2:05 p.m. They're on the blue route now.

Just got a call from the bus at 2:05 p.m. They are on the blue route and should be at the church soon. See you there!

NOT QUITE YET! STUCK IN TRAFFIC 1:30 p.m.

Just heard from Frank. They are stuck in traffic down around the Christiana area. It'll be a while longer before they get home. He will call from the blue route. Stay tuned.

TROOP OF THE WEEK!

The Troop of the Week is headed home! Just received a call from the Scoutmaster. Troop 1 was named Troop of the Week at the closing ceremonies. I'm sure the boys are very excited and proud about that. The bus is headed north at this very moment. ETA is around 2:00 p.m. in the upper parking lot at Abington Presbyterian. Frank will call once more when they reach the blue route, and I will post an update then. Check back after 1:30 p.m. to see if we're still on target for the 2:00 p.m. arrival. Pray for good traffic!

Coming Home Today!

It was a busy day yesterday. So busy, that it was not possible to get to the Admin Building and send a blog. The boys were all very busy trying to get their last requirements completed before the end of the week. I took part of the morning to visit as many program areas as possible to take pictures and video which we'll use for our summer camp video production. At about 9:15, Lucas and Andrew arrived at camp to visit. Andrew was even invited to participate in the Aquaman program in the afternoon, so he was able to have a bit of the Henson Experience for himself. We enjoyed having Lucas in camp with us, and there was lots of good-natured teasing about his new status as an adult Eagle Scout.
As the Admin Building was closed in the afternoon, and I was not able to get internet access, I joined AJ in the C.O.P.E. course to watch him climb a high course and ride the zip line to the ground. AJ is 17, so this is his last summer camp experience. As fate would have it, his very last activity at summer camp was down a very long zip line. It was a cool thing to see, and I'm sure it was even better being up there. It seemed a fitting way to end his summer camp career.
Now for awards! At evening retreat yesterday, Troop 1 was awarded the clean campsite award and best gateway award. The camp commissioner made the announcement about the clean campsite award but prefaced it with a statement that some adult leaders in camp had complained to him, saying that commissioners are too strict in their inspection standards. Apparently they gave him a good deal of grief about it during the week. So after he said that, he noted that the winning troop had kept an extremely clean campsite all week, making sure that tents were in order, no clothing was hanging around the site, trash was picked up, the latrine was spotless, and all done with never a complaint. You should be very proud of your sons! I'm sure they aren't as diligent about keeping their rooms clean at home as they are about having a clean campsite. They wanted perfect 100's on their inspection sheet each morning. Each day they worked together, reminding each other to get their personal geared stowed neatly below their bunks, picked up trash and took turns cleaning the latrine, and generally keeping the campsite clean and organized. Our boys started the week scoring 97 on Monday, and were completely disappointed about losing three points! Each day they inspected each other before leaving for program areas, knowing that the camp commissioner would be inspecting while they were away. When they returned before lunch, the boys went straight to the board to find the inspection sheet, and we could hear them asking each other, "What did we get? Did we get 100?" Amazing, isn't it? On Tuesday, there was improvement, and they scored 98, on Wednesday 99, and on Thursday and Friday they received perfect scores of 100.
When the clean campsite award was announced, our SPL was in the dining hall attending to his waiter duties, while the rest of the troop was lined up just outside the door. But, when the award was called out, "Troop 1!" AJ was set to walk forward in place of Paul, since he was not in line with the rest of the troop. Paul, however, bounded out of the dining hall door saying, "Wait AJ! I'm getting that one!" It was a great moment that drew a laugh from the crowd, but it also showed the pride the boys have in themselves, and the pride Paul has in his troop.
Our gateway award was also a big deal to the troop. Everyone worked all week on the gateway, and it served two purposes. It certainly stood as the portal to Troop 1 country. And as it was lashed together from fallen wood, it served as practice for all the boys who needed to complete lashing requirements toward First Class. It was a monument to scout skills. The commissioners loved it.
The final award of the night was for the cooking contest on Thursday evening. That announcement was made near the end of dinner. Troop 1 was fortunate to be sitting right up front for that announcement. Mitchell, from campstaff, presented the award, and there was a huge cheer from our group when Troop 1 was announced the winner of the Iron Chef Henson competition. I can't tell you how much pride they have regarding this particular cooking competition. Henson has had cooking competitions for four years. For each of the three years that Troop 1 has been at Henson, they have carried the day in this particular competition. They feel a real sense of ownership about their cooking abilities, and I have to say that I consider their performance during that competition to be a highlight of the week. Everything that they are taught in scouting, especially leadership and teamwork, showed through that night.
Our final competition of the night was the Scoutmaster Splash. Mr. Frank represented the troop, and it was a wonderful thing to see! Four scoutmasters from around the camp showed up. This can be a brutal competition to your body and your pride. Scoutmasters are scored on originality, size of splash, and pain factor. And man! The judges are a really tough crowd! They throw all sorts of stinging comments at the scoutmasters. I think that perhaps some of the comments sting more than the belly flops and face plants into the pool. It was all in good fun, though. Our boys were excited about this competition, and marched Mr. Frank to the aqua arena. They proceeded in two-by-two column ahead of him, shouting "Huzzah for Mr. Frank", as they walked through camp. In the end, another scoutmaster won the competition, but we were all proud of Mr. Frank for representing the boys and literally taking a few hits for them.
Today it all comes to a close. The big announcement of Troop of the Week will be made at the closing ceremonies. The boys are excited to hear if they will be THE troop. Unfortunately, I won't be there to witness the announcement. I left camp last night after the scoutmaster's splash so that I could be home to work today. I will see everyone at the bus pickup later today at Abington Presbyterian. I will call to check on the progress of the bus as it travels north and will post updated information on ETA at the church. Check back around noon for the latest information.

