Javi joined the troop in February of 2012. We were gearing up for his first summer camp last year, but I got sick 3 weeks before the troop was ready to go and we had to back out. (See "Monday Night Cancer Club") It was our goal this year to sell enough popcorn so he got to go for free. We almost did, just missing by $30. So when registration time came around, his name was on the list and we were ready to go!
The Runup
The week before camp, I printed out both the Leader's Guide and the Parent's Guide. We scurried about and made some piles of gear and slowly worked everything into a pilot's case and a moderate sized frame backpack. I was thinking we'd have to suffer through the bugs, but Thursday before camp I finally found my mosquito nets, lost in the cellar for some 17 years. I worked for the store on Saturday, but during the afternoon I was able to pack everything. Now we could sleep in Sunday morning!
Getting to Camp
We loaded up the car and were soon ready to head out. There's two ways to get to camp; up the east side via I-95, or the west side via I-93. I went to this camp myself when I was a scout, so I wanted to drive up the East side and see what I might remember from the drive in. This also let us stop at "Hodgie's", an ice cream stand of tremendous local reputation along the way in Amesbury. After a lunch on the road, the pit stop did not disappoint. Heading on into NH, we drove past the 'split' at the old Pease AFB and got off the highway. We luckily spied a C-5A heading in for a landing. Most of the way seemed unchanged, but an old steel-truss drawbridge across an arm of the Great Bay had been replaced by a more modern structure...and there were big changes at Lee Circle. Our old ice-cream stand there was long gone. Great Barrington seemed a bit changed too, but the antique store was still there, and it appeared to me that they no longer had a volunteer fire department; at the very least they had a new building in that area. The rest of the way into camp was unchanged, and we pulled into the parking lot about 20 minutes later than planned only to find it deserted.
First Day!
We found another parent waiting for us, and we quickly unloaded our bikes and all our gear. We walked up to the Dining Hall, and then caught up with the rest of the troop at the Health Lodge. Here it was "hurry up and wait", as it took over an hour to process the troop and hand in all our medication. Eventually we walked down to the waterfront and took our swim tests. I made it, but Javi ran out of steam and only made Beginner. This would affect one of his merit badge classes. After that, it was off to our campsite to try to set up. But it turns out we were so late, I had enough time to literally dump my pack on my bunk and get my uniform on. We made it to the parade ground with about 10 minutes to spare for the camp photographer. Very quickly after that, it was the first assembly, flag retreat, and into the dining hall. After that, we had waterfront orientation and our first night campfire. Getting back to camp after running nonstop nearly all afternoon, I was able to get my mosquito netting up and crawl into my bunk. Getting things in order will have to wait for daylight.
Into the Routine
Monday morning we were up with the sun; that's a common product of being away from things like clocks, TV, and cellphones. I got my tent in order, and then we trooped everyone down to breakfast. After that, the kids scattered to their merit badge classes, and all the adults wandered back to camp. This is the normal daily pattern at camp. I strung up my hammock, built our gateway, and worked to set up the troop's gargantuan screen house. Javi popped by for directions to the Wild Goose waterfront….I dug out a map and sent him on his way. But before we knew what happened, it was lunchtime, and then siesta. Javi and I went over to archery to shoot, and then I went back to the site to get ready for Mile Swim Practice. I thought the waterfront was a little too laid-back, but this didn't become an issue just yet. Just before dinner the camp alarm went off; we dutifully trooped down to the parade ground only to find that it was a drill. But now with everyone already assembled, it was easy to go right into the evening routine. After that I hunted down some staff folks that I knew to work on the training I was supposed to put on, and then again we wandered back to camp to get a fire going.
Daily camp life for the adults is fairly low-key. We're really there to make sure the kids don't get into trouble. As for me, this was a visit to my youth; I spent 2 weeks every summer at this camp for five straight years, and many other single weeks before and after that. I was looking forward to wandering around and seeing the sights, since reliably I hadn't set foot on the property since 1988. Otherwise, my week would be spent reading Churchill in my hammock, and messing around with my Dutch Oven. Or so I thought.
My Training Course
About a month before camp, I called the camp director and offered up to teach anything they needed. As it turned out, she had a request for Scoutmaster training and was scrambling to find somebody qualified to teach it. A lucky turn of events, indeed. Just before camp, I checked in again and was told that they had all the materials I would need, so I left most of my stuff behind and headed on to camp. I spent most of Monday afternoon chasing down folks and getting the supplies I needed. I was a little nervous going in; this was a two-day event pitched to brand new Scoutmasters. I sure hoped I knew he hell what I was doing.
But of course, I didn't have to worry. Using the course materials as a guide, I walked through all my experiences as a leader, and tried to impress upon the new folks what it meant to be a scoutmaster. Somewhere the hands of Geordie and Mr. V were guiding me - the class went swimmingly well. At the end of it all, Vee S., a 70-year veteran of scouting, pulled me aside and told me he thought I nailed it and got everything right. After the grief that my Troop has been giving me all season, that meant the world to me. We also had some guests in the class that will never be certified, but more on that later. All in all, a winning experience for both the participants and the presenter.
