Here is our Historian’s Video for 2023:
And our Moviemaking Merit Badge video
February 2023:
We worked on Phase 1 of Charlotte’s Eagle project. We planted 1,000 love stake trees in some wetlands in Annapolis to help control erosion and to keep runoff from going into the Chesapeake Bay. Ameila was the first of the AoLs to join our troop.
January 2023:
Happy New Year! In January, we gave some service to Wild Kid Acres. We helped them build their new barn! We put the green structural board on the outside. On our first visit, we nailed the first layer of boards all of the way around the barn. We learned how to use a level and a chalk line to make sure everything was level and plumb, and Ms. Catherine learned how to use a nail gun to nail the boards to the side of the barn. At the end, we got to play with some cute little goats. On the second visit, a few of us came back and put most of the second layer of boards on to the side of the barn. This month, Victoria joined our troop! In one of our meetings, we used Dutch ovens to bake Cinnabon-style Dutch ovens. Oh, wow! They were so good! At end the of January, we went to the Klondike Derby in Virginia at Camp William B. Snyder. That was really fun, and we got to work with and know Gillian, Lucy, and Lucy’s dad (Mr. Ken) a little better. We got a special award at the Saturday night campfire for our creative problem solving. Troop 2018’s Scouts are awesome!
December, 2022:
At one of our meetings, we met at Charlotte’s house again for fired. We invited the AoLs again and taught them how to build fires. We made delicious apple pies from scratch in the Dutch ovens, and Charlotte taught us now to do some glass-blowing. That was so much fun!
November 2022:
We went to Washington Monument State Park and hiked some of the Appalachian trail there. We got to practice with our backpacking stoved and we used them to cook a delicious backpacking lunch. We did a little bit of plant identification on the trail and we had fun climbing the Washington Monument. In one of our meetings, we invited all of the AoLs in the area to join us for a cookie baking meeting. We made SO MANY cookies that night! Our guests really enjoyed backing with us a several said that they wanted to join our troop in the Spring.
October 2022:
We finished most of the Trees service project at Patuxent Research Refuge. We sure mulched a lot of trees this year! We also ran a teambuilding games station at Web-o-ree this year. We ran into a lot of AoLs who said they remembered us from last year and that they were probably going to join our troop. We pulled out the Dutch ovens at night and learned how to bake cookies from scratch in them. It was pretty fun to break out the rolling pins in the campsite! We had a lot of cookies left over, but it didn’t take us very long to fine nearby boys to eat them.
September 2022:
One of our September meetings was for working on the Gardening Merit Badge. We had some tie left over, so we got to play some fun games.
August 2022:
In one of our meetings, we practiced Dutch oven cooking by making Natalie B’s favorite: Dutch oven s’mores brownies. Ooooh, so good! We began helping out with the tree mulching project at the Patuxent River Research Preserve. We had an Eagle Court of Honor for Bella and her brother Eli and Lilly (LJ) and her brother Evan. Both boys didn’t have any plans yet for their ceremonies, so we invited their troops to join us and make a big event. Since Ashley had to go back to her boarding school before the ECoH, Scoutmaster Catherine just acknowledged her completion.
