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On Halloween weekend 90 Webelos Scouts and 30 Boy Scouts came
to Camp Yaw Paw to pitch their tents and get ready for a weekend of fun.
After the opening ceremony we had a short leave no trace presentation and
then all the Webelos headed to the ball field for an afternoon of activities
run by the Boy Scouts. When we got there, we learned how to tin foil cook
and how to handle first aid emergencies. We also got to build and get in
a wilderness shelter. We built a ladder out of logs and lashings and used
it to climb up the side of a tree, it was a little rickety, but it worked!
We also learned some new knots and used them to put up a tarp. There was
an orienteering course where practiced our compass and map reading skills.
At the flagpole on the ball field, we practiced the right way to raise and
lower the Stars and Stripes and how to fold it into a triangle. Finally,
we learned how to start a fire, a campfire that is.
After our activities we went back to the amphitheater for a flag retirement
ceremony. Most of us had never seen one before and we all sat quietly
through the solemn moment. Six flags, brought by various packs, were cut
into pieces and placed on the fire. Some of the flags burned but most
of them melted before they turned to ash. Then it was back to our campsites
to gather wood and cook our dinner. There's nothing like a meal cooked
outdoors. We had plenty of food.
In the evening we headed back to the amphitheater for our campfire and
it was a big one. One of the Boy Scouts was in charge. All the packs did
skits, some were patriotic, some talked about the upcoming election, but
most of them were very funny. We also did some songs and some cheers.
One Webelos knew an entire TV commercial by heart and recited it. The
Boy Scout troops also did skits and one Boy Scout sang the Mento's Mints
song. We sang taps as the campfire died and headed back to our campsites.
The best part was that it was very foggy and dark, each flashlight looked
liked a searchlight in the forest gloom very scary on Halloween eve! At
our campsites we lit our own little fire and sat around with our dads
to roast marshmallows and tell stories until late in the night.
Sunday morning, Halloween, the sun was shining as we packed up our stuff
and made one last trip to the amphitheater for the closing ceremony. We
said our prayers and sang America the Beautiful as we look at the glorious
trees across the lake in their gleaming fall colors. Then we got our Webelos
Weekend patches and had a raffle where all of us got something to take
home, a water bottle or flashlight or compass or the like. We packed the
cars and headed home after a weekend of fun.
Submitted by the boys of Troop 15, Glen Rock NJ |
