‘We all scream for ice cream’ … and awards!

Troop 50 Scouts and their families gathered at the Camden Ridge neighborhood pool on Sunday, Sept. 26 for a fully stocked ice cream sundae bar and swimming—and to celebrate Scouts’ efforts toward earning merit badges and advancing in rank.

Assistant Senior Patrol Leader Olen (right) congratulates Harrison (left) for earning the Star rank.

In all, the troop awarded 59 merit badges and recognized four Scouts—including two new Eagle Scouts—who advanced in rank. Most of the advancements presented were a result of work completed over the summer while Scouts attended Camp Sequoyah.

One of the troop’s newest Scouts, Reed (left) earned Art and First Aid merit badges
in addition to completing his Firem’n Chit and Totin’ Chip at summer camp.

As expected, Eagle-required merit badges were popular among those awarded. First Aid Merit Badge topped the list, followed by Environmental Science, Communication and Cooking merit badges. Scouts who attended summer camp took the opportunity to earn popular summertime elective merit badges like Archery, Small-Boat Sailing and Canoeing. Among the less-common ones presented were Metalwork, Painting, Pottery and Sculpture merit badges.

Scoutmaster Andrew Baird celebrated Scouts’ other summertime accomplishments. At summer camp, the troop earned first place in the weekly Campsite Inspection Competition and received the Commissioner’s Spirit Award. It also placed second in the camp’s water carnival. He also singled out Beck and Dillon for completing the Mile Swim. In fact, Dillon was the youngest camper to complete the feat the week the troop attended Camp Sequoyah.

Jake (left) and Rhett (right) with Scoutmaster Baird proudly displaying the 50-miler Awards
they earned canoeing Northern Tier.

He also presented Jake and Rhett, who attended the Northern Tier High Adventure Base with 50-miler Awards. These recognize Scouts and leaders who cover 50 consecutive miles by foot, canoe or boat over a period of five or more days.

For more photos from the court of honor, visit the troop’s online photo album.

Troop kicks off new Scouting year with ‘what-we-did-this-summer’ presentations

Troop 50 gathered at its outdoor meeting location at the Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest on Aug. 23 for its first Monday night meeting of the 2021-22 Scouting year. Updates on how troop members spent the summer in various Scouting activities were the highlight of the evening. 

The majority of the troop attended summer camp at Camp Sequoyah in Delta, Alabama. Among the troop’s frequent summer camping destinations, the camp is a program of Birmingham-based Greater Alabama Council. Summer camp experiences are vital to Scout’s efforts to advance in rank, acquire overnight camping experience, and bond as a troop.

Acting Senior Patrol Leader Beck shows off some of the awards the troop earned at Camp Sequoyah.

Acting Senior Patrol Leader Beck led the troop’s summer camp contingent and summarized the weeklong experience for the troop. Among the troop’s accolades at camp was the first-place Campsite Inspection Award and the Commissioner’s Spirit Award. The troop also placed second in the camp’s water carnival. The Friday afternoon camp-wide waterfront competition pits troops against one another through events that include the Water Spaniel Special, Swim by Weight, In and Out Canoe Race, Life 36 Jacket Relay, Pool Noodle Race, Canoe Tug of War, and Scoutmaster Belly-Flop.

Individually, Scouts made progress toward earning merit badges, which will also factor into their upcoming advancement in rank. In addition to Eagle-required merit badges, activities like rappelling, shotgun shooting, and archery were among the most popular for Troop 50 Scouts.

The troop will celebrate those at its upcoming court of honor program. Visit the troop’s online photo album for photos from Camp Sequoyah.

Jake (far left) describes some of the packing strategies the Northern Tier crew relied on
on leading up to their departure during the presentation he, Rhett and Assistant Scoutmaster
Christian Dagg made during the Aug. 23 troop meeting.

Assistant Scoutmasters Christian Dagg and Matt Podemski and Scouts Jake and Rhett summarized their trip to the Charles L. Sommers High Adventure Canoe Base — the flagship base for Northern Tier based in Ely, Minnesota.

