A Scoutmaster's Blog

He was already sixty years old when his youngest son became a Boy Scout in Troop 68. When the troop needed an adult to attend a week of summer camp he volunteered his time. This year, Eymard celebrated his nineteenth year of attending summer camp with the Boy Scouts. That becomes truly amazing when you realize that Eymard is now eighty years old.

Eymard was never a Boy Scout as a youth. As one of ten children raised on a central Minnesota farm he never had the chance, or the time, to be a Scout. To tell the truth, I do not think Eymard ever thought about Scouting.

Eymard’s son, Peter, joined the troop after a friend talked him into trying it out. Eymard had recently retired from farming and had built a home in Melrose. Peter enjoyed Scouting and it did not take long before Eymard begin helping with activities.

Eymard was 61 years old when he attended a Boy Scout summer camp for the first time, an age at which must men want nothing to do with camping, tents, or a group of teenage boys. Unfortunately, that first summer camp at Crow Wing Scout Reservation was almost Eymard’s last week of camp with the troop. The older boys acted so badly and were so lazy that I myself considered resigning as scoutmaster. It was a true sign of Eymard’s commitment to the program that he continued to help out at troop functions and became an assistant scoutmaster.

While his son was a member of the troop, Eymard attended various training sessions offered by the district and council. By the time his son retired from Scouting (after earning his Life Rank) Eymard was totally dedicated to the Scouting program. He stayed on as assistant scoutmaster and became the troop chaplain. He continues to attend weekend outings and the annual week-long summer camp regularly.

Eymard has a great time working with the Scouts, and they respect him. He ejoyes helping the younger boys attain the ranks of Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class. He has fun teaching the Scouts how to cook meals from scratch. If they is a little free time during the day you may find him playing cards with the boys. No Scout of Troop 68 will ever forget eating Eymard’s fresh popped buttered popcorn while sitting around the campfire.

Eymard and I have made a good team during these past nineteen years. We value each other’s opinions and are always giving each other some good natured teasing. New boys to the troop pick up on this and quickly accept Eymard as one of their friends.

Eymard has received the “Scouter of the Year” award from the Scenic District. He recently commented that he will continue to be active in Scouting for as long as he is able. I look forward to Eymard being an assistant scoutmaster for many years to come. Hopefully, we will be able to celebrate his 100th birthday during one of our court of honors.

Scott was a typical Boy Scout in many ways. He began as a Tiger Scout, became a Bobcat, then a Wolf, and then a Bear. His father was his Webelos den leader. Both of them graduated into Boy Scout Troop 68. Scott would go on to earn seventeen merit badges and his Life Rank. His father became an assistant scoutmaster and troop chaplain.

Scott attended summer camp at Many Point Scout Camp a few times as a member of the troop. He liked Many Point so well the he and a friend of his became Councilors in Training (CIT) one summer. After he graduated from high school Scott began to spend his summers at Many Point working on the staff. During those years he would switch camps in which he would work, one year at Buckskin, the next at Ten Chiefs, and a few years at Family Camp. The beach areas were a favorite of Scott’s so it came as no surprise when he became the Aquatics Director of one of the camps. Scott loved being outdoors and could not get interested in a job in which he would have to spend his summers in some air conditioned building.

As the years went by Scott continued to work at Many Point. He saw many young men and women come and go as staff members. He began to spend more time each year at camp, arriving earlier, and leaving later, then the camp staff. He began taking on more duties and responsibilities. It did not take long for Many Point to become Scott’s unofficial home.

When the camp’s head ranger announced that he would retire, and that the assistant ranger would step up to replace him, Scott wasted no time in applying for the assistant ranger position. It was a position that Scott had had his eye on for a few years. It came as no suprise to me when I heard that Scott was offered the position and had accepted the offer.

And so Scott, an alumni of Melrose Troop 68, became a full time ranger for the very camp he had attended as a Boy Scout. Many Point had become his official home. I was happy for him, and proud of him. It had reached the goal he had set for himself.

This week eight boys from Troop 68 attended Many Point Scout Camp. Tuesday morning, while the Scouts were having breakfast in the dining hall, Scott stopped by our table to visit with us, catch up a bit with the adult leaders, and meet the troop’s newest Scouts. He told us he really loves his job, and that there could be a wedding in his future, to a girl he met while working at the camp. I wish him the best as he looks toward his future.

As a scoutmaster, it is great to visit with former troop members. It is especially pleasing to hear that they are doing well with their lives. A Scout leader always hopes that the brief time a boy spends in Scouting will have a positive impact on his life. In Scott’s case, in was more then just an impact. It became a career.

