Pack 89 sent three groups to Camp Wiley in Running Springs, CA this year. Andy while everyone in every session has a great time, the only pictures available to post at the time of this page being compiles are from Session 8.
Cooper, Connor, Andy, and Jonathon bravely headed to camp for this seven day session at the end of July.
With seven days to run rampant around camp, we had more time than ever before to learn as much as we could learn, do as much as our energy would allow, yell as loud as our voices would, and smile as much at all the great activities until our mouths could smile no more.
Each day, morning and evening, we would all assemble for Flag. We had three Scouts from other Packs assigned to join us, and they made a great addition to our group. All the boys got along very well, and within just a couple days learned to work as a team and relying on each other's strengths.
Some of the boys came without their parents, and it was great to see how well they did on their own, despite the occasional bout of home-sickness.
Following are pictures from some of the activities we did daily, or every other day...
Swimming: Mr. Massoth was quite the favored parent in the pool, being both a master at Sharks-And-Minows, and also being fearless off the diving board.
Sports: On our first two visits to the Sports Lodge we learned the rules and scoring for table tennis and had several rousing games. With a bit of time left, we put on safety equipment and went for a bike ride on an obstacle course. We also enjoyed a bit of rock-climbing on an indoor wall.
The real highlight though was Friday's bike-athalon (below), during which the contestants rode a course around the entire camp, stopping to shoot bows-and-arrows and BB rifles for score.
Scout Craft: Now THIS is what Scouting is all about!!! We learned first aid, CPR, safe fire building, and knot tying. We discussed how to treat different kinds of injuries, what the four types of "hurry cases" are, and even practiced using mouth barriers on dummies for rescue breathing.
Time on the rope bridge is always a favorite. Even the parents got to take a turn this year.
It's always nice to get back to the basics of how to 'be prepared', how to be safe in the outdoors, and being reminded of the safety precautions for using knives and tools.
Lake & Fishing: Splash time is always good. After a boating safety lesson, we took to the water in canoes, paddle boats, and sometimes just our own life vest. Some of our Scouts were adventurous and agreed to being tipped. The others of us opted to stay IN our boats.
At fishing we learned about knots, rods & reels, local fish, and the parts of fish. We then took our bamboo rods and went fishing for bluegill and catfish. As far as I know, everyone caught something. Andy and Adam participated in a fishing tournament in which they took second place.
Nature Lodge: Time with Ms. Sue and her staff in the Nature Lodge was always fun and interesting. This year we had one Scout earn his Prayer For The Earth Water Rocker, and four earn their Air Rocker. We did sapling tree watering as supporting reforestation as a service project, in addition to learning about scientific methods, local birds and their flight patterns, gravity and atmospheric pressure, and more. As an extra fun little event we did some dry-dirt panning for semi-precious stones, minerals, and fossils.
Handy Crafts (Art):
Craft time is always fun! This year we did original pen drawings of something we observed in nature, made custom frames and framed our work, created spin art, made money clips and sun catchers, and made really neat wheel things that make noise when you spin them with the string handles on either side.
Our work was displayed for exhibit in the Handy Craft Lodge on the last day of camp for other Scouts and visiting family to come see.
Archery & BB: These events are always the most popular at camp, but are also some of the best learning time for the Scouts. Learning the responsibility and safety measures that go along with these sports require the guys to be quiet and attentive. And they quickly learn that scoring well requires them to be still, quiet, and concentrate.
Our Scouts this year did really well, many of them earning the US Junior Shooting Team award for the third year in a row.
Camp Time: With everything going on you would think we would hardly have time to catch our breath. The seven day session was much better for having free time than the shorter sessions we've been to in the past though. We generally had plenty of time each day to rehearse a den skit, whittle with our pocket knives, design a den flag, and generally rest up.
Having the Scout Craft instructor (Mr. Craig) being part of our Den was a great benefit! He was willing to spend his free time leading the boys in some additional things that they would not otherwise have had time to do, like the Outdoorsman Badge and helping a couple Scouts earn their whittling chip.
Closing Campfire: Campfire was really special for most of the Scouts in Pack 89 this year. This is the first year since most of them have started going to Camp Wiley that we were allowed to have a real camp fire. Drought in previous years have restricted us to lanterns of lights in the fire ring in the interest of safety for our dry forest.
We had the special treat of witnessing the formal retirement by fire (yes, this is the proper method) of two United States flags. If was a wonderful thing to watch, as all current and previous service men and women stood in the place of honor near the fire rings.
Firebird Trail: As we woke on the last morning of camp, it was with the pang of disappointment that we had to go home... that camp was over for another year... with a sense of dread of having to pack up everything and lug it all out to the car... and with a sense of wonder, knowing that we (the Scouts from Pack 89) were old enough this year, for the first time, to hike the FIREBIRD TRAIL!!!
Up and to the mess hall by 6am, we gathered, collected our sack lunches, filled our canteens, inspected our hiking sticks, and headed out. With a group of 81 people (this was the smallest group of the summer) to keep track of along the trail, the staff was very diligent about keeping us all together and warning us of hazards along the way. We set out from camp on the long hike down to Deep Creek.
Having lived in the area for 27 years now, I have seen a great many parts of Deep Creek. Never have I seen an area as beautiful as this though. The picture to the right is facing up the valley that feeds the area we visited, but if you want to know what our picnic area was like, the best part, ask Andy or Cooper.
These two guys hiked like champs! Especially during the loooonng trek back up hill. We had a GREAT time!
So, camp is done for another year. We'll be back next year though... tents ready, hiking sticks strong, and water in hand.
BEAT THE HEAT... ______________________
