QUESTION: Do You Go to Your or Another Council's Summer Cam

[CapXK]

Our troop doesn't go to the in-council summer camps. Two reasons: (1) we camp at the council camps all during the year and the boys would like to go someplace different and (2) summers in Texas are brutal. We have attended Camp Pioneer in Arkansas (nice place), Camp Hale in Oklahoma (hot but incredibly well-run), Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch in Colorado (beautiful, isolated camp in the mountains) and we are scheduled for our 3rd trip to Tres Ritos in New Mexico in a few weeks (primitive and small but with scenery to die for). We have never had any problem from parents with the boys going to a camp that is a days drive away. Our trips to the camps in Colorado and New Mexico have us travelling to Amarillo, staying the night at a Scout facility, and then driving to the camp the next day. The Scouts think that these trips are great adventures. As a kid we always went to the same camp and stayed in the same site. I far prefer the experience of going someplace new.

[deweylure]

The camp we go to is approx 4-5 hours away . Our councils camp is slightly further. It is a pain to ask for drivers. last year a dad drove up and then turned around and went home, talk about along day.


Dewey

[WeeWillie]

Bill

I noticed you are from L.I. So was I. Troop 261, Farmingdale (65-75). What is up with Onteora Scout Reservation. I loved it

This year we will be going to Camp Fiesta Island, @ Mission Bay, San Diego. It offers something that Arizona isn't exactly known for, namely ocean. We go to CFI every 3-4 years so every Scout gets an opportunity enjoy the acquatics badges offered there. It is an incentive to stay in Scouts.

Other years we go to Camp Geronimo, operated by Grand Canyon Council. Great program if you like scheduled merit badge sessions.

Camp Lawton, our Council's camp, is a great camp for younger Scouts. It gets a lot of out of council troops.

[lifescoutforlife]

My son is going in council with his troop and going provo out of council, the reason he is going provo out of council and not in council a 2nd week is they offer 3 MB's at that camp that we don't even have MB councilers that teach them in our council.

[outfoxed86]

We go to our councils camp Onteora Its about 3hrs away It was closed in 1991 by the scout ex. (needless to say he was fired by the volenteers)
The volenteers in our council pushed to get the camp re opened. They even ran an all volenteer summer camp for three years till it finally opened again in 2000. This goes to show you that the volenteers run scouting not the professionals.I thnks its one of the best summer camps around.
Wayne

[Lynda J]

We have been doing one year in Council and the next out. This year we went to Slippery Falls in Oklahome. The boys loved it. It was probably one of the best run camps I have been to. The staff to leader communication was great. They hand out a camp newsletter every morning at leaders meeting. Gives you all the information for the day and it anything has changed.

[jr56]

We will be going out of council this year to give the boys some variety.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

We do both. Sometimes the troop has gone in and out of council in the same summer and other years we have alternated. Depends each year on where the boys want to go.

[ccjj]

After attending our councils camp for several years, last summer we went to a neighboring councils camp. The camp offered the choice of dining hall meals, or patrol campsite cooking. We chose campsite cooking.

We (along with another troop from our council) were treated not so nicely that week. Our boys would get to merit badge classes, only to be told that it was either cancelled or moved. When did they make this announcement? At meal time in the dining hall. They neglected to tell the troops that did campsite cooking of the change! This turned many of our newer boys (and leaders) off to attending summer camp.

Because of this, this summer we are looking at doing our own summer camp program. The boys are working on planning out the week right now. They are selecting Merit Badges that they wish to work on, planning menus, and many other things. It should be interesting.

Of course, we are making sure that the boys and their families know that there are provisional troops out there if they wish to attend our councils camp.

ccjj

[WVBeaver05]

Looks like communications can be a pretty big problem at camps. At our Council camp, many announcements are made at morning and evening flag ceremonies. With 3 days of heavy rain, almost all were cancelled. Announcements were then made in the dining hall.

So, those Troops cooking in camp missed the announcements. There was too much noise, so some people that were there missed them too. (And, in some cases, Scouts and Scouters just didn't pay attention.)

This was brought up at a mid-week Leader's meeting and some corrections were made. The timing of announcements in the dining hall was changed to a quieter time and Leaders paid more attention. Work was started on finding a central location for announcements to be posted (the admin building was considered to be too far out of the way - which I didn't agree with).

We also had Troops who cooked in camp that didn't attend the flag ceremonies and complained that they weren't informed. That is quite a different matter to me.

