CRM - Thursday: Free Form Expression

     Thursday at Camp Rainey Mountain is referred to as free range Thursday since there are no merit badge classes and the scouts are free to pursue different activities during various blocks throughout the day. Some troops take advantage of the proximity to several whitewater venues and head off property to go rafting. Troop 50 stayed in and the boys headed out in various directions. Due to the number of troops leaving camp on Thursday morning, the flag ceremony and breakfast were also modified. The running of the flags did not occur, which disappointed some of our more energetic scouts.

     Within our campsite, we have a couple of coolers filled with Gatorade and soda. I have already commented on the teamwork required to keep them iced. We have also been running our own recycling program for the bottles and cans, along with the occasional cardboard box. Since there is a First Class requirement that promotes recycling, we have been promoting it on campouts but we went all in for this week. We have a milk crate that serves as the single stream recycle container. When it becomes full, the boys then remove the caps from the bottles and rinse out all of the bottles and cans at the latrine before sacking it up to transport back to Auburn. This exercise has also been a way to teach them what belongs in a recycle bin and what does not. Some of our scouts have been throwing random trash into the crate in an apparent belief that all trash was recyclable.

There is an assembly line quality to the
process of cleaning the bottles and cans.

     The hike up to Big Rock was promoted to the troop as a way to meet one of the Eagle-required, Camping merit badge requirements, in which one must hike a trail with an elevation change of at least 1000 feet. The boys who did not already have Camping merit badge were eager to check off that requirement but the other (read older) scouts opted out of the hike citing other commitments such as qualifying at the rifle range, working on the Chess merit badge, or participating in a cooking competition. All of these are noble pursuits and they were excused, even the ones who actually spent the free time on the trading post porch with the WiFi. The newest scouts were doing an extended five mile hike as part of meeting a Second Class requirement so they went on the hike as part of their TNT patrols with Mr Dagg accompanying them. Mr. Chism and Mr. Lovvorn accompanied the main group from the troop to make sure that I didn't get lost again.

The hikers want to make sure I know the correct direction to go. 

     I was quite taken with the speed in which the crew hiked up the trail. They passed two other groups en route and didn't stop for a break until we reached the top of the mountain. The trail then made a steep drop down to the top of Big Rock. It has a rope line strung along one point to assist in getting up and down that part of the trail. When we got to Big Rock there was another group admiring both the view and the cell signal. We waited patiently until they cleared the top of the rock and then took the obligatory group photo.

Atop the Big Rock. 

     Once we cleared the area and got back to the top of the mountain, it was all downhill from there, so to speak. The trip down was accomplished with similar speed, although the proximity to lunchtime may have had something to do with it. We made it back to the dinning hall with time to spare, however.

The scouts following their speed hike of a thousand feet of elevation change. 

     The TNT scouts did not appear for lunch but I found out later that they not only made the hike in fine form, they cooked their own lunches of cheese quesadillas after their return to camp. Oliver and Jackson both commented on the fine quality of their respective dishes.

Johnson and Oliver seem to be enjoying their time on the mountain. 

     Following lunch the scouts went full free range. Some chose to enjoy the sunshine playing frisbee on the parade field. Some went swimming while others worked to earn some extra badges that were offered as part of the single day program. Gideon and Gordon were eager to try out the Blob. This is a large vinyl bag inflated with air that floats in the lake. One person jumps onto the Blob from a tower above, climbs out to the other end, and lays flat on the top. Then a second person jumps from the tower. This pushes the air towards the other end and launches the first person into the air to land in the water. Given the weight difference between them, Gideon was launched high into the air in spectacular fashion.

Gideon takes flight. 

Trey seems blown away by Luke's frisbee skills.

George and Rhett play frisbee along with the camp dog.

Jake, Gideon, Luke, Whit, Harrison P. and Jackson L. learn the mystical arts of chess. 

