Family Campout 2009

Pack 82's annual Spring Family Campout was once again an unmitigated success. Over 60 campers descended on Ross-Rhodes Scout Reservation on March 20-22. Originally scheduled for the previous weekend, the campout was moved out seven days due to uncooperative weather. If we were Boy Scouts, it would have been our duty to camp out in the cold and rain and enjoy it. But since we are Cub Scouts, our duty is to have fun! The original weekend's weather being incompatible with that duty, we rescheduled.

Ghostly Tales

Although we had planned on doing some stargazing and earning Astronomy beltloops Friday night, clouds rolled in just as the sun went down. We took advantage of the nighttime creepiness to take a walk in the dark and tell some ghost stories. Old favorites - such as the one about the 10,000 lb gorilla and the ghost of Able Fable - were dragged from the recesses of Mr. Jeff's memory. He also happened to bring along the severed finger of his great-great-grandfather to show the bewildered Scouts. "Is that story true, Mr. Jeff?"

"Yes. I really did have a great-great-grandfather."

Cholesterol, Take I

Many thanks to the Pack 82 Chuckwagon for preparing breakfast for 58 (or so) Saturday morning. Plenty of biscuits, sausage, and eggs were had by all. Note to Jeff - next time, forget the white milk. Get more chocolate.

Flags, Hiking, and Games

Around mid-morning Saturday, the Webelos provided a colorguard and raised the flag at the activity field. The Pack then divided into two patrols and hiked for an hour while picking up trash. One patrol found a Real Live Lizard living inside an old Pepsi can. Immediately following the strenuous hike, the boys spent an hour recuperating by running around on the activity field playing kickball and capture the flag.

Dutch Ovenry

Saturday night saw a dinner of hot dogs, chips, and a multitude of delightful Dutch Oven desserts. Cakes, cobblers, chili, and various other creations tempted the palates of all campers. If you don't have a Dutch Oven, you should get one. If Mr. Rick can do it, so can you.

Campfire

Saturday night concluded with a fun and energetic campfire meeting down at the Council Fire. Mr. Dan lit the bonfire with a giant flaming roll of toilet paper that somewhat resembled a marshmallow. There was plenty of singing (Ravioli, Tom the Toad, On Top of Spaghetti, and Ghost Chickens in the Sky), skits (firefighters, Yaputcha), and fabulous prizes! Did I mention there were Ghost Chickens? For real? (baaaaawk bokbokbokbok!)

Chapel, Cholesterol Take II, and Cleanup

The Pack had a brief chapel service Sunday morning, followed by many pancakes, sausage, and leftover biscuits and hot dogs. (yes, hot dogs for breakfast.) Afterward, each den took responsibility for cleaning up a section of the camp. We left things better than we found them!

In Conclusion

To sum it up, this year's camp was great fun for parents and scouts. While we missed some of our recently crossed-over Webelos and their leaders, we were glad to get to know some new scouts and their parents a bit better.

Photos are here.