The troop spent three days on the road, covering more than 2,700 miles and sightseeing along the way. Road stops included the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Cedar Rock home in Carlton, Minnesota.

The crew spent seven days and six nights canoeing Northern Tier — covering 60 miles of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota and the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, by canoe. The trip was more than a physical exercise of endurance and perseverance. It required Scouts to forecast personal equipment needs and pack as a team to meet the challenges ahead. The group recounted early mornings hitting the water — and calling it a day and seeking the refuge of their tents by 8 p.m. before infamous Northern Tier mosquitos appeared.

The troop's eight newest members of the Order of the Arrow, following the
Chattahoochee Lodge Ordeal weekend Aug. 6-8.

In August, eight Troop 50 Scouts were inducted into the Order of the Arrow after participating in the Aug. 6-8 Chattahoochee Lodge Ordeal weekend. Read more about their experience and the Order of the Arrow organization on the troop blog.

CRM - Wednesday: Catharsis

     We rose bright and early on Wednesday for another great day at camp. The weather continues to be comfortable in the mornings and evenings but can get quite warm in the afternoon. We have not had any rain since Monday so all the activities have all continued as scheduled.

The leaning tower of waffles.

     Breakfast this morning included both Eggo waffles and French toast sticks, which was more than enough food for the boys. Most ate the French toast sticks and began a game of Jenga with the waffles.

     Wednesday is the mid-point for the week and the point at which everyone has settled into their routine. The scouts have become comfortable with their surroundings, their classes, and their fellow bunkmates. The five Adirondacks are divided so that the youngest scouts are together in one, the next oldest group is spread between two, and the oldest scouts occupy the last two. One group of older scouts has dubiously blamed an odd smell in their shelter on a single pair of socks. I'm sure there is more to it than that but the owner did appear in a new pair of socks this morning so the issue has possibly been mitigated.

     Merit badge classes continue to be the main focus for the boys, although they do get a break on

New socks make an
appearance at breakfast.

Thursday for the opportunity for free range events of all types. More on that tomorrow. In the canoeing class, Conner and Rhett worked on the requirement that they capsize the canoe, right it, climb back in, and paddle it to shore. They successfully got the canoe upright with Connor aboard but he wound up leaving Rhett behind to swim back to shore on his own. Rhett has also been taking reptile and amphibian study, which meets at the nature lodge, but they also hiked up to a waterfall above the lake on Wednesday to search for reptiles of all sorts. The staff has claimed that there are dragons and dinosaurs as part of the nature study. However, the boys have rightly questioned the validity of this claim. There was also supposedly a sighting of a couple of snakes, which morphed into a rumor of deadly copper-headed water rattlers. Jackson M. and Justice have also been doing reptile and amphibian study and have been fascinated by the thought of these snakes.

     The TNT scouts; Justice, Jackson M., David, Oliver, and Johnson; have all been divided up into different patrols as part of their program. Each has been learning different skills each day such as compass and map navigation on Wednesday. They will put these skills to use on their 5 mile hike on Thursday. In addition to their scout skills, they have also been taking swimming merit badge in the afternoons. David and Oliver have proclaimed this their favorite activity but the others seem less than entranced by the idea of swimming in the lake.  

James works on a technological masterpiece as part of Robotics merit badge.

Whit, James, Connor, and George perfect their woodcarving skills.

  

Will seems to use every free moment to read... 

...including while eating. 

     Mail for various scouts has been coming through regularly. Some have been packages that included games and snacks while other letters have contained cash that was quickly spent. There were also two packages from Amazon to Will and James that appeared to contain books. Will is always in danger of running out of something to read. 

Hunter, Trey, and Luke prepare to be entertained. 

     The final event of the day was a skit night campfire in the amphitheater. This was the opportunity for scouts to show off their dramatic skills. While these types of events usually result in some rather well-worn skits, there were several that were quite new and inventive or contained twists on the old formulas. Our scouts chose not to put on a skit, which was just as well given the crowded field of entrants. 

