Troop 28 Historian

10/14/2006 – 10/15/2006

While planning the Fall Calendar, it was brought to the troop’s attention that there was a considerable amount of clearing that needed to be done to the trails in Wheelwright Park. After a short discussion, it was decided that we could make a trip out of the work that needed to be done because two scouts needed service projects for the rank of Star, and most of the younger scouts needed a couple of service hours to reach Second or First Class. We planned to have two groups, the two patrols we have in the troop, work on different areas so that we could maximize efficiency. Patrol and Senior Patrol leaders would have cell phones and walkie-talkies for communication. Our Senior Patrol Leader, who is just finishing mapping the park for an Eagle Scout Project, went into the park and marked trails which needed clearing on his map, color coded based on priority, so that we would know exactly what we needed to work on.

We met on a Saturday morning at the park entrance, divided up tools among two wheel barrels, and the two patrols set off. We worked much faster than anticipated, and had made substantial progress by lunch. We stopped work before four, completing everything we wanted to do. The troop set up camp, and started dinner. We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and had smores for dessert. After an eventful, and perhaps a little hectic, evening things settled down around nine and taps was played by quarter to ten. The Senior Patrol and Patrol Leaders, nixing a night hike to look at the work of the day, went to bed not long thereafter.

In the morning, the Senior Patrol and Patrol Leaders got up shortly after seven and revelry was around seven twenty. To hasten our camp cleanup, all scouts were required to have their tents down before they were allowed to eat. Breakfast consisted of pancakes and bacon, with instant oatmeal available to those who wanted it. While Patrol and Senior Patrol Leaders cleaned up from breakfast, younger scouts were taught fire building skills and reviewed saw, axe, hatchet, and knife skills. When everyone was done, and camp consisted of bags, packs, and containers piled up next to the road into the site, the two patrols headed out on hikes around the park. These hikes were an attempt to complete several Second Class requirements for the large number of scouts who needed them. Unfortunately, time was not on our side, and we were unable to get five mile hike and animal and plant identification requirements finished. The two patrols ate lunch at spots in the park of their choosing, and then met at the main entrance for the conclusion of the trip. All gear had been moved to the parking lot there by the Senior Patrol while the hikes were in progress. Overall, this trip was very beneficial to the park itself and helped everyone touch up on their brush clearing skills; plus there are many scouts who are now quite close to becoming Second Class.

Respectfully submitted,

Graham Sinclaire

07/30/2006 – 08/05/2006

Camp Squanto is one of the best experiences for a Boy Scout. Surrounded by an atmosphere of fun and camaraderie, scouts work on Merit Badges of their choosing over the course of a week. This year we had thirteen scouts at the beginning of the week, which is a relatively large number for our small troop. We also had two adult leaders who stayed with the scouts at our campsite for the whole week. Several other parents and a recent Eagle Scout came to stay for a night or two at a time. We all arrived on Sunday afternoon, our personal gear was trucked to our site and then we handed in our medical forms and medication. Since we would only be using less than half of a site, we shared with Troop 39 from Halifax as we have done in the past. The Troop 28 trailer is brought to the site by adult leaders before we arrive and they set up a large tent shelter above it to provide protection from the elements. This year, we were one of the last troops to be brought in so by the time it came to hand in our forms the check in line was gigantic. However, we were able to sit down while waiting making it easier on everyone. After we were finally able to hand in our forms, we then went to our site, set up our bunks and prepared to take the Swimming Test. When everyone was ready, we headed down to the waterfront and after a lecture on waterfront safety; we took a test to gauge our swimming ability. Depending on how well you are able to swim, you are allowed access to different areas of the waterfront, and allowed to take out more advanced watercraft than those of a lower level. Watercrafts which can be taken out on the pond include: boats, kayaks, canoes, and rowboats, among several other things. It is stressed that everyone goes swimming with a buddy; in fact you are not allowed to go swimming or do anything on the lake without one.

After the swim test, we had time to relax before we went to Colors on the Parade Field, followed by dinner. Before breakfast, lunch, and special events, there is a ceremony in which news is given to all scouts, flags are raised and lowered, etc. All meals are served cafeteria style and one site is picked to clean up during and after meals by emptying trash bags, sweeping, and washing tables. On the first day, camp staff handles clean up; however a list is given out after that point of randomly assigned meals for sites and all the troops staying in them to clean. After dinner we had an Open Areas period of an hour in which all areas of camp were open for anyone to use. After this all scouts returned to their sites for a short time before everyone headed to the Parade Field. After all troops had arrived, we were all taken to the Amphitheater for the Opening Campfire. On the first and last night of the Camp Squanto week, there is an Opening and Closing Campfire, respectively. Campfires involve the camp staff leading songs and acting out skits around a large fire. The skits are found to be more enjoyable than the songs for many scouts, though sometimes skits and songs are mixed for entertaining possibilities. After Opening Campfire we headed back to our site and prepared for bed.