     I would be remiss if I didn't note the obligatory ga-ga ball pit at the camp. During the first three days of camp, the bottom of the pit was quite muddy. This did not stop scouts from playing ga-ga ball and getting absolutely head to toe muddy while doing it. I never saw any of our scouts in the muddy pit but I know some who seriously contemplated it. On Wednesday, a load of sand was dumped alongside of the pit and I did see at least one Troop 50 scout playing in the sand pile. Since the sand has been spread within the pit, there has been a nonstop game of ga-ga going, possibly 24 hours a day. Last night we almost had to drag one of our scouts bodily from the pit as rain and lightening  threatened. 

Johnson waits his turn to engage in the gladiatorial contest that is ga-ga ball. 

     Free range Thursday is also free of dinner in the dining hall. Some troops prefer to go to town for pizza but we decided to stick with cooking hobo meals in the campsite. The dining hall staff issued us the ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and cabbage along with the foil to wrap it all up in. We used the fire pit in the campsite to ignite a giant pile of charcoal, overseen by Battalion Chief Lovvorn, while other scouts chopped up the vegetables. Then all of the scouts put their meals together in the foil packets and laid them directly on top of the charcoal. The adults opted to put the ingredients into our Dutch oven for a tasty meal of Lithuanian goulash. The meal was capped off with a watermelon. Although the foil and plastic forks could be thrown away after the meal, there was still a great deal of detritus left on the ground, including potatoes, carrots, onions, and about a hundred thousand watermelon seeds. 

The pile of hobo meals grows upon the fire. 

Tyson skillfully filets the watermelon. 

     We barely finished our clean-up before the aforementioned storm blew in. Due to the lightening, we confined the scouts to the Adirondacks until it passed. They did not seem to mind. Some went on to sleep while a card game of Exploding Kittens Uno (please do not ask me to explain that, I have no idea) raged in another. I'm also told that movie night occurred in a third Adirondack courtesy of the Nintendo Switch. The storm finally passed and thus ended the night.

     Photos from free range Thursday are available at this link.  

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.

We're halfway there! (CDB Day 4)

Connor and Gideon enjoying classes

At camp on Wednesday morning, we awoke to another beautiful cool morning and a promising day.  The scouts quickly got ready as they have every other day and we headed to breakfast.  At the dining hall, we enjoyed country fried steak, gravy, biscuits, and folded eggs.  Many of the scouts hit the cereal bar as well.  We then headed outside to attend the flag raising ceremony for the day before having some free time before classes.  Many of the scouts spend free time fishing, woodcarving, or playing ga-ga.

Mr. Chism after his quick climb up the rock wall

In the morning, scouts continued with their classes in areas such as First Aid, Camping, Shotgun,  Movie Making, and many in the STEM areas.  The weather continues to be spectacular allowing for us to enjoy all the activities of camp.  Before lunch, Mr. Chism competed in the Scoutmaster Climb competition and finished in fine time.  Our scouts and leaders continue to be exemplary in multiple areas and represent our troop well.

For lunch, the adult leaders were treated with trout, corn on the cob, potato salad, rolls, and banana pudding.  It was fantastic and one of the perks for attending scout camp for the week as an adult.  The scouts enjoyed hot dogs and the sides that go along with that.  After lunch, the scouts enjoyed some free time at the Snack Shack (for sugar) and in Cold Mountain Outfitters (trading post) as well as the ga-ga pit.  Then, they headed off for their afternoon classes for merit badges and Goin' Great.

Will climbing up the rock wall

After classes, free time involved card games, rock climbing, fishing, and some football on the parade field.  The scouts are also working on their homework for their classes in their free time.  The adult leaders are strongly encouraging all of the scouts to get their merit badges completed so they don't have work to complete them later.  Time will tell if they are heeding this advice.

For supper, we enjoyed a box meal from Bojangles, which included chicken fingers, mac and cheese, green beans, and a cookie.  It was noticeably missing their famous biscuits.  The dining hall is closed for supper on Wednesdays so the staff can have the night off, so we ate in our campsite.  Apparently, many of our scouts won't eat green beans, but Joe made sure to eliminate them for us.  He ended up eating 7 servings himself!

Joe and all his green bean containers

Meanwhile, Whit cleaned his fish and was cooking it as a requirement for the Fishing merit badge.  He was nice enough to share it with the rest of us and it was pretty tasty (and salty!).  It was nice for the boys to see where food comes from.  Just hours before, Whit saw this fish swimming in the lake and caught it.  Now, we are eating it.  The troop we are sharing a campsite with from Florida was nice enough to lend some of their cooking gear and expertise.

