Troop 804 - Summer Camp 2023 Goshen Scout Reservation - Goshen, VA

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  

Just a few pictures to mark our return home after an excellent week at Camp Olmsted on the Goshen Scout Reservation! Oh - and one picture from the start. Does everyone look dirtier and more tired?

A few highlights of our great week:

• Being named Troop of the Week! And, a tougher challenge when also being the largest Troop in Camp!
• Records still being compiled but well over one hundred merit badges
• Clearly setting the bar on Scout spirit, with numerous Troops following the T804 lead by the end of the week
• For the first time ever, a full-week Summer Camp without once even opening the "big" first aid kit!
• Yay Stars! (ask your Scout)

A special thanks to those who made this week possible: Carl Aten, Andrew Carta, Pete Daly, Ted Erdman, Brian Hurley, Andrew Huppert, and Dave Shade. They took time away from family and work to keep the kids safe and focused and they did it superbly. We *always* have the best, and usually biggest, adult crew at Summer Camp and this year was no exception. Consider joining this mighty crew next year!

Ok, we're a wrap for 2023. Hang tight for Summer Camp 2024!

posted by Dave Shade at 7/15/2023 8:40:11 PM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  

A great last day with an awesome finish!

Because of the heavy rain last night, leading to mud everywhere, the Senior Patrol Leader elected to cancel the morning run and the Polar Bear swim - so Scouts got an extra few minutes of sleep. And, once a bit of fog burned off, the skies were clear for a beautiful morning.

The morning classes went pretty much the same as usual, although some Scouts did not have to attend if they had already completed the badge. Lunch was roast beef sandwiches.

By afternoon, it was getting very hot. There were no afternoon classes - instead, Scouts had time to pack up and get ready to head home, after which there was a Camp-wide "Olympics" game from 3-5. T804 showed great sportsmanship during those Olympic games, winning some and losing some but always showing class.

The skies started darkening around 5:30pm and we just made it to the dining hall for our last dinner before the rain started falling again - another very hard rain. It lasted for about 1 hour and made everything a muddy mess, but at least it stopped. After dinner was more packing up and then a final farewell "camp fire" (indoors, so no fire). Troop 804 did 4 skits to great acclaim, including one ("King Squirrel Stew") in which the entire camp came up to the stage to participate! It was great!

SPL Jack Pumphrey and ASPL Josh Zotter did a fabulous job all week of helping lead the Troop to show great spirit. Often T804 was the only Troop doing anything like this in the dining hall, although as the week progressed, other Troops followed our lead. The boys chanted and sang on the way to and from the dining hall and other locations. They also did pretty well, but not best, on the campsite inspections, and were very active in participating in other camp programs (such as evening climbing, today's "Olympics", and things like that). All these categories contributed to a "Troop of the Week" competition - which was won by Troop 804! This is really awesome and is a real testament to the leadership provided by Jack, Josh, and the other ASPLs. You can see the award - a large oar to be decorated by the boys that will hang here at Camp Olmsted.

As of this writing, cell service for all carriers has been out for about seven hours. We do not know when it will be restored - so we do not know when we'll be able to post today's pictures and this blog, but we'll get it loaded when we can! Home tomorrow, still planned to arrive around 11:30am in Largo and probably about a 12:15 dismissal. See you soon!

posted by Dave Shade at 7/15/2023 11:46:49 AM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

Today was an exciting day!

Most of the classes are completed, although some will have mandatory work on the last day of Camp, Friday.

The morning was warmer than yesterday... although the clear skies didn't last. At around 3pm, the rain started, heavy at times. Luckily it stopped just in time for us to make it to the Dining Hall, eat dinner, and return to Camp. Unfortunately, we should have known that the afternoon showers were just a trick, because around 7:30pm it began to rain, extremely heavy at times. By 11pm, the rain had been ridiculous for hours. The campsite was a muddy mess and many of the boys noted small amounts of water inside tents where it did not belong.

Of course, Scouts did what any boy their age would do - they claimed that it wasn't raining while they sloshed in the mud, they huddled under our leaking tarps and sang songs, and they walked all over camp drenched through and then claimed that "it wasn't raining that hard" (yes, it was).

As of 11:45pm, everyone is in warm and mostly dry tents and at least for now, the rain has stopped.

Another highlight of the day was "Hokey Pokey" performancy by our oldest Scouts in front of the entire assembled dining staff. They boys hoped to get everyone to participate, but they had to settle for a few other Scouts. We will keep trying.

Another highlight: Troop 804 got to have the honor of performing today's flag raising and even with a small hiccup, they did great.

We'll be back on Saturday!

posted by Dave Shade at 7/13/2023 11:50:31 PM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


We are more than halfway through and so far things are going very well. Several merit badges have already completed all their requirements and in some cases Scouts have found additional clases to join. Tonight was the Astronomy "star hike" (9:30pm-10:30pm) and about a half-dozen Scouts not taking the badge joined the three Scouts who are taking the class for a cool look at the stars away from the light pollution of home.

The boys have really taken the Scout spirit thing to the next level. For reasons we don't understand, there is really no singing in the Dining Hall (nearly all Camps do that) - so T804 decided to do it themselves. The boys have been chanting and yelling and doing whatever they can to get other Troops to join in - and tonight it finally worked, two other Troops joined in. We'll see if our guys can bet more of them involved tomorrow!