A typical day at Camp Squanto is an easy day. Scouts awaken around seven or earlier if required by their troop, and begin to prepare for their day. Next, troops head to the Parade Field for Colors at seven forty-five, which is followed by breakfast. Morning Merit Badges start at nine o’clock and end at noon, followed by lunch. Lunch is followed by an hour long Siesta in which scouts can take showers, do any homework they might have, or just relax. At two, classes start again and end at five. Evening Colors, also on the Parade Field, is at five forty-five and is followed by dinner. Dinner is succeeded by open areas or a special event at seven depending on the day. The rest of the evening is basically free; however open areas ends at eight and scouts are expected to stay around the campsite after that unless there is another, later event. Taps is at ten and though younger scouts often try to get away with talking late into the night, more experienced scouts know that they will feel very tired the longer they stay up and make sure they get to bed as soon as possible. Scouts select their own Merit Badges classes, which are typically only an hour long; the day allows for a total of six. Nevertheless, three is recommended for new scouts, and there are Merit Badges that can last for two or three hours, and even one that lasts all day.

There are numerous special occurrences that take place in the evening, either during the time allotted for open areas or after that ends. These include: Opening and Closing Campfires on Sunday and Friday nights respectively, Theme Night on Tuesday, the Apache Relay and Family Night on Wednesday, and the Order of the Arrow Callout Ceremony on Thursday. On Monday is troop pictures; after a troop finishes lunch, it has pictures taken in the Pine Grove before heading back to its site for Siesta. I have previously explained the Opening and Closing Campfires, which are basically shows performed by the staff. Theme Night contains several events which are all based around a specific theme. This year it was Superhero Night, and troops dressed up, competed in tug of wars, showed off super powers, pongo board raced (pongo boards are like skateboards however they allow tilted movement; one tilts backwards to move forwards, etc), and the Scoutmasters Chili Cook-off returned under the guise of the Kryptonite Chili Cook-off. Theme night is not well announced beforehand, and though we knew it was going to be Superhero Night shortly before we went to camp we were not told of any of the events making it impossible for us to prepare realistically. This year we had one scout who was not having a fun time at camp and left on Tuesday, probably due to homesickness. It is not uncommon for scouts to miss their family and home, we try to do our best to help them have a fun time but we do not always succeed. In this case, the scout tried to have a good time, and did for a while; however he couldn’t make it the whole week and went home during Theme Night activities.

The Apache Relay is a large relay race around camp in which we have teamed up with Halifax for the past several years. This year, Wednesday was very hot and so the Apache Relay was postponed until Friday night. The waterfront was even opened up during Siesta that day to try to help scouts and adults “beat the heat”. Usually Family Night is during the relay so that parents can come down to see their kids participate. Parents Night was not called off, so parents ended up seeing more of their kids than they would have if the relay had taken place because scouts are extremely busy during it. During the relay this year, we came in second to last, which was the same position from the year before. During both last year and this year’s relays, we had similar problems. Last year we were doing very well until it came time for a team of two to canoe across the pond from a beach on the far side back to a beach at the camp waterfront. Both years Halifax teams have been in charge of that section of the race, last year our canoe went to the wrong beach and this year it was just a bad choice of paddlers who could not keep up a steady pace. The rest of the race went almost flawlessly, with excellent performances on all counts. However, with our number of scouts and an almost equal number of scouts attending camp from Halifax’s troop, not everyone from both troops had a part in the race. Next year, if we have more scouts from our troop attend; we can have our own Apache Relay team, and maybe even our own campsite. Lastly, the OA Callout Ceremony is an event in which scouts who were elected by their troop during an election earlier in the week are “tapped out” and given the opportunity to join the Order of the Arrow. New scouts find the ceremony to be boring; however those who have been to camp several years, especially those who are in the Order, know it really isn’t that bad.

The camp week finishes on the following Saturday. We were unlucky enough to have to handle clean-up from breakfast on that morning so we had to rush when we got up to try and get everyone to pack. One of the adults who stayed the entire week brought his truck up to the campsite and we attached the trailer to it and then we piled everyone’s gear into the back of the truck and onto the top of the trailer. When it was time for us to head down to Colors, he drove the truck out into the parking lot so we could pick up our bags from there when camp ended. After breakfast and our cleaning duties ended, we went back to our site where we made sure we had picked everything up and that we had left the site in good condition. Finally, it was time for us to head down to the Parade Field for the Closing Ceremony. Awards were given out, information on how many Merit Badges were completed by each troop was read off, and final words were said. We had thirty-two completions and ten partials, which was an excellent job on everyone’s part. After the ceremony ended, we met by the trailer, scouts grabbed personal items and everyone was given a copy of the troop picture from the week. In closing, I would like to thank all of the adults who spent time out of their week to come down to camp and help watch over the scouts, and I would especially like to thank Nelson Pratt and Dr. Reel for staying with us the entire week and making sure that everything went smoothly for the scouts.

