Summer Camping - Boating, Swimming, Hiking, Sailing

Just out of curiosity, now that this is an 'open' forum, did any of you folks out there go to summer camp? Where? What were your experiences? What type of stuff did you do? Horseback Riding? Canoeing? Sailing?

Start a new thread specific to your camp in this forum if you like.

Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts

Marc said:

Just out of curiosity, now that this is an 'open' forum, did any of you folks out there go to summer camp? Where? What were your experiences? What type of stuff did you do? Horseback Riding? Canoeing? Sailing?

Start a new thread specific to your camp in this forum if you like.

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Boy Scout Camp Nappiwon (sp?) in Wisconsin. One day was a canoe trip with some pretty minor rapids. Lots of fun. Believe it or not, I still use the knots I learned in Cub/Boy Scouts.

Does 'Boot Camp' count or do you just want to hear about the fun camps?

Oh, I guess you could start a thread on boot camp, but most boot camp stories have been in the Coffee break forum threads. You know - like where in survival training you get to learn how to eat bugs and 'creatures' like small birds and rodents.

Scouting

Craig H. said:

Boy Scout Camp Nappiwon (sp?) in Wisconsin. One day was a canoe trip with some pretty minor rapids. Lots of fun. Believe it or not, I still use the knots I learned in Cub/Boy Scouts.

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I think Cub / Boy Scouting is appropriate for this forum. It's in the same vein. I was in both the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts myself. I never really related it to summer camping but I see the connection. :thedeal:

Maybe the gals will chime in and tell us what Girl Scouts did - in addition to selling cookies... (I'll probably get it for making that comment...)

Okay, here goes....

I do not know much about Girl Scouts because they tend to be a bit boring and camp at hotels. What a bunch of sissys

I was in Boy Scouts and loved summer camp! I was scout mater, leader, secretary etc. for years and we camped weekends, summer winter and every other opportunity we got. Some of our weekend camping was at our local cementary. They donated a great area in the back of the cementary and it was equipped with a port a john, huge grill, creek, and all the wild life and wood the boys needed. During the summer we liked to go to lost lake scout reservation, they had the best well water. Our camp was a half mile away from everything so we got our exercise that week. My daughter volunterred for the boy scouts as well because like her mother, girl scouts was not very exciting.

Once I had a raccoon in my tent who woke me up by climbing on my chest and looking me straight in the eyes.

I have to give credit to my son for getting into boy scout, but we have always enjoyed the real outdoors. Here in Michigan I have had my fair share of winter camping and that is when the real fun begins.

Just one "gals" point of view

Cindy

Boot Camp vs Youth Groups?

Richard Olson said:

Does 'Boot Camp' count or do you just want to hear about the fun camps?

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To equate Boot Camp for smelly adults committed to service in the Armed Service to youthful character development camps, indicates a lonely childhood. In youth camps, if you didn't conform to what others expected of you, you went home to Momma, with a complimentary crying towel. Not the Brig or to Leavenworth. They didn't subject you to "Blanket Parties" or "bristle brush scrubdowns" without the benefit of soap and water. While I was never the recipient, I witnessed the those "character building" exercises. At the time, as a young man, they were acceptable. Today, they seem barbaric. What that did to a person's future self esteem, only they know. The worst thing that could happen in the Boy Scouts was to put new ferns over your latrine because it was still rank and fail the daily Tent Inspection. Still got chow. Still got to go to all events. Start another thread regarding the trials of Boot Camp. I'm sure there are horror stories galore!

Tosebo will always be my most vivid camping memories, but I also did church camp, Boy Scout camp, a fabulous family camp in Maine, and a six year stint on a church camp board of directors. My son was also in Scouts and after joining him on severals jamborees and other campouts, he invited me to join the troop for 50 miles through the Porcupine Mountains in the U.P. of Michigan. After one day I was never so exhausted, but after five days I was never so satisfied to share this adventure with my son. Now we start a new adventure. I hope you'll all come visit if you're ever in the area.
Dave Wallace

CINDY said:

Okay, here goes....

I do not know much about Girl Scouts because they tend to be a bit boring and camp at hotels. What a bunch of sissys

Just one "gals" point of view

Cindy

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Cindy, that may be true most of the time, but...

My troop once went on a camping trip in the spring at a large camping area (state park, maybe?). We set up camp in a group of 10 - 20 trees in the middle of a 100+ acre field. The Girl Scouts were camped about a mile away, in the forest by the road about 100 yards from the park entrance.

Everything went great for us until about dawn on Sunday morning. We later learned that a tornado had touched down a few miles away. My most vivid memory of this event is one of the dads running accross the field, chasing a 4-man tent that had freed itself from the stakes, inflated, and was rolling at a fairly high speed accross the meadow.

After gathering what we could of our belongings ( from the field, the trees, etc.) we broke what was left of the camp and headed home (without breakfast, until we saw a restaurant, at least). On the way out, we saw the Girl Scouts, who were eating their breakfast and having a grand time. The trees in the forest had blocked the wind, and they were unscathed. We DID NOT stop to ask for cookies.


That morning, boring would have been OK. Then again, I bet those girls don't have a memory quite like that to laugh about!

(Marc, I hope this is not too far off topic).

Craig

Boy Scout camp for me. I was standing next to the cook fire and the cook asked if anybody wanted a hot steak. I raised my hand and grabbed a hot "tent stake" that was in the fire. My first initiation into real life!


Al...