After dinner, we climbed up "cardiac ridge" to Boonesboro Village to witness the Highland Games.  This was a competition between the groups staying there in which they participated in some traditional Scottish games of flipping logs, racing with sheep, and haggis tossing.  Boonesboro Village is a living history program that allows us to experience life skills and crafts that were common in the late-1700’s.

Whit cooking the trout he caught

After this interesting experience, we descended down the mountain to the campfire amphitheater for the Order of the Arrow (OA) call out ceremony and the flag retirement ceremony.  The troop had one scout called out for the OA, resulting from our election last month and it was Jason.  Mr. Williams was able to retire a flag based on his service to our country.

Once we arrived back at camp, we invited over our friends from Florida to enjoy some snacks and fellowship.  It is always nice to meet new scouting friends and enjoy their company.  You can learn so much from other experiences they have had.  Everyone settled in for the night with no issues (as usual).  Several are planning to participate in the Polar Plunge early on Thursday morning.  Stay tuned for that!  The weather on Wednesday was very nice and it only sprinkled for a few moments.  To see more pictures from today's adventure, see our online photo album.

Jason called out as an OA candidate

Flag retirement ceremony

Ga-Ga Mania! (CDB Day 3)

A beautiful morning at camp

Tuesday started off well and for the second day in a row the scouts are quick to rise and get ready for the day.  We enjoyed a breakfast of chicken biscuits, folded eggs, and the cereal bar.  Everyone is enjoying the food provided at the dining hall each day and nobody is going hungry.  After breakfast, we participated in the flag raising ceremony before several scouts headed to the ga-ga pit for a friendly game before classes for the day begin.  The ga-ga pit is a big attraction for most of the scouts and gets a lot of attention throughout the day.

Ga-ga is quite popular here.

The scouts attended their classes throughout the morning as they diligently worked on their requirements for merit badges.  At one point, adult leaders in camp were greeted by Whit carrying a dead fish in a bag.  He caught this fish in Lake Allen and it helps fulfill a requirement for the Fishing merit badge.  Another requirement is to clean and cook the fish.  We are hopeful that the other boys working on the Fishing merit badge will catch fish as well and we'll cook them all at the same time.  Currently, the fish resides in Mr. Stanford's Yeti cooler (right next to the Dr. Pepper).

Harrison, Whit, Benson, Gideon, and George at Boonesboro

For lunch, we enjoyed some barbecue sandwiches and some leftover macaroni pasta (if you wanted it).  Along with that was some baked beans and cole slaw.  Following lunch was of course some more ga-ga before the afternoon merit badge classes begin and the first year scouts headed to Goin' Great.  The afternoon was full of excitement for the first year scouts because they earned their Totin' Chip, which means they understand how to use a knife safely and they have agreed to do so.  The excitement is not really around the Totin' Chip, but around the knives they could purchase in the trading post!  Lots of money was spent there collectively today.  Also in the afternoon a group of guys checked out Boonesboro, which you'll read more about tomorrow.

Mr. Baird representing the troop with a shotgun.

Before dinner, we had a team represent our troop in the tug-of-war competition.  They did very well, winning the first round and coming close in the second round.  Jason, Liam, Boone, Miles, and Luke took the rope for the troop.  Dinner consisted of Salisbury steak, green peas, baked potatoes, and a chocolate eclair motif.  The food in the dining hall has been exceptional for camp food.  The leaders have heard no complaints about the food from the scouts.  Once the high adventure crew returned, Mr. Baird competed in the Scoutmaster shoot and shot 8 out of 10 for a very respectable score.  The scoutmasters were then treated to a cracker barrel of popcorn chicken, fried cheese sticks, and chips and cheese dip and salsa.

Miles providing light for Ga-ga into the night!

Before bedtime, many of the boys (including those from the high adventure group) played a rousing game of Uno that caught the attention of anyone not playing.  The boys were definitely having a good time.  The weather today was nice even though we had a few periods of rain.  For more pictures, please see our online photo album.