The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 awoke Thursday morning, July 16, knowing that they had only two days left to enjoy the fun and adventure of Many Point Scout Camp. And they planned to enjoy every minute of it.
The Scouts attended their merit badge sessions that morning, just like they had for the previous three days. The real fun began after lunch. The troop’s first activity was at the archery range. Not only were the boys able to practice their skills with the bow and arrow but they also had the chance to shoot targets with the slingshot and throw the tomahawks.
The climbing tower was the next stop for the troop. The tower had several climbs set up, from fairly easy to rather difficult. The bouldering wall, on which a person climbed horizontally instead of vertically, was also popular with the boys. Zack proved himself as the troop’s best climbing this year when he successfully climbed both the incline climb and the overhang.
The troop’s third activity was to sit back and relax in the Buckskin sauna. The sauna is a building next to the swimming beach that is heated with a wood burning stove. This was a new experience for a couple of the boys. After three times of sweating in the sauna and cooling off in the lake many of the Scouts declared it to be one of their favorite activities.
The Melrose Scouts scattered to all parts of the camp as all the program areas opened after supper. The two oldest members of the troop traveled to Many Point’s Flintlock Camp, the high adventure outpost. Andy and Dakota would be spending the evening and night on the Huck Finn Raft, located out on the lake.
Friday morning was the Scouts last chance to complete the merit badges they had been working on during the week. Then it time to hop into the vehicles for a drive to Itasca State Park, the location of the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The troop spent the entire afternoon at this huge state park. The boys even took the opportunity to walk down the first portion of the river, welcoming the cool water on a warm day.
The week’s activities came to a close Friday night as the campers, adult leaders, and staff gathered for the closing campfire. It was a gorgeous evening as each troop performed a song or skit to the enjoyment of the entire camp. The Melrose Scouts performed a song they had never before done at a campfire program. Imagine the Chicken Dance song done with kazoos as the instruments and you may be able to picture what they did.
As the Scouts reflected on the week before going to bed that night, two boys commented that they were not ready to go home yet. They were having too much fun. However, after a good night’s sleep, they were anxious to get home and back to their families and their own beds.
I like the pic of the bouldering wall