Summer Camp 2007 - Day 7 (Saturday)

Wow, what a week! Troop 804 took 39 Scouts and 9 leaders to Camp Tuckahoe to have fun, earn some merit badges, and get to know each other better. I think we exceeded our goal.

After a good night’s rest on our last night at camp, we awoke to last minute packing (some had more packing than others to do based on the number of visits to the trading post) and breakfast. Once the packing was completed, we policed (cleaned) the area, cleaned the latrine, and received our final inspection and release from our Tuckahoe Troop Guide. We arrived safely at Baldwin Hall right on time (A Scout is punctual).

A very special thank you to Steve Judson, Tim Keagy, Doug Fish, Kendall Crisp, Dave Shade, Brian Hufker, Dan Schindler for providing outstanding adult leadership and a "whatever it takes attitude" to provide a safe, fun, and worthy summer camp experience. This was my 23rd week of summer camp and by far the best week due to these men and the Scouts of Troop 804. A thank you also to Bill Miles, John Hoffman, Annie Medford, and Tom Cosgrove for spending part of the week with us. Your enthusiasm was contagious.

During the week, the Scout in the Troop earned 101 completed merit badges (a Troop 804 record) and 26 partially completed (many that will be finished in the next couple of weeks), five-mile swims, second place in the camp gateway competition, and a lifetime of friends.

We will celebrate our accomplishments at the third quarter Court of Honor on September 25, 2007 at 7:00pm. You will hear from several of our Scouts and adults, see a multi-media presentation on our life this week, and recognize each badge earned. Please mark your calendars!

Thanks for giving us a chance to share in the life of your son.

- Posted by Jay Wilen

P.S. It would be hopelessly misleading to post the above entry without including a description of the incredible energy and time that "Mr. Steve" and "Mr. Jay" devoted to the Summer Camp experience, during the camp and in the weeks (and months) prior. They spent endless hours attending to every detail of the boys' experiences and were keenly aware of how each individual boy's week was progressing. They are truly a remarkable team and the other adults in attendance are both grateful for and humbled by their efforts. We are truly blessed to have them!

Day 6 at Summer Camp - Last Day!

Day 6 of Summer Camp is coming quickly to an end. The majority of the first-year campers, “Buffalo Braves” have successfully completed 4 merit badges, an outstanding accomplishment. A number of our senior Scouts have completed the swimming, archery and wilderness survival merit badges. All the Troop 804 Scouts have performed superbly all week long and have set an outstanding example for all Scouts to emulate. The Trading Post has been a hot-bed of activity during the day when the Scouts have some free time. Every time a new shipment of patches, knives, or animal skins come in our Scouts are waiting at the door.

Five of our Scouts went on their outpost last night for the Wilderness Survival merit badge. They left last night around 1930 and returned this morning just prior to 0700 looking a little tired but happy to have completed it. It is currently 1645 and the Troop is preparing for the Parade of Colors. It has been a pleasure working with your sons this week. Lots of laughs, good experiences, and great memories were had by all.

- Posted by Kendall Crisp

P.S. At the closing ceremony, the Troop was honored to receive several awards, including 2nd place for our Camp Gateway. Plans for arrival at Baldwin continue to put us home at about noon.

Thursday in Summer Camp

Scout Blog

Troop 804 Friends and family. It’s been a privilege to spend the week here at camp with some of the finest scouts and scouters that I have known. Team spirit does not begin to describe the great adventure, good friends and family that we have become.

It’s Thursday. We have had a busy day here at Camp Tuckahoe. The first year scouts in the Buffalo braves program continued work on First Aid, Knife and Axe handling, and fire building that was capped off with a marshmallow and hot dog roast over their own fires. There were smiles all around. This afternoon, they will continue with wood carving, and then have the rest of the afternoon to go to any of the open activities for the rest of the day. Swimming, rifle shooting, archery, scout crafts, Nature, fishing, and more. I had the pleasure to spend the day yesterday hiking the five mile hike for buffalo braves. We toured much of the camp area that most of the scouts normal do not get to see.

