Great Dismal Swamp-2

 And they did it again! Although the weather promised to be FREEZING, Robert was brave enough to still take a bunch of scouts to Dismal Swamp for a two night campout. They all survived! And here is his report that he sent out to the parents of the boys. 

Camp by the numbers 
16 – lowest temperature in Fahrenheit recorded during the campout.  That was the first night.  The second night was warmer at a balmy 25 degrees. 

37.5 – total combined service hours clearing trails and campsites.  All pitched in and did their part.

11 – total number of young men at this sub-freezing campout

 

11 – number of Boy Scouts who did their parents and leaders proud

4 – leaders who realized they are too old for camping in the cold

1 – leader who wants to do it again

6 – miles hiked over the swamp and through the woods

0 – complaints (besides the occasional “are we there yet?”)

 

100+ – the number of handwarmers used

3 – the number of 5-gallon jugs frozen overnight 

2 – campfires well-supplied and deeply appreciated

Unknown – the number of hot chocolate packets consumed
11 – number of things we now know can actually freeze: PB & J sandwiches, marshmallows, hand sanitizer, granola bars, Swedish Fish, Nutella, Ranch dressing, carrots, broccoli, starbursts and socks. 
1 – park ranger who forbade us from renting the canoes because of the cold and ice

15 – number of people initially upset but then eventually grateful for his wise call because the ice would have prevented safe passage via canoe and likely some unfortunate soul would have fallen in
3 – hatchets 
2 – saws 
1 – axe 
0 – injuries

All glad to have survived and this will be remembered for many years to come.  And hopefully a few valuable, hard-earned lessons have been learned on the side.

Thank you for coming on this campout.  I hope to return next year on a warmer day for just a day trip so we can at least do the canoe experience through the swamp. 

Your scoutmaster,

Rob Watson

The Great Dismal Swamp-2017

Hello, This is Alex! And the name of this blog post is not a made up name of a place!

Between December 29th and 31st, 2016, my dad and I went on a Boy Scout campout to the Great Dismal Swamp, near the Virginia border to North Carolina.  Filled with Alligators, Snakes, and Snapping Turtles, it didn't sound like a dream camping spot, as you can imagine.  It was very cold and wet, but we had a blast, despite the sub-zero temperatures. My mom says there is no way she could have enjoyed it!

To get to the campsite, we had to canoe for 3 miles through the swamp with all of our gear strapped to the boat.

We used our big and sturdy British tent because our American ones weren't warm enough or waterproof enough.

We hiked through the forest and across some of the swamp, and played manhunt for hours when it got dark.

Naturally, I fell in the swamp later.  I don't think I have ever been by a body of water and not gotten wet.  Fortunately, I wasn't eaten by an Alligator!

It was beautiful!

One of the highlights that I'll never forget was us finding a freshly killed deer (we think a coyote got to him) and skinning, then cooking it for dinner. We had two leaders with us that have done a lot of this sort of stuff so we knew it was done right. It was awesome!

Overall, it was a wonderful trip and the boys passed off a lot of requirements and had an awesome time!!!! And we got back in time for New Years Eve celebrations!!!!

Alex.

P.S. Alex finally wrote this post a couple of days before he is heading out for another adventure at the Great Dismal Swamp. The weather forecast calls for low 20s at night...

British Cub Scout Camping

Alex and Robert got and a very unique opportunity this June to go on a two night campout with the BRITISH cub scouts. Since Robert has been serving as a cub scout master for our base, he had to be the POC for the whole organizing part of our American boys. They were the only Americans who were joining the British kids and leaders. Although Alex had already crossed over to Boy Scouts, they let him join the Cub Scouts just this one last time.

The setting was very different from any other campouts that Alex and Robert have experienced. The location of the camp was about 40 minutes away from our home, in a freshly mowed grass field.

There were so many participants, it was hard to believe! Although you can't see it here, this is just a part of the field, where the Americans camped. 

On Friday night, after campers arrived, they had dinner. Alex wasn't keen on the food though, he told us later. The entertainment part was very unusual from the regular cub scout camps that Alex has attended. It was interesting to see that the stage was set up and that the kids were allowed to stay up way pass 10 pm.

 

I remember calling Robert around 10 pm and him saying that party is still on and everyone is wired. Kind of crazy.

Alex and Robert did not sleep well actually because Alex's allergies were acting up with all that freshly mowed grass around. He could barely breeze.

On Saturday morning Robert and another leader were in charge of teaching the kids some basic American Football rules and play the game with them. They actually had a lot of fun doing that!

Alex was gone and somewhere on his own exploring all the other parts of the camp where other leaders were teaching the boys other things. The whole thing was quite fun but quite different from the American camps.