July 2022:
We finally made it to Philmont! It was an amazing trip. We started out with a stop in Colorado Springs where we visited the Air Force Academy. We got to see the college a little bit and we had lunch at one of the places the Cadets can eat at. We saw some of them practicing parachuting. No, thanks! We also got to go to Garden of the Gods. We stayed in a hotel with a pool, but we were all so tired when we got there, no one went swimming. Our Ranger’s name was Glen, and he was the best ranger there. He told us that, and we believe him. No one got injured or sick on our trek, and we didn’t really get lost or have any problems with bears. We had fun at base camp (check-in, gear up, trek out), but we were so sad we had to leave Mr. Carl behind at Base Camp. The backpacking was really fun and the scenery was unbelievably beautiful. We got SO CLOSE to making it to the Tooth of Time, but then weather rolled in. (Ms. Catherine tried to warn us, but we didn’t want to part with Glen that day, the hiking was tough and we were carrying extra water, and we were really tired.) We survived the weather and making the rest of the trip safely on our own. We made it despite that one of our adults (cough, dad) dropped and broke our big water container at the top of the mountain on our dry day. We did see a bear and Ms. Catherine had an asthma attack after our Ponderosa pine service project. We had to make a relay chain to get her inhaler because she left it in her backpack in our packline at camp. We were pretty smelly by the and. Some of us made the trek without showers, so that made the first basecamp shower even better. We were glad to see Mr. Carl when we got back, and he helped arrange a tour at the Kit Carson Museum and the National Scouting Museum for us when we got back. At the Kit Carson Museum, we got to throw tomahawks and try our hand at blacksmithing. We made our troop trailer a “BUD.” (Butter Application Device. Scouts aren’t allowed to make “knives,” so we made a BUD.) We hoped to go out for ice cream when we got back to base camp, but after we checked in and showered, we ran out of time. Lilly (LJ) was an outstanding Crew leader, and our adults were mostly OK at not telling us what to do. It helped that we charged them $1 every time they tried to tell us what to do. Some were faster learners than others. We were so happy to lighten our packs and toss extra things we didn’t need to bring home with us. We made it home safely without any problems and no one lost any luggage on either flight.
July 2, 2022:
Camp Resica Falls, Day 5 and returning on Day 6:
Friday went fast as we knocked out all of the rest of our merit badges. We only had 3 partials, so Scoutmaster Catherine was pretty happy. We’re going to go home stinky because we can’t find any open showers. We’re not sure if that means that they are full and busy, or clean/empty/locked. We started the process of saying goodbye to our new friends. Friday’s breakfast was cereal, muffins, and omelets. None of us can remember lunch on Friday, but we do remember the Jello for dessert. Our last dinner was turkey, gravy, corn, and stuffing and apple cobbler. After dinner was our closing ceremony. The staff gave out about an hour of recognitions. Shawn earned the “Scout of the week” at the Shop area for his hard work in the Welding and Plumbing merit badges. We headed off to bed well after 10 PM because of the long closing ceremony. Scoutmaster Catherine finished up the merit badge completion verifications and headed out to the Scoutmaster’s appreciation reception, which turned out to be a cheese and cracker platter outside in the dark with other over-tired Scoutmasters while the staff held a HUGE end-of-the-week celebration party inside the dining hall, complete with red-white-and-blue decorations and costumes with loud music and teen-friendly munchies. The staff worked hard for us this week! They deserved the fun! We all drifted off to sleep and were treated to Mother Nature’s fireworks: a rocking good thunderstorm late at night. By the time we got up, everything was dry, but it sure was humid. We completed camp chores and our pack-up. Mr. Andy arrived just on time to take the trailer home for us. We finished camp check-out, stopped in the trading post one last time, and hopped in the cars for the long drive home. Some good napping was had by some of the Scouts. Unfortunately, we got stuck off of the Mayo Peninsula because of their 4th of July parade, so we met our families at the high school. It was a fantastic week of fun, sisterhood, adventure, learning, trying new things, making friends, and Scouting. Talks have already begun about next year. This summer will be hard to beat!