Rain Dance - Thursday 11:00 p.m.

Adrian enjoyed a bright sunny moment in the hammock before the rain fell. Just minutes after I posted the last blog and headed back to the campsite, the rain began to fall. And it fell in whomping buckets. I have some great video of it. Our campsite quickly became a lake, and we were all trying to find dry spots to stand in. In one of the patrol areas, all of the boys hopped up on the picnic table as though it was a raft. But, we actually enjoyed it. It was just amazing to see how quickly water pools on top of this sand down here. At one point, the table boys were singing a rousing chorus of "The propellor on the boat goes round and round, round and round, round and round." I took a lot of great video of the storm, as well. I hope it's not the last video I take at camp, though, as the camera is now displaying a graphic rain drop and the words, "Dew. Eject tape!" It won't work now, but I'm hoping it'll dry out by tomorrow.
The rain cleared out just in time for dinner. Another night of mountains of good food! We were told that another storm front might be moving through during the night, and the Wilderness Survival outpost camping was cancelled. Conor and Chris were supposed to go to another part of camp with just a flint and some rope, I believe. They were a little disappointed, but not for long.
The big event of the night was the big cooking contest. This was nerve-wracking! The boys were given their secret ingredients right after dinner. Three mystery spices, a whole chicken, a mango, a kiwi, some onion, celery, carrot, and rice crispies. They were also given some canned biscuit dough and cheese. Four troops competed. Only boys could enter the "Brownsea Stadium", and all adults had to stand outside. It was quite a distance, and we had no clue what was going on. We could see fire, and we could see our guys working together, but we didn't know what they were up to. In fact, at one point, some Henson staffers told us that we could go in and observe, and our own boys threw us out and told us that we needed to keep by one full mile!
When we were allowed in, I was so proud of them! AJ led the cooking team. Paul Becker led the fire team. (We call him Pyro Paulie for very good reason!) They had also assigned a wait staff, as well. All of the boys were dressed in freshly laundered red t-shirts, green shorts and scout socks. They had their black Troop 1 aprons, and Gerome had special permission to attend the inner circle. The boys used one of my bed sheets as a tablecloth. (It's now in the washing machine in the shower house, and I'm hoping to have it in time for bed.) They also thought ahead, knowing that even though they were starting in daylight at 7:00 p.m., they would finish up in darkness around 9:00 p.m. They had lanterns for light. And the best touch of all came from Scott, who told me, "I even shaved for this, Mrs. Shields, so that I'd be presentable."
When it came time to serve, I was pleased to find that the rules were changed to staff judging only, but one scoutmaster-type person was allowed to eat, as well. I was allowed to join the judges. Let me tell you! The boys did an amazing job on their own! They chose to roast the chicken with the vegetables. Zach De carefully carved the three kiwis into garnish flowers. The chicken was perfectly done, moist, tender, not at all dry. They made a special Asian sauce with soy sauce that they were given, lime, and a few other ingredients that I can't recall right now. Paul Lee was the sous chef, and it was amazing. They also baked "cheese balls" in the Dutch oven, which was made from the biscuit dough rolled into balls and topped with cheese. It was really delicious!
But the best was how the boys behaved. They were also being judged on scout spirit, patrol cooperation, and presentation. How could the presentation have been any better? My bed sheet and Gerome as a centerpiece! They stood very proud, spoke about what they did, how they prepared the food, and also talked about how they like to work as a troop. They also let another patrol from another troop use their presentation area immediately after their entry was judged. (Other patrols did not have light and were set up in other areas of the "stadium". The staff noticed this and thank them for doing that. I can't tell you how proud I am of the boys for being gracious to others even during the competition.
The results of the judging won't be announced until tomorrow evening, but it really doesn't matter how it turns out. We think the boys are the absolute best!