Alex and Robert were not planning on camping on Sunday anyway and were going to come home early on Sunday morning but because Alex was so tired from not sleeping well the night before and his allergies were getting worse, they came home on Saturday evening to get some rest in their own beds.

I am glad they got a chance to experience a different kind of camping:) It's not every day that you get to camp with the British cubs on a British field:)

Lyana.

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Boy Scout Trip Of A Lifetime: Brownsea Island

In 1907 Robert Baden-Powell (later Lord Baden-Powell), the founder of Boy Scouts held the very first "experimental" scout camp on Brownsea Island just off the southern coast of England.

109 years later, Boy Scout troop 245 from RAF Alconbury, England followed in his footsteps and held their own campout there as well.  I went along with Alex as a "leader" because I knew we would never have this opportunity again to camp where Scouting truly began those many years ago. 

The bus ride down was only a few hours, but we took a 2 hour side trip to visit the TANK MUSEUM!!  This is the largest collection of tanks in the WORLD and we were told the museum has more tanks than the entire British Army.

Admission was free for the 6 of us who were current or former military (I like free) and reasonable for everyone else.  Tank warfare doesn't have much to do with my everyday job, but once I entered the museum I found it absolutely stunning.  I've never seen so many tanks in  one place before, and these tanks were from all over the world throughout all the years tanks have been around. They had so many tanks I didn't even manage to see them all.  Anyway, don't take my recommendation.  Take it from this gaggle of 10-12 year old boys who said "THIS IS AWESOME!"

I wouldn't want to find myself on the wrong side of this tank. 

As awesome as tanks are for young boys, they were easily distracted by one of several cleverly constructed hands-on toy soldier displays.  Battle on!

Alex recognized the lettering on this tank so made sure he got a picture next to it. 

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Eventually we found our way out of the tank museum.  Honestly, I wished I had more time there because I didn't get to see all of the exhibits either because the boys slowed me down or because I had to backtrack to help one of the boys find his favorite hat he dropped somewhere in the middle of the museum.  We found it.  No harm done.  Lunch outside the museum and then back on the bus. 

Eventually arriving at the ferry to take us on to Brownsea Island where we would camp for two nights. 

I think we were the only ones on the ferry over to the island that day.  This was just one of several tourist/sightseeing ferries in the harbor.

When we arrived on the island, we were met by a gal with a cart where we loaded all our gear which then took us 100 yards to a Jeep with a trailer which took all our gear, minus the backpacks on our backs, the last mile to the other end of the island where the campsite was. And at the site we found... a big rock.  Actually a sculpture set to commemorate the very first camp by Lord Baden-Powell.We took this picture at the end of the camp because we kept forgetting to get it until it was almost too late. 

Oh, another ferry photo from on the way over.  Yeah, Alex is pretty stoked. 

We are hiking to the campsite. The boys all went ahead without the leaders so I decided to follow them thinking everyone was going to catch up.  I kept up with the boys, and tried to make sure the older ones who ran ahead didn't fall into the sea or anything.  I kept looking back thinking the other adults were coming up from behind and I even stopped to wait a while but they never showed.  I didn't know where the campsite was so I just kept following the older scouts along with all the younger ones.  Eventually we met a ranger who pointed us in the right direction and that's where we found the camp and the other adults who took the shortcut AND the truck.  We ended up hiking about 1.5 miles (half a mile longer than we needed) but we knew the island pretty well after that. 

When we arrived at the campsite the first thing we did was set up our tents.  I set up my little popup tent next to some of the other adults.  Alex and the scouts were off to the side away from us.  The next we did after setting up camp was I watched as Alex and  few of the other boys promptly ran down to the shore and got their boots and pants wet trying to puddle jump as the tide rolled in. Seriously, we had only been there an hour! 

I'm suddenly remembering all sorts of things that I should write about but I don't have pictures for.  Like how I volunteered to help with the cooking not because I was the best cook but because by doing so I could be in charge of making sure we actually ate at reasonable times.  Scouts are great for many things, but thinking ahead to the next meal is not one of them. 

On Saturday, the adults split up to take on various "stations" around the island and the boys would visit these skill stations during what amounted to a 3 mile hike.  I taught how to splint and sling a broken arm at my station.  For most of the day it rained.  In between rain episodes I walked around the green waiting for the next boys' group to arrive.  Sometimes waiting 30 minutes or more, so to keep myself entertained I ate junk food and watched the local rat population (ie peacocks) as they pestered me for food.  I didn't give them any (well, I guess I did share my apple core with them) yet they wouldn't leave me alone.  

Saturday afternoon, during a very short break in the weather, three of the boys had the privilege of having their Eagle Court of Honor right there on the exact site of Baden-Powell's camp. Of course the rain started up again in the middle of it, but no one minded as we witnessed these boys' achievement. 

Seriously, the island was infested with these animals.  And RED squirrels, we saw lots of those too.