June 30, 2022:
Camp Resica Falls, Day 4:
Day 4 started out like any other day at camp. Morale is high and everyone is having a great time. Scouts are starting to finish up their merit badges and we are on the downhill slide to our return home. A day and a wakeup is all that’s left after today. Breakfast was cream chip beef and gravy on biscuits, Yumm. First and second period were pretty much normal. Shawn worked on an airplane welding project and perfected his fly fishing technique. Charlotte continued on her metal working stuff and made some progress on her s-hook. Sarah and Liliana worked on bird identification. I have yet to see what Sarah is working on in her Model Design and Building class, but hopefully I can see it on Friday. Liliana and Chloe continued to work on their model rockets and hope to launch them on Friday. Chloe is also wrapping up her Game Design work. She was hoping it was going to be video games. That merit badge does offer the option to do that, but the camp decided to focus on outdoor physical games instead. Sofia honed her first aid skills. I missed her Nature class today, but I heard she’s doing well in Swimming. So, things were moving along normally, until Ms. Catherine got a text from another leader that Liliana fell on her scooter and hurt her leg. Ms. Catherine hurried up the hill to the health lodge and texted Serena, who joined her there. The medics hopped on some ATVs and rode to the top of the hill to rescue Liliana. They arrived back to the health lodge and then Ms. Catherine, Ms. Serena, and Liliana headed out to town to get it checked out. While they were gone, they missed the meatball sub lunch, but they were able to snag a few tasty vittles from the hospital vending machine. What happened to the urgent care you were sent to, you ask? That’s a whole other entire adventure story for another time! 6 hours and lots of adventures later, Liliana returned to camp, sporting a nice shiny new pair of crutches and an ankle brace. Those make it tough to navigate hilly gravel roads, so Liliana is getting chauffeured here and there in Ms. Catherine’s sporty off-road sporty party minivan until we can locate someone who can grant us access to a golf cart tomorrow. Everyone rallied around Liliana and helped her get settled back in at the campsite, and Charlotte told us stories about her awesome week with her “High-5” adventure pals. Liliana will have plenty to do because she can roast marshmallows from her camp chair, and when they’re gone, she can knock out some more whittling. She’s starting to get really good at it! Tomorrow is a huge canoe trip. Dinner was orange chicken and egg rolls with a pretty amazing assortment of freshly baked cookies. Right after dinner, a whole bunch of activity options opened up. Some Scouts went to the open swim and some went to the Trading Post, but most of us opted to stick around in the campsite. Some had reservations for Cowboy Action shooting, but no one felt like going. Sarah and Chloe worked on advancement (Chloe is getting really close to finishing Scout!) and Sarah made is a ROCKING awesome fire! After the fire died down a little and made perfect coals, we roasted Ms. Catherine’s chocolate-filled marshmallows and invited Troop 176 to join us. Ms. Catherine and then Shawn headed off to the Order of the Arrow ice cream social. Strawberry, chocolate, and cookies and cream were tonight’s flavors. Yumm. Sweet dreams are sure to come tonight. Hopefully it won’t be as cold tonight as it’s been all week. We’re sorry we’re a little skimpy on photos today, but with 2/3 of our photographers out of service for the hospital run, we certainly missed out on a lot of stuff. We’ll definitely try again tomorrow!
June 30, 2022, posted for yesterday:
Camp Resica Falls, Day 3
Yesterday was definitely a lot of fun! The Troop 2018 Scouters attended the Scoutmaster’s Coffee Drinking merit badge session and successfully completed all of the requirements. Sofia got to take a nature hike for her Nature merit badge session and made animal track impressions for Mammal Study. Charlotte made some new insect friends in Insect Study and she nailed down a solid technique in fly fishing. The highlight of the day was definitely going to the Cool Dip. We got to leave the camp and go a few miles down to a nice little waterfall you can (ordinarily) slide down. In our case yesterday, the water level was dangerously high and we didn’t get to slide, but we did get to play in the pool at the foot of the falls. We spent 3 hours doing cannonballs at each other and paddling around the pool under the falls. We joined our campsite sister troop, Troop 176, and a 3rd troop met up with us about an hour in, so we had a nice group of Scouts and Scouters. At the end of the day, we invited Troop 176 to join us for s’mores at a campfire we lit for everyone in their campsite. Shawn got to try his hand at welding and practiced several types of welds. Chloe worked on her Totin’ Chip and her Firem’n Chit. Hopefully she will finish those tonight. Liliana and Chloe got to practice their fire-lighting skills and Quartermaster Sarah kept everyone beautifully supplied with what they needed. Scoutmaster Catherine whipped out a pack of jumbo marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers to seal the deal. What an awesome day!