Some notes about tomorrow: Lucas and Andrew will be visiting camp tomorrow. I will be leaving for Abington tomorrow evening. I will keep in contact with Frank regarding the Saturday departure and will post any last minute arrival information that I get.

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

Sorry for the lack of blog post last night. We were extremely busy right after dinner last night. From the dining hall, we went straight to chapel. From there, the boys headed out to the Gladiator Games. (Didn't score well but had a GREAT time.) Then we had home-made ice cream in the campsite a la the Becker secret recipe. We even managed to get a call through to Lucas to let him know we were having ice cream before the call dropped. Straight after ice cream, in fact, in some cases, with ice cream cups in hand, the boys headed up to the pool for a troop swim. We had the pool reserved exclusively for us for a half-hour from 9:30 to 10:00. It was really action-packed last night! We did a bit of math and realized that Henson has close to 16 hours of programmed activities each day. We don't have to do everything, but Troop 1 seems to be taking advantage of most program opportunities in camp. By the time we were done yesterday, everyone was exhausted, and Mr. Whalen made showers optional last night, since the boys came straight from the pool, as long as they passed through the exit showers on the pool deck to rinse out hair. The campsite was completely silent by 10:45 last night.

Yesterday I asked the boys to write notes to home. Some of the boys actually did go to the trouble of writing notes, and I will transcribe them for you all here, spelling and grammar intact. Remember that some of these guys have really twisted senses of humor. I had a good time reading the notes, and I hope you will, too.

_____

Hi
Mom Dad Dylan Saide (woof woof)
I am having so much fun. Yes I am participating in a skit. See you later.
Love
Zach
_____

Hi Mom, Dad, and poopy head Steph.
I am having alot of fun. I am being very successful in my merit badges. I love you!
Love Christopher
_____

Hi Grandma and Granddad cant wait to come I realy want to buy a kinlfe. say Yes! and hi puppy dog chance wac up kade bet ur doing bad! at cub scouts.
love, Isaiah
_____

Dear Mom, Dad, Claire and Reily
I feel really am home sick and last night I a ramdom nose bled. I think Reily is just deppresed and misses me. But I hope you don't miss me to much

Love, Matthew
_____

Dear Mom and Dad,

I miss you a lot and I get grumpy and homesick at night. The issue that you heard about has been resolved. Small boat sailing is awesome. We are sailing about 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. Rifle is cool too. I love you.
Lots of Love,
Tom

P.S. The same wtih Vito and Bob
_____

Dear Mommy and Padre,
I miss you so much. I love sailing and I hope Uncle Kevin lets me take out the sailboat this year. Tell Bob to stop hissing. Rifle is fun. I luv you.
Your favorite son,
Jack
_____

Dear Family,
I am having a good time here at camp. Aquaman is good and camping is ok. Communications is horrible and I dislike my teacher with a burning passion. Don't be mad when I don't get that merit badge. See you soon.
Love, Scott.
_____

Dear Mommy and Grandmom,
I'm having a fun time at camp. Lifesaving, shotgun, and canoeing are great. Communication sucks! I absolutely hate the guy. Same with Scott, don't be mad if I don't get the badge.
Love,
Your favorite son,
Joe
_____

Dear Mom and Dad,
It seems you forgot about me. You write a note to the troop and talk about Paul and don't even mention me. You put Dumbutt before me? How Rude! Well, I hope you're having fun without the son you don't love. Sniffle . . .
Ryan
_______

Dear Mom,
Hi. Hows it going with leah at the house all summer for the first time in 11 years. I hope you have fun for the rest of the summer.