One of the skits - as seen from above. 

     We have also been graced with the presence of our newest Assistant Scoutmaster, Joe Lovvorn. Ronnie is shipping out on Thursday and Joe will be with us the rest of the week. More photos from Wednesday are found here.

TGIF (Summer Camp Day 6)

Michael, Jason, Beck, Paul, Tyson, and Joe at flag ceremony

Friday morning started off nicely with cool temperatures and lower humidity.  We actually felt the most breeze of the week as well.  The troop was in charge of the flag raising ceremony today and the troop awoke a little earlier to practice and get there in time in Class A uniform.  The color guard led by SPL Jacob did a magnificent job and represented the troop well.  Unfortunately, the American flag we were given to raise had no grommets!  Paul, Beck, and Jacob handled this situation well and just raised the other flags and reverently held the American flag.

Beck and Michael in a "carry" relay

After the ceremony, we went to breakfast and had mixed results.  One table was somewhat pleased with breakfast while the other table was pretty unimpressed.  We were served Eggo pancakes with syrup flavoring and scrambled (folded) eggs.  After breakfast, scouts headed to their final merit badge classes before a busy afternoon at the waterfront.  The Eagle Bound folks (first year scouts) participated in some relay races to reinforce skills.

We all met for lunch after merit badge classes and were treated to hamburgers, chips, and mini moon pies.  It was surprising how many didn't know what a moon pie was!  After lunch there were a few merit badge items that needed to be tended to and then everyone headed down to the waterfront for the water carnival!

Luke, Joe, Trey, Boone, and Hunter before race

The water carnival is a troop competition with seven different events. The events include Water Spaniel Special, Swim by Weight, In and Out Canoe Race, Life Jacket Relay, Fun Noodle Race, Canoe Tug of War, and Scoutmaster Belly-Flop.  Our Water Spaniel Special contained a relay team of Luke, Joe, Trey, Boone, and Hunter.  The scouts had to paddle with their hands and find a specific buoy and bring it back.  The majority of the scouts swam in the Swim by Weight competition and Beck and Joe placed in their divisions!

Canoe Tug of War competition.

The In and Out Canoe Race was led by Hunter and Boone.  This proved a difficult event because of how hard it is to get into a canoe from the lake.  The Life Jacket Relay was led by Michael, Joe, Trey, and Beck.  This is a relay where you swim with the life jacket.  The Fun Noodle Race was won by Tyson!  Mr. Lytle kindly agreed to compete in the Scoutmaster Belly-Flop contest and finished with a very respectable 7 of 10.  There were a few "boos" after he chanted loudly "War Eagle!", but they're just jealous.  The carnival ended with a tough fought Canoe Tug of War battle with Troop 98 of Columbus.  Our contingent of Jacob, Jason, Joey, Joe, and Luke battled hard, but eventually swamped their canoe.

Andrew Stanford before the Iron Man competition

After the water carnival, we had to rush back for the flag ceremony and dinner.   We were treated to pasta, green beans, peaches, and chocolate chip cookies.  After dinner a few headed down to the waterfront again for the triathlon.  This event was rescheduled from the storm the day before.  Assistant Scoutmaster Andrew Stanford participated as an Iron Man and the troop also had a team of Michael, Joey, and Luke competing.

The triathlon consisted in a quarter mile swim, a 2 mile run, and a half mile canoe paddle.  Andrew competed in all events on his own while Michael took the swimming portion, Joey took the running portion, and Luke took the canoeing portion.  Michael really struggled with swimming a quarter mile, but he finished!  His determination is quite impressive.  Joey and Luke picked up the team well by finishing strong on the running and canoeing portion.  All who participated should be proud.

Luke, Joey, and Michael strategize before triathlon

After the triathlon it was time for the closing campfire.  The troop performed the original skit "Most Interesting Scout" written by Assistant Scoutmaster Davis Baird.  They did a fine job and the camp seemed to like it a lot.  There were many other skits and songs and awards given out.  The troop did earn the Commissioner's Spirit Award for demonstrating good scout spirit all week at camp.  This was a well deserved award for the troop that worked hard all week.