June 28, 2022:
Camp Resica Falls, Day 2, by Ms. Catherine
Wow, today was awesome. We are having an amazing time, and I can’t see how it would be possible to cram any more fun into the day. The sun’s setting now and the Scouts are all out and about having fun. The sports field is full again and the sounds of happy Scouts are drifting throughout camp. Reflecting back on the day: We started out with tasty breakfast sandwiches. MMMM! It sure was COLD when we got up this morning! I think we’ll be breaking out the spare sleeping bags from the trailer for a few of those with lighter bags. It was so cold, none of us decided to do the polar bear swim. Bummer, but we’ll try again tomorrow. We all got A LOT better finding our way around camp today! Scoutmaster Catherine didn’t get lost even once today! (But in all fairness, this camp is HUGE.) We’re all making new friends. Chloe fits right in with Troop 2018. She worked on advancement with the senior Scouts a lot tonight. It won’t be too much longer before she is ready for the Scout rank! It sounds like she is enjoying Space Exploration and Moviemaking the most. I hope to be there to catch the rocket launches! We discovered tonight that she is A NATURAL at knot-tying! Sofia is knocking out a lot of the requirements for first aid and is mowing through the swimming merit badge. Liliana’s favorite building is the STEM building. She loves Space Exploration and Robotics. She and her robotics team partner have built a winning robot and will begin programming it tomorrow. Charlotte is doing an amazing job as SPL. She loves the Fly Fishing merit badge for how peaceful and calming it is. I have to agree that their fishing spot is magnificent. I hope to pop down there tomorrow and snag some photos of it. One of the Scouts there caught a rainbow trout while I was there watching today, but it wasn’t one of Troop 2018’s Scouts. Hopefully we will perfect our technique and snag some big ones tomorrow. Sarah is enjoying her time in handicraft. She’s putting together some pretty cool pottery. She also had a pre-sunrise 5:25 am bird hike today. I’m sure she was thinking, “Hey, this is summer vacation. Why am I getting up so early?” I know I would have wondered that! Shawn is enjoying riding his bike all over camp, and he has found a pack of basketball-playing boys to teach him how to play. (He hasn’t played since he was maybe 6, but he’s getting the hang of it. His height really helps.) He is enjoying his welding class and got to observe the instructor welding today. Scoutmaster Catherine had steak and watermelon at a Scoutmaster’s appreciation lunch today, but everyone else had a tasty quesadilla and nacho lunch. The food here is pretty good for institutional food, especially considering that they are feeding around 400 people in about an hour. Tonight was BBQ chicken, cornbread, and mac and cheese. There was a little bit of something for everyone. It was so good, we forgot to save room for dessert, and we tossed most of our dessert cake. For most of the merit badges, tomorrow will be A LOT more hands-on. Big fun ahead! Although the sun is setting now, the fun still isn’t over. We were all too tired to do the “Run through the jungle” adventure or the Twilight Boating after dinner, but tonight there’s a twilight swim in about a half hour. We’re all tired, but I bet I can get a few of us to hit the pool!
June 27, 2022:
Camp Resica Falls Day 1:
We LOVE it here!!! The carpooling on Sunday went really well once we got all of the paperwork settled. Mr. Andy drove the big trailer and Ms. Maya and Ms. Catherine followed it like 2 baby ducks following their mom to the lake. We hit some fun roller-coaster-y country roads, but thankfully no one got carsick. We checked in with the sun blazing down on us, so we started the evening adventures a little dehydrated. So, water was pushed and everyone perked up pretty quickly. Dinner was great, but the staff opening campfire was incredible. The theme for camp this week is jungle, and the skits and songs all followed that theme. It was clear the staff worked hard getting ready for us. So, reveille came a little earlier for some than for others. Ms. Serena and Ms. Catherine opted for the polar bear plunge this morning. (Crack of dawn pool dip before breakfast.) We started the day cool and refreshed. It was awesome. We hope to get the Scouts to go to it tomorrow. The pool slide is even open for polar bear!!! The pancakes were awesome, and after we wolfed them down, we headed off to our merit badge classes. The mornings are filled with 4 sessions of the Scouts’ choosing. Ms. Serena and Ms. Maya took some adult training this morning and Ms. Catherine checked on the Scouts at their sites and stopped by to visit them when they were out on a field trip. Can you