It is that time of year. Time to pack up and head out to a week of summer camp with the boys from Boy Scout Troop 68. Once again we will be attending Many Point Scout Camp located in northern Minnesota near Pondsford. The troop will be heading out Sunday morning and getting back early Saturday afternoon. This also means that there will not be many blog entries added during the coming week. I will be in the middle of nowhere without internet access. Not that that would matter anyway because I do not own a laptop. I do plan to bring pad and paper to camp to write blog entries while sitting around the campsite, sipping on root beer and eating marshmallows.

I think the troop has attended Many Point Scout Camp for nearly 20 years. The boys have a great time there. The staff is fantastic and work well with the boys. We stay in Buckskin Camp, so we get to eat in the dining hall, which also means I will be eating better this coming week then I do at home. (Keep in mind that I am single.) I will probably gain a few pounds while at camp, which is something I really do not want to do. Oh, if I could just keep my hands off the homemade Granny Bread!

During the early stays at Many Point, Troop 68 was at the height of its campfire song creation phase. The boys and scoutmaster (me) would take songs and change the words to make campfire songs out of them. After staying at Many Point a few times we decided to create a song about the camp. We wrote the following lyrics based on the Village People’s “YMCA” song. It became a hit the first time we performed it at the Friday night closing campfire. We have repeated the performance a few times over the years.

Interested in what the lyrics are? Well, lucky you. I decided to post them here just for your enjoyment. I bet you may be singing them to yourself before you are done reading the last verse.

MPSC
(sung to the tune YMCA)

1) Young man, When you need to get out,
I said, young man, get away from the crowds.
I said, young man, don’t just sit there and pout.
Get up and camp with the Boy Scouts.

That’s where, you can shoot 22’s.
I said, that’s where, there’s always something to do.
I said, that’s where, you can eats lots of stew,
get belly aches and turn shades of blue.

(Refrain)
It’s fun to go to the M.P.S.C. You’ve got to go to the M.P.S.C.
You can tie a few knots, you can cook your own meal,
You can do whatever you feel.

M.P.S.C. You’ve got to go to the M.P.S.C.
Young man, young man, don’t just sit on your tail.
Young man, young man, get yourself on the trail.

2) Voyagers, is the place you should be
if you want to, cook your food as you please.
Then there’s Ten Chiefs, out among all the trees,
without a shower facility.

Buck Skin, is the camp where you call
patrol members, to eat in the dining hall.
Project Cope is, the place where you do it all
even experience free fall.

3) Young man, the bathrooms are quite unique.
I said, young man, wait till you get a peek.
I said, young man, it’s the place that you seek
When you can’t wait any longer.

Then there’s, the bedroom facilities
Where you can get, a bit caught up on your zzz’s
Where the canvas, let’s in all the bugs and fleas
Unless you’ve got mosquito netting.

(Are you singing yet?)

So you want to have a great campfire program, huh? Well, you have to have a great opening song, something to get the Boy Scouts fired up, something with a lot of energy. You need a song like the Many Point Scout Camp Rouser Song!

The MPSC Rouser Song is this week’s Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast (MSPP) video. The staff begins each week’s Sunday night opening campfire with this song which sets the tone for the rest of the evening. It is fast. It is loud. It is energetic. It is rowdy. It is everything a good opening campfire song should be.

This video was taped at MPSC in July of 2006. You can tell that the staff is hyper and ready to have some fun. In four weeks the Scouts from Troop 68 will be attending MPSC again. It will be time once again to join the camp staff in being as loud as we can possibly be!

Download Podcast
Watch Video on the troop’s website.
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I have heard it said many times over the years that anyone who is a scoutmaster (or cubmaster) must be a little crazy. Well, I do not know if crazy is the right word to use but I will admit that a Scout leader must have a lot of patience, must be able to still find the kid within yourself, and must have a good sense of humor. The sense of humor is a necessity. You must be able to laugh and have fun with the boys, and sometimes the summer camp staff.

During the weekly closing campfire at Many Point Scout Camp the staff asks the scoutmasters to come down to the stage. The staff thanks the scoutmasters, and the other adult leaders they represent, for taking the time to spend with the boys at camp. They then present the scoutmasters with a gift. Of course, this happens after they get the scout leaders to perform a song in front of all the Boy Scouts in attendance. You can bet the song will be silly and will be enjoyed by all the boys. Participating in this song is a great test of a scoutmaster’s sense of humor.

This video podcast demonstrates the humor of several scoutmasters during the closing campfire at Many Point Scout Camp in July, 2006. My Scouts thought I would erase this footage since I am one of the scout leaders in the video. However, I have often stated that if you can not laugh at yourself, then you should not be laughing at others. So, sit back, relax, and watch the MPSC staff and the week’s scout leaders “Go Bananas”.

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, temporarily, 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.