Scouts dancing at closing campfire

Everyone went to sleep for one more night at camp.  Several were overheard mentioning how nice it will be to sleep in their own beds! For more pictures from Camp Sequoyah Day 6, check out our troop photo album.

Friday Finale

      Today was our last full day at Skymont. It was a day to finish up on merit badges, play some games, relax, and start packing our gear for the trip home tomorrow. As has become our practice after the regular camp flag ceremonies, several of our scouts participate in the Brazilian flag ceremony. Today, we recorded a video of the morning ceremony involving our scouts. You can see it here on youtube.

      After breakfast, serval scouts headed to various program areas in order to make-up requirements they may have missed during the week. The first year scouts in the Polaris program took a five mile hike and several members of the troop headed to the waterfront for the mile swim. The three swimmers were Louie, Davis, and the scoutmaster. In addition, Ethan and Joe, Hunter and Mr. Williams, and Creighton manned three canoes that accompanied the swimmers as spotters. As we swam, the scoutmaster came across an old piece of rope floating in the water. The rope was passed to Hunter and Mr. Williams for later disposal. They devised a plan between themselves to use the rope for a nefarious purpose. As they passed Creighton's canoe at the last turn, Hunter yelled "snake!" as he threw the rope at Creighton. The result was predictable and Creighton's shriek echoed across the lake. All three swimmers completed the swim in record time, leading the scoutmaster to believe that the course is actually less than the advertised mile. Unfortunately, there are no photos of this mighty endeavor because the scoutmaster forgot to provide the waterproof camera to Mr. Williams.

      Upon returning from the mile swim, several of the boys were discovered in the campsite playing a game called Ninja. Although the game apparently had some purpose, the scoutmaster mistook it for a yoga class. You may judge for yourself based on the photos.

The unusual carryings on of the scouts before lunch.

      At lunch, the dining hall director came out and told Mr. Williams that she had a special treat for our troop. Mr. Williams has spent the week making friends with everyone he has met from the staff, the scouts, and the leaders. Sometimes the kind words he uses pay dividends as they did today when we received a whole pan of fresh baked cookies. The troop enjoyed the gesture and the cookies.

A scout is cheerful.

      After lunch, the scouts discovered a cache of bamboo left from a pioneering project during the first week of camp. Somehow this location had eluded them all week. Using knives, saws, and other sharp implements, they began to fashion a variety of walking sticks, bows and arrows, and other more menacing weaponry. The whole thing was beginning to have a very Lord of the Flies vibe to it. After one scout was popped in the chin with a stick, I allowed them to posed for a couple of photos before the bamboo was released back to the wild. Parents should be happy that none of it will come home with their scouts.

Apparently they were planning to audition for a Survivor episode. 

Joe apparently was about to lead his people to the promised land. 

      Also during the afternoon, the camp wide games took place. This involved teams made up of scouts from different troops. Several of our scouts took part in various events. Everett returned to the campsite at one point soaking wet. He had been part of a canoe race in which they were forced to abandon the canoe at some point. Luke was part of a group that ate some unusual tasting snacks as part of their challenge. Davis went off to the scout leader versus staff volleyball game. The scout leaders won the first game but the the staff took the next two and won the match.

Davis practices his spike. 

      After dinner, we began to break down our campsite and started packing the trailer. The boys were directed toward the showers and told that they must be clean (and clean smelling) for the ride home tomorrow. The final act of the evening was the closing campfire. Various awards were handed out including the Duty to God Award to our chaplains aide, Aiden. Mile swim patches were given to Louie and both Bairds. Louie also receive the Orion Scout Award for his activities this week. The troop was recognized with the Montosky Moccasin Award, which is the honor troop award for Skymont. We earned 1000 points out of a possible 1250 for our activities at camp this week. The other important award that was given at the campfire was the plaque for the winner of the scout leaders' golf tournament. In a tie for first with 14 points was our own assistant scoutmaster Davis Baird. The campfire included skits from the various troops as well. Some were more entertaining than others. One in particular was the hit of the evening. You can see it for yourself on youtube. The skit was entitled, The Most Interesting Scout in the World.