believe they gave the leaders homework from their Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills (IOLS) class? Lunch was pulled pork, and then the afternoon was free time. There were SO MANY cool options! It was hard to decide. We opted to hike straight up a mountain to see the lake at the top. A few of us paddle-boarded there and 2 others tried fishing (well, fishing, but unfortunately not so much CATCHING). The Scouts have figured their way around the camp by now, and several of them are currently headed to the trading post (think Scouting 7-11 store) to see what goodies await them. We had really good lasagna tonight, so I can’t imagine any of them have room for more snacks. Tonight is games tonight. I see a frisbee, football, tether ball, basketball, volleyball, soccer ball, and the gaga ball pit in action right now, but there are tons of extra things going on besides that, including board games for Scouts who want a little quieter start to their evening. (There are around 400 campers here this week). They’ve all been released with their buddies to join in wherever they want. I think a few of our Scouts are going to work on Totin’ and Firem’n tonight at our campsite. They pulled a fire alarm test on us after dinner and we all made it back down the mountain in time for the head count. The adults are all patiently waiting until 9 PM, because that’s when the leader BBQ and pool party starts. It was warm and humid today, so we are very excited for the chance to cool off and freshen up, and then take a shower before heading up the hill to our campsite. We’re looking forward to tomorrow because now everyone knows the routine and where they need to be, and the merit badge sessions have passed the admin and safety topics. It’s time for big hands-on fun!
June 2022:
We helped the Kiwanis Club members with their community summer picnic. We did a lot of face-painting. Charlotte is so good at it! Later on in the month, we went hiking at Calvert Cliffs State Park. The Philmont Crew members brought their loaded packs for practice. We hunted for fossils on the beach.
May 2022:
We went roller-skating and met Lillie for the first time. The Philmont Crew went on their second overnight prep hike at Big Run State Park. We were a little surprised to find out that there is no cell service there, so it was a little tough to figure out the hikes without maps. We had fun crossing the streams, learning to climb over and under downed trees, and finding a fossil. There were A LOT of butterflies there! Ms. Cheri learned to identify stinging nettle the hard way. Ouch! Our second hike was SO STEEP! We hiked straight uphill for a long time, but we didn’t get very far because it was so steep and tough to climb. We saw a lot of interesting wildlife on that trip. On Memorial Day weekend, we went to Gettysburg. We stayed at the Daniel Lady Farm and we rode horses on the battlefield on Sunday. We gave service to the Farm. They asked us to wash their two horses. Fun! The farm had Wild West reenactors, so we got to learn a little bit about what it was like to live back then. We also climbed an observation tower that overlooked the battlefield. It was a tough climb, but good practice for our Philmont Crew members. On the way home on Monday, we stopped for some local ice cream. “Super job!” to our chefs this weekend. The food was really good! Shawn lashed a swing for us with bamboo and paracord, and we played music and talked around the campfire at night.
April 2022:
We completed First Aid, CPR, and Wilderness First Aid training at Charlotte’s house. It was actually really fun. The Philmont Crew went on their first overnight backpacking at Cedarville State Park. It was a pretty cold campout and no one else from the troop wanted to go with them. We went to Liliana’s Blue and Gold ceremony to welcome her to Troop 2018. We went to Quiet Waters Park for Earth Day, where we helped the Park put on a fitness run. The best part was seeing the booths after the run, and everyone’s favorite booth was the live bird display. We went to Camporee. We surprised everyone with 2 big wins, and took home a fancy propane grill and a barbecue grill.
March, 2022:
We finally got to go on a snow campout! Well, it snowed, but not much! We camped at the DFRC. Liliana joined us for the first time, and we enjoyed getting to know her. We did a lot of cold weather cooking, and some Firem’n and Totin’ qualifications. We had Sunday donut breakfast at Dunkin. We’ll try not to mention Ms. Catherine’s Dutch oven accident, followe dby an ER visit. Ooops, I guess we mentioned it anyway. She’s OK, but she hit her hand on the top of a hot Dutch oven lid. Ow. That must have hurt. We helped Ashley on her Eagle project and then we hiked at Catoctin State Park. It was so pretty there!
