Troop 804 - Summer Camp 2013 Heritage Scout Reservation, Camp Freedom, Farmington, PA

Another year of Troop 804 Summer Camp is in the books. As with every previous experience with Troop 804, I look back in amazement at the experience, the growth and development of our boys, their achievements and behavior, and the heroic efforts of our adult leaders.

There were many positive points throughout the week:

• The week started with an easy and comfortable bus ride with the bus driver DONATING his time because he supports what the Boy Scouts stand for. A tremendous gesture indeed. Dennis is a member of Severn Run Church but has no other connections with our Troop. Thank you Dennis!
• Our site was just yards from the parking lot, had plenty of tents and a great layout. 8 showers with plenty of hot water were just 200 feet away. Same for the adults. Sure beats walking a half mile to get a shower, although I’m not sure if the guys took advantage and washed up more often.
• Yes, we had lots of rain (including 2 emergency assemblies) but almost NO BUGS this year. Even with the lake nearby, there just weren’t that many bugs. Temperatures were very mild with some evenings dropping into the 60s. Great for sleeping.
• The schedule provided “Open Program” twice daily giving the scouts lots of free time to either work on their badges or enjoy activities in stations not related to their badges.
• Lots of fun “extra activities”; Polar Bear Swim, Mile Swim, Sunrise Paddle Adventure, Largest Fish, Smallest Fish, Fire Building Contest, Tie Die, Camp Wide Games (volley ball, cannon ball contest, rifle shooting, etc.) OA Tap Out, OA Conversion Ceremony, and others. The staff had great Scout Spirit and led two terrific camp fires, endless songs, cheers, and fun announcements.
• Our scouts demonstrated amazing fellowship and brotherhood to their fellow scouts. Not only expressions of concern but also offers and efforts to reach out and support one another. Taking a fellow scout to the Trading Post for an ice cream, or sitting down for a talk. When one scout left camp early it left another scout without a tent mate. Within an hour I received more than three offers from other scouts willing to move and be his tent mate. I never had to ask for volunteers. There were many other instances of scouts looking out for the welfare of other scouts.
• Troop 804 scouts received many compliments from staff and fellow leaders including; how quickly they quieted when the Scout Sign was raised, their positive participation in camp activities, the service hours they performed at camp; cleaning the showers, installing new steps on the trail, cleaning up branches (brought daily by the beavers) from a drain pipe. One councilor said “I’ve never seen a troop that operates like yours, you guys are just amazing.” Staff not only visited our camp site but stayed to play games with the scouts. We had four or five staff members at our campfire on Thursday.

The efforts of our adult leaders are legendary and didn’t disappoint this year.

• Mr. Ric Gardner was officially recognized at the closing campfire by Aquatics – the only leader who received recognition at any merit badge station in the entire camp. When not at aquatics, Mr. Ric was regularly seen working with scouts on their knots and sharing his extensive knowledge of the outdoors.
• Mr. Dave Dowling gave his usual expert medical care to our scouts and others in the camp. Never a moment’s hesitation, his treatments usually come with a warm and gentile conversation, some 1st aid training, and instructions for follow-up. He can be seen attending to scouts needs 1st thing in the morning, all during the day, and late into the evening. In his spare time he spent hours every day also working in the Scout Craft area in addition to teaching the First Aid merit badge.
• Mr. Brian Hufker was yet another tireless hero. Up every morning at 5:45 for the daily mile run with the scouts, he’s out in front in identifying and handling the problems and conflicts that arise. He always has a warm greeting, positive attitude, and thinks of everyone else before himself. When not helping everyone else, Mr. Hufker oversaw the Ecology and Environment area, among others.
• Mr. Ted Durig began working on this summer camp effort the before returning from last year’s summer camp, putting in hours and hours into registration and logistics. He generously used his vehicle to pull the large troop trailer and make multiple runs into town for the Troop. He worked the Boating and Floating, Sports and Shooting areas, among others and traveled the entire camp, to every station, taking photos for the blog.
• Mr. Dave Shade was yet another tireless hero. Waking at 5:45 with Brian to do the daily mile run. Spending every minute of program time, and then some, with the 1styear scouts (Braddock’s Brigade), starting just after breakfast at 8:30 and usually returning to camp just in time to head out for dinner at 5:45. The Braddock’s Director said he has rarely had an adult who stayed in the station, and helped with instruction as much as Mr. Shade. Mr. Dave also taught 1st Aid merit badge and kept track of every merit badge and schedule of every 804 scout. All before sitting down to compile and post the daily blog.
• This is only a partial list of their efforts and activities on behalf of our scouts, and to be complete would be nearly impossible. Our Troop and our Scouts are lucky to have be the benefactor of their efforts and to have such a wide variety of excellent role models to interact with. I am humbled by their efforts and generosity and grateful to volunteer in the troop with them.