      Tomorrow morning we will pack up and head home. After a week spent on the mountaintop, we will be ready to return to the Plains of Auburn. Parents should ready their washing machines. Today's crop of photos are found in the online photo gallery.  

Water, Water...

      The rain waited until Friday to put in another appearance. Although there were only a couple of storms that passed through, it was enough to disrupt the water carnival in the afternoon and soak some of our gear. There was a storm of another sort prior to breakfast when it was discovered that someone had cut a four inch gash in one of the canvas tarps in our campsite. Given the prodigious use of knives in the campsite over the past few days, it seemed likely that someone had attempted to samurai the tarp into submission. Since no one in the troop owned up to the rending of the tarp, the Scoutmaster was forced to confiscate the knives of the entire troop.

The wide variety of knives seized during Operation Skewered Tarp.

      As usual, the morning was taken up with merit badge classes and the Eagle Bound program. As an added bonus, some counselors covered requirements for related merit badges that resulted in the earning of the extra badges or a partial for the covered requirements. For example, the Camping merit badge class knocked out a few Backpacking requirements; the Kayaking class also earned the Whitewater merit badge; Emergency Preparedness students worked on Search and Rescue; and the Communications counselor taught Public Speaking as an add-on. Our new Scouts in the Eagle Bound program earned First Aid, Swimming, and Leatherwork merit badges as part of their Scout skills lessons. Mr. Williams also made arrangements for many of the other Scouts in the troop to earn Leatherwork during an afternoon activity. The seventeen scouts earned a total of 64 merit badges overall and completed partial requirements for another 19 merit badges. The total also includes Josh finishing his Archery merit badge from last summer. We were able to exploit our connection to the camp's archery director to get the requirements finished. The six Eagle Bound Scouts completed a combined 69 requirements toward their Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks.

Aiden shows off his woodcarving skills
prior to the confiscation of knives.

      The Friday afternoon water carnival is a camp-wide game that involves a number of waterfront races. These include boat and canoe races, swimming races, a life-jacket relay, a canoe tug-o-war, and a Scout leader belly flop contest. After a rain storm passed, the first event was the Water Spaniel Special. This involves five scouts in a rowboat, paddling with their hands, with one scout using a paddle to steer. They are tasked with finding a floating buoy with the same number as their boat. They then have to race back to shore with their buoy. Our troop's team finished third in the event. 

Troop 50's team (in the far boat) attempts to beat the
second place team to the finish line. 

 

Ethan, Josh, Rusty, Everett, and Creighton pose with their buoy at the
end of the race as Davis photobombs them in the background.

      Several Scouts competed in the swim by weight races. Scouts were matched in the various races based on their body weight. Mr. Dagg also competed in the Scout leader race, taking second place. We seemed to have an edge in the next event with the experienced canoe team of Josh and Louie. The canoe in and out event involved racing the canoes around a course in the lake while listening for blasts on a whistle. Depending on the number of whistle blasts, participates were required to either change places in the canoe or jump out of the canoe, then get back in without swamping it. However, as the canoeists reached the center of the lake to start the race, a prodigious downpour occurred, accompanied by the sound of thunder. This brought a halt to the race and a scramble to get back to shore. Although the rain later slackened, the continued sound of thunder forced the cancellation of the other events. Based on the completed events, the troop tied for third place overall. 

      The afternoon also saw the arrival of the troop committee chair, Mr. Stanford, who came to tow the troop trailer home. He replaced Mr. Williams, who left to fulfill another commitment. The Scouts, hopefully, used the time before dinner to begin the process of packing their gear for home. 