The "Polar Bear" swimmers did get up and make it today, and so did the daily runners. It wasn't quite as cold this morning as yesterday, but it was very foggy. The afternoon was considerably warmer than the past few days and we expect that trend to continue.

We held a PLC meeting (Patrol Leaders Council) this evening, but we mixed it up a bit and instead of inviting the Patrol Leaders we invited the Assistant Patrol Leaders - so Caleb A, Andrew H, Scott S (filling in), and Josh P (also filling in). They talked and planned for about 30 minutes, and got to sample the "special" PLC snack (Doritos for tonight).

Although it is "only" Wednesday, the boys have already started to plan for the departure very early on Saturday morning (we are scheduled to hit the road by 8am). You may be able to see in the pictures that the campsite looks like we've been here for months... it will take a while to get it cleaned and packed.

Mail call today was pretty big! The Camp usually expects Troops to pick up mail themselves - but they had to deliver our mail, in a vehicle, because there was inadequate space in the mail facility to hold it all. Then, later in the afternoon, there was yet another load deivered when the Amazon truck hit camp!

The Scouts are doing great and we hope you are as well!

posted by Dave Shade at 7/13/2023 12:01:22 AM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  

Another great day - with some unusual twists!

Once again, we had a good sized crew up at 6am for the daily run... although all of the "Polar Bear" swimmers decided to sleep a bit longer. And, surprisingly, it was quite cool this morning - enough so that pretty much everyone put on a sweatshirt or jacket while heading off to breakfast (French Toast sticks, bacon, cereal, fruit, milk, and orange juice). We have been assigned 4-1/2 tables in the Dining Hall (we are the largest Troop in Camp this week) and each table is set and served by two "waiters", Scouts that are assigned by the youth leaders. We are also spreading the adults around among the tables and there have been some great conversations.

Right after breakfast, Scouts head straight to classes for three hours. Most classes are going quite well, with a few that will not be a Scout's favorite but that is quite common.

First-year Scouts are taking merit badges in the morning: Weather, Oceanography, and Space Exploration. They *love* Space Exp - they are having a great time there. In the afternoons, they are learning basic Scout skills in the "Trailshead" program. They come back to camp around 5:30 tired and hungry and immediately get to head out for dinner.

Tonight, though, was a special night in Camp ... staff here had the night off meaning no Dining Hall for dinner and instead we had to cook for ourselves in Camp. The pictures show a cooking crew making 42 "foil packs", cooked over an open fire, with kielbasa, potatoes, onions, and peppers. This is a tough job but they did it very well!

You'll also see pictures of a group of six older Scouts who are working on the Cooking merit badge. They are spending two hours each day (11am-1pm) working different cooking dishes. Today they made kabobs and delicious blueberry muffins (also cooked over an open fire).

We have seen very little homesickness - the Scouts seem to be having a great time. There are smiles everywhere!

posted by Dave Shade at 7/11/2023 10:57:06 PM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


Our first full day was awesome! Spectacular weather, fun classes, and smiles all around.

The day started with 12 or 13 Scouts up early for the first morning run, and another three for the "Polar Bear Plunge" (early morning swim). Then breakfast (eggs, sausage, and actually lots of fresh fruit) followed by the first classes. The morning has three sessions, one hour each, and then it was lunch which this camp calls "grab-and-go" - so we are given a crate of food to eat in the dining hall, or our campsite, or wherever we'd like to go. For today, we stayed in the dining hall to eat our sandwiches and chips.

After lunch is "Siesta", an hour with no planned program (although we are running our own First Aid merit badge class during that hour in our campsite). A group of older Scouts is working on the Cooking merit badge and today they made cheesesteak sandwiches which became their lunch. During Siesta we also had our first mail call!

The afternoon had another three sessions - including the first block of time in the "Trailshead" program for our first-year Scouts.

Dinner was Tacos which the boys said were quite good. The evening included "open program" at many of the camp areas, including the climbing tower.

Overall things are going quite well... especially with clear skies. The day was hot but tonight it is actually quite cool.

More tomorrow!

posted by Dave Shade at 7/10/2023 11:46:42 PM

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

A great day in a very beautiful camp.

We did hit some rain during the 3.5 hour drive down to Goshen, and it was still raining a bit when we finally arrived - but the rain ended very shortly after arrival and although it got pretty hot and was very humid, everyone was glad that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining (although honestly everyone was just as wet!)

After arriving, we got a quick camp tour - dining hall, trading post, archery range, campfire area, water area, etc. - and it was time to unload and set up camp, which went very well.

At 5:50 we assembled for dinner, which was barbecue "meat" (debate among adults, chicken, port, or something else!) and then another hour to finish setting up, after which we all headed to the camp-wide opening campfire.

The Scouts are all in bed and about half of them have already showered. Fifteen Scouts signed up for the morning run... we'll see how many will go through with it at 6am!

More tomorrow!

posted by Dave Shade at 7/10/2023 12:00:14 AM

   
   

Welcome to the 2023 Troop 804 Summer Camp Blog! The Troop will depart on Sunday, 7/9, for an awesome week at the Goshen Scout Reservation in west-central Virginia!

For fun, above are some pictures from previous years.

To see previous years' blogs - over a dozen of them - just click the "Docs" link in the menu at the top of main home page, and then scroll to the bottom for links to each blog!

posted by Dave Shade at 7/5/2023 3:36:18 PM