Overall we had a great time and I’m already looking forward to next year.

Yours in Scouting
Neal Kindness
SM-T804

posted by Neal Kindness at 7/1/2013 1:45:31 AM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  

Another year of Summer Camp has come to an end. There is an old saying that you "have to take the bitter with the sweet" and that's true here too. It is surely sweet to come home - to family and friends, home-cooked meals, showers with temperature controls, chances for decent sleep, and most of all - dryness and solid roofs! Yay!

But, there is a tinge of sadness too... the week of Camp brings rhythm and routine with new friends and old and that comes to a bit of an end, although we hope that some of those bonds are sustained over the coming months and years. This year's Camp will most certainly be remembered for the rain... there was just so much of it. The National Weather Service put the 7-day total in Farmington, PA, at between 3.2 and 3.5 inches - and it rained another inch on the day we left! On Thursday it rained nearly two inches, and Friday added almost another inch.

In other words, it was wet.

But there will be other great memories too, including:

• Sunrise Canoe Paddle Adventure!!!
• Chriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis Mooooooooooooooooommmmmmmbaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
• It's My Favorite Song Too!
• X
• Ride A Broom Around The Room
• There Ain't No Flies On Us
• Share Care Packages
• The Mail Viking
• Take-out Pizza (whoever heard of a Summer Camp with take-out pizza?!?)
• The Great Raccoon Attack of 2013
• Corn Hole (and the incredible 21-0 drubbing of the previously-unbeaten team!)
• One Of The Greatest Campfires In Troop 804 History
• The Frigid Frog
• Appendicitis
• Jarrett The Ferret
• Did We Mention The Rain?
• 44 Scouts and 6 Adults
• 110+ Merit Badges When All Is Said And Done

Summer Camp just wouldn't be possible without the tireless devotion of the adults who attend. This year, six adults took a week off work (usually using precious vacation time or sacrificing business) and a week away from other family members in order to build a very special week. These adults work long hours, often beginning weeks or even months before Camp, and never complain or think of themselves. In our Troop, each adult is given a "job" or area of responsibility, and this year was no different:

• Dave Dowling monitored the Scoutcraft area (Camping, Cooking, Wilderness Survival) and also served as the Troop medic (he took care of folks from other Troops too!). He took care of blisters, chafing, and even a case of acute appendicitis! He was up early dispensing meds, sometimes missing mealtime, and stayed up late tending to boys before giving his station report. He also basically taught the camp's cooking class and shepherded many boys in the Scoutcraft area.
• Ted Durig managed all the administrative functions of the Camp, including registration activities stretching back many months, and monitored boating and shooting sports areas. He pulled our trailer both ways, helped manage the movement of boys, and provided great goodwill and cheer to all. He also took the bulk of the photos posted to the blog
• Ric Gardner monitored the swimming areas (Swimming and Lifesaving merit badges, taken by many in the Troop) and single-handedly helped many boys completed their work. He was so outstanding with his help that he was given a special award - the only adult in the entire Camp to get one - for his assistance. He also shared his Scoutcraft expertise with any boy who wanted it - teaching boys how to tie knots, make fire, or throw corn-hole.
• Brian Hufker monitored the Ecoology and Conservation area (Environmental Science, Fish & Wildlife, Mammal Study), helped cover the Cooking and Camping areas (especially when Dave Dowling was off-site helping a sick Scout) and never passed up an opportunity to help another adult or Scout... or to take a nap.
• Neal Kindness of course did it all. He monitored each and every Scout's time in Camp, addressed homesickness (which was not a big issue this year), helped Ted Durig when interacting with the Camp leadership, provided guidance and mentoring to the youth leadership, and helped the other adults with anything and everything they needed. He was up late, awoke early, and busy all the time in-between. He also took lots of photos!
• Dave Shade helped track merit badge progress for all the boys and shepherded the first-year Scouts ("Braddock's Brigade") during the day, and helped get the blog posted each evening.

Every adult considers it an honor and a privilege to attend Summer Camp and is grateful for the opportunity.

And so we'll bring this year's blog to a close. We hope that everyone who attended had a great time and enjoys visiting this site to keep their memories alive!

