2009 Summer Camp at Hawk Mountain Pennsylvania

On the drive up, I wonder. How will this trip go? Will it be fun? Will it be boring? But in my opinion, it went great. This year, we went to a new summer cap called Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania. It had everything that Broadcreek, our usual summer camp, has. This includes a trading post (store), C.O.P.E (climbing + teamwork), Shooting sports, and many more. I want to come back here soon.

On the first day, which was Sunday, we met at the Scout building and saddled up for the two hour drive. When we arrived we ate lunches we packed and took a tour of the area so we don't get lost. While that was going on, many of the adults unloaded the gear and placed the gear under our camp's pavilion. We grabbed our gear, grabbed a buddy, and picked a tent. Like many Boy Scout camps, this one had nice summer tent that stay up the whole summer. They are big and can fit two to three campers comfortably. The only problem is that they are not completely closed, so bugs shared space with us. I hunted Daddy Longlegs at least twice a day, usually more. We also took a swim test. Our troop can swim well, so all but one got the swimmer clearance, while the other one got beginner. None received non-swimmer. Dinner was decent, but food overall was terrible. Also that night, we had a campfire. The staff put on some skits and shared news and rules. After the campfire we went back to camp and slowly went to bed.

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday were all the same schedule, so I'll combine them into one paragraph. Some woke up for Polar Bear swim. Polar Bear is a patch you can get. You need to get up for five mornings early, and jump in the pool and follow the directions of the staff. We got in, then out, then back in multiple times. The worst was story time. They'd tell a story while we're outside of the pool, freezing. It was cold, but fun and you get a patch. I did this with a couple of the boys. After Polar Bear, we went back to camp, change, and got to breakfast with the Troop. Actually, we went to breakfast with most of the Troop. Many of the older boys did a program called Boots and Paddles. They kayaked and hiked most of the week. We didn't see them much. After breakfast, we went to our merit badge classes. I took Shotgun and Archery in the morning. After morning classes, we ate lunch. Siesta followed lunch. Siesta is a midday rest time. We relaxed and played cards during siesta. Afternoon classes started after siesta. I had Space Exploration, Electronics, and Emergency Preparedness in the afternoon. Dinner was after these classes. Most nights, we had open program after dinner. Open program is when the entire camp is open, allowing you to do activities and work on or finish merit badges. This time was really fun. After Open program we stayed up and one by one went to bed.

Wednesday and Friday was different because of a couple different events. On Wednesday, we had chapel and an OA event. OA is short for Order of the Arrow. We had no open program that night. Chapel was not for a specific religion, but was for Christians. The OA Ceremony started with two staff fighting with sticks that had flames on each side. It was very intense. Also, new OA members were chosen. Friday was the last day, so many classes were already done. I had one class the whole day. Also, the first year camper program has its graduation. I attended it to support the new boys. Friday night was the closing campfire. Some troops put on skits and the staff made some final announcements. We got back to camp late and sat by our own campfire and played games.

On Saturday, we cleaned up and left after breakfast. I had tons of fun and want to go back next year.

RC

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