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Where And When Is Your Unit Camping? Anything Unique There?


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Our troop leaves for summer camp at a camp about a half hour away tomorrow. We are going much earlier this year due to some issues with our original dates. Very disappointed that for the first time since before I took over originally in 2005, the troop has no high adventure planned for the older scouts.  Couldn't get enough boys interested.  Hopefully next year, we will start another long streak!

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That's a good choice for the boys. Nothing really challenging and it's nice and cool.

It was his first time, both at BS summer camp and rafting.  Tears were shed, but he made it all week without a meltdown---big improvements.  No mom or dad around to help him out---he came home with some bug bites and cuts on his hands, and lots of stories.   

 

I think his troop has something a bit more....adventurous...planned for the older scouts for a few weeks down the road. 

 

 

 

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Next time let me know that you're going and I might join you. 

Wilco.  As long you promise to be a bad influence on my boys.

 

Section III,  I'm guessing you guys put in at Sandy Ford?

Yep.

 

The day after my first trip in my brand new Old Town canoe with no flotation and a wooden paddle back in 1972.

My first trip down Section III was in '75 in an aluminum Ouachita with inner tubes for flotation.  Bull Sluice got me.  The diagonal ledge at the top drop poured water over my right rear gunnel before I headed down the tongue with about 4 inches in the bottom.  All the water raced downhill to the front, under the inner tube, and buried my nose into the wave at the bottom.  The nose didn't buoy at all; just headed straight to the bottom like a hydraulic hammer.  I grabbed the thwart in front of me and tried to frog kick back to surface.  I felt the impact in my hands when the nose hit whatever rock is down there.  There's a photo of me swimming away as my boat stood up in the water when the wave pushed the back over the front.  Sheared the attachment ring off the front and kinked the nose up about 6 inches.  That was a snobby looking canoe after that.

 

Maybe I'll hike it and go for an occasional swim.

There's a good trail on the Georgia side from the top of Section II to the 76 bridge.  85% of the time you don't see the river.  The troop hiked it last year. 

Do NOT attempt to hike Section IV.  Around '80 Bonehead JoeBob hiked the SC side based on all the paths that run up and down along the major rapids.  The thickets between rapids and all the ledges turned our leisurely wilderness stroll into a major 2 day slog.  I deserved every bit of scorn heaped upon me by the 2 girls we suckered into going with us.

 

Section II is a great float fishing trip!  Crawdad and frog Rapalas get hit almost every cast.  And the bream are the brightest colors ever.  I once landed 3 smallies on the same lure at the same time; thought I had a big one...

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This story is definitely not as awe inspiring as the photo that @ posted in the post above this, but I have to share a story that happened at camp yesterday.  

 

I have an older scout (has been in the troop for over four years) that hadn't been able to pass the swim test in his first four times at Summer Camp.  I had offered several times to work with him at our community pool to try and get him over that hump, but it hasn't worked out well.  So yesterday as I was preparing to head down to camp after work, I was speaking with one of my leaders and he mentioned that Alex needed to speak with me when I got to camp, I was apprehensive, but he assured me it was good news.  Sure enough, on his fifth attempt (sixth actually because he did it twice this year) he finally passed the swim test and was able to finally have his SM conference and BOR for First Class as a 15 year old.  He was really excited and re-energized now that he feels he is over a huge roadblock that was preventing him from really advancing.  I did his SM conference last night and the leaders at camp were going to do the BOR with him today.  During the SMC, he told me how he was really going to aim for Eagle now and that he would be more active in the troop.  He had become discouraged because of this roadblock and now is no longer discouraged.

 

One of the better days as a SM!

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