P.S. Every picture you see on this page - and literally thousands more - will be made available at the September Court of Honor on our usual photo DVD. All of the photos on the DVD will be in their original full resolution (unlike the pictures here which are made smaller so that the transfers can be completed more quickly).

posted by Troop 804 at 6/30/2013 1:26:00 PM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


The last day of Summer Camp and guess what? It rained! A lot! Surprise!

OK, Friday was another wet one. There was a hint of sun in the late afternoon (see the picture of the rainbow) but it rained heavily numerous times during the day and and band of severe weather triggered another evacuation to the dining hall. The rain has been a problem with some of the merit badge stations - for example, the aquatics-area stations that have to be out of the water when thunder is heard. It has been a wet week!

The Troop performed a service project today, replacing steps on a trail. We also attended a closing campfire and began packing up for our departure tomorrow.

Our plans call for us to arrive - to Severn Run Church - at about 12:30pm. We will have a lot to do - unpacking, recapping, and giving out some small reccgnitions. Our best estimate is taht we will be done with everything and able to dismiss the boys at about 1:30pm.

We are all excited to get home and are ready to go! See you soon!

posted by Dave Shade at 6/29/2013 1:23:02 AM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  

Thursday was also wet! It rained, on and off, all day, with heavier rain in the morning. Nothing too severe, just periods of steady rain mixed with periods of lighter drizzle. The boys are handling the rain OK although it is interfering with some merit badge work.

The morning started with the daily mile run (started the week with 14 runners, now down to about a half-dozen) and a special "Sunrise Canoe Paddle Adventure" that was attended by about another half-dozen. Thursday in camp is supposed to be focused on making sure badges will be completed and the boys were being reminded, nearly constantly, about finishing homework or getting to stations for extra work. It is not uncommon for several adults to nag the same boy (sometimes one right after another!).

The senior leader boys - Ryan Smith, Joe Coale, Joey Dowling, and Mike Hufker (Greg Cavanagh could not attend camp this week) got to participate in another T804 tradition - the annual "Thursday Milkshake Out Of Camp" trip, which this year included pizza. Brandt Kindness filled in as SPL in their absence and all went well. Because of the weather, our planned "cook food in camp" night was cancelled and instead of grilling fifty steaks over our open fire, we instead ate 50 steaks in the dining hall. It appeared that every other Troop did the same thing.

Today's special events included sending three hardy souls out for "outpost" - the night under the stars (well, clouds) in hand-made shelters as part of the Wilderness Survival merit badge. They are due back in camp about 5:30 Friday morning.

Things continue to go well and the boys are doing fine. Given that it is late, we'll let the pictures speak for the day.

posted by Dave Shade at 6/28/2013 12:30:12 AM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

Wednesday started like Tuesday ended - wet and stormy. Luckily, Wednesday ended quite differently, with pleasant and cool weather. It rained heavily a few times, but things seem to be drying out for now. Nobody's gear got especially wet and surprisingly, most boys reported having gotten a good night's sleep despite the rain and noise (adults might not have made quite the same report!).

There were lots of things going on today. Many boys in the Troop took an introduction to CPR course to complete requirements for the Swimming, Lifesaving, or other merit badges. All the boys are working hard, now that the week is half over, to make sure they will be able to complete their badges. Some have "homework", such as nature observations, written reports, or shooting sessions. A few older boys are preparing for a wilderness camping experience - primitive camping with little equipment for one night (Thursday night). Mail call was big - and fun - tonight. Our daily "share care package" (a raffled care package with items to share with the Troop and other items for the "winner") was a big hit tonight.

First-year Scouts continued to work on both skills and merit badges. Today they had the opportunity to visit the archery range (some pretty good shots in the group!) and got in some more rifle shooting too. Each day a different boy is acting as the "Patrol Leader" of the group, and they have named themselves the "Five Guys" patrol. On Thursday they will be working on hiking skills in preparation for a five mile hike to be held on Friday. They were also the first in the Troop to complete a merit badge - Fingerprinting. They were very pleased about this!

A big thing this year is "corn hole" (a bean-bag tossing game). The boys will line up on both sides of the game area cheering as one or another team wins. The adults have been playing too!

The boys are doing well - very well - although we are all looking forward to getting home too!

posted by Dave Shade at 6/27/2013 12:05:47 AM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  

Tuesday started with an absolutely gorgeous morning - great weather and a beautiful mist coming off the lake. 14 Scouts (and two old adults) woke just before 6am for a Troop tradition: the morning mile run. The route goes from our campsite past stations for Scout skills and Ecology, up to the main camp fire ring, over a floating bridge that crosses the lake, past the aquatics area, and then back to camp. Other guys have been waking early for the "Frigid Frog", this camp's version of the traditional "Polar Bear Plunge" early morning swim.

