Archive for the ‘camping’ Category


Many years ago our troop began an activity on a camping trip that has since become a yearly tradition. We call it the egg drop competition. Each Scout gets a raw egg and has to create a package of natural materials. These packages are then dropped from higher points until only one egg remains unbroken. Has your troop ever tried something like this? #boyscouts #camping #activity

Here is the video we made from the 2012 Competition.

The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 have been attending a week of summer camp at Many Point Scout Camp every year since the early 1990s. They enjoy the program and the staff at the Buckskin Camp. This year, 2019, will be the first year they will change camps as they attend the Ten Chiefs Camp which is located south of the Buckskin Camp. That means the Scouts will not be eating in the Buckskin dining hall this summer. They will be eating their meals in their campsite.

Part of the fun of the Buckskin dining hall is the songs lead by the camp staff before heading into the building to eat. The staff does a great job getting the Scouts fired up and singing.

As I start posting Scouting videos online again I thought I would begin with a video featuring the MPSC staff leading the troops in songs before a few meals. This video was recorded during Troop 68’s stay in June 2017. The video is approximately 20 minutes long. Maybe it will give your troop a couple of ideas for their next campfire program.

The video can be seen at: https://youtu.be/c6IEdWK_t90

Don’t be afraid to subscribe to the Melrose Scouting Productions YouTube channel to receive notifications when videos are uploaded.

Six Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 are now attending summer camp at Many Point Scout Camp in northwestern Minnesota. They left Sunday morning with Scoutmaster Dave and Jason, a father of one of the Scouts. They were all pretty excited about going to camp again. The older Scouts are hoping to get to spend a night in one of the two tree houses found at Many Point. (I found out earlier today that they would get their wish Thursday night.)

I am planning to go up to camp Thursday morning and spend the rest of the week with the troop. During every year that I was the scoutmaster I spent at least one week on a long term camp with the Scouts, either a week at summer camp or two weeks at a high adventure camp like Philmont Scout Ranch. I may not be the scoutmaster anymore but it just does not feel like summer if I do not go to summer camp for at least one day. I have to have fun for at least one day, if not two.

Unfortunately, I see the weather forecast says I may get a little wet once I arrive at camp but, oh well, that is a part of what camping is about. I will pack my Gore-Tex rain gear and umbrella, and make the best of it. It is not like it will be the first time it has ever rained while I was camping. And it probably will not be the last.

MPSC 2016 patchThe Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 have completed their weeklong summer camp for the year. Once again, the troop went to Many Point Scout Camp which is located northwest of Park Rapids in Minnesota. Only four Scouts of the troop attended camp because the older boys will be going on a high adventure trip this week.

Three adults spent a week at the camp, two fathers and Eymard, our 89 year old assistant scoutmaster. I believe this was Eymard’s 27th year attending summer camp, and his 24th or 25th year at Many Point. I did not spend the week at camp but did take one day off work to visit the troop, and it was a full scheduled Thursday that I picked to spend with the boys.

I arrived at camp an hour later then I had planned. I forgot it took 2.5 hours to get there. For some reason I was thinking it was only going to take two hours. I walked into the Seton Campsite at the Buckskin Camp at 10:00 that morning. I was not to worried about missing anything though. I knew the Scouts had merit badge sessions in the morning and would be scattered around the camp. I took a few minutes to chat with Eymard and Dave, the dad who was there for his second year of camp, to see how things were going before I grabbed my camera and started the hunt to find the Scouts. Jason, the other dad and first time camp attendee, was checking out the older boy program camp.

I discovered I was not the hunter, or at least not a very good one. The Scouts found me. As I walked past the old handicrafts lodge, which I now call the gaming lodge since it is the location of the Chess and Game Design merit badges, I heard someone yell my name. As I turned around I saw three of the four Scouts standing in the doorway inviting me into the lodge to see what they had been doing. I quickly discovered all four Scouts were in the building working on the Game Design merit badge.

As the next merit badge session began, the boys separated as they headed to three different classes. I visited each class and took a few pictures of each of the Scouts. After all, that was my unofficial job, troop cameraman. It was funny when one of the Scouts made a comment that now someone will be taking pictures during camp. I guess he thought the dads had been a little lax in this area. But than, in their defense, I am well known for taking lots of pictures. I do mean lots of pictures. I went home after that one day of camp with nearly 180 pictures. Yeah, maybe I take too many, but you know, everyone likes to look at them later.

We did not eat lunch in the dining hall. Instead, we grabbed bagged lunches because we were going on a field trip. We were going to spend the afternoon at Itasca State Park, which is located only 45 minutes from camp. It was time for the Scouts to see the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River. There would be a lot of photo taking opportunities for me.

