy. The biggest complaint was the sparrow-size mosquitoes that made camp their home. Overall though, it was a fantastic week.

The Many Point Blog recently posted some interesting numbers from the 2011 season. I found them to be quite interesting:

4139 Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts camped at Many Point.
1451 Adult leaders watched their troops and crews grow while here at Many Point.
37 CITs spent 5 weeks learning and practicing the essential skills needed to be a staff member. (Including one from Melrose Troop 68.)
152 Scouts and Venturers participated in the Water Sports Outpost and had the opportunity to ride personal watercraft, a truly rare opportunity in the BSA.
8606 Merit badges were earned.
2830 Merit badges were started, to be completed at home.
479 Certifications such as Kayak BSA, Snorkeling BSA, Boardsailing BSA, BSA Lifeguard and BSA Aquatic Supervision were completed. (Five boys from Troop 68 earned the Snorkeling BSA.)
124,000 meals were served either “for here” or “to go” by our Dining Hall and Commissary, to fuel all the fun.

How were the numbers at your summer camp?

The Many Point Blog can be found at
http://manypointscoutcamp.wordpress.com/ .

What do Jack and Jill, Mother Hubert, Spiderman, Justin Bieber, Barney, Lady Gaga, Chuck Norris, Rebecca Black, Bob the Builder, and Barbie have in common? They are all part of the fun one afternoon as the Boy Scouts of Buckskin Camp at Many Point Scout Camp sing Throw Them Out The Window before entering the dining hall for lunch. Bob, the dining hall guy, did a great job of leading the boys in this loud and hilarious rendition of this campfire favorite. It is the next video of the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast. Just see if you can watch this and not walk away without humming this song.

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What was your favorite song at summer camp this year?

It is usually not a problem keeping Boy Scouts busy when we go to summer camp. Between merit badge sessions, troop activities, and open programs there is plenty for them to do. Summer camp is designed to keep boys busy.

Adult leaders have more free time. Oh, we could follow the boys around as they go to their classes. We can partake of a few training adult leader training sessions or activities, but we still end up with time to kick back and relax. And think of things to do.

I do not know why, but when I packed for camp this year I threw a little Piglet figure (Winnie Pooh’s friend) into my briefcase. When I got to camp he moved into my day pack with his head peaking out so that he could see where we have been. The Boy Scouts pulled him out during lunch early in the week and had a little fun with him. When the dining hall steward walked by our table we gave him Piglet. He put it on his hat and made a face while I took his picture.

Then it hit me! I have a mission for the week. How many members of the camp staff could I get to pose for a picture with Piglet?

I took Piglet with me nearly everywhere I went: to the beach, to the ranges, to the climbing tower, wherever.  The staff had fun with it. I was even able to get the camp director and the program director to pose with the little guy. But the end of the week I had pictures with 17 members of the staff, plus a few other pictures with the troop.

The pictures have been posted in an album I created on Facebook. Check them out by clicking HERE.

Join the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 as they attend Many Point Scout Camp during the week of July 10-16, 2011. This video of Melrose Scout Productions Podcast includes a look at their campsite in Buckskin Camp, along with a couple of the songs led by the staff before the Boy Scouts would go to the dining hall for their meals. The songs include The Duck Song and Herbie, the Family Pet.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast

Or watch it online at Melrose Scout Productions Podcast channel at PTC Media.

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How was your summer camp this year?

Every year since 1982 I have attended a long term camp with the Boy Scouts of Troop 68, Melrose. Most of these have been week-long summer camps, but they also included five treks at Philmont Scout Ranch, one trip to the High Knoll Trail of West Virginia, one trip to the Northern Tier High Adventure Base, and a trip to the 2001 National Jamboree in Virginia.

The troop has attended three summer camps during the last three decades. We have been to Tomahawk Scout Reservation in Wisconsin twice. Crow Wing Scout Reservation in Minnesota was a favorite of the troop for five years. Many Point Scout Camp became our home in the early 1990’s. We have been attending camp at MPSC now for 23 years. The boys really seem to enjoy themselves there.

Five Boy Scouts of Troop 68, along with Eymard, the assistant scoutmaster, and myself, attended camp this year. Once again, we stayed in the Buckskin subcamp of MPSC. This was the fifth year we stayed at the Seton campsite, which is a small site located on the top of a small hill. The site is in the middle of Buckskin, near the lodge, trading post, and shower house.

Troop 68 was one of the first troops to arrive at MPSC on Sunday, July 11th. I think we may have been the first troop in Buckskin for the week. Four of the five boys had already attended camp in the previous years so they knew the routine. They set up their tents, moved in their gear, changed clothes, and headed to the beach front for their swim checks. Eymard and I set up the screen porch and dining fly after they left.

The troop had supper in the camp’s dining hall but the senior patrol leader and his assistant had supper at the lodge with the other SPL’s and ASPL’s in camp. It would be the first of a few meetings they would have during the week with the staff.

