This October, Troop 581 visited the Norther Virginia Lions Youth Club campsite in Boyce, VA for a 3-day weekend of Merit Badges and fun. It was a challenging weekend for the Scouts because it rained all weekend. This makes everything from setting up a campsite to cooking meals to simply keeping dry at night more difficult. But a Scout is Cheerful and a little rain (or a lot of rain) never stopped Troop 581. These challenges are often a great chance to learn how to set up a rain fly more effectively or keep a cooking site more organized.
Scouts were able to sign up for up to four merit badge courses taught by the troop’s own merit badge counselors. Sixteen merit badge programs were provided including First Aid, Public Health, Automotive Maintenance, Environmental Science, Cooking, Crime Prevention, Communications, Citizenship in the World, Citizenship in the Community, Scouting Heritage, Game Design, Mammal Study, Space Exploration, Engineering, Camping, and Emergency Preparedness.
While most Scouts were working on merit badges, others worked on cleaning out the troop trailer. Also, since we were camping over the 3-day weekend, the adults cooked one of the meals for the whole troop and everyone enjoyed an Italian-themed dinner. Adult grubmaster Chris Eichfeld and bunch of assistants put out a spread that included pasta, sausage and meatballs, chicken cutlets, garlic bread and a slew of deserts.
Come rain or shine, Troop 581 is always ready for a great campout.