Seven Ranges Anyone?

[Gone]

My cousin's troop is looking in to Seven Ranges for a future summer camp. I'd not heard of this camp before. Anyone have any experience with this camp? How's the MB program? More importantly, how's the staff (revolving or pretty steady)? How are the facilities?

[qwazse]

No personal experience, but ...

I have had several scouts attend there (a few, repeatedly, including a troop who wants to merge with ours) and have a great time. Some of those also attended Heritage Reservation, so here are some 2nd hand contrasts/comparisons:

• Aquatics facilties are small-ish.
• Food service is dining hall (patrols send waiters). I've not heard any complaints about quality or quantity.
• Staff are very enthusiastic. Buckeye council seems to bring them up over a number of years.
• MB program is pretty standard. The boys seem to know what they were supposed to have been taught.
• They do not participate in O/A, rather they have a tradition called Pipestone. It is designed to encourage scouts to return every year having advanced one rank. It's not clear to me from the boys who've done both if they prefer one over the other. Leaders have told me they try to stick by the first-years because the ceremony is held after dark and can be intimidating.
• Family night was Thursday (at least this year, I wanted to visit, but life intervened).

I assume that the other areas compare well with Heritage Reservation since they didn't mention them.

[pargolf44067]

One of our neighbor troops go there every year and really enjoy it (it is not our council camp).  Their boys really like the Pipestone tradition.

[jr56]

I was associated with a troop once that went there almost every summer.   They had nothing but positive comments about it.

[NationalTrailEagle84]

Our Troop travels 3 hours one way to go every year and has for the last 30 or so years.  The last two years we have taken our Webelos up for their WRC.  Great program, facilities and staff.  Our boys talk it up from the time the get home until it is time to go again the following summer.  The Pipestone program (from what I have read/heard) makes the camp stand alone from so many others in our area.  The WRC even has a "camp honors program" called H.A.W.K. (Honoring Akela With Knowledge) it leads the 1st year Webelos into returning their 2ns year and the 2nd year Webelos are lead right into the Pipestone program.  Our boys (and leaders) have nothing but great things to say about 7R.  Looking forward to attending my first year on the Troop side with my son next June after he crosses over this winter.

[Gone]

@@NationalTrailEagle84, @@jr56, @@jr56,@@pargolf44067, @@qwazse, thanks everyone. Our PLC is looking in to this camp and asked me to check out "what the adults are saying" about it.

 

I have seen a few home made videos and the camp looks nice. Dinning hall looks good and the list of activities sound great. The Pipestone program is something out scouts have not seen so I am sure they will eat that up!