A hearty group of scouts and adults enjoyed a great weekend of winter camping. We used adirondacks for our sleeping quarters. Camp Butler has well built adirondacks with bunks, mattresses and roll down door shades to keep out the majority of wind. Upon arrival we had to hike all our gear back to the campsite. It was a good quarter mile. All of us made several trips which warmed us up. We set up our dining area and then started a campfire with the wood we brought. That night the temperature was in the upper 20's. The sun warm things up relatively quickly the next day to make it a pleasant Saturday. Cooking for the weekend was done over an open fire. The meals never tasted better on a cold winter day. Everyone learned to eat fast before the food had a chance to get cold. Saturday morning we took a hike around the lake using the Blue trail. While on the camp Manatoc side we visited Marnoc Circle and stopped by the trading post. It was a great day for a hike and we saw several deer in the woods. In the afternoon there was a quick pioneering game involving lashing together a pole and then guiding it to lift a bucket of water over to a board. Later in the evening we built a big fire to burn the gnarly log. Everyone turned in fairly early after a long hard day. Temperatures dipped down to 7 degrees on the second night. We awoke to much of our camp being frozen. The food in the cooler was okay until we pulled it out and started to pour. Then ice crystals formed in our milk and cereal. It took a little longer than normal to break camp, but everyone who attended will surely remember this as a good weekend to be camping. Braving the elements were Alex, Joey, Justin, Mathew, Ryan, Steven, Mr. Dzurnak, Mr. Makowski, and Mr. Mayher.

Camp Butler Photo Album

Trip Plan for Camp Butler

Date and Time of Departure: Friday, February 25th, 6:00pm - Old Church

Purpose: Gain winter camping experience and improve campfire cooking skills. All cooking will be done over an open fire. Each patrol will be cooking separately. If your patrol only has one or two members attending you should work with another patrol for this campout. The troop will be using Adirondacks for sleeping quarters. Adirondacks are small shelters with bunks. They do not have heat so plan accordingly.

Activities:

• Cooking Contest during Saturday Supper
• Snow Shelter Building (provided there is snow)
• Capture the Flag
• Firebuilding
• Knot Tying/Pioneering Game
• Hike

Location: Manatoc Scout Reservation - Camp Butler, Chittenden Campsite

Cost: $15.00 per scout (due at time of departure)

Estimated Time of Return: Sunday, February 27th, 10:00am

Items to Bring:

• Be Prepared for Winter Camping (covered at troop meeting on Feb. 1st)
• Scout Outdoor Essentials (see handbook)
• Camping Gear and Extra Clothing (see handbook)