Camping Fun!

So why did I blog off early? Basically, I had to get stuff done so I could take the guys to Scout camp at Camp Sheppard down past Enumclaw (yes, there really is a place called “Enumclaw”.)

We drove about a hundred miles (if you count “getting lost” as part of the drive), grabbed fish sandwiches at BK somewhere in Auburn, and eventually made it in around 6:30ish after three hours on the road (it was slightly over one hour coming home, so that gives you a hint about the traffic on Friday evening). We got checked into our cabin (the camp features inner tubing on snow, so that tells you something about the weather norms for the place and, hency, why there are cabins and not camping spots).

Eventually everybody showed up and we had a very full cabin, which was fun. After a good night’s sleep, we all had a hearty breakfast and then they got going on their outdoorsman merit badge. My guys and two of the other guys decided they wanted to get their wilderness survival badges. So they worked together and built an emergency shelter out of whatever they could find and whatever materials could fit in their pockets. They ended up with a sort of igloo made out of thin mylar space blankets and tree boughs, which they then slept in that night. It was a proud moment for us dads as the guys put the whole project together with only minimal input from us.

We all got back, good and tired, yesterday and went to Mass at Blessed S, followed by a lazy afternoon of catching up on sleep. From what I can tell (given the crappiness of the new improved combox software) folks seem to have played well with others. Thanks! Very Scouting of you!