      At the closing campfire, the troop was recognized for earning the Commissioner's Spirit Award. This involved meeting a number of requirements such as competing in camp-wide games, performing the flag ceremony, having swimmers complete the mile swim, doing a conservation project, offering a prayer before a meal (ably done by Joey Futrell), and having the troop in proper uniform for the evening meals. Although our campsite inspection score was a total of 497 out of 500, we just missed receiving an award. Several troops either received perfect scores or missed only one or two points. Overall, the troop had a productive and successful week. 

Miles, Zach, Clay, Ethan, and Aiden await the start of the closing campfire.

  

      More photos from the day and the foreshortened water carnival are found in the online photo gallery. 

 

Canoeing the Flint River

The Buck Patrol demonstrates
proper canoeing techniques.

Early Saturday morning, the troop headed east into Georgia for its first camping trip at Lawhorn Scouting Base, a facility of the Flint River Council, which is based in Griffin, Ga. The 2,400-acre facility, based in Molena, Ga., includes three program areas: its traditional camping facility, Camp Thunder; multi-use wilderness Pine Mountain Backcountry area; and the destination for Troop 50's visit, the Flint River Adventure area. Scouts began preparing for the trip earlier in the week at its weekly meeting, when the Buck Patrol offered an overview of safety afloat and canoeing basics.

Scouts and leaders suited up and ready to hit the water!

Soon after arriving at Lawhorn Scouting Base, Scouts and leaders went straight into "canoeing mode" by grabbing their PFDs and paddles, taking the bus to the take-out spot, and pairing up in their canoes for the nearly three-mile stretch of the Flint River. While the morning started out overcast, the early-morning cloud cover meant lower temperatures for the start of the trek. By the time the troop stopped for lunch about an hour and a mile and a half into the trip, the clouds gave way to blue skies, which added even more to the river's picturesque landscapes.

Scouts broke into patrols to enjoy the lunches prepared before departing camp. Following lunch, the troop waded into the river and explored the various rock groupings in the middle of the river. The cool water took some adjusting to, but the now-sunny skies helped take some of the chill out of the water. The group returned to the canoes for the second leg of the trip. Some Scouts got adventurous by tipping, then draining, their canoes. 

Before we knew it, we were on the banks of Lawhorn Scouting Base and the end of our journey. The troop made its way back to its lakeside campsite by foot to pitch tents, finish setting up camp, and enjoy a leisurely afternoon of fellowship and some impromptu football. Not totally roughing it, a small group (of Scouts and leaders) huddled around some portable technology to monitor the afternoon and evening's various college football games and scores.

Scouts enjoy time to socialize over hot dogs and chili dogs.

As evening approached, both patrols, as well the group comprised of Leadership Corps members and leaders, began preparing their respective dinners. Coincidentally, both patrols planned identical dinners centered around chili dogs. Pooling together a few items from personal freezers, the adults cobbled together a dinner of venison shish kabob, corn on the cob and potatoes. There was an attempt at troop-wide campfire, but as the two skits revealed, Troop 50 might be challenged severely if it ever makes a run for America's Got Talent.

Yes, your boys do know
how to use a broom!

Sunday morning included breakfast preparations and campsite cleanup. Taking a break to continue allowing the tents wet with morning dew to dry, the troop gathered for a devotion. Led by Mr. Tullier in his role as troop chaplain, Scouts and leaders discussed being in and getting out of the slumps of life in the context of Psalms 13. With tents rolled up and the trailer packed, the troop headed out around 10:30 a.m. CT for arrival in Auburn around noon.

At the troop's Patrol Leaders Council meeting Monday evening, the members of the PLC gave high marks to the Lawhorn Scouting Base's facilities, including our campsite, its pavilion and nearby bathhouse (with warm water!); other facilities the troop might go back for, such as the "playground" with Scout-oriented physical and team challenges close to our campsite, and the lake waterfront with inflatable iceberg; and, of course, the canoeing and the great morale everyone had while on the water. Youth leaders will work to ensure some elements — such more challenging and innovative menu planning, more organized duty rosters, and better coaching for younger scouts — are incorporated in upcoming campouts.

To view additional photos from the campout, visit the troop's online photo album.