Sunday, September 29, 2013

Fish stories

Troop 50 Scouts and leaders prior to departing for Lake Guntersville
Troop 50 headed north this past weekend for some camping and fishing on Lake Guntersville, and we were all pleasantly surprised to find our campsite in such a beautiful setting on the edge of the lake and on a weekend with such wonderful weather. The troop's contingent included a majority of the troop's Scouts as well as a large complement of leaders.

After setting up camp, Scouts were eager to get their hooks in the water. A few Scouts tried their hand early before the troop started on a service project to benefit the state park. The park ranger outlined a plan where a recently erected bathroom shelter would eventually include a landscaped area. The troop's service effort would be the first phase of that and would consist of building a wooden fence to border the front sidewalk. Scouts and leaders made quick work of the project, which included digging holes and setting the posts and fencing available.

Average Joe's Patrol Leader Davis leads the patrol in digging holes for the fence posts.
The troop's finished portion of the state park's work in progress; the area will
eventually feature more fence sections and a landscaped area around the new bathroom.
Fishing and football filled the remainder afternoon -- however, if your Scouts told you stories of the ones that got away, you might confirm that those were the fish that never were. Only Louie hooked anything of significance during the entire weekend. That didn't stop the troop from enjoying a Saturday evening fish fry, thanks to some backup provisions provided by Assistant Scoutmaster Wade Daniel. The troop feasted on fish, French fries and hush puppies -- followed by not one, but two, cobbler selections!

Assistant Scoutmaster Wade Daniel not only brought the fish, but cooked up a great
dinner complete with fries and hush puppies!
The Scouts fished well past dusk, which turned out to be a picture-perfect setting to do so. When the fish finished teasing the Scouts' hooks and stealing their bait, a couple of Scouts turned their attention on crawfish mounds that had been sighted earlier in the day -- trapping a couple and having their own version of a crawfish boil.

Jack, our visiting Webelos II, got in a little evening fishing after dinner.
Sunday morning, after breakfast and striking camp, the troop gathered for a Scouts' Own service, where the discussion focused on Ephesians 6 and our need to be equipped and prepared for all of life challenges. The troop hit the road, but made a stop for a picnic lunch in Oxford before arriving in Auburn later that afternoon.

Check out photos from the campout in our online photo album.