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Our troop has not run a Summer Camp, but we have done other things like it and it does take a bit of planning. Program is easy because it is basically the same thing as camp outs, but more of it. We try to find the right property that can handle some of the activities like hiking, biking and fishing. A lot can be added if you are near the right areas like horse back riding, boating and shooting sports. All depends what activities the troop wants and where you go.

 

But by far the biggest logistical challenge is food and meals. When you start to realize how much food needs to be keep at safe temperatures for a week, you understand the day to day planning required for safe food handling. Very difficult to be handled at the patrol level and requires a team to plan and execute.

 

However, I have never known a troop that didn't come back from its own summer camp that wasn't excited to do it again. There is a certain level of bonding and growing maturity with all the scouts and adults that is hard to reach at Council camps. It really pulls a troop together.

 

Barry

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Doing it this year.  Combo High Adventure and Summer Camp.

 

Rafting 6 rivers and camping 5 nights in 4 sites:

Sunday         Ocoee

Monday        Ropes Course  

    pm            Nantahala

Tuesday       Chattooga  4

Wednesday  Chattooga  3

Thursday      Pigeon

Friday           Nolichucky

 

 

Older boys are assigned Tenderfoot and 2nd Class topics to teach.  Some areas taught during the ride to our next site.

Schedule and duty roster looks like this:

Tuesday              

Flag          Markus                   xx-Jun   50 mi     

Breakfast David                  Chatooga  4         8.45 - 3

KP            Nigel               2C 1,2 (Hike Map) Carson   

Lunch       Nathan           2C 3ab 6 (LNT, Site, Animals)

Dinner A  James            

KP A        Fish                 2C 3cdefg (Fire tools) Ethan

Dinner B  Markus                    Chattoga Snds    

KP B        Alex                                                         SMC Beason

Fire          Ryan Boy                                                SMC Carson

Flag         Kyle                     Wild MB Overnight ?   BORs

 

 

Chattooga 4 is minimum age 13, so the younger boys will get in their 5 mile hike down to 5 Falls and watch the rest come through.

Lots of camping and cooking credit.

Offering 3 MBs. Wilderness Survival, Nature, and Woodcarving.

Worked a deal with the outfitter, NOC, to get better rates by avoiding their busy weekends.  Cost is right at $600 per boy, $500 younger.

 

This is heavily Adult planned.  The PLC did the duty roster and menus, and are responsible for seeing that it all happens.

Edited by JoeBob
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Calling @@Stosh! ;)

 

Very funny!  :)  @

 

@@KenD500

 

Yes, I have done it a few times with the older boys.  They get kinda burned out same-old, same-old summer camp experience and wish to do something a bit different.

 

The best one we did was the traditional historic summer camp.  We went up to the national forest area, found a spot on a nice lake, set up camp, build latrines, purified water, fished, swam, canoed, made some fantastic food, and just hung out for the week.  The boys had a fire going all week long.  Lots of discussions on future beyond high school, military, getting married, etc. Kinda like the pre-grown up stuff.

 

I've done the same with older boys in BWCA area not using Northern Tier, just a week of camping fishing and swimming.

 

Because we generally end up near a water source, i.e. a lake, we tend to spend a lot of time with advanced fishing techniques.  Too often the activities are too planned to have much time for just hanging out with a line in the water drowning worms.

 

Out of all my "summer camp" alternatives, I as an adult enjoyed the most because adults had a chance to share as an equal with the boys on the trek.  The group was small (one patrol) and the intimacy was an opportunity to really get to know the boys.

 

I've never done a troop-wide summer camp outside the program of a summer camp.  There are too many NSP/young boy issues that they miss out on that an organized camp program provides.  An older boy patrol has the skill set to pull this off quite easily.

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Doing it this year.  Combo High Adventure and Summer Camp.

 

Rafting 6 rivers and camping 5 nights in 4 sites:

Sunday Ocoee Monday Ropes Course   Nantahala Tuesday Chattooga  4 Wednesday Chattooga  3 Thursday Pigeon Friday Nolichucky

 

 

Older boys are assigned Tenderfoot and 2nd Class topics to teach.  Some areas taught during the ride to our next site.

Schedule and duty roster looks like this:

Tuesday               Flag Markus   xx-Jun   50 mi   8.45 - 3   Breakfast David   Chatooga  4       KP Nigel       2C 1,2 (Hike Map) Carson   Hiker Lunch Nathan       2C 3ab 6 (LNT, Site, Animals)   Dinner A James             KP A Fish       2C 3cdefg (Fire tools) Ethan   Dinner B Markus       Chattoga Snds     KP B Alex       SMC Beason   Fire Ryan Boy       SMC Carson   Flag Kyle   Wild MB Overnight ?   BORs

 

 

Chattooga 4 is minimum age 13, so the younger boys will get in their 5 mile hike down to 5 Falls and watch the rest come through.