The runs and swim are followed by breakfast and then it's right off to classes for everyone. Today, the first-year Scouts learned about fire building and practiced some "leave no trace" principles while on a short nature hike. They also shot some rifles (2 rounds of 5 shots each), learned about the life cycle of "game" animals, practiced swim rescues, and made some art.

It's hard to convey the breadth of what the other boys were doing, but here are a few highlights: sailing small boats (2-man) on the lake; cooking chili; accidentally swamping said sailboats; shotgun shooting; rifle shooting (lots of it!); nature observations; in-water rescue methods; signs of heart attack and stroke; building emergency shelters in the woods to be used for an overnight "outpost" on Thursday (only older Scouts taking the "Wilderness Survival" merit badge), and much much more. All told, the boys are working on nearly 140 merit badges although some will not be completed until later.

The day was planned to end with a non-denominational service on the other side of camp. However, mother nature intervened and gave us our big news of the day - a short but pretty severe storm, with lots and lots of rain but thankfully very little wind or lightning. We were requested by the camp to evacuate, however, so the whole Troop marched back to the dining hall where we sat for a while singing songs and waiting for the "all clear". We got back to camp a bit late and promptly turned in (after brushing teeth of course). Nobody seemed any worse for the wear.

The boys continue to do great!

posted by Dave Shade at 6/25/2013 11:23:36 PM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  

Today was a great day in Camp. The boys all started their merit badge classes and so far everything is going well. The first-year Scouts started the "Braddock's Brigade" program, in which they learned about knife safety, ecology, swimming safety. The first-year Scouts also started their first merit badges - Art, Fingerprinting, and Mammal Study.

In the evening, many of the boys participated in Camp-wide games, which included a "cannonball" contest in the aquatics area, a volleyball tournament, mini-golf, and more. The boys are working to accumulate points for the "Freedom Cup" which will be awarded on Friday.

Mail call was a huge event - as always. This year we are trying something new - we are raffling off a special care package each night (today's big winner was Eric Urbanas, who got Oreos - enough to share with everyone).

The boys are doing great. So far, fewer anxieties than usual perhaps (knock on wood). All is well!

posted by Dave Shade at 6/25/2013 12:39:27 AM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  

We have arrived and had a great first day in camp. It rained - just a little - during the bus ride here but was clear and not too hot most of the afternoon. Check-in went smoothly and the guys started setting up camp as soon as we arrived. Then it was time for medical checks, a camp tour, and the swim tests. By the time that was all over, it was dinner time. Right after dinner, it started to rain - pretty heavy - even though it was sunny and the sky was mostly blue. The rain lasted only about 20 minutes though so not a big deal.

After dinner, the boys did some more setting up, attended the opening camp fire, and then turned in. Merit badge classes and other program areas will start tomorrow. About half the guys have requested to get up early for either the "Frigid Frog" early morning swim, or our traditional "Captain Dan" daily one-mile run.

We know folks really only want pictures and we'll do what we can. Without Dan Schindler here to photograph everything in site, we are challenged but will do our best.

Right now, the temperatures are cool (adults are starting to look for sweatshirts), the skies are clear, and we are hoping for good internet connections to get all this to you quickly!

posted by Dave Shade at 6/23/2013 11:29:19 PM

   
   

(The pictures are from last year. Click on small pictures to see larger views.)

Welcome to the 2013 Troop 804 Summer Camp Blog! Departure day is almost here! This year 44 Scouts and 6 adults will travel to Heritage Scout Reservation in Farmington, Pennsylvania (about 55 miles southeast of Pittsburgh), for a great week of fun and learning, coordinated by the incredibly-capable ASM Ted Durig.

Each evening we will do our best to post lots and lots of pictures and some stories of the day. We do get busy and sometimes the internet doesn't cooperate out in the wilds so please be patient if postings are delayed.

Hopefully the Scouts are all getting ready - don't forget to help them double-check their packing lists and not wait until the last minute - and make sure they know where things are, especially their swim gear.

Feel free to comment on any posts... but bear in mind that this is not a good way to ask questions of the adult leaders (we hope we will be able to check email, but urgent issues should always be communicated by calling one of the contacts listed on the Summer Camp page on the Troop website).

If you have questions about the blog, ask now - before we are off to "the backcountry" (ie. Steeler-land)!

posted by Dave Shade at 6/17/2013 2:04:18 AM