Love,
Paul

***************

Note from blogger: I hope you enjoyed the notes to home. Some of the boys consider themselves real comedians. It's been a hoot spending time with them all week. Barely a moment goes by without a laugh.

Check for another blog tonight after the big cooking competition!

Wednesday 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday is always a bit of a drag -- on our stamina, that is. When it comes to having fun, though, everyone is still having a blast. The special leader's coffee service came to the campsite at 6:00 a.m. Mr. Tsung slept right through the coffee delivery, but he did get a few extra minutes of rest, which is a good thing, too.
Brownsea boys worked on more advancement requirements, learning to use saws, practiced knot tying, first aid, and map and compass. They also went to the rifle range and were able to each take five shots after receiving all their safety instructions and carefully following the rules of the range. At the same time, Mr. Frank was also helping on the shotgun range, again. And Mr. Whalen ran two archery merit badge sessions, including teaching boys how to make bow strings on the crazy contraption he had to deal with yesterday.
Aquaman activities continue to be popular, and some of the boys have been working on recovering capsized canoes in the Marshyhope Creek. Jack and Tom report that the small craft sailing classes are "the best!" They are also continuing to work on the final requirements left for their advancement to first class. Mark, Chris, and Connor are also working on lashings and first aid requirements, and we expect them to all complete first class requirements this week.
Tonight will be a busy night. The big Gladiator campwide game takes place this evening, and each of our patrols is entered. At 9:30 p.m. we will have the pool all to ourselves for a Troop 1 swim. And our cooking team has been discussing plans for the big Iron Chef Henson competition tomorrow night. They have requisitioned their cooking equipment and are discussing various possible scenarios for the "fowl" and other mystery ingredients they may get.
The weather today is hot, still sticky, and we have felt a few drops of rain and heard thunder in the distance. We actually wouldn't mind a bit of rain to help with the dust situation. Henson sand is very powdery, and it's everywhere. Whenever people walk, a cloud of dust rises up to about waist level, and it settles onto everything. It's actually a little strange, since everyone looks like "Pig Pen" from the Charlie Brown comics when they walk around camp.
If the night isn't too busy, we'll be back here later with notes home to parents. A notebook is in the campsite now, and the boys are writing messages to be posted to the blog. Stop back and check them out.

Tuesday evening - 10:30

The board is life! That's our bulletin board, and it hangs in the staff area. All vital information is posted on that board. We have the daily camp newsletter there, menus, work assignments, waiter assignments for meals, and other information that the boys need daily. Mondays at camp take a little getting used to. The boys are constantly coming over to ask What's happening next? When do we go to merit badges? What can we do tonight? It takes until about Tuesday mid-morning for them to get the hang of checking the board. That happens because the leaders are constantly saying, "Check the board!" We have to say that, because after a few days in the heat and humidity, relieved by nights on canvas cots, we can't remember anything on that schedule. The boys now go straight to the board for all the answers to life.

I have some other good pictures to post soon. I was having some problems with the computer and wireless network. Scouts are kicked out of the admin building at 10:00 p.m. Up until then, there were quite a lot of scouts from other troops sitting around the Henson computers. It really bogged down the network. All of the troop 1 scouts, though, are down in the campsite. By 9:00, most started taking showers, and everyone planned for lights out at 10:00. No one is complaining about bedtime. They are too exhausted.