I'll remember this trip with Alex and his troop for all the fun we had.  I am proud to be his dad and for his choice to be a part of Boy Scouts. He doesn't realize yet how influential his time in the Boy Scouts will be in shaping his life decisions. 

And how many people, at least Americans, can say they camped on Brownsea Island!?  Yeah, we'll brag about that one.  Sure, it rained most of the time and the midges came out in full force at times, and the peacocks were crazy (had 11 of them running around camp at one time), and most of the boys didn't even touch their mess kits because (and I quote) "we're too lazy to clean them".  But I'll remember most of all the beauty of the full moon over the sound as the rain and wind dispersed late Saturday evening, and the laughter as the boys played manhunt (yet again), or how they enjoyed eating whatever they could carry in their hands and even said 'thank you', or the singing 'Frozen' on the bus (whoops, I wasn't supposed to mention that), and there's more but I can't remember right now.

But I'll remember this ....

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Normandy Scout Trip

In April Alex and I went down to Normandy, France for the World Scout Camporee.  Scouts from all over Europe joined together for an amazing event hosted on this hallowed land.  While most scouts were Americans who live in Europe, there were scouts of many other nationalities such as French, German and Polish. In all there were an estimated 4,500 attendees.  We went down with some friends from our ward, and met up with some old friends (the Alleys) who came from Geilenkirchen.  We arrived on a beautiful Friday afternoon, it rained that night, then Saturday was dry, then pretty much rain the rest of the time, until right AFTER we took down our tents.  But it didn’t damper our spirits; if anything, it heightened our appreciation for those who suffered unimaginable discomforts, pain and even death on these shores.

This is Omaha beach. We camped just above it.  In this picture it is high tide.  During the invasion, Allied troops waited until nearly low tide because the high tide would prevent them from seeing, and thereby avoiding, submerged obstacles set up by the Germans.

Alex and Thomas doing what boys do next to water with an unlimited supply of rocks.

On Omaha beach looking toward Pointe du Hoc, the cliffs at the far end in this picture, which was the first point of landing by the Allies (Army Rangers) who scaled near vertical cliffs to do so.

The Cathedral at Bayeux, a few kilometers inland. 

Memorial service attended by hundreds of scouts, leaders and families.  A new bell for the tower was dedicated in honor of the 70th anniversary of D-day on behalf of the scouts.

Alex asked if that was the pope.  Nope. 

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A plaque outside the cathedral explaining how Bayeux was the first city liberated by the Americans on D-day.

And the explanation of Pointe du Hoc (zoom in to read).

Back to Omaha beach.  This is low tide.  That’s the same pier visible in the first picture.  Now you can get a sense of just how far the troops had to run, in full combat gear, soaking wet, through barbed wire and iron stars, with bullets raining down on them.

Same.

There were a few events on Saturday, one of which was a multi-media presentation, which meant there were two jumbo screens showing historical footage.  There was also a French-American actor who thought he was more famous than he really was (I’d never heard of him even though he said he was famous), a choir (?), and a real marching band (best part if you ask me).

Said marching band.

Said marching band actually marching!! They were behind us as the whole way as we hiked 2 km back to the campsite for dinner (which was paella by the way.  the vegetarian version was MUCH tastier than the chicken and shrimp version).

Still marching.

No pictures of dinner, so just imagine.  Neither did I think of taking pictures of the campsite, so this shot of the flashlight hanging on the tent ceiling will just have to spark your imagination.

The only photo of Alex and me together.  Two happy guys.

Sunday morning rolled around and we found ourselves at a touching memorial service at the Normandy American Cemetery.

Veterans from the Normandy invasion were present at the far right next to the columns.  By the way, it was raining the whole time.

Alex was selected to lay one of the wreaths next to the garden.

Laying said wreath.

Trying to figure out which way to go. FYI he went the wrong way, to the other side of the crowd and had to wait until everyone was done before he could cross over again.

After the ceremony, there were flowers available for anyone who wished to lay one next to a grave stone.  It’s one thing to walk around a cemetery like this just looking at the gravestones, but when you take the time (a few seconds really) to bend down and place a flower next to one of the grave markers it somehow makes it more meaningful.  Alex was proud to do this small act of service.  And I was proud of him for showing so much respect.

An excellent conclusion to an amazing and memorable trip.

Oh, did you know that Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (the president’s son) is buried at Normandy?  Gen Roosevelt was the only general officer who landed in the first wave.  He survived the initial invasion only to die of a heart attack a little over a month later.

We happened upon Clifford Watson’s grave marker and we made sure to look him up when we got home.  See the link:

http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvmemory/vets/watsonclifford/watsonclifford.html

What an honor it was to visit Normandy, especially with my son.  And to have the unique privilege of attending a scout camporee there was just amazing. 

Rob