2013
July: Summer Camp!!!
This summer camp at Owasippe Scout Reservation was a blast!!! It was packed with fun, such as completing merit badges and other activities. This year the night we came early we stayed in a Submarine called the U.S.S Silversides. It was a blast for everyone that went. This year at summer camp was a new addition to the campsite that Jarod made which was a ping pong table. This was made with a platform and an extra bench. Many people used this if they were bored or if they just wanted to have a fierce competition with someone. This year for merit badges there were only 11 Partials and 66 Completions!!!!! That is a fantastic accomplishment saying there were 27 scouts there. Also during wilderness survival scout Paul Thomas was sleeping during the survival night in the woods and a spider crawled into his mouth and bit him inside the lip. It was swelled up to the size of an acorn!!! It was hilarious and I’m sure that it will be a moment to be remembered for that summer camp. Also with moments to remember Friday we had our Troop 57 FIESTA!! And at this fiesta were all the staff of Camp Blackhawk… GO!!! Scouts and the biggest one match fire in the WORLD!?!?!? Steven for the fiesta created the BIGGEST one match fire I have ever laid my eyes on, maybe even the biggest fire period. Now that was a Huge Moment to remember. The Campfire was taking up the whole fire pit and it was maybe 8-10 feet tall. I was sweating from a couple of feet away. Also we participated in the Camp wide games this year. We came in 2nd place which is outstanding!! Don’t forget the breakfast for Friday which was OwasiMeal. The classic oatmeal but without sugar. Unfortunately it all had to end on Saturday but it was a blast at Owasippe This Year!!!
Nathan K (July 25, 2013)
May: Bouldering
This campout it was planned to be the rock climbing and bouldering campout. Because of forecasted bad weather, we took a vote to see if we still wanted to go rock climbing. The vote was not to go and stay at the campground instead. So, during the day, we hiked up the mountain that was near our campsite. It was a long and tiring climb. The hike was about three miles long. We took several breaks along the trail. We saw a tourist attraction known as "Balanced Rock." Balanced Rock is a boulder that is balancing on the edge of a cliff on the mountain-side. It was pretty cool. The rock was massive and it got narrow at the bottom. Also, the Scouts had fun at the campsite by playing games of "extreme monkey in the middle." This campout was great fun even though we weren’t able to go rock climbing.
Nathan K (May 29, 2013)
April: Warriors Basic Training
The campout in April, Warriors Basic Training, was a great experience for the Warriors to get a feel of how Scouting life is really going to be. Kenji, Andy, Ben, Jack, Michael, Cameron, and Alex are the new Warriors in our troop! We taught them some very valuable skills and now they have to learn from it. They all set up their tent, practiced a flag ceremony, learned about the fireman chit and the totin chit, as well as learning about our trailer and kitchen. During the campout it was really cold, so the Warriors got to experience some cold weather on their very first campout as a Boy Scout. I feel personally that the Warriors accomplished the basic Scouting needs and are ready to move on to more challenging tasks. Relating to the cold weather, I had to wear about 5 layers of clothing to keep warm at night. All of them took the responsibility and showed that they have what it takes to be a Boy Scout. And, I think that they learned very well.
Nathan K (May 29, 2013)
2012
February: Skiing & Waterpark Trip
This year’s ski trip was a blast! We got to the ski place after a long car ride. When we got inside with all our snow gear we got our ski shoes and our skis and went outside. Then we got our poles. Some of us went to the hill while others had a lesson first. It wasn’t too crowded so for the most part there were no injuries, although some of us beginners and experienced had some wipeouts. Then we got out of our snow gear and drove to the cabin at the dells that we were staying in. We got our gear in, changed into our swimming trunks, and got settled down. Then we went for the Dells in four different teams or groups. We did that for about an hour and came back to have pizza. Then some of us went back to the Dells or stayed at the cabin. Last for the day we settled back in the cabin and went to sleep. The next morning we had breakfast and went to the Dells for another hour. Then we headed back. Overall this was a great campout!
Stephen L (February 24, 2012)
2011
December: Winter Survival & Shelter Campout
This campout was really fun. We didn’t have much difficulty setting up and we got a good nights rest. We woke up in the morning and had breakfast. Then it was time to start our shelters. It was hard at first but then most people got the hang of it (personally I think my shelter was best). There were a lot of lessons learned from that day, some about cordage, others about rose bushes. But in the end everyone had a good time until lunch. Lunch was delicious. After lunch we went back to finish our shelters but sadly Jarrod went home sick. Then we had our shelters inspected. Some were better than others. They all had weaknesses and strengths, but overall I think everyone did a great job. Then we had a great feast with some special pop from Mrs. Thomas. The turkey was great, as was everything else. Then we had the great talent show. The winner was Tyler Strohl with his great French song. Then we had slept great, packed up in the morning, and got back home.
Stephen L (February 24, 2012)
September: Fall Court of Honor
This year’s Court of honor was a blast! Although the weather didn’t bode well, we still had a great time. We ate and had a fun time. The awards started and there were so many rank advancements. From Tenderfoot all the way up to Life there were tons of rank advancements. During the ceremony we did had some trouble keeping the candle burning. Our Scouts also earned many merit badges along with their advancements. In all there were over 60 merit badges earned! Also this year’s Founder’s Award went to Robbie. All in all this was a great Court of Honor.
Stephen L (October 15, 2011)
2010
November: Iron Chef Competition!
On this campout we had a lot of fun. We arrived at the lodge late Friday night around 8:30 due to trouble finding our way there. We met Mrs. and Mr. Thomas at the lodge. As we were setting up we went into the storage room and saw Mr. Thomas standing there, large and cardboard! We set up, and then went to bed. Next morning, we woke up at 7:15 and set to work, everyone enjoyed a filling breakfast, and settled in for a Ham Radio presentation by Mr. Linden. He had quite some equipment there. In the afternoon, everyone prepared for the competition. When 6:00 arrived everyone stopped and sat down. First, the Wildcats presented their food to the trio of judges, Mrs. Zuk, Mr. Linden and Mr. Thelen. Then the Warriors presented their food, then last but not least, the Mustang’s 7-course meal. In first place, the Warriors won by 1.5 points against the Mustangs! After cleanup, Tyler the Ruthless Leader brought Spaceballs for us to watch, thank you to Tyler. After breakfast and cleanup the next morning we helped some people put wood in the closet in the back. Then we returned to McCarty, at around 1:00ish. I shouldn’t mention that we set off the smoke alarm 6 times though.
Jarod T (November 28, 2010)
September: Warren Dunes
On this trip we had lots of fun and laughing. We listened to exploding biscuit cans in the morning. Before we went to the dunes, we got rained on so, we just sat in the PDS and watched Troop 418’s sun shelter battle the elements. When it let up, we went to the big dune, and saw this slightly smaller dune, and we jumped off it and climbed back up! Then we had competitions to see who could get the farthest (Will won), Best Style (too many laughs from the judges), Best Wipeouts (still too many laughs), as well as just jumping off for no reason! When we realized we should get back to camp to cook dinner, we had to stop. We went and washed some of the sand off. While we were getting in the cars, Ritesh poured Bug Juice on his head, thinking it was water! For dessert, Mr. Ackerman and Will taught us how to make yummy Biscuits on a Broomstick! We took biscuits and a broomstick (the stick part) and cooked the biscuits, and then we filled them!
Jarod T (September 19, 2010)