We love it here at Henson. There is something happening every night. At last year's camp, the evening was spent vegetating in the campsite. Here, there are lots of choices. After dinner (roast pork, mashed potatoes, rolls, veggies, salad, apple sauce and gravy), the boys were back in the campsite and quickly preparing for evening programs. The Brownsea Boys spent about an hour in their program area reviewing CPR. They all practice CPR on dummies, and did very well. Joe, Dominick, Sean, and Scott went up to the pool for the 1/4-mile swim, which they quickly completed. Ryan headed out to the Nature lodge to register the troop for the critter competition. We were the only troop to take part in this activity. The idea was to collect various creepy crawlie type life forms from around camp and bring them to the nature lodge. I'm not sure what the boys collected, but I did see several boys with toads in temporary holding cells made from water bottles.

Work on our gateway continues. Boys who are working on lashings are helping the most and learning to tie square, diagonal and sheer lashings for first class requirements. So far, they have a center archway completed. They have until Thursday morning to complete an impressive structure made from fallen logs lashed together. The gateway will be judged by the campstaff that day for the gateway building competition.

Our Scoutmaster is now running merit badge sessions in Archery to help out the Henson staff. There was quite a big production around the staff table in the campsite as he, AJ and Mr. Frank worked out the special contraption that makes bow strings. It's hard to describe how this works, but just know that it involves lots of fine nylon that is easily tangled. For his help in this project, AJ was rewarded with a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. And for spurring troop members to participate in the critter collecting contest, Ryan was also treated to ice cream. This set the Scoutmaster back $9.00 for two pints of ice cream. He was compensated to a degree later in the evening at the trading post leaders event. All adults were given free ice cream and soda. That was a nice treat! Another plus at Camp Henson! The leaders are also looking forward to the coffee truck tomorrow morning. We're first on the list, so the special delivery of coffee to our site by the camp commissioner is scheduled for 6:00 a.m. Coffee brought to your tent each morning is a HUGE treat at summer camp!

Tomorrow will be a busy day. The evening program includes a very large campwide game with a Gladiator theme. I'm not quite sure what to expect, but the boys are excited. We also plan to make ice cream a la the Becker hand-cranked ice cream maker. We'll be cranking two gallons tomorrow. One gallon for the troop, and one gallon for the kitchen staff as way of thank you for the great food we're having.

So here we are at the end of another good day. Your sons are having a great time at Henson. Now, it's off to bed and another great day tomorrow!

Tuesday - 3:30 pm

It's a little hard to see, but our Brownsea Scouts here at Henson earned the right to hold "Ug's Hammer" today. In the picture to the right, Gerome is balancing on the hammer for tyhe rest of the day, which is an interesting trophy made from a branch and a piece of log covered in duct tape. Zach, Matthew, Jeremy, and Isaiah are part of the winning Brownsea Patrol today. After each session, each patrol is quizzed on what they learned that day, and their patrol, which includes boys from other troops, earned the hammer. Today they worked on a skit for their Friday campfire, fire building and safety, first aid, and compass skills. Tomorrow, they will spend half of their session on the rifle range, so of course, they are excited about that. They are also working on earning their Tote N Chip cards, which give them the right to carry a pocketknife. Nearly all of them have done and individual safety review with an adult and have earned the coveted card.

The older boys continue along in their merit badge sessions. Brian is working on the cycling merit badge, and has pedaled over 20 miles since Monday. Ryan is working hard at learning to splice ropes in pioneering. Everyone is pitching in to build the gateway in spare moments. This means that the boys are getting plenty of practice in tying lashings and, of course, in teamwork.

Paul B sends a message back to Mrs. Ruch: "I bled already!" He also thanks Lucas for the Strawberry Shortcake Band-aids which are coming in handy.

The troop was informed that Lucas will be visiting camp on Friday. They're pretty excited about that. During the day, they often mention Lucas and recount amusing anectdotes. He's definitely missed! The ice cream scoop presented to Ryan during Lucas' Eagle court of honor is on hand for tomorrow night's ice cream making event.

Mr. Frank attended a special Scoutmaster steak and egg breakfast. He also had breakfast in the dining hall with the troop. He says that he's in training for the Scoutmaster's Splash competition on Friday.

Weather today is hot, hot and more hot. No bugs. Humidity not as bad as yesterday. Sleeping weather is very comfortable. Plenty of sunshine. Breakfast was the usual buffet, and lunch was soft tacos. The boys loved those, and many had seconds. Everyone had showers last night. Lots of fun going on here.

