Pack 7 had their fall Campout this weekend at Camp TL James (NW of Monroe, LA - just up the road from Excalibur!) where the Scouts got to sleep in treehouse cabins (while their jealous sisters were stuck in tents with their parents) and activities abounded (hiking, biking, fishing, carnival games, star-gazing, badge-earning, campground cleanup, and a ton of unstructured playtime, which was by far every kids' favorite - there was lots of "flashlight tag" and "good guys vs. bad guys"). It was COLD (low 40s overnight = Jay and I are now replacing our 15+ year old sleeping bags, which have lost their insulating abilities...) and the burn ban prevented us from having campfires, but our kids didn't complain. Nobody slept much (least of all James, who was awake all hours of the nights playing with his friends), so we were all exhausted by the second morning, but it was totally worth it. I know James (and Cora!) will remember this Campout forever because they truly made some wonderful memories and had so much fun!
Making monkey bread in the giant dutch oven
First light on morning one. Some little Scouts were up earlier than others. (Cora stayed in her sleeping bag, warm and toasty, until closer to breakfast time - smart girl!)
Cora and Ainsley (fellow 1st Grader and dance buddy who has TWO older brothers in Pack 7), and James and daddy, getting started with the carnival games after breakfast.
He was far better a hula-hooping than I am...
Rescuing a woolly bear caterpillar from beneath the bikers in the pavilion
Putting the Scout Law in order (with a little help from their Wolf Guide)
Cora and Carson (everyone's favorite little sibling tag-a-long)
Cora and Jay were both smitten with baby Crosby. OK, me too. Jay and I each had a chance to snuggle a sleeping Crosby during meals so that his mama could eat with both hands. I miss those days of our kids being so little... at least Cora was willing to snuggle me once the sun set and it got cold ;-)
Co-Leader Jay gathered the troops for a campground cleanup (to leave the place looking better than when we arrived) and split the Dens into different sections. The kids did a great job with this and we cleaned up a lot of trash!
Den 5 Wolves (and their siblings) spreading into a line to walk the perimeter of the pavilion before heading off onto the trails (and under the walkway bridge)
Next activity was a 2-mile hike (that not a single kid complained about, not even the little kindergarten Lions!) to a tiny waterfall. Jay and Cora took turns pushing a sleeping Crosby in his stroller (the trail was mostly flat, so Cora insisted she could help).
The hike included a break to discuss what to do if you get lost: STOP. The Wolves were aiming to earn merit badges with this hike, so lessons were important.
4 siblings, 4 Lions, 4 Wolves, and a Wizard!
(The Bears had gone fishing...)
(That look on Grady's face! He knows what's up...)
Behold the waterfall! (We're in a drought, so I imagine it's usually more impressive.)
(More merit badge activities - balance exercises and other fitness tasks)
There are 4 treehouses total (3 are connected by walkways, 1 is across the field in a solo tree). The kids spent MANY hours running up and down the stairs and across the (noisy) metal bridges.
Makeshift bonfire (a giant lantern was placed in the pit) for skits and songs (the Lions song was the clear winner in my eyes, but our Wolves' skit got some laughs!)
Second morning = everyone is colder and more tired...
...especially this guy. Poor dude was so worn out and cold and sore (all that running and climbing hurts leg muscles even of very fit little boys) that he refused to walk down the stairs from his cabin and over to the pavilion (I'm a sucker, so I carried him), then promptly fell back asleep not 2 minutes after I set him down in his camp chair (we quickly made a pallet in the back of the van so he wouldn't topple over). He was starving too, which didn't help (so much time playing and not enough time eating), and he woke up asking for food not long after falling asleep in the trunk (and said yes to everything I offered him: cheesestick, applesauce, granola bar, Pop Tart, donuts, and juice).
Apparently the last morning of campouts is a very quick (cold) breakfast (we had delicious eggs and biscuits and sausage the morning before), followed by everyone cleaning up and heading out ASAP. We left the kids in the van with the heater running while we took down the tent, and both were asleep within minutes of hitting the road. Cora slept for 20-30 minutes (until we stopped for a hot, drive-through breakfast, because she wanted in on that) and James slept the entire 1.5+ hours home.
Camp Hair Don't Care
(The kids didn't shower or brush their hair all weekend. To say baths were priority #1 when we got home is an understatement. Luckily, both kids thought the idea of sitting in a hot tub to warm up while drinking hot chocolate was a fantastic idea, so there were no complaints.)
No comments:
Post a Comment