Our English Friends
About two weeks before camp, I got a hold of the roster for the week and discovered a Scout Troop from Oxfordshire, UK would be with us. I immediately set about setting up a fellowship evening with them. At camp, our Senior Patrol Leader ran with this, and all the boys and adults were invited to our campsite on Tuesday evening. While we didn't have a traditional campfire, nevertheless the boys bonded well together, and I did my thing with Dutch Ovens and otherwise for our guests. We were making rather merry to the point where a staff member came by our site, but once she realized what we were doing, they gave us a pass. For the rest of the week, we crossed paths with the Brits more often than not, and Frank and Alan (their leaders) even sat in on my Scoutmaster class, primarily to compare and contrast methods and practices.
Made of Win!
During camp week, I spent a lot of time wandering around my old haunts. It's probably been 25 years since I last spent a week at this camp. Some things are still there and in use as I remember them, but many more things have changed. I was particularly gratified to see my old campsite at Mountain View still in use, and even more so by seeing the name of "Buffalo" Bob Macintosh on a daily camp award.
Another thing I did this week was participating in the dedication of the Camp Chapel...I added the names of several Scouters who were near and dear to me, and played Taps at the ceremony, while the camp bugler played Echo from the campfire circle. A very ethereal ceremony, to be sure. I also saw my friend Mark F., of Marathon First Responder fame. A lot of my classmates from Wood Badge, as well as our Scoutmaster, also made appearances during the week, so a great few days of fellowship were had by all.
An old friend from the store is into hammock camping, and he's been trying to convince me to "hang". Over the winter, I picked up a Grand Trunk Ultralight, and I did my first night in it back on Nantucket. I had every intention of staying out as much as I could this week. The first two nights were great, out under the stars and rising with the sun and the birds. But then we picked up some rain late in the week and it got super hot and uncomfortable. I retreated to my tent for a couple of nights, and was trying to get through Friday night when a Thunderstorm blew through and soaked my rig. Nevertheless, I think I can make this work - I'm already skimming around some places to see about upgrading my gear.
Finally...I made my big goal for the week, completing the Mile Swim. When I decided to go to camp, I also decided to try for it, since I always did this, sometimes twice a summer, in my younger days. Coming just 7 months after finishing chemotherapy, it was also a psychological 'hump' for me, and I'm pleased to report that I finished the swim in under an hour, with no ill effects or undue fatigue. I was feeling great most of the week….like I was all the way back.
The Ugly
It wouldn't be a week at Scout Camp without a couple of incidents.
First off, our neighboring Troop had a couple of wallets go missing. The Scoutmaster pulled everyone aside and gave "The Speech", and stated that the wallets could be returned under his matress, no questions asked, then he went for a walk. They did turn up….empty. We pursued this throughout the rest of the week without ever reaching a resolution, although there are some suspects.
A couple of Scouts in my Troop had some issues….two of them spent the entire week arguing with each other and almost came to blows Friday morning. A third scout has the table manners of a wild boar and had thoroughly irritated the rest of the Troop by Thursday evening, but nothing significant ever came of it. Finally, our Senior Patrol Leader literally went 'off his meds' and had a borderline bullying incident with another Scout, but more significantly was aggressive and confrontational with another adult when he was called on it.
And I had a personal injury - on the way to the Mile Swim Friday afternoon, I dumped my bike on the dirt road down to the Goose Waterfront, but only had scrapes and bruises. I don't think it affected my swim any.
Camp Issues
I'm not impressed by the "split waterfront" they have going on. Camp has two ponds, but the access points are about a mile apart. Adams pond has all the swimming, while the larger Wild Goose pond has all the boating. Usually all the waterfront merit badges are together….I imagine some scouts got burned by scheduling swimming and boating activities back-to-back without realizing they'd need to bike for 15 minutes in between classes.
Speaking of the Waterfront, the director was very lackadaisical and far too laid-back to run a proper waterfront. We had an actual Lost Bather Drill on Tuesday morning….primarily because the leadership was so lax and he lost control of the "buddy board". Fortunately, it was only a nametag that was lost, not an actual swimmer.
Overall Impressions
I can hardly remember a Scout Camp week that went as well as this one did, despite the heat and the minor issues already enumerated. I felt like I totally had my "A" game going the whole week. There were a number of other troops that I have connections to, and it felt like I knew easily a third of the camp staff. Having the British scouts in camp was the highlight of what turned out to be a terrific week.
Javi did great...despite not passing his swim test and backing out of Kayaking merit badge, he completed his other two, including an Eagle-required badge. He also connected well with the scouts from Troop 248, and I did too - their senior patrol leader and a couple of the older scouts went out of their way to "recruit" us once I leaked that we were interested in transferring.
The only casualty of the week was Javi's water bottle...lost somewhere at camp forever.
Photos from Camp!