Last week was our first Camping trip this year with the Cub
Scouts. The boys had so much fun. They played on their bikes, they played games
and sports, they received some belt loops and they ate lots of smores. They were absolutely very happy.
In February the Camp Master went on to the Boy Scouts with his
son. We were in needed a new Camp Master. No one wanted to step up to the plate because
it is a huge responsibility. The camp master
is in charge of scheduling all the camping trips and we try to do at least five
a year. He is in charge of getting
everyone signed up and paid for camping.
He is responsible for keeping the camping trips within a budget. He is in charge of making sure the Scouts
receive some belt loops through games and sports played during the camping
trip. He is responsible for the Pack
trailer and all its contents. He is responsible
for transporting the trailer to and from the campouts. He is responsible for setting everything up
at the camp sight and taking it down. He
is also responsible for feeding the Pack three meals. Now you can understand why no one wanted to
step up to the plate. Since no one was willing to even entertain the
idea, I talked to the Chief about us taking on this responsibility. After talking about it for many nights we decided
to take The Camp Masters job on. We did
not want the boys to go without something they loved to do so much.
We got to our camp site around noon on Friday. The Chief and I worked to get the camp all
set up. The Chief worked so hard and did a lot of the heavy lifting.
I had to leave at 2:00 p.m. to
pick up The Cisco Kid from school. I
left the Chief there so he could finish setting up our personal camp site. By 5:00 p.m. everything was all set up and we
were able to finally sit.
Around 8:00
p.m. we started a camp fire and we were getting ready to roast some marshmallows
for our smors when it started to rain cats and dogs. It rained so hard it flooded some of the camper’s
tents with about four inches of water.
Needless to say they went home that night and came back the next
morning. As soon as they told me they
were going home, it took me all of about two seconds to think that was a great
idea. In the truck we went and into a
nice cool house we slept.
We got back to the campsite around 7:00a.m. the next morning
and served breakfast to the Pack. There were
75 people that we needed to feed breakfast too on Saturday. We also served dinner and Breakfast on Sunday. After Saturday’s events every muscle in my
body hurt. I decided to leave the Chief
and the Cisco Kid at the campsite to sleep and I went home and covered every
inch of my body with Icy Hot. HO!!! GOOD
TIMES!!!
Having our morning flag ceremony
Later that afternoon
my Den went on a hike. We are working on our Readyman pin.
It's all about first
aid. I wanted to show the boys what they could do in case of an emergency while
they were on a hike. They were given a list of items that were mandatory to
bring with them. Like water, rope, map, compass, whistle, pocket knife and a
small first aid kit. I also asked them to bring a large plastic garbage bag and
a small plastic grocery bag. The first thing they were taught was to plan their
hike and hike their plan. And always leave a copy of their plan with someone
back home and how long it would take them to complete the hike.
They used the plastic grocery bag to make a sling.
They used the garbage bag to make a poncho. They were taught
that keeping dry will help with keeping their body worm so they would not
suffer from hyperthermia.
They learned how to make a tent in case they needed to stay put.
They were taught how to make a gurney out of sticks and
rope.
They were taught how to make a splint.
So many children today have allergic reactions to so many different
things. It seems as though everyone knows
what an anaphylactic shock is and is familiar with an epi pen. Since the Cisco Kid goes into anaphylactic
shock when bitten by fire ants, I thought it would be a good idea for all his friends
to know how to use an epi pen just in case he is with his friends and I’m not
around. A Scouts fathers works in the
emergency room and he is demonstrating how to use the epi pen. Of course the first thing he said was if
there was help very nearby. Get help first! It is worth everything if these boys can take just one
thing away from this lesson and that is knowing what to expect when a friend goes
into anaphylactic shock. Knowing what
to expect will keep them from panicking in the face of danger, because we all
know that when someone panics, that is when serious injuries or even death accurse.
They had so much fun playing.
Our next camping trip is in two weeks, OH MY!!!!