During Meal times, the boys prepare the tables and dishes, bring out the food and run for seconds when they are called. It was a bit tricky getting into the routine, but by today, it’s been going like clockwork. When cleaning up, they are getting everything ready to go back to the kitchen by the time the meal time song starts. The tables are wiped down, benches stacked, and the floor swept in short order. In the earlier days, it’s been hit or miss, but by today, the team work is really showing. All of our scouts deserve a big hand on the great job that they are doing.

Weather wise, today has been the best of the whole week. It’s been generally cool in the shade. Even sitting among 20 roasting fires was quite pleasant.

On the merit badge front, the Camping merit badge requires a hike up a large mountain, 4 hours of canoeing, or a fifteen mile bike ride. As I write, this, the boys have finished just over twelve miles and are heading into the home stretch.

At lunch, we celebrated Mr. Jay's birthday with cherry pie (see picture).

Tonight, the Wilderness Survival merit badge guys will be building a shelter in the woods near the mountain summit and spending the night out among the stars. This is one of the best parts of summer camp is to go out in teams with only their survival kits and weather the night.

At one of our meals, we had the pleasure to sit with the Scout Craft Director. He is one of the dynamic individuals that really enjoys teaching camping and wilderness survival. During each meal, we have the option of having one of the staff members in the camp sit with us as seating permits.

The bug count today is low, the temperatures are cool, and the smile count is high.

- Posted by Doug Fish

Summer Camp 2007 - Day 4 (Wednesday)

Troop 804 Summer Camp Update – Wednesday July 11

Hello friends and family of Troop 804! As I sit and pencil these words for tonight’s blog, your boys are out building fires, fishing, swimming, shooting shotguns & rifles, orienteering and many other activities.

Although Dan (Schindler) and myself can not be everywhere at one time, we have done our best in trying to capture pictures of each and every one of your boys.

Well, the heat finally broke this morning. We woke up to light rain and much cooler temperatures today.

It rained harder in the afternoon, but was clearing up as evening approached. Five of the boys completed the one mile swim, including four first-year Scouts (only 11 of the several hundred in the whole camp completed the swim). After dinner (which included chocolate cake!), the Troop attended a religious ceremony followed by a “tap out” ceremony for Order of the Arrow (OA). OA is a high honor within Scouting meant to recognize outstanding leadership and candidates are selected by the Scouts themselves. Two members of the Troop, Tyler Boyles and Zach Boyles, were tapped out tonight.

All of your boys have been a real pleasure to spend time with this week. It’s hard to believe that Saturday is right around the corner!

We will keep the pictures posted on a regular basis.

- Posted by Tim Keagy

P.S. By the way, next time you see Mr. Steve, please ask him about the Scoutmaster Belly Flop contest!!! He did well considering he was outweighed by almost 200 pounds!

Troop 804 Summer Camp - Tuesday

Troop 804 Summer Camp Update – Tuesday July 10

Monday ended with a camp-wide campfire at which the Troop performed 2 skits, both of them big hits! Most (all?) of the boys were sent to the showers so the camp site smelled a bit better. Mr. Jay ran his usual toothbrushing contest, which tonight was won by the group of boys with birthdays between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 (they performed a can-can while brushing and won a pick out of the prize basket). The boys reported a good night sleep – temperatures were a tiny bit on the warm side but nothing too bad.

The Troop assembled today at 7:25 am for the flag ceremony in our camp site (camp wake-up is 7am) , after which we went right down to the camp-wide flag ceremony and then breakfast (eggs, hash browns, bagels, cereal, fruit, juice, and milk). After breakfast, the boys went on their way to their various activities (in groups only, the buddy system is in full force). The first-year Scouts learned about fire building and also had an opportunity to visit both the archery and rifle ranges. The boys had cheesesteak subs for lunch (there is also a salad bar that was actually visited by a few of the boys). In the afternoon, about half the boys are taking Woodcarving (all of the first-year Scouts and several of the older ones) and today they got to use their knives for the first time. Before dinner there is a period of free time (four of the boys are still working toward the mile swim award during that time slot) and mail is distributed.

