Close Call Lightning

In the last article I wrote about the weather during this summer's week-long outing at Many Point Scout Camp, and the Tuesday storm in which lightning hit a tree near the administration building located less then a mile from our campsite. I did not get to see the tree while I was at camp but one of the Many Point staff members did get a couple pictures of the tree that was hit. Unfortunately, while I saved this photo, I forgot the name of the staff member. Oh well, you can see the damage to the tree. It is further proof to play it safe during thunderstorms and get to a safe place.

Summer Camp Weather

A lot comes to mind when I think about spending a week at summer camp. Scoutcraft, beach activities, and friendships are just a few, but there are a lot more.

The weather always adds something to the memories of camp. I never forget to pack my rain gear because I know there will be at least one rainy day during the week. On the sunny days the temperatures can reach the 90's, which can be pretty nasty when you add in the humidity of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. The mosquitoes and deer flies love the hot humid weather and often make the evenings a challenge to enjoy. Those are the days I am glad I made the investment of a screen porch to bring to camp.

This summer's trip to Many Point Scout Camp added a couple new memories to the many I already have. The week began with Sunday and Monday being sunny and comfortable days. The usually rainy day came on Tuesday as a cold front moved into the area. The light drizzle turned to a heavy rain along with thunder and lightning which closed many of the camp's program areas for safety reasons.

Suddenly, there was a bright flashing of light followed by a deafening boom of thunder that happened at the same moment. Everyone in our campsite jumped inside their tents, including me. My assistant scoutmaster, who happened to be sitting in the screen porch, looked up in the sky in time to see a "ball of fire" to the east of us. We later discovered that lightning had struck a tree near the MPSC administration building which is less than a mile from where we were camping.

The cold front dropped the temperature enough that everyone put on a jacket or sweatshirt. Unfortunately, it stayed cool on Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday. It was so cool that the Scouts decided to skip their troop aquatramp period at the beach Thursday afternoon, and their two hours of sailing on Friday. They had suddenly become fans of disc golf.

Even though the boys decided it was too cool to do activities at the waterfront they did keep busy with camp activities. And there was one advantage to the cool weather. The mosquito population was down, and the deer flies were almost nonexistent. I guess the insects preferred the warmer weather.

Tornado Strikes Scout Camp in Iowa

There was very bad news reported tonight in Iowa. Here is the AP report found on Yahoo...

DES MOINES, Iowa - The National Weather Service has received reports of injuries and possibly fatalities from an apparent tornado that struck a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa. Meteorologist Jim Meyer says law enforcement officials had called the weather service Wednesday evening and reported injuries and damage at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch. Meyer said: "We believe there were some fatalities and injuries." A dispatcher with the Harrison County sheriff's department in Iowa says first responders are at the camp and more are en route. She isn't confirming reports of injuries.

Since this first article was reported online, news has come in that four people were killed at the camp by a "rain wrapped" tornado. Here is the latest update:

DES MOINES, Iowa - A spokeswoman for Iowa Homeland Security says at least four people were killed and 40 injured when a tornado struck a western Iowa Boy Scout camp. Iowa Homeland Security spokeswoman Julie Tack says a search and rescue team has been deployed to the camp near Little Sioux in Harrison County. She says the camp is covered with debris and downed trees after the tornado hit about 7 p.m. Wednesday. Tack says there were 93 campers and 25 staff members at the camp. The campers were between 13 and 18 years old and were attending a leadership training camp. "They were considered some of the best in the area," Tack said. At least 40 people who were injured in the storm were being taken to area hospitals.

Please keep these victims and families in your prayers.

Weather Story - Flood at Summer Camp

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of heavy rain falling on the canvas tent. "Boy, it is raining pretty hard," I thought as I rolled over on my cot and fell back to sleep.

I was with the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 for a week at Many Point Scout Camp. We were staying in the Tyler Campsite in Buckskin Camp. Tyler is located at the north end of the road that runs through Buckskin. It is the campsite that is furthest away from the dining hall and beach. Due to it's location, it is also the most quiet campsite in Buckskin, which is one of the reasons we like it. The campsite is located on a hillside so it has wooden platforms for the tents.

When we woke up that morning we noticed everything around camp was soaked. A couple of the Scouts complained that they had some wet gear, but nothing too serious. We also noticed that there was water in the deep ditch along the campsite. Due to the sandy soil we had very seldom seen standing water in the ditch. We thought it must have rained a couple of inches during the night.

Little did we realize how wrong we were.

As we walked through Buckskin on our way to the dining hall for breakfast we began to realize how much it had actually rained overnight. The lower-lying campsites had been flooded. Dozens of campers has drenched gear and soaked sleeping bags.

The worst damage had been done to Ten Chiefs Camp, located south of Buckskin. The road through Ten Chiefs crossed streams on each end of the camp. Both of these creeks had overflowed their banks during the night and had washed out the road on both ends of camp. Ten Chiefs had, temperarily, become an island. Food had to be brought to the campers by boat on that day.

The camp had received seven inches of rain during the storm. The water level of the lake had risen two inches.

The Boy Scouts and adults of Troop 68 that were staying in Tyler were very grateful that we had slept on a sandy and hilly campsite that night.