Our Cub Scout pack goes on four camping trips per year. Our committee chair usually organizes absolutely everything, but this time she wasn't going to be there. I stepped up as "Camping Chair" to organize this trip (and that is what I've been doing all week instead of blogging). My job was to reserve the camp site, make sure we had all the supplies we needed, and keep things running. Sounds easy, until the middle of the night panic attacks where you think you forgot something, or the tour permit may not be filed, or someone else might forget something, or you won't have any coffee because you can't find someone who owns pump pots...
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| E and F enjoy hot cocoa by the fire |
There are things I don't like about Cub Scouts. They are mostly things like undisciplined boys running around crazy and disrespectful and their whining and/or bully parents. And then there are things I like about Cub Scouts. They are mostly my boys' friends and their awesome parents.
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| M's awesome rain shelter |
I had to laugh at myself when we were first checking in and setting up. Since I was Camping Chair, I had to be there when people started showing up so I could tell them where things went, etc. Our pack doubled in size this year and there are a lot of people I don't know. I thought that maybe we could all wear "Hello My Name Is" name tags with our positions so we could all get to know one another. Instead, the men drove around the loop to find the best spot, set up their tents/RVs, rain-proofed their sites, and left to go pick up their kids from school. Then, when it was time to mingle by the fire, they showed off their wood chopping skills while their sons climbed tree stumps and pushed each other off. See, I am female (obviously) and think about everyone "getting along." These guys needed to get their territory marked and display their fitness.
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| M's den had breakfast duty Saturday |
I like that each den takes a meal and everyone eats together. It's crazy and nerve-wracking at first. We had 60 people sign up for the camping trip. But only two from our Bear den were going. Two families had to provide
everything for one meal for 60 people. M is the Bear leader and he was worried that the other family wouldn't get there in time for breakfast. He sent me back to our house at 8:00 AM to get all the eggs we had in the house, plus a second box of hash browns, just in case. But everything always seems to work out.
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| S and his best friend at breakfast |
We had plenty of food for every meal and lots of left overs! And everyone remembered to bring one thing that other people forget. I brought salt and pepper. Another family brought dish soap and rags. Another brought a generator to keep the coffee pot running. I also like how whole families are encouraged to come along. We had several grandparents and plenty of moms and sisters for me and my girls to hang out with.
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| Me and D (who took my eggs) |
We survived. Everything went great. I came home at night with our three youngest at night, but we stayed for the daytime activities. The ranger came down to the group site and held a presentation about birds:
She had some "stuffed" birds that the kids could handle. IJ got to hold a barn owl. E held a strange bird that had Barbie legs:
Just kidding. The parent that gave F a Barbie
in this post brought two ballerina Barbies to the girls for a camping surprise. They carried them everywhere.
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| S and his birthday present |
The kids went on two hikes and some brought their bikes to ride. We had den time where the boys worked on skits for the evening campfire and marshmallow roast. The kids ran wild in the bushes, but this time there were no Nerf guns and they had to use sticks for weapons.
D came down with a nasty cold, just in time for the weekend. He fell asleep on M's shoulder after lunch, so we made him a nest in the front seat of the van. He slept there for hours! Why doesn't he sleep like that here?