Dinner was chicken fajitas, corn, rice, salad bar, and a special treat – ice cream sundaes (self-made). The boys take turns being “waiter’ for their patrol but tonight the adults let the waiters go out and get the ice cream before it melted. Little did the “waiters” know that when the adults got out, there were about 25 gallons of ice cream left just waiting for a home. Mr. Kendall “took one for the team” and ate a roughly 3-gallon portion along with a healthy serving of chocolate sauce.

The boys have learned that at meal time, it pays to eat fast and leave the pickiness outside because dismissal comes real fast (pity that they won’t remember these skills for long after returning to the real world). The waiter also have to clear the table, sweep the floor, and return the food to the kitchen – also skills that will magically evaporate in about five days!

Mail call is a popular time of day and it is not too late to drop a note for arrival before the end of the week.

Tonight is the Water Carnival in which the boys can participate in a number of activities at the waterfront and pool, including the very popular Scoutmaster Belly Flop contest. They are hoping for big things from Mr. Steve, who never hesitates to give a big splash.

We have heard that there was plenty of rain (and lightning) back home, and while it did cloud up a bit during the afternoon, we got no rain and the sky is clear now. Temperatures have been quite bearable and are forecast to get a few degrees cooler each day - very pleasant.

Overall, the adults see lots of smiles, smell lots of bug spray and sunscreen, and hear plenty of laughter – just about right for Summer Camp.

- posted by Dave Shade

Troop 804 Summer Camp Update – Monday

We closed out Sunday evening with a Tuckahoe campfire and some funny skits by camp staff. Mr. Steve almost became a stage extra as the troop turned on quickly and volunteered him to participate. Many announcements were passed and then the merit badge blue cards were filled out as goals were set by each Scout for the week. Mr. Jay’s traditional tooth brushing ceremony was followed by a welcome lights out at 11 pm. No need to mention ‘get to sleep’ more than once as everyone was fast asleep as soon as they hit the rack.
Reveille came early in the morn for Troop 804. It began with opening ceremony and formation for breakfast. Waffles, bacon and fruit was the offering for breakfast and then the day’s activities began.
First year Scout’s in the Buffalo Brave program began work on their three merit badges; woodcarving, mammal study, and Indian Lore.
Many miles (literally) and a couple of hours into the day, it was determined that the shotgun and rifle merit badge stations were too far apart to do back to back, so a slight change of plans and everyone was back on track.
Chicken sandwiches, home fries, salad and fruit was the fare for lunch.
Brendan Wilen and Mr. Steve made up a special contingent as the entire camp gave tribute to everyone in the dining hall with a birthday this week – today was the birthday for both. Mr. Jay was able to duck out of this one somehow (his birthday is later in the week). Lunch was followed by visits to the Dogwood Run Café and the Trading Post. From ice cream to pocket knives, hammocks, t-shirts and merit badge kits, everything of interest to 11-15 year old Scouts was perused and/or purchased.
The afternoon was filled with more Buffalo Brave training in Scout crafts (see pictures) and swimming.
Open time from 3-5 saw more swimming and opportunities to practice field sports and other merit badge opportunities. Nearly 10 boys started the process to qualify for the one mile swim. They will swim longer distances each day until they attempt a full mile on Thursday.
Dinner was spaghetti and cherry pie. This was followed by the presentation of tripod chairs bought for each boy.
All are having fun. Quote: ‘If the next five days are like this, camp is going to be great…’

- Posted by Dan Schindler

Troop 804 Update for Sunday, July 08, 2007

The Troop 804 convoy arrived without incident at Camp Tuckahoe at 2:15 pm after a great send off from its family and friends at Baldwin Hall. We settled in to our campsite before taking off to take our swimming test. The pool is fantastic and no one complained about jumping into the water on this hot afternoon. Dinner tasted great and consisted of ham, potatoes, peas and drinks. We took an evening tour of the camp so everyone knows where to go for their programs and are heading off to our big evening campfire! Spirits are high and we are looking forward to a great week.

-posted by Brian Hufker

Welcome to the T804 Summer Camp '07 Blog!

This is where we will post short descriptions of our activities at Camp Tuckahoe (along with pictures!). Assuming that our internet connection remains adequate (and our batteries keep their juice!), we hope to let the folks back home keep up to date with the Troop's doings, so check back often. In the meantime, here's a picture from last year at Camp Barton!