Dear Mom and Dad,
What a day – this place is awesome!
I have never had a bus ride that fun. We played cards to pass the miles and sang Mr. Satterfield’s favorite song – 99 bottles of milk on the wall!
If you haven’t heard of a burger place called Rush’s, well let me tell you – they fed all 80 scouts (between Troop 1 and Troop 2) in 30 minutes flat. I even ate the pickles on my burger and every last bit of slaw so I could get a milkshake for dessert!
When we finally got to camp I listened to all the rules at check-in so I would be able to follow them all week long. We set up our spots at the campground; these Adirondack buildings are so cool, and I haven’t yet seen a single palmetto bug crawling around in there. I promise to keep it clean as a whistle in there so we can pass inspection with flying colors every day. Mr. Gage said something about earning a trophy paddle for that, but I’m not quite sure what he meant.
Since I am a first-year scout, I had to pass my swim test, which we all managed to do. The water felt so good after working so hard to set up our campsite in the heat! We came back to our spot and one of the older scouts sold me a lukewarm Dr. Pepper for just $5 – it was SO refreshing, and totally worth it.
We all got our Class A’s back on for the flag ceremony, which was cool to see all the other troops gathered together for. Then we washed up and went in the mess hall for supper. I don’t exactly know what goes into Salisbury Steak, but it sure tasted yummy with mash potatoes. I would say it was my favorite meal of the year, but I still like Mom’s spaghetti and meatballs a little more, I think.
After dinner we did a bang-up job clearing the table and doing dishes. I might keep doing that after I get home – well, sometimes at least. Then we explored the camp, fished a little bit, and played some ultimate frisbee. I hear there is a tournament for that this week, and we have to play against Troop 2. Those boys are so tall, but I think we have a good chance at beating them. Our Senior Patrol Leader suggested a run-and-gun strategy to rack up the points – I sure hope we do!
After such a long day you would think I would be exhausted, but I can’t seem to fall asleep. I think I’m just too excited to get started with my merit badge work tomorrow. And to see what’s for breakfast in the mess hall!
It’s really exciting to be here. Thank you for sending me to such a great place with such an awesome group. I do miss y’all, but I’ll be sure to write you again this week. Please give Fido a scratch on the ears for me and let him know I’ll be home before long!
Love,
Your almost Eagle Son
PS. If you want to send me a note here, you can email it to [email protected] – I would love to hear from you! I also here our leaders are posting pictures of our week on our smug mug site at https://troop1.smugmug.com/2022/Ho-Non-Wah-2022/ and putting some other things on our facebook group page you can search at BSA Troop1 (Spartanburg, SC) and ask for permission to join.