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Scout Campout Reports Archive

2006

Summer Camp by Jacob L.

My experience at Pioneer Scout Reservation Summer Camp was very fun. We each had five hours to do five different merit badges or activities. If we wanted to we could just leave time open for additional free time instead of doing a merit badge or activity. We also had three and a half hours of open time each day when we could do any of the program activities like shooting sports, including paintball, handicrafts (a.k.a. “handiland”), swimming, boating, climbing, or mountain boarding/biking. We cooked breakfast and lunch everyday and had dinner in the dining hall.  Computers were available at the Loftus Lodge for email.
I earned four merit badges:  fishing, swimming, motor boating, and climbing, which was very exciting.  I also did mountain boarding, which is not a merit badge. While at summer camp, I earned the Tenderfoot rank.  Being at camp was a great experience for us younger scouts, because we lived away from home for a whole week, cooked for ourselves and our patrol mates, learned how to camp better, and got to know each other more. I am looking forward to attending summer camp again next year.

Summer Camp by Lucas R.

Pioneer Scout Reservation was the place we went for summer camp and it was a blast. Despite the scorching heat and pouring rain, I would say everyone enjoyed it. The merit badges were a lot of fun, and the kids that went on outposts had a great time. The food, I would have to say was very good, except the ham, which was not so good after an entire week of it. The Root Beer Cantina and fire bowl were lots of fun, and so was the BLOB!!!!!!!!!!! I think this was definitely a great first summer camp for the first years.

Deer Trails by Lucas R.

Deer Trails this year was at camp Teetonka, home of revolting water and swarms of mosquitoes. Thomas, Avi, Mike and I were this years participants from our troop. For those who don't know, Deer Trails is our council’s form of National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT). Every year a certain amount of kids from each troop go, and are put into patrols with kids you don't know and you operate as a troop. In that week you are taught leadership skills and how to help your troop. I can't say anything else, because it is all supposed to be a secret. We all managed to survive the big thunderstorm on Monday night, or as Queen would call it, ”A torrential mist". If you ever get the chance to go, take it. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

HIGH ADVENTURE at PHILMONT by Michael A.

Our trip started with a 28 hour train ride.  We were apprehensive at first, but once we hit the trail with all of our gear on our backs (between 50 & 60 lbs) our minds were on the job at hand. We spent 10 days in the wilderness at elevations between 7500 and 12000 feet. The 70 miles that we hiked was grueling but we had a pretty good time.  The food on the trail was abysmal yet we managed anyway.  Some of the things that we did and saw were unforgettable.  We saw a bear and a rattlesnake. We went horseback riding and learned to climb trees like lumberjacks and use a branding iron like cowboys.  We climbed Mt. Baldy, the highest mountain at Philmont. When we finally got back to base camp we had our first shower in 10 days and it felt great.  Before we climbed back aboard the train for our trip home, we all had a steak dinner and boy was it good.
We had a great time and we came back with memories that will last a lifetime.  I would recommend this trip to anyone.

2005

Summer Camp by Michael H.

I believe that everyone had a great time at summer camp.  The weather was good most of the time, the food was great and we got daily exercise going up and down the hill to our campsite.  Everyone earned a few merit badges.  The canoe trip was fun other than the water being a little low and the canoe getting stuck on the bottom of the river some times.  Cole Canoe Base was a fun camp to go to.

BATTLECHEFS by Mike A.

This years Battle Chefs was a great deal of fun and produced a lot of good food.  The weather was great and fun was had by all who attended. The theme for this years contest was a backpack lunch, and anything goes for dinner. The Dragons took first place for dinner with BBQ ribs, beans, cornbread, and peanut butter pie.  The Wolverines took second place for lunch with gumbo, jambalaya, and fajita raps for desert.  They also took third place for dinner with pasta and red sauce, salad, garlic bread, and tiramisu cheesecake for desert.  The competition was hard fought with the Dragons winning the coveted cast iron fry pan to hang on their patrol flag for there overall scores.

 Spring Camporee by Mike A.

 This years Spring Camporee was held at CampTeetonkah and was another fun time for all who attended.  There were a lot of different activities for the scouts to participate in.  The Flaming Frogs and the Wolverines seemed to enjoy the ax throwing competition the most. Another thing that happened was that there was a baby deer in our camp site that seemed to be lost from its mother. Scott diving into the lake trying to catch a Frisbee was pretty funny too.  One of the least favorite parts of the campout was the band.  They seemed to mess up most of the songs that they played. The Order of the Arrow also had a tapping out ceremony.

 Spring Camporee by Thomas C.

We had an interesting time at the Spring Camporee.  When we arrived we were lead by an OA scout to our camp site.  One the way to the site, he mentioned “I hate maps”.  We traveled the same road back and forth several times and were not sure where our camp site, Cedars, was.  In the end, we stayed at another campsite because our OA guide could not find Cedars.  It turned out that he was the scout in charge of orienteering!  When we set up camp, we found a fawn that was content to stay lying down in the ferns next to camp.  It stayed there until Sunday morning when it got up and went in search of its mother. We could hear it call for its mother as we left. 

Friday night, we went to the fire bowl and heard a rock concert.  It was put on by four guys, three who played guitars and one who played the drum. It was OK.  What they lacked in skill, they made up in volume.  Saturday morning most of the Cobra’s worked on skill building. They learned how to build fires; tie knots, handle tools safely and about cooking. The older scouts explored camp. Saturday afternoon we formed two patrols and competed in various tests of skill.  My favorites were the axe throw and the dunk tank.  Saturday night was OA ceremony.  The ceremony was good.  No one was allowed to speak except for the 4 performers who tapped out new OA members. The new members were led away in silence.  When they got back to camp, they could not talk until the sun rose. They communicated using a pencil and pad of paper.  Sunday morning, we had our vespers and then went to the closing flag ceremony.  At the ceremony, we won a Dutch oven.  After that, we broke camp and headed home. All in all I had a good time.

PS A recent article in the Ann Arbor News noted that if you find what appears to be an abandon fawn, leave it alone.  Although its mom may leave it for many hours at a time, they do return after dark.

Shooting Sports Campout  by Mike A.

Great FUN ... Great  FOOD ...Great COMPANY... Yucky WEATHER !!!

Our campout in March was held at the Washtenaw Sportsman club where we were able to shoot .22 rifles, shotguns, and muzzle loaders.  Scouts were able to work on qualifying for the rifle shooting and shotgun shooting merit badges.  It started raining Saturday morning and continued  to rain all day.  Because of the weather, the campout ended Saturday evening, after dinner.

I talked to 2 scouts about the campout, and both Ryan B  and Kevin M liked the shooting that we did.  Kevin said that he liked the whole campout, but Ryan hated the rain.  The only things that they would  have changed were that Ryan would have liked not to rain, and Kevin wished that we could have shot bow and arrows.

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