Battle of Hoyt 2014

For our Fall Campree the Scouts decided to try something different and attend a Camporee sponsored by a different district.  The Powahay District of the CT Yankee Council put on the Camporee we chose this year which was held at one of our favorite Campsites, Hoyt Reservation in West Redding. Powahay supports the towns of Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Wilton, and Stamford.  It is somewhat ironic that the only out of district unit in attendance happened to be located closer to the Scout Reservation than the district's own Troops.

While we were somewhat disappointed that the truck brining the horses for the Revelutionary War Dragoon reenactment broke down and our re-enactors were turned from a cavalry unit into foot soldiers, we still had a great time.

During the morning the Patrols worked themselves through a series of stations to test their scouting skills and compete against the other Patrols in attendance.

During the afternoon the Scouts could watch the renactors, wander through the historical sessions to learn about Revelotionary era history and life (n.b. Revelutionary era medicine was kind of gruesome), or just have some free time.

Troop 4 acquitted itself quite well at the Camporee winning first place ribbons in two of the competitions.  The first was the Dutch Oven cooking competition.  Each Patrol provided a portion of the meal we delivered to the judges, the Venturing Patrol made Beef Jerky Stew, the Scout Patrol made an Apple Crsip dessert, and the Adult Patrol made bread.  I think we really impressed the judges.  

The second ribbon, and the one I am most proud of our scouts for was the Best Campsite Inspection.  Each Troop had their campsite inspected by the Senior Patrol Leaders committee against a dozen or so criteria including neatness, cleanliness, organization, gateway, proper kitchen, first aid kits plus several additional ones I don't remember.  Our Scouts received a perfect score and received top honors.  What makes me the most proud was that our site was organized and run mostly by the scouts.  In the past the Scoutmasters had to chase the scouts to make sure chores got done and camp hygiene was maintained, very little of that was needed this weekend.  It seems the lessons are sinking in and they are making these activities that are critical to an efficient campsite part of their regular routine.  Of course when we get a new infusion of green scouts we will probably have to start all over again, but I am please at how fast our guys have matured since last year.

For all the pictures from our weekend please visit the Troop 4 web album at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/114081196567743974684/PowahayCamporeeOct2014?noredirect=1

Catamount Ropes Course

Last Saturday the Troop visited the Catamount Ropes Course and spent 3 hours climbing through the trees and another 30 minutes zip lining back to the base lodge.

For those of you who have never done a ropes course, it is a set of challenges in the forest canopy made up of various configurations of cable, wood, rope and zip lines to form bridges between trees that need to be navigated.

Catamount has 5 different levels of courses through the trees that become progressively less stable under your feet and requiring more balance, agility focus and arm strength as you progress through more challenging courses.

There is no right or wrong way to go about getting from platform to platform, each scout had to find the way that worked best for him.

All in all a perfect scouting day.  We were outside the whole day, we were physically and mentally challenged, and got to work together in teams to figure out the course.

 

As you can see from the looks on their faces they were tired when we were done.  I also hope they walked away with a feeling that they can conquer any challenges if they set their mind to it and work together.

UMC Tag Sale Set Up

Troop 4 pitched in this past Sunday to help our chartering organization, the United Methodist Church of Purdys, set up for the tag sale.  We had 9 scouts and several parents pitch in to help the Church set up their tag sale today.  The many hands made quick work of the task and we had the entire contents of their garage set up in under an hour and a half.

If you get a chance, stop by this week and help support the people who made Troop 4 possible.

Anyone who can help the Church take down the tag sale please meet at the Church at 3pm next Saturday 10/4.  The tear down should take under an hour.

Orienteering Update

The Orienteering Club posted our results on-line.  They can be found here:

http://hvo.us.orienteering.org/content/results2014/explore.html

Our teams are labeled either Purdys or Troop 4