Well, all the scouts and scouters of Troop 58 made it back from Camp Fleischmann safe and sound. We had a few scrapes and cuts, none dangerous. A few splinters, one case of frog-eating (on a bet), and one incident of car-sickness (on the return trip).
Troop 58 acquitted itself honorably, winning the Peter Lassen award for the best-spirited, most worthy troop on the far side of the lake, with full points. (We were also known as the "church troop", probably because of the crosses on our hats and neckerchiefs.) The younger scouts worked on rank advancement, with most of the new scouts completing all requirements for Tenderfoot, several completing all requirements for Second Class, and some scouts almost ready to earn First Class rank. I taught knots & lashings, bandages, and rescue carries/drags for the First Class rank requirements.
Here are some pictures of what the scouts learned:
I let them tie me up to demonstrate their ability to splint broken bones.
Zach, Jake, and Mario are practicing the two-man rescue carry.
Brendon Caskey made a first-class pack rack for a camp gadget.
Mario Balitbit caught a garter snake.
Many of the scouts earned 5+ merit badges, including some unusual ones like Metalworking, Salesmanship, Paper & Pulp, and Weather. At least one scout earned the Lifesaving merit badge, and one adult scouter earned the BSA Lifeguard award. The troop participated in the camp flag ceremony, trail restoration, food serving and cleanup, and, of course, the campwide games, where the Dragon patrol won 2nd place out of at least 20 patrols. Some scouts had fun trading patches with an international scout from the Republic of China (a.k.a. Taiwan).
When I wasn't teaching scout skills or checking up on the scouts' progress, I spent as much time as possible at Eagle Creek, the climbing area. Eagle Creek is run by Jim (the First), an older Venture Scouter who believes climbing is a way for scouts to develop self-confidence. He treats his staff very well, and they love him. I learned how to fasten a harness, and how to tie two important climbing knots, the figure-8 follow-through and the safety knot. More importantly, I learned more deeply the importance of believing in oneself, and also the importance of the PDCA process (Plan, Do, Check, Adjust.) There was one route, the purple route on Wibb's Walll (which has an overhang), which took me four tries to climb successfully. I was allowed two free holds of any color, and it helped to plan where I was going to use those holds.
I started on Sunday night, and on Monday I was the first camper that week to climb the surf route, which is colored blue and green, and has holds that are shaped like waves. I named it Fountains of the Deep (see Genesis 7:11), and wrote my name and troop number on the route name sheet. I had more fun in two days at Camp Fleischmann than I had in a whole week at the National Jamboree. That's probably because my companions were better, and I spent time doing what I really wanted to do, which was teaching scouts and climbing the walls (literally).
Here's a video of Mike, one of the Eagle Creek staff, executing a "Dino" on Wibb's Wall:
There was one serious discipline issue that the scoutmasters had to deal with while at camp. One of the scouts had some contraband material that had to be confiscated. What made it worse was that other scouts knew of the material and failed to report it. All the scouts involved were taken up the trail by Steve Danelz (a.k.a. "Mr. D", the Scoutmaster) and Eric Johnson Sr., who is a pastor. Eric spoke to them about the moral issues involved, and each one had to write a letter to his parents, explaining what he did. Steve Danelz planned to read the letters (checking for accuracy), and then deliver them to the parents. This was a good lesson for me on dealing with serious moral issues at camp.
There was also an ongoing concern about the scouts getting too close (physically) to some of the female staffers, and also at least one young woman who was camping with a troop (presumably with her family). Steve doesn't mind the scouts having relationships with members of the opposite sex, but he feels it's inappropriate at scout camp. When he asked how I would feel if it were my daughter, I realized that I wouldn't let my daughter out of my sight at a camp full of boys, even boy scouts. I started reprimanding the boys for obvious flirting, and referred any questions to Mr. D.
However, we still had a chance to relax.
Here's a shot of Mike Avella catching a few Z's.
On the last night, there was a campfire with lots of entertainment, mostly scout-led. There was one demonstration of a hoop dance (not scout-led) that was very impressive. I managed to get it on video. Hope you can view this.
