Rock Enon Summer Camp (July 16 - 22)
Below are daily summaries of the first several days at Camp Rock Enon.
Also you can check out the photos here.
Day One: (By Mike Forrer)
The bus ride to camp was absolutely carefree (at least for those of us aboard). We arrived at 12:20PM, nicely ahead of our 12:30PM scheduled arrival.
We received a quick tour of the camp's namesake where all climbing activities take place by a friendly staffer named Sasquatch. Apparently this is one of only 7 BSA camps where climbing is done on natural rock. And the rock here is quite impressive.
Then our trunks were loaded into pickups and dropped-off at our site while we headed off to health checks, swim tests, dining hall orientation (including all food restrictions), and finally a wonderful big-hair, early nineties video by the NRA on gun safety.
We are, again, the largest contingent at camp -- which makes us quite proud. But we are not always the quickest to assemble. That was on display as the rest of the campers waited an 10 extra minutes for us to arrive at evening flags, then clapped upon our arrival. Point made, we'll be early the rest of the week.
A nice dinner (turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, and surprisingly good salad bar) was followed by a quick assembly in the chapel awning which overlooks the whole camp. With the sun easing down, the far ridges looking more blue than green, and camp reflections off the lake, the camp director spoke to the boys. He talked about how much we've been given and how we all fit into a much bigger picture. He talked about opportunities the boys will have this week. And he urged them to look out for each other.
The next stop was campfire, then final roll call and bed.
This morning was hectic (just like any first day of classes) as the boys headed-off to their merit badge locations for the first time. If history is any guide, it'll all be worked-out by dinner tomorrow.
After the heat of Pipsico the past 2 years, it appears we're in for much friendlier weather this week at Rock Enon.
Day Two: (By Patricia Short)
So we now have the first full day of camp under our belts. With some confused scattering here and there, all boys eventually found their way to their merit badge classes. Schedules were handed out, locations sorted out, and off they went!
Not all of the boys have their schedules full, which gives them plenty of free time to explore the camp.
The trading post is a popular spot, and boys flock there when it is open. They can get camp gear, including some incredibly trendy Camp Rock Enon sunglasses many of you will be seeing upon our return. More important than gear of course, are the snacks. A variety of ice cream bars and the ever popular root beer float are both a great way to cool down on a summer day.
Another favorite is the gaga pit. To the uninformed outsider (me) it appears to be a multitude of boys in a fenced in yard all going for one ball with no apparent rhyme or reason. They, however, seem to know exactly what is going on. The camp has a different event every evening, and yesterday they held a gaga tournament in which several of our boys participated.
The shooting range attracts them during free time as well, particularly the ones that are enrolled in shooting sport merit badges and need to have a certain number of qualifying shots in order to complete the badge. There are designated hours for open shoot, and they are making the most of it.
Several boys chose to have a dip in the lake during open swim. It is a beautiful lake, with a floating trampoline that is the big attraction. Perfect way to refresh during summer camp.
Of course, spending time at the campsite during free time with things like card games and frisbee are also a big hit.
Morning merit badges were followed by a burger lunch. Every troop has a task they must complete at one point during the week, and ours was assigned yesterday. Our lucky boys had the joy of showers and latrines right after lunch! That was fun to see. I am pretty sure it took more time to discuss who was going to clean what and how than it actually took to clean. After this enjoyable task came siesta and afternoon merit badges.
I am happy to report we were not only on time for flags last night, we were there first! Making up for the previous night's debacle. A nice dinner of chicken parmigiana came right after flags, after which they scattered to different evening activities.
9:30 came around we took roll, made sure everyone was at camp and lights out at 10 with little issue.
We have been having great weather thanks to some rain here and there, and despite the heat there is a nice breeze. All in all, they seem to be having a good time together, and have gotten the hang of the daily routine. They are currently off to their classes or enjoying a free period, with the start of day 3 going well.
Day Three: (By Steven Zahniser)
On Tuesday, the Scouts settled into the routine of Camp Rock Enon for the second day of their merit badges.
Merit Badge Areas:
The archery area is a favorite of many Scouts. The equipment there is among the best that we have seen as Scouters and is well maintained by the staff. The rifle and shotgun ranges are also very popular, and a number of Scouts are returning to the ranges in their free time (supervised by the staff of course) in order to practice more and achieve the scores necessary for their badges.