February 2022:
Our February campout to Gunpowder Falls State Park was COLD! We had a nice campsite, and actually had the entire youth group area to ourselves. We warmed up on Saturday morning by going on a really great hike down to the river. Earlier in the month, we beat a challenge Ms. Catherine issued to us, so she cooked breakfast on Saturday morning at Gunpowder Falls. She treated us to homemade pop-tarts made from scratch in the Dutch ovens. They were so warm and amazing on the cold day! At the end of the month, we went to Waterworks Park for a nice hike. The Philmont Crew members wore heavy packs, but everyone else enjoyed an easier hike with daypacks.
January 2022:
Even though January is usually the coldest month of the year, we made space for tons of fun outdoor things. We started out by going ice skating at Quiet Waters Park. One of our meetings was a fire-lighting meeting at Charlotte’s house. We each got to make our own fire circle in their gravel driveway, so we could work at our own speed. Cleanup was easy, too. We got a few inches of a surprise snowfall on a day when we weren’t super busy, so Ms. Catherine called everyone who can make it to the DFRC for some sledding. It was cold but super fun. Shawn brough his snowboard and a few if us got to try it out. We squeezed in a Ranger-guided tree hike at South River Farms Park so a few of the Philmont Crew folks could give their new backpacks a try.
December 2021:
We completed Lilly’s Eagle Project at the Kiwanis Club. We completely restored the Club’s downstairs room and made it ready to rent or use for childcare for their meeting nights. We also hiked the 3-mile loop at Quiet Waters Park as our second Philmont prep hike.
November 2021:
We finished our new t-shirt designed and learned how to screen-print. At one of our meetings, we made shirts for everyone in the troop. We began the first of our Philmont prep hikes by hiking the trail in Glendening Nature Preserve and then we Zoom-ed in to Isabelle’s Eagle Court of Honor. At the end of the month, we earned the Horsemanship Merit Badge.
October 2021:
In October we attended the district Webelos Woods. We taught fire lighting and cooking to the cubs. Almost everyone said we had the best station. Maybe it was because we taught them how to make mini pizzas and Dutch oven cobbler, and then fed both to them? We won the main meal cooking contest with Charlotte’s Potato Leek Soup and then we took second place with our “real” apple cobbler. The judges secretly told us that we won first place on that, too, but they had to give some of the winnings to the cubs since it was a cub event. In our first meeting in September we had our job changes and SPL election. We voted Lilly in as SPL, but Charlotte agreed to take it while Lilly finished up her Eagle project. At the end of the month was Ordeal. A few of our Scouts staffed it and, along with Ms. Catherine, got their Brotherhood. Isabelle joined us from Utah and completed her Ordeal.
September 2021:
In September, we attended the Bengies Drive-in event. The crowds in line for food at the snack bar were HUGE, but we had a great time and the movies, Free Guy and Shang-chi, were fantastic. Of course, we wrapped up the event with the traditional McDonald’s breakfast on the way home. Yumm? After that, we attended the Naise-Waiwash Powwow event on the Easter Shore with Troop 815. We did service both days and camped out at the city park on the river. it was so beautiful there. We hope we get invited back next year. Several of us attended Ordeal as volunteers or for Brotherhood to we could meet Isabelle there in person! Isabelle flew out from Utah to New York, and then her dad drover her down to Maryland for the weekend. Her first flight home was canceled, but she was bumped to one the next day that got her home in time to go to bed so she could get up and start her first day of school on the next day. Whew!
July 2021:
On July 3, we had our first Eagle Court of Honor for Jordan Brady and Natalie Brady along with our regular Court of Honor. It was a really beautiful ceremony.
