Hello from Camp Resolute!!

I happened to notice that another Scoutmaster was sending home a report on his troop. It seemed like a good idea. So here's my report.

As you know we had a thunderstorm roll in early Monday morning. It got pretty noisy but the storm did not come too close to directly impact us except for the rain it dumped on us. It continued to rain for the early part of the day and a little bit in the afternoon. Our clothing may have gotten wet but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the boys!

Last night the troop split into two teams to compete in the Aquatics meet. We didn't win but both teams did very well and really had fun participating.

What a difference a day makes. Today the weather is just beautiful. It is sunny and not too warm with a slight breeze. It may stay like this for the remainder of the week! We can hope so.

Tonight's we will be going to Scout Vespers and then back to the campsite for "Troop Night". The boys will be enjoying pizza and soda, lots of pizza and soda. Now I found to my surprise that pizza was not the "favorite" choice of two of our newest scouts. I asked them what they would like best for an evening snack. I was expecting the typical scream of pizza but instead they simultaneously said, "SUSHI"! Yikes! Doesn't that beat all.

The boys are making great progress in their respective merit badge classes and are really enjoying the week.

I will try to send a little note home each day as time allows. It is a busy day for us Scoutmasters too. All that napping and drinking coffee just eats up the day!

Warm regards,
Alan

Hi everyone,

Wow it is Wednesday already! The time is just flying by.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was such a beautiful day. It gave us a chance to dry out our wet towels and bathing suits.

Each morning the boys wake up at 6:30 and get their bathing suits on and head down to the waterfront to participate in the "Polar Bear" swim! What a fun way to start the day!

Tuesday's main activities were the Scout Vespers service and Troop Night. After dinner, the boys gathered down at the "Chapel" and conducted in interfaith service. You should stop by and see the view from "Chapel" area - it is a place to sit and silently contemplate nature.

Troop Night is a time for the boys from every troop to sit together for some fun time away from the program areas and enjoy some games and eat pizza. Nine pizzas were delivered and it took less than 30 seconds for the boys to devour eight of them! Tuesday night is also the first of two MANDATORY shower nights. Everyone showered and they looked and smelled so clean. That of course only lasted about 30 seconds.

We had a special treat after dinner. We were served Dove Bars for dessert! Mmmmm.... good! They were so good that you had to keep a close eye on your bar or someone else would eat it for you. Just ask Michelle, she handed her bar to Kevin to hold while she helped to clean a minor spill and, well you guessed it, she found Kevin happily munching away! Speaking of food, the meals have been very good. The boys are all eating well. I was surprised to see so many boys taking advantage of the salad bar.

All our first time summer campers, the Bulldogs, are adjusting very well. They are having a great time!

Warm regards,
Alan

Hello from sunny Resolute!

It's starting out to be another beautiful day today - even if it is a bit warmer. Today's big event is the "Apache Relay" race! You'll find out all about it tomorrow!

The boys had a great day yesterday (Wednesday). They are finding lots of activities to keep them occupied both in the campsite and around the camp. There's so much for them to choose from that they can't make up their minds at times. Have no doubt that there's no indecision, not even the slightest hesitation, when it comes to attending the trading post - frequently I might add. I think they believe that the day's schedule is built around the time the trading post is open or closed.

The Bulldogs are fast becoming magicians. They have become very adept at making their pocket knives disappear from one place and then magically reappear somewhere else! It is truly amazing.

Last night the boys competed in the "Resolute Challenge". Each patrol visited various stations around the camp solving various kinds of problems and demonstrating skills. One particular station tested their ability to survive the ultimate taste test. One scout from the patrol would volunteer to sit at the table and sample the five concoctions; with a bucket nearby - just in case. The consensus was - yuck!

Following the "Resolute Challenge" we invited Troop 1 Hopedale to join us for an ice cream social and friendship campfire in our campsite. The final consumption tally was 6 gallons of ice cream, 6 cans of whip cream, two containers of sprinkles, two jars of cherries, topped with lots and lots of syrup. This was all eaten and enjoyed beside a huge campfire built and fired by Matt and David Fleury.

That's all for now. I hope you enjoy the pictures (taken by Joe Walden)!

Warm regards,
Alan

Hello again from Camp Resolute:

This will be my last installment for this week as this is the last day of camp. I hope you found these little reports informative and helped you to feel a closeness with your scout that you may not have been able to otherwise. It was difficult to choose which pictures to attach to my emails - there were so many good ones to choose from! Fear not, you will be able to see and download any or all of our pictures from this week. We will easily end up with 500-600 pictures!

Thursday the boys had a terrific time even though it was hot and humid. Merit badge work continued and the boys move close to completion. There were two fun events Thursday. The first was a water balloon fight in the afternoon. The sky momentarily darkened as millions of water balloons were tossed into the air aimed at their adversaries with perfect accuracy. The big event of the day was the "Apache Relay" race. This is a race where each troop competes in running, swimming, canoeing, and row boating events. Every boy in the race gave it his all. We finished the evening at the rifle range for a "troop shoot" where the boys tested their marksmanship skills.

One of the Merit Badges that was being taken by our newest Scouts called Wilderness Survival. The last requirement is to sleep overnight in an emergency shelter that they built themselves. So Brian Sabin, Michael Ridenour, Lew Talon,
and Kevin Gilchrest are sleeping in their shelters tonight. I would like to commend Kevin for his willingness to help the other younger and inexperienced boys. Without Kevin there, these young Scouts would not have gone out. This is the type of unselfish act, which has been demonstrated a number of times this week, is what makes a Scout and Scouting so special.

Today is going to be a VERY busy day. They will have their last set of Merit Badge classes to complete any remaining requirements. They also have to pack up their belongings and clean up the campsite before heading out to any classes. We will load up the trailer with all their footlockers and bring the trailer out to the parking lot during lunch time.

Very Warm Regards,
Alan