In just over five weeks for the seventh summer in a row Troop 1 will be heading down to the Land of Rising and Falling Waters – Camp Ho Non Wah on the banks of the Bohicket on Wadmalaw Island. The settlement of New Shirmer will soon be the home of 53 Troop 1 Boy Scouts and a new crop of First Year Scouts will thus be learning the ways of scouting, Troop 1 style!
I am very excited that I will be attending my 9th summer camp and be joined by our veteran group of “counselors” with Kyle Boyles (7th year), Jim Hall (2nd Year), and Chip Hill (3rd Year) and also welcome the addition of our CIT (Counselor in Training) Boyce Lawton this year. I am equally excited that Eagle Scout Zack Boyles will be attending his 8th Troop 1 Summer Camp with plans to earn his 100th Merit Badge while at camp and continue a job he does so well as a mentor to our younger scouts! We also look forward to being joined by more camp veterans Walter Oates and Bubba Littlejohn as we begin camp and Stanford McMillan and Peter Neidenbach as we end camp. I think that might add up to close to 50 years of combined camp experience!!
The leadership of Troop 1 considers camp week to be one of the most important times in the Troop 1 experience and is committed to making it a positive experience for our scouts. It is a time for learning, camaraderie, leaving behind the comforts of home, learning to live with 52 brothers, and building lifelong friendships. All good things!!
Jim Hall will continue over the time remaining before camp to get our scouts in the Merit Badge Classes they have requested. As we have reported earlier, that has been somewhat of a challenge this year, but we are confident some classes will open up over the next few weeks. We are also assuming all scouts who have not earned the Swimming Merit Badge plan to attend the Spring Aquatics Camporee May 17-19 to earn that badge. If that is not the case, please be in touch with me so that we can schedule him with swimming at camp.
We have a problem that we consider a good problem to have – the logistics involved in transporting this large of a group to and from camp. We consider going to and coming from camp as a group to be part of the camp experience and encourage all of our scouts to be in on that part of the adventure. Some families will be at the coast at the beginning or end of camp and it works better for them to drop off or pick up their scout at camp which is fine. We ask that you have them there by 2:00 on Sunday and pick them up between 8 and 8:30 on Saturday morning. Any other times outside of those windows have proven in the past to be very disruptive to the troop as a whole and are highly discouraged by the leadership. It would be very helpful as we are now in the process of making transportation plans to let us know ASAP if you are planning to drop off on Sunday afternoon or pick up on Saturday morning.
I have attached a packing list which I think pretty well covers what scouts will need (or not need in the case of a phone) while at camp. I know this is a new experience for many of you and any of our leaders would be happy to answer any specific questuons you might have.
If you have not already done so in the past year, please complete Parts A and B of the Medical Form and make plans for your son’s physician to complete Part C of the Medical Form. I have attached the form and it can be filled out on your computer and then printed. Please remember to sign in the appropiate sections. Please have the updated forms to me well before we leave for camp as they must be organized before we leave.
Kyle, Jim, Chip, Boyce, and myself look forward to giving our scouts a camp experience they will look forward to year after year as they build the great Troop 1 tradition.
Thanks,
Ted Gage
Attachments:
Camp Ho Non Wah Packing List (revised 29 May 2013)