More info will be posted at the end of the day.

Monday- 9:00 p.m.

As you can tell by the happy face to the left, all is going well at camp. I arrived literally just in time for dinner. Tonight's fare was ravioli, garlic bread, salad bar and veggies. The consensus is that the food is very good, and quite a few of our scouts are actually eating salad. I asked the boys about their activities today, and I heard lots of animated descriptions. Dominic told of waist-deep mud in the Aquaman program. (I'm pretty sure that's an exaggeration, but I'll check it out for myself tomorrow.) Everyone is envious of the new scouts not having to take basketry merit badge this year. The youngest scouts are working on Swimming and Nature merit badges, and seem to be enjoying that. Scott is diligently working on a writing assignment for the Communications merit badge. He has to prepare a sales pitch for an item of his choosing, and then convince his fellow campers that he's got a good thing for sale. As I walked away, he was talking about fake moustaches and impressing girls. I'm sure he'll be working on that sales pitch a little longer. There is a lot of talk about the changes to the camp cook-off. The boys seem very disappointed about the new rules. They were really looking forward to preparing a Mexican feast, but they are committed to doing their best. We still don't know what ingredients will be given to the boys to cook, but they know that they will be cooking in a common area with all contestants in camp, in full view of each other. In addition, I was informed that in my absence, I was volunteered to be a judge for the camp-wide competition. That'll teach me to miss the bus!
There was a lot of activity after dinner. Our troop had the shotgun range reserved for the evening. Scott took aim for the first time ever, and did very, very well. Jeremy also gave it a try and did well, as did the DeAngelo brothers. Our veteran shotgun enthusiasts, Paul, Ryan,
Mr. Becker and Mr. Frank all were crack shots. Some of the boys also visited open archery, and on my way over to the computer room, I met up with Isaiah, who was cool and wet, having just come from open swim. The trading post is a popular spot, as always.
Some of the boys asked me to relay messages. Matthew wants me to say that he lost a tooth at lunch, and that later tonight, he ate an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Connor waves and says hello to mom and dad. AJ misses his girlfriend, but we know she won't be checking out a boy scout blog! Tomorrow I'll leave a notebook on the table for boys to leave messages for home.
The weather is sticky, and the boys are asking about showers. It's right about that time, and I bet that when I return to the campsite, there will be lots of boys in the shower house. This is a very good thing. They're all very tired, so I expect that bedtime will come quickly. We have a great campsite, nice and flat, and very large. Everyone has all of their gear set up, and tents are relatively organized and clean. They received a 97/100 score on their campsite inspection today, and are shooting for a 100 tomorrow. And..... hardly any bugs! Some of the boys are going to leave the mosquito nets down. The skys are cloudy, but so far, no rain. Tomorrow should be a really good one now that everyone has one day's routine under their belt. Check back for more updates then!

First Day

9:32 a.m - Just talked to the Scoutmaster. The boys have settled in and are excited to get the day started. The adults are very happy this morning, especially Dave. It seems that the camp commissioner has started a new tradition and is delivering fresh coffee to each leader's tent at 6:00 a.m. each morning. There is also a bit of a staffing shortage on the rifle and shotgun ranges, so Bill Frank and Dave Becker have been recruited to help clean guns, and are happy to do so. Our Scoutmaster will also be volunteering at some point, as well.
The boys are all raving about last night's chicken BBQ, and spent a good night last night. The temperature cooled down in the middle of the night, which made for comfortable sleeping. While we had thunderstorms in Abington last night, there was not a drop of rain at Henson. Homesickness is at a minimum so far, and has completely evaporated now that the morning activities have begun.
News about the camp cook-off: Rules have been changed, and troops are now competing on a "level playing field", according to the campstaff. Each troop will be given the same ingredients -- which are a mystery until actual cooking time. While the boys are a tad disappointed about not being able to make Paul's special Tortillas Restaurant dish, they are still excited to use all the theme items donated by Tortilla's to set the mood and earn presentation points. They've decided that regardless of the ingredients, their theme is going to be "Mexican". Even if the ingredients turn out to be kielbasa and sauerkraut, they will still be playing Mexican music in the background and celebrating Cinco de Mayo in the campsite!
I'm still planning to leave later this afternoon, so there is time to drop off any last minute items or care packages at my house. Please try to get them here before noon.

