Three years ago the troop began building a treehouse at our Camp Watchamagumee. It was to be an eight foot square house with three foot sidewalls, built eight feet off the ground. It was to be built between a few trees along the main path of the camp. A local lumber yard donated the treated lumber and plywood. I donated the cedar lap siding for the walls.
I thought this would be an excellent project for the Boy Scouts and their fathers. The boys did start out working on the treehouse but we soon discovered the project was not large enough to keep everyone busy. By ones and twos the boys disappeared and began finding other things to do around the camp. It was soon down to two Scouts and the fathers to built the treehouse.
We did not finish building the treehouse that afternoon. We did complete the floor framing, applied the floor plywood, and built two of the walls before we ran out of time. No problem. We would finish it the next year. Unfortunately, we did not go to Watchamagumee in 2009. We did not allow any time in our 2010 schedule to work on the treehouse.
When we went to camp this year I asked one of the fathers, who also happens to be a contractor, to bring some cordless power tools along so we could finish the project. He and I were able to complete the final two walls and build a ladder while the Scouts were working on their Fireman Chit skills.
So, we now have an 8′ x 8′ treehouse at Camp Watchamagumee. I am not sure exactly what we are going to do with it but the landowner already has an idea. He plans to use it as a deer stand during the fall hunting season.
(The picture above shows the treehouse nearly completed.)
100 Days of Scouting, Day 90.
