The Base Camp

[Eamonn]

I have done a lot of hiking and light weight camping.

The Scouts in Troops that I have led have done a fair amount.

I have used different ways to get the boys used to hiking and light weight camping. At times not camping at all! But staying over night at Youth Hostels.

We have at times had Patrols who have gone off on their own to hike and camp. Mostly for one or two nights, but back in the day for as long as a week.

Sometimes it wasn't a real Patrol just a group of older Lads who just wanted to do something or at times just get away to not do very much.

When training Scouts to get accustomed to lightweight camping, we started with having them get to know the equipment and had them set off on about hikes of six miles or so.

Sometimes we did this as a weekend activity, sometimes we did it as part of our summer camp.

For summer camp, we camped as a Troop. 12 -14 Patrols with about 6 to a Patrol.

The PLC choose where the base camp would be. When they wanted to go kayaking in Ireland we camped in a farmers field in Galway near the lakes. When they wanted to hike a glacier we stayed in the hostel in Kandersteg.

Here in the States we have set up a base camp (Yes car camping.) Then set the boys off from that base having them as a rule take one route out and a different route to return.

Part of the reasoning for this is that lightweight equipment isn't cheap and having enough for a Troop of over 40 Scouts is just too expensive.

The other reason is that to my mind any group larger than six hiking is just too many. In fact I think four is about the right number.

Patrols camping as Patrols at a base camp take pride in their camp site.They police the area ensuring that it is clean, they try and out do the other Patrols by building better gateways and camp gadgets and of course by having better grub!

All of this helps build the Patrol and helps make the Lads in the Patrol have pride in their Patrol.

Car camping does have a use and does have a use in Scouting and I think it's a little unkind or any of us to be looking down our noses at what others are doing.

About 100 years back Scouts in the UK loaded all their gear on a Scout powered trek cart which they pushed to where they set up camp.

Ea.

[perdidochas]

Good points.

[skeptic]

Matter of fact, most scout camping was more like car camping in the early days. Only they used horses or mules, along with carts or sleds. Equipment was bulky and heavy. Also, where they could go then had very few restrictions on cutting, fishing, and hunting, so they also did that. There were a lot of day hikes done back then, especially on weekends. Long term camp often had cabins, large group tents, lean-to's, or tarp shelters. When I was a scout and explorer, what the high adventure treks are today was very uncommon for troops; it was generally only done out of a summer camp or one of the National bases. Again, equipment was a huge issue; not so much cost, but simply weight.

 

Trying to compare today with yesteryear is very often a very uneven comparison. The only real problem with car camping today is that you are usually accosted by idiots with loud music and parties, dogs, booze, and guns. Yet another reason to try to not lose more scout camps. In California now, it is really harder each year to do backpacking much of the year, as they are tending to close areas more often due to fire concern.

 

So, we do what we can, and hopefully they still are able to do enough backpacking to spend quality time in more serene surroundings, and know whether they want to pursue it further, and make the investments necessary.

[Eamonn]

I agree that Where We Camp plays a big role in what we are going to get.

I'm not familiar with different parts of the country.

Where I live, I'm at the bottom of the Laurel Highlands.

Not that far from where the new Jambo site is.

Drive up the mountain and you will pass public camp grounds, full of R/V's parked right next to each other.

I've never understood why anyone would want to leave home for that? Still having talked with people who do, there does seem to be some sort of a community within the park.

Never the less, I can't ever see me taking Scouts to a camp like that.

On the same hand I can't see an entire Troop of Boy Scouts being very welcome tramping through the woods. I know it happens and can see why in magazines like Backpacker they talk about the damage Scouts do.

There is a time and a place for just about anything and everything.

While I'm very much for the youth we deal with finding out and learning about nature and the great outdoors. The truth is that Scouts camping as a Troop scare off most of the wild life. Kids are kids, they like to run around, make lots of noise and where allowed light fires.

Taking a large group of kids deep into the woods is a disservice to the kids and the wildlife that lives in the woods.

It is far better that we introduce Scouts to the equipment that they will be using and allow them to get used to it before we set them loose. This can to some extent be done at Troop meetings and in the back yard of the SM (Been there, done that.)But I found that by teaching them and then allowing them to put their new found skills to work, things just work out better.

Ea.