A good time was had by all. Even the "I can't do it, but really he can" scout had a good time.

 
Tue, 30 Sep 2008

Scouting Memories

It seems like just yesterday that I was a boy scout. I have fond recollections of my time spent in the Boy Scouts. I had some of the best leaders a scout could ever ask for. They probably can't say that I was the best scout that a leader could ask for. I am extremely grateful for the time and energy that these men spent on my behalf. Now it's my turn to expend the time and energy so that my scouts can look back with my same fondness. This is a daunting task that I have undertaken. There is so much to learn, so much to teach, so much to do. What have I gotten myself into?

Tonight in Scouts we made Wilderness Survival Kit. Why? Because it passes off requirement 5 of the WWilderness Survival Merit Badge.. These kits fit nicely in an empty Altoids tin. I sent out a list of the needed gear on Sunday. There was some confusion as to what some of the items were. One of the mothers kindly suggested that I should have given more details about the items and where they could be purchased. The kids came with a variety of hot spark kits and candy tins smaller then the Altoids tin. I guess it was a good thing that I forgot to include an Altoids tin on the list of items to bring. Because of this, I brought along some plastic first aid kit boxes that I had purchased at the dollar store. The only problem with these boxes is that they can't be used as a single mirror like the inside of the Altoids tin can.

Most of the kids really enjoyed the activity. Some of the boys made the following comments:

• Why do I need this? I am not going to get lost.
• Why does it need to be so compact? I will just carry all the stuff in my backpack. (I don't think he realized that he could get lost and not be wearing a pack.)
• Why are we working on non-required merit badges?
• What do I need the fishing line for?

Here is a picture of the kids and their kits. Mine is the one in the Altoid tin on the table.

 
Sat, 20 Sep 2008

2008 Fall Camporee

Jason and I took the scouts on the Provo District Fall Camporee at Camp Maple Dell.

There wasn't much prep work that had to be done for the camp; The kids brought their own dinner, and the District provided the breakfast. I cook the boys dutch oven dump cake for dessert. It was a big hit with the boys. The dumb cake was simple to make. Here is the recipe.

Dump Cake
Ingredients:
* 1 18-ounce box cake mix (any flavor)
* 2 16-ounce cans of pie filling or other fruit
* 1 12-ounce can of pop
* 2 tablespoons butter

Preparation:
In a 12-quart Dutch oven, spread evenly butter on bottom.
Drain the fruit, pour it into the Dutch oven, and sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the top.
With your finger, make a swirl in the mix. Pour in a can of 7-UP.
Cover with lid. Put 8-10 charcoal briquettes on bottom, 16-18 on top.
Cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or to a golden brown.

Servings: 10 - 12

I used a spice cake mix with apple pie filling and a can of root beer. The boys really liked it.

I made a tarp tent and slept in it. I woke up around 4 with the tarp about a foot from my face. The grommet had torn away from the tarp. I wasn't to worried about fixing it until I saw a flash of lightning and heard the thunder. I quickly got up and pulled some rope out of my backpack. I feed it through the grommetless hole and strung it between two trees. Luckily it only took 10 minutes to fix, as a quick, but light, burst of rain happened about 5 minutes after I fixed it.

On Saturday the District provided us with breakfast.

They also offered 4 merit badge classes to take. We choose to work on the Forestry merit badge. None of the boys attending have earned it, so it will be a good elective merit badge for them. We completed all but requirements 1, 2, and 7. We will probably finish those next month.

Unfortunately one of the boys tried to defy gravity. The only thing that he accomplished was a gash above his right knee. Thankfully the resulting injury wasn't anything more.

It was a very fun and relaxing camp out.

 
Sat, 16 Aug 2008

Burning Cow Pies

Jason Hopkins and I took the scouts on a camping trip to Maple Lake this weekend. I am not very familiar with car camping destinations around the valley so I am glad that Jason decided where we were going camping.

I don't have a lot of equipment for car camping, as most of my equipment is specifically made for backpacking. Guess I will have to get a collection of car camping equipment put together. We arrived at camp around 5, so I setup my makeshift shelter. I didn't want to set up a tent, so I strung a line between two trees and hung a tarp over my cot.

The kids spent some time wandering around the lake, some of them went swimming in it, and some of them went fishing. I went fishing and caught nothing more then thin air. The lake reminded me of my grandparents pond, so I don't think I would recommend swimming in the lake.

Saturday was spent fishing, swimming, and burning cow pies. Apparently the area is open range, so there were a ton of dried cow pies around. The kids thought that the poop would stink up the place so they really didn't want to burn them at first, but later warmed up to the idea. I must have rounded up 30 or more cow pies to burn. It was a grand ole time burning them pies. I even used pie coals to cook my lunch. I wrapped my ham and cheese sandwich in aluminum foil and place it in the coals. The sandwich was perfectly toasted and delicious. I opted for cooking mine in the fire, as Jason forgot the condiments to put on the sandwiches. A good time was had by all.