When a Plan Comes Together

When I was young, my brother and I watched 'The A Team' and George Peppard's line of [I love it when a plan comes together] is just how I feel after this weekend.
The weatherman came through for us and I doubt we will have a better setup for camping the rest of this year. A little breeze kept the mosquitos away and nice temperatures made the days and nights very comfortable.

We arrived early and each patrol located a site, set up tents, and got organized. The Senior Patrol Leader had one patrol map out a short hike and lead the troop on it. On the way back, everyone collected wood and a fire was made.

A new snack was tried - Dessert Burritos - and they were a big hit!

Many scouts learned how to locate and recognize the north star. The moon was so bright, we even set up a sun compass using the moon.

Saturday morning, scouts walked the trails after a big windstorm a few days ago and did a one hour service project picking up limbs and stick from the paths. We encountered some horse riders so we got to review and practice trail etiquette. We saw a deer and her new fawn right in the trail no more than 30 feet ahead of us. We identified a few animal tracks, some trees, and other wildlife.

In the afternoon, an orienteering course kept them busy for 90 minutes finding markers, writing down the secret word found there, and identifying a knot for extra points.

Fire starting skills were practiced after that with the new scouts learning about the 3 things needed for a fire and different ways to lay a fire.
A few scouts that had not earned their Totin' Chip got to earn that - and one proceeded to immediately nick his finger with his knife. :-)

The Senior Patrol Leader organized the other 14 scouts to prepare a big meal for parents and families invited to come out for dinner. After the dinner, dessert was Banana Boats.
A short campfire entertained the guests for a half hour and then they left around 9:45pm.

The scouts did more skits and stories and ended the evening with stuffed apples cooked in the coals before bed. Most scouts left their rain flies off and enjoyed the stars and cool breeze.

Sunday included a nice breakfast, site clean-up, signing off of completed requirements, chapel service, and reflection. From my point of view, just an excellent weekend!