After supper, the troops participated in a tour of the camp which took the boys to each of the program areas. It was during this tour that the boys discovered were their merit badge classes would be held. All five of the Troop 68 Scouts would be working on the Weather merit badge. Three would be working on archery (a two hour course), and the other two would work on Lifesaving (also a two hour course). The boys would be busy all morning with classes. Troop activities would fill our afternoons. Open program areas would keep the boys busy in the evenings.

Sunday evening ended with the staff’s opening campfire program. The program was great. It was very entertaining while introducing us to this year’s staff. It was a fantastic start to the week. (Check out the Melrose Scout Production Podcast for videos from the campfire.)

As we walked back to our campsite the boys declared that they would be going straight to bed. They were tired. I was quite surprised. Usually, the boys want to stay up a bit later the first night at camp. It was one of the few times I was in bed at summer camp before 10:30. As I laid there on my cot I thought to myself, “It is good to be back again. Almost like coming home.” As the MPSC rouser states, “Many Point Scout Camp, that’s the place to be.”

I slept well that first night.

The Buckskin staff of Many Point Scout Camp always has a great song to bring the Friday night campfire to a close. This year was no exception. The staff sang a song about being at camp and enjoying the outdoors. I wish I knew the name of the song. This post to the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast features the Buckskin staff as they sing the song at the July 16th campfire. It was a great tune to settle the boys down for the program’s end.

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Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Subscribe to Melrose Scout Productions Podcast through iTunes (and rate the show)
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Check out other Scouting podcasts at PTC Media.

It is almost a tradition. During the past few years I have taken my video camera along to summer camp and recorded the opening and closing campfire programs. These programs are edited down to become podcast episodes and a dvd for the Boy Scouts who attended camp. Over the past few years I have posted a video to the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast featuring the Buckskin staff of Many Point Scout Camp as they lead the campers in the Many Point Rouser at the beginning of the Sunday evening campfire. It is now time to post the 2010 version.

It amazes me every year we go to summer camp how energized the camp staff always seems to be. When they lead the boys in the rouser with so much enthusiasm it sets the stage for the entire week. The Boy Scouts know they have a staff that is anxious to work with them during the week and ready to have fun while they do. So, let’s dedicate this video to not only the Buckskin staff of Many Point Scout Camp but to all the staff members of summer camps around the country.

By the way, this video also contains footage of a couple of very athletic guys doing a little pre-campfire show, and the introduction of the troops at camp.

Do not forget to go to iTunes and rate the podcast. It has been awhile since the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast has received some iTunes love.

Click here to DOWNLOAD and watch this Podcast.
Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes (and rate the show)
or at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other Scouting podcasts at PTC Media.

Hundreds of thousands of Boy Scouts attend summer camp every year. The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 are no exception. Five Scouts and two adult leaders attended Many Point Scout Camp, located north of Park Rapids, during the week of July 11-17.

A typical day at camp began with breakfast in the Buckskin dining hall. Then the boys would spread out throughout the camp as they worked on their merit badge advancements. After lunch, there would be troop activities. The Scouts were free to participate in any of the open program areas in the evenings.

The Melrose Boy Scouts kept quite busy at camp. Monday afternoon began with an Ethics In Action team building program. Then they spent an hour at the beach enjoying the camp’s aquatramp (sceen above). A service project of installing a new bench around the campfire ring finished up the afternoon.

The troop helped row a 30 foot long voyager canoe across the lake Tuesday afternoon to visit the new Frontier Camp. The camp was set up to be similar to an 1800’s logging camp. The Scouts cut logs using a two person saw, split lumber with an ax, debarked logs, branded beaver cookies, and played horseshoes.

Wednesday activities began with a round of disc golf. The Scouts climbed the climbing tower before heading to the archery range for the troop’s annual “Robin Hood” competition. The troop visited the Many Point History Center after supper and climbed to the top of the 100 foot high fire tower.

Thursday afternoon found the boys at Scoutcraft to learn some new cooking skills, including how to bake lembas bread, the bread of the elves in the Lord Of The Ring series. Then they went to the rifle range for the troop shoot. The afternoon ended with a relaxing hour at the beach front sauna house.

The troop began Friday afternoon like every troop in camp, with a camp reflection period. Then it was back to the waterfront for two hours of sailing on the Many Point Sunfish sailboats. The closing campfire program was held Friday evening with every troop in camp performing a song or skit. The Scouts of Troop 68 did a great job with their skit and got several laughs during their performance. (Watch for a future MSPP episode for the video of the skit.)

The five Scouts of Troop 68 did well during their merit badges programs. Each Scout completed two merit badges. The badges earned this year were Weather, Archery, and Lifesaving. One Scout was able to finish his Camping merit badge while at camp.

The Boy Scouts and adult leaders had a great time at camp this year and already have made their reservation to attend many Point Scout Camp during the 2011 season.