Sunday evening, July 15

Just heard from camp. The scoutmaster reports that the troop arrived at Henson at 1:05 p.m. They were just the second troop to go through the check-in process, and thanks to good preparation, everything went smoothly. The troop took a tour of the camp, and for those returning to Henson, there were some notable changes. The shotgun range now had a brand new pavilion, which will keep the boys out of the hot sun. The Eagle Base Camp, which was previously located quite a distance from the main camp has been moved to the center of activity, quite close to our campsite. Any boys taking Eagle Base merit badges, such as the Citizenship badges, will be able to trot right over to the program area rather than trek all the way up the dusty road to the former location. At 4:30 p.m., everyone was setting up their tents and getting ready for dinner. An opening campfire hosted by the campstaff will be held tonight, and tomorrow, everything really gets going!

Off to Camp They Go!

The bus arrived this morning, and everyone was ready to board except Mrs. Shields. She will be joining the troop later tomorrow after work commitments are met. If anyone needs to send any forgotten items down to camp, drop them by the Shields' house before noon on Monday.

As this is written, it's 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. We haven't heard yet from camp, but assume that they have arrived. Camp check-ins are usually hectic and include not just unloading and campsite setup, but reviews with the health staff, tours of camp, official troop pictures, and lots and lots of instructions. This is week #6 of camp at Henson, and a record-breaking number of scouts are in camp this week. Undoubtedly, check-in is moving a little slower than usual.

Useful Information

Do you have questions about the prerequisites for merit badges at camp? Have you misplaced the camp packet that was given to you in January? Did you forget which merit badges you signed up for? Well, we can help you with two of those questions. The Henson Scout Reservation Leader's Guide is available online. Try the great big link below. This is a large file, so please be patient while it loads. Info about merit badges and prerequisites can be found on pages 15 and 16 of the Leader's Guide.

2007 Summer Camp Leader's Guide!!!


Regarding which merit badges you've signed up for, sorry! Can't help you with that online. You'll have to get in touch with the Scoutmaster. If you want to change your merit badge selection, you'll have to take your chances on Sunday night during the midway sign-up. You can talk to counselors at that time to see if you're able to switch.

And parents want to know: How about mailing packages to camp? Sure! That can be done! Keep in mind that it takes a few days for packages to get to camp, so plan accordingly and allow plenty of time. Packages will not be forwarded after we've left camp. Here's the mailing address, camp phone number and fax number.

Henson Scout Reservation
5700 Nanticoke RD
Seaford DE 19973-6079
410-883-3333
F: 410-883-3011

Cell service is iffy at Henson, so the best way to contact us is via comments posted on this blog, or via email sent to Troop_1@comcast.net We'll check emails several times per day. If you have an emergency, you can try the leaders' cell phone numbers which were given to parents at an earlier meeting. You can also contact the camp office at the number above, if you need to contact us immediately.

Summer Camp Meeting - June 25

Don't forget! There's a mandatory pre-camp meeting this Monday, June 25 at the troop room beginning at 7:15 p.m. All scouts attending summer camp and their parents should be at this meeting. We'll go over all the detailed information about camp. We also have quite a supply of green scout shorts in various sizes thanks to a donation from former scouts.

Welcome to the Troop 1 Summer Camp blog. We're still about a month away from leaving for Henson Scout Reservation, and the excitement is building. Gerome is getting his gear together, too. Swim tests were held recently. Sadly, Gerome did not pass the test, as he refused to drop his lantern and walking stick before entering the pool. He can be quite stubborn, and Lucas gave him a stern talking-to. As for everyone who passed the test, they will be able to opt out of that portion of check-in when we go down. For anyone who wasn't able to make it the night of the swim test, don't worry. You won't be banned from the Henson pool, but you will have to stand in line and take the test at camp.

For the time being, this blog will be pretty quiet. But once we arrive, check back often. This year, thanks to the wireless hot center in the computer lab, we'll be able to send out more frequent updates and photos. So, bookmark this site, and then check back during camp week, July 15 - 21, 2007!