Our next camp will be “Hatchet” Survival Camp (based off of the “Hatchet” book) scheduled for February 18-19. The camp will be held at the Byzantine Catholic Monastery of St. Claire, on Cady Road, in North Royalton (6624 Cady Road, North Royalton, 44133), where we held our day-camps last spring. The cost to attend the camp is $10, and we ask that you please sign up on TroopWebHost. Come and join us for some fun survival-based games and activities!
This will be a day-camp with an optional overnight camping opportunity. For those Scouts who want to experience the fun and safe challenge of an overnight Polar Bear camp, they are invited to bring their tent, and spend the night on Friday. Since the field where we will be camping is close to the parking lot, Scouts can easily bring extra blankets or sleeping bags to help them have a nice warm night of sleep! Plus, anyone who camps overnight will earn two nights of camping! We really do encourage all of our Scouts to consider joining us for the night, as an outdoor overnight winter camping experience is a really neat thing to participate in. For those Scouts who are not interested in spending the night, they are definitely welcome to join us for the day-camp portion of the weekend, which will be from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM on Saturday. As always, we really want to see as many of our Scouts at camp as possible, in whatever way you decide to participate!
Similar to our other day-camps, those Scouts who join us for the day will still earn one night of camping. However, since there is an opportunity for overnight camping, a Scout will need to spend the night in order for their year-round camper and monthly camping streaks to continue. Please remember that if you need to miss a camp due to illness/quarantine, an absence will not end those streaks, so please stay home if you are not feeling well.
Scouts are responsible for bringing their own food for the weekend, but with a special twist for Saturday’s lunch. For lunch, we are asking that everyone bring a chicken-broth based (non-creamy) can of soup with them. We will then combine all of the soup into one large pot, and enjoy that as a group for lunch! Everyone will still need to bring with them whatever additional food they may want with their lunch (things like crackers, fruit, beef stick/jerky), along with a small amount of snacks to eat during the day. For those Scouts who are overnight camping with us, they will also need to bring food for breakfast, and an additional snack for Friday evening. Here are some examples of snack foods and breakfast foods that will work well for this camp:
Breakfast:
-Oatmeal
-Dehydrated Meals
-Granola Bar or Energy Bar (i.e. CLIF Bar)
-Pop Tarts
-Hot Chocolate and/or Hot Cider
Snacks (to be eaten on their own, or with a meal):
-Trail Mix: When making your trail mix, put in food that you like, but make sure to not go too crazy on the sugary stuff. Include some nuts, seeds, and grains, along with the chocolate/candy. Dried cereal (like cheerios or chex) is good too, as are things like pretzel sticks and granola. Be creative!
-Beef Jerky
-Chips/Crackers
-Fruit Snacks
-Granola or Energy/Protein Bars
The food should be packed in ziploc bags, arranged by meal. If you are camping overnight, please also pack all of your food in a small daypack or string bag, so that it can be easily stored in a vehicle. In addition to the food, each scout will need to bring the necessary utensils, bowl, and cup (this includes those scouts who are only participating for the day on Saturday). These should also be brought in a ziploc bag, so that there is some place to store them while not in use, while also providing something to bring them home in (so they won’t get your other gear dirty). And please make sure they are labeled with your name.
Just like last month, we will be spending the day outdoors, so please check the weather forecast, and dress/pack accordingly. Warm socks and gloves are a must, and Scouts should bring a couple of extra pairs of each. Please dress in layers, wear warm boots, and a warm hat. In addition to dressing warmly, here are some important gear items everyone should bring as well:
-A tent (if you are camping).
-A ground tarp and pad (if you are camping).
-A headlamp or flashlight (if you are camping).
-A couple of masks.
-Extra gloves.
-Extra socks.
-Extra jacket/layer.
-A can of chicken-broth based soup.
-The necessary bowl/utensils for your food (in a ziploc bag).
-Your white or green advancement book (in a ziploc bag).
-Filled water bottle(s) (at least 1 quart).
-Camp chair.
-Safety goggles (if you have them).
-Patrol Leaders should bring their patrol flag.
-Enthusiasm for a great camp!
If you are only joining us for the day, please pack your gear in a day pack (besides your camp chair) and make sure to label your gear with your name. If you are overnight camping, you can pack your gear as you would for any normal weekend camp (in a duffel bag or backpack). Additionally, if you have a set of safety goggles that you can bring (to use in the ax yard), that would be helpful. The troop has several pairs, but we are trying to limit the sharing of safety goggles.
There are a lot of different aspects to this camp, so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know. Thanks so much, and we’re looking forward to seeing all of you at camp!
