In August we got together we 5 other scout troops from our Stake (our Stake consists of 8 regional congregations). Last year I started this camp out because my scouts wanted to camp with other scouts they had met through various activities in the Church. We invited all the congregations to participate, but only 4 of the 8 camped together - still we had over 50 participants. This year I co-hosted the camp with Dirk Gardner of the 4th Ward. We had 6 units show and over 60 participants. Last and this year we camped at Moraine State Park at the 5 Points Group campground. This campsite has a huge field in which we can set up tents. Next to the field is "the best climbing tree ever" according to Matt. We have camped here before and the first thing Matt does is climb the tree (after camp is set up, of course).
This year only Matt and Brett could attend. All of my other scouts were either on vacation or involved in football. Late August is a bad time of year to try to get everyone together. Next year we are going to try to plan for the end of July or start of August. Here, Matt and Brett are eating breakfast. We cooked scrambled eggs with ground sausage and sprinkled cheese over the top and wrapped that into a flour tortilla. I thought they were very tasty and easy to prepare. Matt wanted salsa to go on his breakfast burritos. In addition we sliced up a few potatoes and added sliced onions to make "home fries." We saute in butter the sliced veggies and cook them until the potatoes are soft. They were excellent.
Last year I set up a compass course for the boys, giving them a starting point and a set of directions and distances. All 4 units competed last year. After 10 twists and turns of various distances (almost a mile), the scouts submitted their ending points. The unit from Butler won, being only 30 feet off the final ending point. Two other units were off by about 35 feet and my unit was off by about 70 feet :( . Dan, my Assistant Scoutmaster (pictured above) set up the course this year. He got his GPS out and set 5 markers up around the camp site. The then plotted the markers on a contour map and handed that out to the competing units. This time it was a timed event to see how fast you could find the markers and get back to camp. Four troops participated and here are the times: Freeport: 1 hour 38 minutes, Slippery Rock: 1 hour 43 minutes, Butler 1 hour 48 minutes, and 4th Ward: 1 hour 49 minutes. As you can see, it was not easy.Friday night was perhaps one of the clearest nights I have seen East of the Mississippi. The moon set early so the view of the stars was uninhibited. I pulled Matt and Brett aside and had them gaze up into the sky for a few minutes. We could clearly see the mist/haze of the Milky Way. A planet was very bright in the southern sky (probably Jupiter or Saturn). It was a time to just think about the vast distances that are out there. For me it was a humbling experience. We are on the edge of a smaller galaxy. The universe is so large, and we are small in comparison. I hope Matt and Brett took away something like that. Later on during the evening I found Matt with some of his friends gazing into the sky away from camp. They had seen two shooting stars during their observations and discussions. After visiting with them, I went back to my tent for a peaceful night of sleeping. After looking at the stars, I think I can appreciate what God had done for me a little more.