Lots of camping and cooking credit.

Offering 3 MBs. Wilderness Survival, Nature, and Woodcarving.

Worked a deal with the outfitter, NOC, to get better rates by avoiding their busy weekends.  Cost is right at $600 per boy, $500 younger.

 

This is heavily Adult planned.  The PLC did the duty roster and menus, and are responsible for seeing that it all happens.

 

And that last line is why I focus more on just doing summer camp as a patrol or two of the older boys.  THEY do the planning.

 

Seriously, I'm too lazy to do that much work that the boys should be able to do for themselves.

Edited by Stosh
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.......

The best one we did was the traditional historic summer camp.  We went up to the national forest area, found a spot on a nice lake, set up camp, build latrines, purified water, fished, swam, canoed, made some fantastic food, and just hung out for the week.  The boys had a fire going all week long.  Lots of discussions on future beyond high school, military, getting married, etc. Kinda like the pre-grown up stuff..........

 

......Out of all my "summer camp" alternatives, I as an adult enjoyed the most because adults had a chance to share as an equal with the boys on the trek.  The group was small (one patrol) and the intimacy was an opportunity to really get to know the boys.........

 

I have to say that sounds like a really great thing.

 

I can imagine another good summer week could be had doing something like a section of the AT, or other good trail..... or a canoe trip down a river

Don't have to cover a lot of ground, especially if there are younger or less capable ones around.... hike a bit, set up for a couple days on a lake as you described.... hike a bit more.... maybe another night or two in another location....

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Organising your own summer camp in so far as not signing up to do a fixed programme is quite standard this side of the pond, although for most troops it doesn't mean full on green field camping. Typically it involves camping at a scout owned camp site, booking some of the activities that are available there for part of the time and self programming the rest.

 

The only time we did it near enough from scratch was last summer when we did a cycle tour and camped at various places including a birds pf prey rescue centre, a sailing club and an airfield (there was a scout association glider and instructors based there that we made use of), we made a "film" of it here (the sound track is a nod to the gliding element of the trip!)

 

The kids did enjoy it as it gave much more scope for them deciding when and where they wanted to do things. However they did miss the interaction of meeting scouts from other troops and other parts of the country which is always something they enjoy.

 

This year is back to standard, 7 days at scout owned campsite but only 1 and a half days of that is using the onsite activities, the rest is self programming. Our 2012 summer camp was similar to that.

 

As we are in a fixed place this year food storage is less of an issue as we have gas powered fridges that we can take with us. They are small and won't take all the food we need for a week so we will probably get a second delivery of meat and dairy half way through. I don't know how feasible that is in the less densly populated USA!

 

I guess a lot of it boils down to what do the scouts want to do. Sometimes you'll get a generation that want to be more social and other times those that want the troop to be more independent.

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I do not know the entire story, but in MS three troops share a very nice campground and each has their own cabin for year round use. The do rent out the campground throughout the year.

 

I never went to their summer camp, but had friends go and this is how it was described to me. They put on only 1 week of camp and other units are invited to attend. HOWEVER for every so many boys going, you have to provide x number of MBCs for the week. So essentially the Adutls going with their troops are the ones teaching the MBCs.

 

Anyway, once they know  which MBs the leaders can teach, they then come out with the class schedule. If memory serves, patrols are responsible for their own meals. And there is a limit to the number of folks that can attend.

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A troop in our district has conducted their own summer camp the last two years.   The scouts and scouters really like the concept.   They had plenty of activities, even if they had to commute a short ways for aquatic stuff.   As Stosh said, they also had lots of free time to relax, visit, and shoot the breeze. 

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The only time we did it near enough from scratch was last summer when we did a cycle tour and camped at various places including a birds pf prey rescue centre, a sailing club and an airfield (there was a scout association glider and instructors based there that we made use of), we made a "film" of it here (the sound track is a nod to the gliding element of the trip!)

@@Cambridgeskip, Your youtube video is blocked with the message "This video contains content from WMG, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds." I guess it's the music? So much for fair use.

Edited by Rick_in_CA
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I think this is terrific for units that are really on the ball!

 

But most are not,  and leaning on council camps is what's available.

 

My hat is off to those who can do it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

However,  this probably cramps the style of unit leaders used to complaining about Camp Directors and Camp program after the fact!

Edited by SeattlePioneer
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@@Cambridgeskip, Your youtube video is blocked with the message "This video contains content from WMG, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds." I guess it's the music? So much for fair use.

How annoying! It's viewable in the UK. Youtube rules here are basically they have an agreement with the big 4 record labels so you can use it but you get adverts automatically applied. Photos here instead!

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