Trip Report: Back-to-Basics 2011
Published on April 4, 2011 | Print | Email | Tweet | Add to Facebook

Troop 200's newest Scouts are off to a great start thanks to a terrific team of Scout instructors who taught important Scout skills and provided guidance in everything from setting up tents to making it through a first night away from home. Mr. Lawrence prepared this trip report for what was by all accounts a great experience for all involved:

We had a great weekend campout (much warmer than last weekend!) where 17 Scouts went on their first Troop 200 campout!

PLUS we had 18 other scouts either looking for advancement or helping out with the various requirement stations.

We started the day early at 7am leaving from IC parking lot with more boys than we had seats in cars. THANK YOU to Mrs. Gibbons and Mr. Bragin for volunteering at the last minute to drive some boys up to Yards Creek.

We drove to Yards Creek Scout Reservation and stayed at the large VERMONT campsite.

After a backpack inspection where the boys proved they were prepared for the weekend, the boy leaders taught them how to set up the troop tents. Then while the boy leaders organized their stations, the adult leaders took the boys on a hike to get their water bottles filled and see some of the sights of Yards Creek like the chapel. Along the way, we identified 10 plants and 10 signs of wildlife.

The boys spend the rest of the morning and all afternoon working in the ax yard, learning map reading, first aid, firebuildng, knots and having a flag ceremony. Right before dinner, we hiked up the mountain to see the abandoned "hermit house" and learn the legend of the hermit gold!

Dinner involved pork tenderloin and baked potatoes for the Geezer Patrol (thanks Mr. Garanzini) while the Scouts mastered the art of tin foil cookery. For dessert, I made two large portions of Apple Crisp in Dutch ovens (one Scout described the flavor of the apple crisp as "going to heaven with every bite.") We had a "thorns and roses" session around the campfire and the boys were in their tents by about 10pm.

The boys had a 6:30am wake up and learned to back their gear and take down their tents BEFORE they could cook breakfast. Soon we had omelets, chocolate chip pancakes, pork roll, bacon and pop tarts filling hungry bellies. By 10am, we were packed and ready to go.

Some things we learned this weekend:
  • Your water bottle does not need to go in the refrigerator the night before a campout where you will forget it.
  • Do not let your spouse move half of the patrol's food to another refrigerator where you will forget it
  • Fill up your water bottles at home so you don't have to drink water that tastes like sulfur.
  • PLEASE let your son pack his OWN backpack. That is the ONLY way he will learn and become independent.
  • Please don't give your son a large Hersey bar and starburst for the weekend. We will have plenty of food for him.
  • The more you pack into a tin foil packet, the longer it will take to cook.
  • The proper way to fold a tin foil packet so your dinner does not end up directly on the coals.
  • If you have a jacket with 37 pockets, check EVERY one before announcing that your cell phone is lost.
  • With 35 Scouts, logistics is a KEY factor. Drivers, tents, and even charcoal have to be SUPERSIZED.
Thanks to our Senior Patrol Leader, Joey L. and the rest of the Scouts who ran the advancement stations: James L., Aaron W., Alex G., Nick B., Kyle B. and Noah P.

Troop 200 continues to be on the move with our third campout in three weeks as next weekend we are in Six Flags for a Scout weekend.
Don't miss the trip photos in our Troop Photo Gallery.

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