Hawk Mountain Summer Camp

From Sunday, June 20 to Saturday, June 26, Troop 153 went to Summer Camp at Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation. Everyone had a blast with their Merit Badges and overall time at the camp.

Scribe Notes:

Day 1: Sunday (6/20)

We left the KMart at around 1:30 on Sunday. The drive was an hour and a half to Hawk Mountain. When we got there, a tour guide named Will showed us around and we found that our campsite was called Davy Crockett. We claimed our tents which were already set up when we got there. We went to the opening campfire, where skits were performed, and that was when we heard thunder. Everyone rushed out of there, because the campfire was located by the lake. When we got back to camp, we watched the 76ers unfortunately get defeated by the Hawks on Will H-B’s phone. We hit the hay at around 11:00 while it was still raining. Some of us were unlucky enough to have a tent that leaked, so we were in for a tough night.

Day 2: Monday (6/21)

We were awoken at 5:45 by Will Ansley to go down to the Polar Bear Plunge. We got back at around 7:00 and breakfast arrived at 7:30. Afterwards, most of us changed out of our swimming gear and got ready for our merit badge classes. Some merit badges scouts took included Rifle Shooting, Shotgun Shooting, Swimming, Climbing, Kayaking, Small-Boat Sailing and many more. We had our lunch break/siesta from 12-3 and then got ready for our final merit badge class at 3:00. At 5:00, when every class was wrapped up, we headed back to camp. We had dinner, and then played some chess. It was still raining, so we went to bed before it started to pour.

Days 3 and 4: Tuesday (6/22) and Wednesday (6/23)

Both days 3 and 4 were similar to 1 and 2 schedule-wise, as we were all working hard to earn our merit badges. However, the biggest difference was the weather changed again. The temperature dropped into the low 40s at night and it was very cold for all of us. Mr. Kelly said he hid from the cold in a sleeping bag over his head, while Mr. Grey slept with a winter hat on.

Day 5: Thursday (6/24)

On the fifth day, we got up early again and went to Polar Bear. Starting at 9:00, scouts began finishing their last requirements for their merit badges. Some merit badges were completed on this day, while others required makeup classes on Friday. A number of us made a campfire circle and pathway as a service project for Davy Crockett during our lunch break. The troop was in the midst of a huge chess tournament, which we all hoped would meet several of the requirements for the Chess Merit Badge for Mr. Redmond. Fortunately, the evening was warm so the weather was one less thing to worry about and allowed the chess and chess drills to continue. There was a SPL cannonball contest and a Scoutmaster belly flop at 8:30, as well as a rifle shooting competition, with Mr. Baas and Will Ansley.

Day 6: Friday (6/25)

Today was the makeup day for merit badges and the final day to finish requirements for merit badges. After Polar Bear and breakfast, we got right into it. There wasn’t much of a schedule, so we just went to the classes we needed to go to whenever we were ready. At 2:00, classes ended and camp wide games started. There was a rope-burning contest, Lego building contest, STEM trivia, shooting sports trivia, and more. At the end of the night, there was a closing campfire. We won the campwide games, and in addition to that, Will Ansley won the cannonball competition.

Day 7: Saturday (6/26)

After waking up, we cleaned up the pavilion and walked across camp to get our breakfast. Next we went to the welcome center with our bags for our car assignments. Once we were all in the cars, we began the trek back to St Agnes. When we arrived, we put the troop gear in the shed and collected our personal belongings. Finally, after a long week of fun, we were able to go home with our families.

Respectfully Submitted,

Quinlan Kelly