This past weekend our Cub Scout Families went on our Spring Campout at Hanging Rock State Park. Heading our on Friday afternoon, we knew were were in for a bit of a damp trip, but it didn't dampen our spirits!
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| Camp kitchen for the weekend |
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| C and H were buddies this weekend |
We got in Friday night, just in time to get things set up, eat some s'mores and head to bed. Saturday dawned early with a yummy breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes. The boys, who have already bonded, were enjoying having time just to play in the woods. Running from campsite to campsite, they had fun with walkie talkies, sticks, and some games a scout brought along.
Before long, however, it was time to get moving on our plans for the day. First up, a hike with a scavenger hunt. Working on our Leave No Trace awards, no one collected anything, but checked them off a list. We took a hike down to the lake to scout out some fishing spots for later on.
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| wildflower. check. |
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| A surprise, NOT on the list. A hog nose snake had recently eaten something and was basking in the sun. Personally, this den mom gave it a wide berth. Thanks, telephoto lens, for these awesome pictures that didn't require me to get too close. |
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| The spillway |
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| Cubmaster J enjoying the view |
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| Hey J! |
We split up a bit, some opting to fish, others hike, and a few other headed back to the campsite. After lunch and getting some prizes for the scavenger hunt, it was soon time to head out to our hike with the park ranger.
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| The ranger took us on a hike to one of the waterfalls. Along the way we learned lots of interesting facts about the native trees and plants. |
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| Sticks, rocks, excited kids. So hard to get everyone looking at the same time! |
While we were up on the rocks, we hear, "animal sighting!" We see the rest of the group and the ranger clustered around something small and very, very young. Even the ranger was stumped for a bit. Promising to go back for it, we continued our hike. Later in the day, one of our pack checked with the rangers to see if they knew what it was, and what was going to happen to it. It turns out, it was a mink, and was going to be taken to a rehab center. The ranger was carrying it around in his chest pocket!
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| The top of the falls. I never got a full shot of all of the falls... |
Dinner plans for the night? Hobos! Or packets...or packages...whatever your family calls them. The boys enjoyed making their own and putting them over the fire to cook. Cleanup was easy and boy, were they delicious!
While they were cooking, the boys made shadow puppets, for a puppet show later on that evening.
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| The supervisors. |
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| Yep, poking the fire like a big boy |
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| Dinner's ready! and we had a dessert smorgasboard as well! |
This ends my photos for the weekend. A little later, it started to rain. Some went fishing again, others gathered under tents to play Uno or Battleship. A little popcorn, s'mores and juiceboxes later, with the rain really starting to come down, we all turned in.
After breakfast, and a few rousing follow the leader games while humming the Smurf theme song (we couldn't believe it!) it was time to break camp and get on the road.
It's not the things we did, or the food we ate, but the visiting, learning, laughing, brushing off the dirt and just plain enjoying each others company, that were the best part of the weekend. Scouting is an adventure, no matter how large or small!