Spending a week at summer camp has been an annual event for the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 since 1981. The summer of 2006 was no exception. Seven Scouts and two adult leaders from Troop 68 attended Many Point Scout Camp during the week of July 16-22. Attending camp were Jonah, Zach, Chris, Dakota, Alex, Jeff, and Chris. Steve and Eymard were the adult advisers.

Upon arriving at Many Point on Sunday the Scouts went to work setting up the campsite that would be their home for the next six nights. Then it was off to the beach for swim checks and other parts of the camp for demonstrations. The Many Point Buckskin staff really kicked the week off on a high note with an enthusiastic opening campfire program in the evening.

A typical day of camp was divided into three parts. The mornings were used to work on new skills, earn merit badges and other advancements. Afternoons were used for troop activities. All program areas were opened in the evenings for Scouts to freely roam from one area to another, or they could sit back in camp and relax.

The Scouts from Melrose kept themselves very busy during their stay at camp. On Monday, three boys took part in Project Cope, a team building program. The other Scouts spent the afternoon making and eating an apple cobbler at Scoutcraft, shooting 22 rifles at the range, and playing water polo at the beach.

On Tuesday the boys tried their skill at sailing, worked on a campsite project, and then headed to the beach for the Iron-man triathlon which consisted of canoeing, swimming, and running.

Wednesday afternoon was spent at the beach. The activities started with an hour of rafting and canoeing, following by several DELTA games, and finishing with an hour of free swim.

The troop left camp Thursday afternoon for a field trip to Itasca State Park to see the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Not only did the Scouts get to do some site seeing and walk across the headwaters of the mighty river, but they also got to meet Smokey the Bear.

Three Scouts from Melrose had an afternoon of wild wet fun when they attended the Huck Finn raft on Friday. The rest of the troop had a blast at the climbing tower and bouldering wall, and the archery range.

This year was the 60th anniversary of the opening of Many Point Scout Camp. In honor of this the Many Point staff held a medallion hunt. Campers were given one clue per day if they participated in a special activity in the evening. The Melrose Scouts set their sights on finding the medallion. They beat the other 200 campers that week by finding the silver lantern on Wednesday night.

The week of fun came to an end Friday night during the evening’s closing campfire program. Almost every troop in camp performed a song or skit. The Melrose Scouts did the “How to spot a Pickpocket” skit to the delight of the other campers and staff. Troop 68 was also recognized for finding the medallion and for earning the Super Troop Award.

The Scouts learned a few new skills while they were at camp. They also had a lot of fun and came home with a lot of great memories. Plans have already been made to attend Many Point Scout Camp Next year.

In the last blog I wrote about Cwazy Rabbit Patrol and how they earned a pizza that was paid for by their scoutmaster. This turned out to be the first of three instances in which the spirit of the Cwazy Wabbit made itself known to the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68.

The troop went to a week long summer camp adventure at Many Point Scout Camp in 2005. Four boys attended along with myself and my assistant scoutmaster. Also attending camp that week was Paul, a friend of mine, with his troop of boys from Minneapolis. Paul has been a Scouting friend of mine for over twenty years.

Paul and I planned a few activities for our troops to do together during the week. One activity was a medallion hunt. Paul brought the coin, gave it to me, and put me in charge of the activity. I hid the coin in a public area of the camp and wrote ten rhyming clues which would be given out and meal times. The first few clues were pretty vague, of course, but then they started getting more helpful.

After they received the ninth clue one of my Scouts was sure he knew were the medallion was hidden. He ran to that place in camp and looked for it but was not having any luck finding it. Then a rabbit caught his eye. As boys will be, he momentarily forgot about the medallion and began following the rabbit. He followed the rabbit until he was behind the trading post. Then the Scout glanced up and noticed the medallion taped to the back of the 2×4 on which hung the trading post sign.

The Cwazy Wabbit seemed to have helped the boys from Troop 68 win their second competition.

In 2006, we attended Many Point Scout Camp for summer camp as it celebrated it’s 60th anniversary. This year, the camp staff had hidden a medallion as a special activity for the anniversary. Three clues would be given to the Scout campers during the week. The troop that found the medallion (actually it was a silver colored lantern) would receive a special prize at the Friday evening closing campfire program.

Wednesday night, after receiving the third clue, the Scouts from Melrose Troop 68 thought they knew the location of the medallion. The rushed off the that area of camp in which they thought it had been hidden. They searched the area. Just as they were about to give up one of the boys found the lantern. When he yelled for the other boys to join him he saw a rabbit hop out from under the nearby building. The spirit of the Cwazy Wabbit had made itself know once again.

Unfortunately for me, the scoutmaster, I had made a deal with the boys that if they found the medallion we would stop on the way home on Saturday for pizza, and that I would pick up the bill. I think the spirit of the Cwazy Wabbit enjoys emptying the wallet of the deal-making scoutmaster.