A Scoutmaster's Blog

Here are a few pictures from summer camp at Many Point Scout Camp.

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.

The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 began arriving at the meeting place at 8:45 on Sunday morning, July 15. They were packed, in uniform, and excited. They were ready for a week of adventure at Many Point Scout Camp located north of Park Rapids near Podsford, Minnesota.

The eight Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 and their leaders arrived at MPSC near 1:00 Sunday afternoon. After checking in at the administration building the troop headed to the Seton Campsite in Buckskin Camp to begin setting up their gear and tents. As a light rain began to fall the boys headed to the beach for their swim checks. After supper the Scouts took part in a camp orientation. The evening campfire program by the camp staff, was enjoyed by everyone.

A typical day at camp is divided into three parts. The Scouts work on learning skills and earning merit badges during the morning hours. The afternoons are filled with various troop activities. The camp’s program areas are opened in the evening for Scouts to have fun where ever they like.

The Scouts from Melrose found themselves at the beach after lunch on Monday. Some of the guys worked on the swimming skills while others had fun on the camp’s Aqua Trampoline. After the boys dried off it was time to head to the rifle range to shoot 22 rifles. The boys demonstrated they could shoot pretty well. Some of the boys had very nice groupings. The boys spent the rest of the afternoon around the campsite playing ball and games.

Sailing was the first troop activity Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, the wind was not very brisk so the boats moved very slowly. The next activity found the boys at the camp chapel to work on their SuperTroop project. The Scouts and leaders straightened a few benches that had moved and become crooked.

The big activity Tuesday afternoon was the camp’s Ironman Triathlon. This three part competition consisted of canoeing, swimming, and running. Scouts could participate individually or as part of a team. The young Scouts from Melrose decided to compete as a team. Three boys were the troop’s canoers. Jonah was the swimmer. Zack was the runner. The boys had a good time and did very well.

The two oldest Boy Scouts from Melrose did not compete in the Ironman because they spend the afternoon and evening at Many Point’s Flintlock High Adventure Camp. They participated in a new camp activity called the Challenge Outpost. The Outpost is an eight hour activity in which a group of Scouts try to overcome various challenges, similar to the television show Survivor, only in this program no one gets kicked off the island.

The Scouts went canoeing during their first activity session Wednesday afternoon. This was followed by a few games during Ethics In Action that challenged the boys in problem solving. As the temperature rose to the upper 80’s during the afternoon the boys appreciated that their troop swim that was scheduled. Several of the boys had fun when they checked out the snorkeling equipment.

Watch for this blog for a future post as I finish covering the Boy Scouts week at Many Point Scout Camp.

Philmont Scout Ranch is a magical place. Just anyone who has been there. Most people want to go back again and enjoy the experience a second and third time. I have been lucky enough to participate on a Philmont trek five times with the Boy Scouts of Troop 68. Someday I may try a sixth trek.

Many of the camps through-out Philmont are staffed These staffed camps include programs for the campers. Themes include Indian Lore, gold mining, rock climbing, and the life of a mountain man. If you attend Philmont you need to be sure to include these programs in your stay. They are both informative and a lot of fun.

There are also many campsites through Philmont that are staffless and without any programs. These camps offer the crew a chance to kick back, relax, and really enjoy the wilderness of Philmont. Of course, boys being boys, they only kick back for so long before starting to look for something to keep themselves busy. Exploration of the nearby territory will keep them busy for a little while. I would also suggest you bring a few games to play.

Keep in mind that you will be carrying these game materials with you from campsite to campsite so a few things must be considered when choosing games. The game should be simple, lightweight, and limited in the number of pieces. After all, you will be carrying it on your back for ten days in a pack with a limited amount of room. Philmont games should not be electronic. You do not want to carry the weight of extra batteries in your back, or disrupt the relaxing songs of birds with the sounds of Mario racing through the next level.

My first suggestion for a Philmont game is a deck of cards. Cards are lightweight, small, and can be used to play many different games. You can play cards by yourself, with a friend, or with the crew. Cards can be played outside during a nice sunny day, or in the tent during an afternoon shower. A few decks of cards can keep a whole crew busy for hours.

My second suggestion is to bring a flying disc or two along, otherwise known as a frisbee. Simple catch is the most common game with the firsbee, of course. Crews can also play team games such as 500 or Ultimate. I have seen two crews playing each other in Tip and having a lot of fun competing against each other.

Hacky sack has been a very popular game during the last trips I have taken to Philmont. The bean filled sack is very small, and very lightweight. It can be played with two people or the whole crew. I have even seen Scouts play hacky still wearing their packs during a rest stop. I have discovered that most adults are not very good at this game, myself included.

Well, there you have it, three games small in size and weight that are great for a Philmont trek. Any of these can provide hours of entertainment for a bored crew. Of course, if you have been to Philmont you probably already know about these games. If you are a first timer be sure to bring them.

What other games has your crew played at Philmont?

The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 went to Philmont Scout Ranch the first time in 1986. They enjoyed the adventure so well that plans were made to attend the ranch again in 1989. Seven Scouts and two adults from the Melrose troop would attend the second trip. One of the Scouts and one of the adults of this crew would be making their second trek.

