2nd 100 Days of Scouting: Day 11

Athletics Merit Badge

OK, lots to be excited about today.

Yep, camping trip with the troop.  Securing the sites (always an adventure in the free campground in our nearby National Forest).  Setting up tents.  Getting food going in the dark.  Settling down the Scouts before a big day Saturday.

Quiet call of a bugle to end the day.

Perfect.

Today I:

• Got out early and set up a tent quickly in each campsite we'll need.  We try to keep one patrol per campsite to maximize the amount of Scouting they do as a patrol.  Adults get yet another site.  Unfortunately, no way to get this done with the Scouts--if we waited until later, high risk of sites being taken already.  The trade-off for "free".
• Took a certain Wolf grocery shopping, and let him help make the choices for this weekend--hot dogs (of course), stuffing with chicken for lunch, onion bagels and sausage patties for breakfast, trail mix and a bag of marshmallows (mostly for him).
• Printed out the Hiking belt loop requirements.
• Loaded firewood, cleaned out the van, froze the food we'll need tomorrow and Sunday to keep it cold.

Maybe the greatest thing we do is get those Scouts out into the woods.  Whether a Tiger or an Eagle, I know very few Scouts who don't love the chance to be out there, playing pokey-in-the-fire. Are you camping this weekend?