We arrived back in camp the the 4:00 merit badge session. There was a little free time after that session to goof around and chat. Then it was time to retire the colors and head to supper at the dining hall. After being well fed the Scouts did some merit badge homework and attended some of the  open programs. When the boys started coming back to the campsite about 8:30 we prepared to start a fire for making s’mores. I had stopped on the way to camp that morning to pick up the ingredients.

Unfortunately, I was not able to stay around to enjoy the campfire. I had to go to work the next morning. I left camp at 9:30 that evening to start the long journey home. I walked into my house at midnight, tired, but glad I had spent a day at camp. I had a good time, and it looked like the boys and adults were having a great time.

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2014 2015The Christmas holiday is over and the new year is just a day away. The year of 2014 is coming to an end and like a lot of people I am looking back at its highlights. There are a few that stand out in my Scouting world.

I finally started camping again. When I stepped down as the scoutmaster three years ago I cut back on the number of troop outings I attended, giving the new leadership the chance to step into the role without me watching every move over their shoulder. I still attended some of the outings, but only part time, and only during the day. This past year was the first year I finally spent a night during an outing. I am easing back into it slowly. I spent one night at Camp Watchamagumee in May and one night at Many Point Scout Camp in July. Granted, that is only two nights during the whole year, but that is all I was needed. The parents have been stepping up pretty well.

Late this summer I signed on for a second year as the assistant roundtable commissioner. I had fun doing it last year so I thought I would give it one more season. I probably will not sign up for a third year because I am starting to get too many irons in the fire.

The biggest thing to happen to my little Scouting world was that I became quite involved with the local Cub Scout Pack. The previous leadership graduated out of the pack so I took up the challenge to form a new pack committee. We now have a good active committee but unfortunately did not find a person to take over as the cubmaster. After acting as the cubmaster for a few pack meetings I decided to formally take on the role until next May, thus becoming my biggest Scouting event of the year. While it has been fun working with the Cub Scouts my heart is still strongly resting with the Boy Scout troop.

I also gained one more volunteer position outside of the Scouting program. I am now a member of the local historical museum’s board of directors. I started this position in December. I think it is a four year or a six year term. I am not really sure though. I should probably ask about that.

How was your 2014? Any big events? Any new Scouting positions?

Bear Skin SignWhat do you think of when you hear the words “bear skin”? Is your first thought a bear skin rug? Maybe a sporting game between the Bears and the Redskins? Maybe a sunburn after sitting with bare skin in the sun too long? One of the things I think of is summer camp. It was the name of the campsite my troop used for two years when I attended camp as a youth.

I attended Parker Scout Reservation of the Central Minnesota Council for three years during the mid-1970’s. It is a small camp by some summer camp standards, but it was the home of Troop 68 and other troops for a week of fun and excitement. In its earlier days it was called Camp Clyde. These days it is sometimes called Camp Parker. It closed as a summer camp in the late 1970’s but is still used as a weekend camp for council Boy Scout and Cub Scout activities. Troop 68 has used the camp on several occasions over the years for their own weekend activities.

The council has done several major renovations and additions to Camp Parker during the last few decades. The old dining hall was completely renovated and an addition was built onto it. A storage building was added next to it at the same time. A new shower house was constructed back in the nineties. Several older buildings have been remodeled with new heating systems installed. The biggest addition to Camp Parker took place when the castle was built. Yes, you read that correctly. A castle. (Pictures of the castle can be seen at http://www.bsacmc.org/photo_gallery_miller_castle.html .)

A few months ago I received a phone call at work asking if the lumber yard would like to donate some cedar lumber so new signs could be built for the campsites. The signs were getting pretty run down and looked rather shoddy. I did not even give my boss a chance to reply to the request. I used this as a chance for myself to give back a little to the place I have been going to for four decades. I donated the materials.

But I had one request. I wanted the old campsite sign of the camp I stayed in as a young Boy Scout. I wanted the old Bear Skin sign. I was told that should not be a problem and that they would set it aside for me.

That was a couple months ago. Yesterday, when I arrived back home from working at my parents renovation project, I found something placed between my front door and combination door. Later in the morning my district executive had stopped by my house on his way through town and dropped off the sign. Other than patches and pictures, this is the first item from Camp Parker I have been able to add to my Scouting collection.

The sign was actually in decent shape considering it has weathered several Minnesota winters and summers. I really have no idea how long this sign has marked the campsite. I would doubt it is the same sign that welcomed Boy Scouts in the 1970’s, but it is a piece of camp history and I am happy to have it in my collection.

Below you can see a map of Parker Scout Reservation from a camporee probably held in the early 1990’s. As you can see, Parker is not a big camp but it really does not matter. I have made a lot of great Scouting memories there.