I am not going to write about this trip very much with this blog entry. However, if you would like to see several dozen pictures of what Philmont was like in 1989 you can check out the troop’s photo galleries of the trip by clicking here.

As we did for the 1986 trip, we put together a slide show for the parents and others troop members, which was later turned into a video. This video becomes today’s entry to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast. The script was written by one of the Scouts, and it was narrated by a few of the crew members. Let us know how you enjoy it by leaving a comment.

Watch (download) the video by clicking HERE.

The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 participated in a trek at Philmont Scout Ranch for the first time in 1986. I like taking a lot of photographs when I am out with the Scouts so I came home with over 200 pictures ready to be developed. I also wanted the parents and families to see what we did while we were on the Philmont trip so I wrote a script and used many of the pictures in a slide show, complete with narration and music.

Shortly after the trip, I also started taping Scouting activities and producing video programs for the local cable access television station. It did not take long before I turned the slide show into a video for the station. It was crude, being a video of an actual slide show, but it got the show on the air.

Years later I would have a computer capable of re-editing the program and making the production look much better. I scanned the pictures of the trip into the computer and re-made the program, keeping the soundtrack but replacing all the video with clearer pictures. I was now able to add more photographs. I was also able to pan across the photos, and zoom in and out of them. The program became a lot more fun to much and looked much more professional then the video of the slide show.

This entry to the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast lets you download and view this reconstructed production. It presents a trip into the past of Philmont Scout Ranch, and our troop’s first, but not last trip, to this Scouting paradise.
Watch Video
.

Last weekend the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 joined the Scouts of eight other troops at our council’s camp, Parker Scout Reservation. They did not gather for a council or district event. These troops came together to provide their Scouts an opportunity to work on various merit badges. The eighty-seven Scouts were given the chance to work on up to four of the eighteen merit badges offered during the outing which lasted from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. The simpler merit badges were offered during the evening hours. The tougher merit badges were done through the morning and afternoon sessions. The councilors were provided by the troops who attended.

The merit badge subjects included quite a variety of topics. There were some Eagle required badges including First Aid, Communications, and the Citizenship awards. Other subjects included badges not usually found at summer camps. These included Auto Mechanics, Electricity, and Computers. The boys even had a chance to earn rarely earned badges such as Archeology, Chemistry, and Textile.

Nine Boy Scouts from Troop 68 attended the weekend. The boys realized this was a “work” weekend instead of a “fun” weekend. They knew it was a chance to earn merit badges and get a jump on their advancement. Each of the boys completed two, three, or four merit badges. Only a few partials were brought home.

The weather did not provide us with a nice sunny, warm weekend. (See the previous blog entry.) Luckily, the buildings around camp were reserved for the weekend. All except the Auto Mechanics and Archeology merit badges were able to be done indoors.

This was the second year that Troop 68 participated in this program. The boys enjoyed the classes and were thankful for the opportunities. The troop and I would like to thank John Chance for organizing the outing, the Cold Spring Venture Crew and other staff members, and the sixteen merit badge councilors who gave up their weekend to work with the Scouts. Thanks to everyone who helped, the nine Scouts from Melrose earned a total of 30 merit badges.

Boy Scout Troop 68 began using Eureka tents in the late 1980’s. We began using the Alpine Meadows four man tents until Eureka discontinued making that model. Then we moved on to that popular model with Scout troops known as the Timberline. Along the way we also bought a few little two man backpacking tents.

We have had very good luck with the Eureka tent line. Yes, they cost a bit more then some other brands out there but the Eurekas are made with good quality materials. The tents have survived a lot of Boy Scout camping abuse. The main problem we have had is boys losing the aluminum stakes that come with the tents.

We have discovered a few tips for taking care of tents over the years. For example, when camping in grazing woodlands keep the cattle away from the campsite. Make sure the boys do not play football or other ball games next to the tents. Do not erect tents downwind and near campfire rings. Pack and store tents after they are completely dry, and not when they are soaking wet.

Last weekend was the troop’s first camping trip of the new year. When we arrived at Parker Scout Reservation we had to set up the tents in a light rain, which did not make the Scouts very happy. Did I mention that we were camping on the side of the lake receiving the full strength of gale force winds?

For thirty-eight hours the tents were pounded by winds averaging twenty to thirty miles per hour, with gusts in the fifty to sixty miles per hour range. We staked the tents down with larger stakes then the ones that came with the tents, and even moved them Saturday morning so we could try blocking the wind with our cars and pickups. There were times during the evening hours while laying in our sleeping bags that we thought the tents would come down around our heads. The tent files flapped so fast and loudly it was tough to fall asleep.

When it came time to pack the tents Sunday morning we were glad the tents were Eureka. All the tents were still standing. They had done their job of providing us shelter during the rain and wind storms. However, almost every tent had received some sort of damage. A few pole assemblies were bowed beyond repair. Several rings found at the corners of the tents were stretched and would need to be replaced. Surprisingly, the tent fabric held up fine and did not rip. Only the metal portions of the tents received any damage.

This week I will have to go online and find the replacement parts from somewhere, and then find the time to pull the tents apart and start the repair work. That sounds like a good job for the quartermasters to help with. Now, where did I put the troop’s credit card?