Scout Camp!

I got to spend the first week of July at Camp Rock Enon, a small Boy Scout camp nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains about a stones throw from West Virginia. This is the best group shot of the boys who went, one is hiding in the back row. It was taken on the parade ground looking down on the "lake" or, to be more accurate, the deep puddle.

It was fun to go back to camp, even though as a leader I felt guilty getting involved in activities because it took time and space the boys could use to pass requirements off. In particular, theis camp had an excellent climbing wall and a brand new rifle range that were tempting areas I never actually got to use. On the other hand, there were other activities that I did get to do, such as the Polar Bear swim. I knew my boys hadn't spent enough time outdoors when they all commented on the fact that steam was rising off the water. They were amazed to hear that it happens nearly every morning.

Then there were the activities I had every intention of avoiding yet somehow managed to get roped into. One of these was the main event at the camp's Water Carnival. It was the Scoutmaster's diving competition. This consisted of four dives, each focusing on an important element of diving. That is, height of the splash, width of the splash, creativity of the dive, and last but not least, the ability to properly execute a belly-flop, measured by the redness of one's belly. My scouts were nice enough to snap a picture after the final dive.

Yes, I won (and it looks like I need to start working out again).







All in all, camp was great. They boys enjoyed themselves, earned lots of merit badges, and came home wanting to return next year on staff and to join the Order of the Arrow! Those last two are items I never thought I'd hear from my boys.

As an aside, I decided not shave for the week to see what kind of facial hair I am capable of cultivating. My assistant Scoutmaster snapped the picture below about halfway through the week. You can see how pathetic this is. So I decided not to shave completely until I was reunited with Lisa and Sophie - about 2.5 weeks. You can follow my progress in later posts!