Just remember, communications is important and often difficult - whether it is at a Troop campout, a Camporee, a Summer Camp, a Jamboree, etc.

YiS

[cballman]

well I hate to admit this but I like summer camp because I dont have to cook and clean up. I help the dinning hall staff but we try to make it a good experaince for the kids and I dont like cooking in the rain. walking and swimming in the rain is fine.

[WVBeaver05]

For me, it isn't that I don't like to cook in camp -- it is the time that is required to cook and clean up. Seems to me that it takes away from the time that the Scouts have to participate in activities that they don't usually have the opportunities for.

I have seen Troops where the adults do the cooking and cleaning up so they don't take the Scouts time up. But, I'm not in favor of that either although an argument could be made that there isn't any difference in that and letting the dining hall staff cook for them. Just my preference, I guess.

YiS

[ronin718]

Our troop does two years in-council, then one year out. We (my son and I) just crossed over in September, so I'm not sure how well it works, but my understanding is it works well and breaks up the monotony.

[stevejb68]

Our troop goes out of council because our council does not have a summer camp.

[Fibonacci]

Our troop generally alternates between in council (2 hours away) and out of council (4 - 6 hours away ~ several different councils.) We have always chosen a "dining hall" camp and usually cook in the unit one night. Some boys prefer a strong MB program, some prefer designated troop-time activities, some like more free time. So the boys vote every summer about the destination for the next year's summer camp. They have selected a new camp (new to them!) for 2007.

We usually send 25 - 30 Scouts; the troop has about 35 - 38 active members.

The troop pays the camp fee for all adult chaperones and reimburses mileage.

[Craft Lady]

The troop goes to camp in council every other year. That gives the boys a chance to experince other camps and still support our camp.

Last year they were in council. This year is a big trip! They are going to Yellowstone and then a camp near Yellowstone. My son is so excited.

They are going to another out of council for the boys that can not attend the big Yellowstone trip. One year I would love to send my son to spend part of the summer with my mom and have him go as a provisional scouter to the summer camp that I got to go to. The Boy Scouts let the 4-H club use it one week, and that is how I got to go. It doesn't have a packed exciting program, more of a laid back program but it is in a bueatiful area. Plus my mother wants to have my son send part of a summer with her one year, esp. since every year he has been to busy to get to see her since he joined Boy Scouts.

Jennifer

[Chief J]

Last year we had a couple of Scouts go out of council and the majority of the troop attended Heritage Reservation - Camp Freedom (Our Council Dining Hall Camp).

this year the Troop is going out of council, but next year we will be back at Heritage Reservation and attending Camp Liberty (The Patrol cooking camp).

Heritage Scout reservation consists of Camp Independence for Cub Scouts and Webelos, Camp Freedom which is the Boy Scout dining hall camp and Camp Liberty which is the patrol cooking boy scout camp. Each camp has all the amenities needed (waterfront, rifle ranges, etc.) and have their own staffs. Just depends on whether you like to go to the dining hall or cook for yourself this week.

chief J

[tdfoxsr736]

We definitely do, to beat the heat, humidity and insects here in south Louisiana. Also, we camp at our local scout reservation quite a bit through out the year, so we travel abroad for summer camp.

[mt_goodrich]

Our troop has been going out of council on a regular basis.

We just got back from Camp Pioneer (Caddo Area Council) in Mena, Arkansas. It was about a five hour drive. We did Worth Ranch last year (very hot) and the year before we went to Slippery Falls (Oklahoma).

We have a lot of young Scouts and fathers who have now become interested in Scouting with their sons. They were talking about wanting to go to Philmont in a couple of years.

I read on the Longhorn Council's web site that if you go thru them for a slot at Philmont, those troops that have been going to their summer camps would be given more "points" when selecting units. I guess that is one way to get in council units to attend their summer camps

[Lynda J]

Ourboys just got back from their "summer camp trip" They went to Austin and toured the Capital. They stayed at a State Park Camp grounds in cabins. I wasn't real sure about this trip. I couldn't go because of changes in work. But they planned on Austin. Then MiKinnely falls. They didn't get to swim there because of something going on with the water. But them on to the Bat Caves. Fredricksburg. And the Nimitz tour. They spent the first two nights in cabins near Austin, them on toThe troop purchased a Youth Pass for State Parks. It's a good deal. $100.00 gets up to 40 kids in to state parks for one year. That included 4 adults.
It is good at all State Parks. It paid for itself the first two nights of the trip. They had a ball and Kevin really enjoyed it. I can't wait to hear all about it at the next meeting.