The Webelos 2 set off for their first den camping trip early this morning. Their destination was…drumroll…Camp Ondessonk. They went with their leaders and one token Boy Scout AKA Walker. Besides our family, only one other person in our group had ever been to Ondessonk. Mason had really talked up sleeping in a cave at the Chabanel Unit. I wish I could have seen their faces when they arrived. Apparently, everyone was excited about the lodging.
The first thing they did was get settled in the unit. Bill’s goal for the Webelos was to make this scout camping trip as much fun and like a boy scout campout as possible so he brought an assortment of dehydrated meals and a jet boil to take on their hike. They trekked to Upper Chabanel and ate. I believe for many it was their first experience with space food and with the freeze-dried ice cream that Bill surprised them with.
From Upper Chabanel, they hiked out to Packentuck.
Though the sun is not helping here, this is the waterfall at Packentuck.
They played, skipped stones and laid on the rocks.
Keagan, Blake and Brian paused at Kane Lake near Packentuck.
Their next stop was the gaga pit. According to Mason, the boys LOVED this activity. They couldn’t get enough, even when their knuckles got scrape up from hitting the wall. Gaga knuckles are something to brag about.
After gaga, they all returned to the unit to prepare dinner. The boys played cards and Mason enjoyed having his hammock available for hanging out. Foil burgers for dinner were a new experience for many of the boys. Some of them had to be persuaded to try them but once they did, they were fans. Some even ate two!
Dessert was a highlight of a campfire meal. Dutch oven chocolate chip cookie cake made from scratch was a huge success. Around the campfire, they had a flag retirement ceremony and they read and discussed a Bible story.
In the morning, the leaders prepped coffee and a mountain man breakfast—a Dutch oven layered with sausage, potatoes, scrambled eggs and cheese. Fruit and milk rounded out the meal. They had just enough time to dress in their class A scout uniforms and make it to 8 AM mass. They returned to camp, cleaned up and loaded the trailer. The final goodbye to camp came with one more round of gaga and a visit to the Trading Post for a snack.
This weekend was a growing opportunity for many of the scouts. It stretched them out of their comfort zones. Best of all was the joy Mason got from introducing some of his friends to his happy place.
wow – what a weekend, what a place!
Love that Mason got to see his friend grow.