Camp Constantin / Jack D. Furst Aquatic Base

[Propblast]

Hey Folks,

 

 

Did a search and didn't find any thing so I thought I would ask if anyone has attended Camp Constantine / Jack D. Furst Aquatic Base in Circle Ten Council, Texas in the last 2 years or so. This will be our first time up there in like 12 years and I was just wanting to know of any experiences good or bad. Thanks

[allangr1024]

We went to Constantine in 2010. The boys had a great time, as they were really wanting a camp that centered on water sports at the time. We had a camp site right on the lake, and put up our own swimming hole, with rope lines and floats, and lifeguard, and everything. No one could go in the water unless an adult were manning the lifeguard station, and we did buddy checks every 10 minutes. They had a blast.

 

The camp, as a rule, always messed up our paperwork. The records of advancement and merit badges we got from them took some time to get straitened out. If you go, be prepared to quiz the boys each day to really know what they accomplished.

 

Snakes were a problem. The peninsula the camp is on is a natural haven for snakes, poisonous and not. I would not let boys go walking about by themselves outside the normal trails of the camp.

 

They had no adult education program, like many camps do. When the adults asked about this, the camp hastily set up a scoutmaster specific class, but the instructor had never seen this before, and mainly read from a book.

 

I liked the manner of family served meals at the dining hall. It was different. A scout from the troop was appointed to be server every day, and he brought the troop the meals to the troop table, where they were passed out to the hungry scouts.

 

There was not much in the way of a gift shop. There was a small one, but not much was available for sale.

 

I would recommend the camp for its program, but it does have some flaws.

[Jeffrey H]

Our Troop went there in 2010. It's a very nice camp and one of my favorites. Beautiful lake with a robust aquatic program and waterfront. If your boys are interested in plenty of options for water-based merit badges, this is the place. They even have motorboating. They have family-style dining which is different but nice - no lines, you simply go to your table and the scouts on KP duty will bring the food to your assigned table. I would agree with the above post that they were not very good with advancement records so be prepared for inaccuracies. Other than that, a great program overall.

 

I did not see snakes but we were camped up on a hill above the lake where they were not as plentiful. That said, it is advisable to stay on the marked trails.

[Gone]

Were were there in 2010 as well. I have to say our experience was pretty similar to the above posts in many ways and in some ways different.

 

Registration: Went fast and was well organized. Camp medics did a good job of centralizing meds distribution and is fairly well centrally located to make doing morning/evening meds no issue.

 

Dinning Hall: Well, it's Texas in the summer so expect heat. Lots of it. There is no AC. It is an open dining hall. The process (Sweepy-sweepy, Moppy-moppy) was well coordinated. The food? Well, we had something resembling a McRib sandwich that even my growing teenagers would not touch. Overall it was below average food but at least no one got sick from it like at other camps.

 

Adult Program: We had one the first week in 2010. They did IOLS and Leader-specific training. Not too robust an offering but they did have it. The folks above must have gone later in the summer than we did.

 

MBs: A decent smattering of MBs. Of course, aquatics were popular. I would rate their offering good overall. OF course, this varies year to year depending on how the camp can staff up each year. Overall I found the counselors knowledgeable.

 

Paperwork: the folks above are correct...it was ALL screwed up. I would appoint someone to work daily to make sure you have back-up copies of what your boys are doing. On Thursday have a sit down with your boys and make sure you track their progress so you can reconcile it against what they send you after camp.

 

SM Lounge: Right behind the dinning hall. WiFi and AC. Not the best but not bad.

 

Facilities: Well, trying to find a nice way to put this...they stink. There are a few sites there that are not bad, but we were put on the western edge of camp near the lake...not a prime location. Being an in-council Troop we expected to get nicer digs. Not! The latrine was rancid. So much so that one Scout from another troop could not stand to use the latrine due to smell and went outside of it. Given this was an open-air latrine that was quite a statement. The showers were in the latrine too. Watch going there at night. I found a Copperhead all balled up in the shower trying to cool off. Had I not had my headlamp on (no lights in the shower) I would have stepped right on it.

 

Weather: As stated above, it is Texas so it was hot. Hard to sleep in 95F night heat and have enough energy for the next day. At least the SMs could go in the AC but the Scouts could not. And the 89F water temp was no relief.

 

Trading Post and Store: Not very good IMHO. Very small and not much there. Ran out of stuff too. I mean, its summer and ice cream is popular. Should never run out...especially in those temps.

 

Overall: Hard to go from Camp Alexander or Daniel Boone to Constantin and not be disappointed. When you stack up the "cons" of the heat, the paper-work issues, the food and the lack of decent facilites it is hard to think about going back. As long as I have a say we will go out-of-council rather than go to Constantin. If cost is a big issue and you are local to North Texas you might try another camp like Wisdom, James Ray or TRJ. They have better facilities (for the most part) albeit no aquatics like Constantin. But again, 89F water is no inticement to my guys.(This message has been edited by mozartbrau)(This message has been edited by mozartbrau)

[Krampus]

Agree with the post immediately above. Hot water and bad food are not a good combination.