Respectfully submitted,

Graham Sinclaire

06/17/2006 – 06/18/2006

The Whitewater rafting trip is a yearly event and one of everyone’s favorites. In the past, we would leave on Friday nights and drive north for hours, making stops that were longer than they needed to be and arriving in Maine after midnight. Rafting would be first thing in the morning on the Dead River, which was very fun and anything but dead. A lazy afternoon would follow, and the company’s adult oriented attitude was made clear by the bar used to fill it. All the scouts always had fun, but the drivers never liked the late nights. The adult leaders decided this year the troop needed a change.

This year we used a new company, Adventure Bound, and went on a new river, the Kennebec. Adventure Bound was much more youth friendly with many more activities for kids. We left early on Saturday morning and arrived, after a roughly five or six hour ride, at the location around one o’clock. It was a large series of buildings with relatively big cabins for us to stay in, and we were interested to see exactly what was offered to us for entertainment. We had two cars going up, and the first car which I arrived in inspected the facilities while waiting for the other. We immediately noticed the indoor climbing wall, the pool, the arcade game room, and the pool tables. We ate lunch when the second car arrived, were fitted with harnesses, and went off to complete a ropes course. We did four of the different challenges, the first two testing teamwork at heights about thirty feet off the ground. The second two were more for exhilaration, the first involved jumping out and grabbing onto a bar about thirty feet off the ground, and the other was a large swing. The swing was no ordinary swing; a person was attached to a rope, pulled about thirty feet off the ground in one direction, and then released, causing them to swing back and forth. We finished those within an hour and went off to Moxy Falls, which is a yearly tradition.

Every year we hike in and go swimming at the bottom of the large waterfall named Moxy. The bugs are bad but the water is surprisingly warm each time. Afterwards we returned to “base camp” and had hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner made for us by the Adventure Bound staff. We hung around after dinner for the indoor rock climbing wall, which had eight routes up the roughly thirty-five foot wall. The grips were painted making them slippery, and lots of sweaty kids from other troops who were also staying there made the hardest climb impossible for some of our troop’s experienced climbers. The combination of sweat and smooth surfaces made certain key grips unusable all over the wall. Afterwards, we found ways of amusing ourselves either with movies, games, swimming, or an assortment of other options. A group of us watched a movie that ran later into the night than the suggested bedtime, but being older than some of the other kids going rafting we figured we could manage. We finally all got into bed and after having some trouble with squeaky cots were able to fall asleep.

We woke up and stumbled in for breakfast at about six thirty. After several safety speeches, the acquisition of any wetsuit equipment we needed plus an assortment lifejackets, paddles, and helmets, we all filed onto a bus. The ride to the dam at the top of the Kennebec where we put in was about a half an hour to forty-five minutes long and filled with anticipation. We met without guide when we got off the buses and carried our raft down a long set of stairs to the river below. We had the first aid kit in our raft so we were the last to put off into the river. After going over some of the various maneuvers with us that we would need to use at our guide’s instruction on the river, our guide told us that we seemed to be one of the best rafts she had ever gone down the river with and so she would try to get us on some of the bigger rapids. In total the portion of the Kennebec which we would be traveling was twelve miles long, the first half containing most of the rapids. We set off on a thoroughly enjoyable trip down a river which most of us had never traversed before. My personal favorite and I’m sure many others’ favorite as well was the rapid called Magic. It was a portion of the river in which it reaches a sort of cliff and suddenly drops off about five feet depending on how much water is being release from the dam. Upon finishing the rapids section we stopped and our guide and two of us went up a flight of stairs, retrieving the food for our lunches and a small inflatable kayak for later use. Not long after returning to the river we stopped again, this time for about a half an hour. The guides prepared our lunches and we hung around until it was time to eat. We had chosen the day before whether we wanted steak, chicken, or one of two other meals. All the choices were excellent and after cleaning up and hearing a safety lecture on the uses of the now inflated kayaks, we set off again.

We proceeded down the rest of the river lazily, using halves of laundry detergent bottles to heave water at other rafts and ourselves. We even went swimming when our guide told us the river was deep enough for it to be safe. Only one person was particularly interested in the kayak, however the rest of us had fun flipping it over while he was trying to escape our grasp. Too soon the end of the river came and we helped unload our raft, partially deflate it, and then load it onto a flatbed truck where other guides deflated it further. We then filed onto the bus again and when all the rafts had been pulled out and their occupants were loaded onto the bus as well we headed off on the ten minute ride back to camp. There, we returned any borrowed wetsuit gear and the rest of our equipment, then changed into dry clothes and loaded up our cars for the trip home. We didn’t leave right away however; we stayed to watch the slideshow and movie that were taken of us as we passed certain points on the river. Happy with the fact that they ended the film with a fight we had staged between three of our guys, we left around four o’clock on the long ride home. Making few stops, we returned around nine at night and the drivers drove their passengers to their homes and dropped them off there. The trip is always something to look forward to even though it involves a long ride, for those who haven’t gone yet don’t know what they are missing!

Respectfully submitted,

Graham Sinclaire