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mpsc2014bThe Boy Scouts have come home. About an hour and a half ago the ten Boy Scouts and two adult leaders of Melrose Troop 68 arrived home from spending the week at Many Point Scout Camp in northwest Minnesota. From the few minutes I was able to talk to them I discovered they had a great time but were ready to get home, clean up, and get back to life with their families.

The ten Scouts did an excellent job earning advancement while they were at camp. When I left them Monday afternoon I made a deal with them. I told them that if they earned a total of 25 completed merit badges during the week I would host a movie/pizza party. Eight of them were earning the Cooking merit badge which I did not think they could complete during camp so I did not count these against the total. I thought that 25 badges would present a good goal but would still be challenging.

Someday I will learn my lesson for betting against the Scouts. They earned their goal and went beyond it. They came home with 33 completed merit badges. It might be 34 after we check one Scout’s camping outings to see if he completed his Camping Merit Badge. Eight of these merit badges were the Cooking badge. It seems that with the new requirements this year the boys can complete the award during the week at camp. Oh well, even if I took the eight Cooking merit badges off the total it still leaves 25 completed badges, which met the goal. I guess I better get ready to buy some pizzas.

Here is a breakdown of the merit badges earned at summer camp this year:
8- Cooking, 2- Climbing, 2- Environmental Science, 4- Fishing,
1- Fish and Wildlife Management, 1- Forestry, 3- Game Design,
2- Geocaching, 1- Kayaking, 1- Lifesaving, 1- Mammal Study,
1- Nature, 1- Rowing, 1- Shotgun Shooting, 3- Weather,
1- Wilderness Survival (and possibly 1- Camping).

Congratulations to all the Boy Scouts for doing a great job at camp this week. Even though they earned a lot of badges while at camp they still managed to have a lot of fun and participate in in lots of activities.

scoutcamp“Many Point Scout Camp. That’s the place to be. It’s where the best of Scouting is and that’s the place for me. You hear the loon a’calling, and the Little Beaver roar, and you’ll come again the legend says, just like the Scouts of yore.”

You can almost hear the staff singing this song as you drive into the parking lot near the Administration Building and Welcome Center of Many Point Scout Camp. Maybe the ten Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 were not thinking about the song, but I was as I parked the car. You could really feel the excitement from the staff as the new campers arrived for the week of July 6th.

The Scouts of Troop 68 have been spending a week of their summers at MPSC for 25 years. The troop stays in the Buckskin Camp, one of the four camps available at Many Point. In Buckskin, the Scouts eat in the dining hall instead of cooking their own meals.

My car was one of three vehicles bringing the Melrose Scouts to camp. The trip took nearly three and a half hours with a stop along the way for lunch in Wadena. The three Scouts who rode with me had an extra reason for choosing my vehicle. We worked on a couple requirements for the Citizenship in the Community merit badge.

Since I planned to spend the night at camp I helped to set up the adult leader’s tent while the senior patrol leader and acting scoutmaster were meeting with our camp counselor at one of the campsite picnic tables. During the rest of the afternoon the Scouts stopped by the dining hall for instructions, stopped at the beachfront for safety talks and swim checks, and finished setting up their camp.

One reason I wanted to stay for the night was to watch the opening campfire program. I was hoping to record a good video or two of the songs and skits the staff would perform. I hit the jackpot! The staff did an outstanding job. Even the Scouts who have been to camp for a few years were laughing and enjoying the program. I plan to post some of the video to the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast so check checking back for that.

Monday morning arrived. One of the Scouts and I were anxiously awaiting the arriving of our camp councilor and the schedule of the troop’s afternoon activities for the week.The Scout had broke his arm Saturday evening and he was wondering if it would be worthwhile for him to stick around for the week. Yes, he could work on merit badges during the morning sessions, but would there be activities he could take part in during the afternoon session?

The camp councilor brought the schedule after breakfast during the first merit badge session. I looked it over and when the Scout returned to the campsite we reviewed it together. Yes, the swimming activities and climbing tower were out for him, but we agreed that he could participate in 3/4 of the rest of the schedule. The assistant scoutmaster offered to work with him on his First Class Rank during those activities that he would not be able to partake in. The Scout decided to stay for the week.

I decided to leave camp early Monday afternoon. I said goodbye to the Scouts as they left for their first afternoon troop activity, which happened to be a nature canoe trip. I did sit down at the picnic table to play a couple quick hands of rummy with Eymard, our acting scoutmaster for the week. After we both won a game I decided it was time to leave.

I think the Boy Scouts will have a great time at Many Point this summer. They have a fun afternoon schedule and are enjoying their merit badge classes. The camp staff seems pumped and enthusiastic which will really help the Scouts have a fun and enjoyable week.

Where is your troop going to camp this summer?