Arriving at the nature center requires a short hike past the rockclimbing area (the fabled Rock Enon) and through the woods along the creek that feeds into the aquatics area and past the ruins of what may have been a mill. Various species of trees are labeled along the trail, and we have seen deer, beavers, and frogs so far.
Because of the hilly topography, we can hear thunder from nearby storms that are not necessarily coming our way. As a precaution, the aquatics area was closed on both Monday and Tuesday afternoons once thunder was heard, even though we did not get any rain at those times.
The Amazing Race:
In the evening was the Amazing Race, an eight-stage relay featuring sprinting (Luke), paddle boarding (Ian), swimming from the trampoline in the middle of the swimming area to the wading area (Braden), then wading (Mario), more sprinting (Luke), knot tying (Chris K.), tent raising and folding (Manuel, Matt K., and Owen C.), and pudding eating (Nathaniel).
This all sounded uninspiring when explained by the staff, but turned out to be quite riveting. The speedy Luke was outraced by an even faster kid wearing a Superman tank top, but Ian closed almost all of the gap on the paddle board.
The swimmers and waders were neck and neck, but Chris was flawless in his knot tying, and the tent crew was swift in its work. Soon after Nathaniel had dispensed with his pudding in advance of his competitor, and Luke zipped down the hill to the snack bar, followed by the crazed crowd from the infield.
In the end, this was only enough for second place. In a separate heat, another troop's team finished in 8:07, about 50 seconds faster than ours.
Corn Hole:
Another popular game is corn hole, in which teams of two compete to land bean bags on a sloped platform about 15 meters away (1 point) or through the hole at the far end of the platform (3 points). For such a simple game, corn hole gets competitive very quickly, with pickup games featuring staff members and Scouts from different Troops, players exchanging three's, and a little bit of strutting reminiscent of the NBA.
That's it for day 3!
Day Four: (By Steve Sirotzky)
Steve Sirotzky here, with the "Wednesday Deep Wood Report" from Rockin' Camp Enon. Yesterday shepherded in whole new levels of growth and maturity for the boys of Troop 1916. The boys have built up a tolerance to the wildlife in and around their tents (spiders, ants, and nocturnal frogs).
We had a surprise visitor at our camp site, yesterday, when a 5 inch turtle strolled in. The boys named it "Joe the turtle." Kudos to Ryan B. for his astuteness in determining that it was a Box turtle. And kudos to Mr. Manarin for informing the boys that the turtle should be named "Josephine" (and not Joe) for obvious reasons.
Yesterday's big change was having dinner at our campsite. No more having food given to us on a plate! It took a little time for the kids to adjust to the new dynamic of making their own meal. Once the hunger set in, the boys put down their cards and to assembled their food. These were foil meals made up of frozen chicken, rice, and a strange piece ruffage that some scouts correctly identified as "broccoli". A special kudos to Jordan for making the fire and to Joseph for moving around the packets and the keeping the food from burning.
Evening Activities:
The evening was made up of an easy "Finger Printing" merit badge, Magic (card game) competition, and the big event: The Aquatic Competition. (Spoiler alert: There was a spectacular belly flop competition)
While there were many minor infractions at camp, the boys learned how to get finger printed without formal legal intervention. Thus, earning their finger printing merit badge.
Aquatic Competition
- Sinking a canoe: Troop 1916 had to see how many boys we could fit into a canoe before it sinks. We were able to fit 18 scouts before we reenacted "The Titanic".
- Kayak Tug of War: Congratulations to Braden and Peter for winning the Tug of War competition on the water, by paddling strong and pulling their competitor over the line.
- Log Roll: Kudos to Mario and Owen C for doing very well in the Log roll competition. While we didn't bring home the Gold, we did have some spectacular water entries from both. At least they are well balanced individuals, on land.
Belly Flop Competition
The highlight of the evening had to have been the belly flop competition. (My condolences to any competitors who started off with a sun burns.) Representing Troop 1916, was the amazing Steven Zahniser with three legendary splatters, not seen since the summer Beijing Olympics.