July 24, 2021:
Sad-ish Saturday, by Ms. Catherine
The troop was up in a flash this morning as they committed to an on-time 8 am departure while also trying to sleep in as long as possible. Everyone lent a hand getting everything to Charlotte so she could pack our fancy new trailer as efficiently as possible, and we cleaned up the campsite in a jiffy. The camp’s to-go breakfast of applesauce, granola bars, and orange juice seemed a little lame, but it was simple, not greasy, and easy to eat on the way home. We then said goodbye to our new campsite friends Beth and Dawn. We hopped up on a rock to take the pre-trip photo that we forgot to take on Sunday and then grabbed our gear to check out of medical and hike down to the cars. EEEK! Uh-oh #1. One of the trailer lights wasn’t cooperating. Mr. Larry and Mr. Steven crawled underneath to troubleshoot, but they couldn’t get it going. If it wasn’t for the light hiccup, we WOULD have been able to get on the road by 8 am! Ms. Jody had to follow the trailer home so no one would get too close and rear-end it because of the malfunctioning brake lights. We said goodbye to MC and Mr. Larry (and a few camp staff members who were in the area) and climbed in our cars. Ms. Catherine’s car left first, and about 3 seconds after that, everyone else in the car was asleep. Uh-oh #2 then happened because Mr. Steven couldn’t find his phone. Was it back at the campsite near where he was working on the trailer light? Ms. Jody drove back to the campsite to take a look. Whew. It had safely hidden under his seat the whole time! On the way home, we all thought about all of the big fun we had all week at camp Rock Enon. It was actually a little sad to leave camp. It was a really good week. We met up with MC and Mr. Larry again, earned 29 merit badges and 2 partials, learned a lot of cool new stuff and developed new skills, conquered some fears, and had a LOT of fun. We’re already looking forward to next year.
July 23, 2021
Final Full Day
By Mr. Larry: So sad it’s already Friday!
While the week has included some cold shares, mediocre meals, and squeaky cots – by and far our Scouts are still going to miss all the great Scout spirit and activities at Camp Rock Enon with some renewed friendships and teamwork.
The list of earned Merit Badges is too long to capture here, so we’ll save that for the next Court of Honor. Today’s highlights included:
Cheerful wake ups this morning (really!) following great sleeps in the cool weather last night – nice breezes and soothing melodies from the song critters that acted as our natural noise machine.
With bellies full of biscuits and gravy, T2018 started the morning with a short hike around the lake to the Chapel on the hill. The view was amazing, and a Staff member pointed out for us – WAY up high and in the distance – the Pinnacle that Bella, Charlotte, and Ms Jody hiked to last evening/night – Holy Cow!
Just before lunch our aquatics team launched on paddle boards, and gracefully traveled the lake for a while without the normal noise of paddles clanking on kayaks and aluminum canoes…all with perfect weather again.
Climbing and cooking filled the early afternoon again, including a short trail-cooked breakfast of oatmeal and some more rappels, climbs, and belays…we’re gonna miss this superb climbing/training area with numerous unique challenges!
In a whirlwind of efficiency, the Troop (thanks Scouts!) started breaking down camp and got most of the excess Troop gear into the well-organized trailer (thanks Charlotte!) already.
In preparation for the Renaissance Day afternoon events, the kitchen staff prepared miniature fire-roasted turkey legs (they taste like chicken 😎), which were perfect to get us ready for the medieval times games and pageantry that followed. T2018 continued its strong showing of spirit and skills while conquering the catapult challenge (proving themselves strong enough to break the throwing arm of the 12’ high beast of a launcher used to throw bags of stale cereal); throwing Tomahawks at the cross-cut log targets, beating their challengers in tug-o-war, jousting with pugil sticks, and of course, eating snow cones (reserved for only royalty in times of olde!).
After the games subsided, and colors was completed, the camp leadership presented the awards from the water games the night before. The combined T2018/T876 team (a female Troop from Mount Vernon, VA) received their awards for the frozen T-shirt relay, canoe race, canoe tug-o-war, and best costume for the flop contest.
The closing campfire was kicked off with our Scouts leading the camp in the Bear song (good thing the ladies can harmonize to hide Mr. Larry’s interesting singing!), and then rolled to lots of original and great skits from the other Troops. We also got an exclusive screening of the Movie Making MB products from this week, and then a slide show of all the great Scouts, Leaders, and Staff that made this week so awesome…all to “Sweet Caroline”…a crowd favorite – ba ba baaaaa.
As the flames of the campfire died to a warm glow of coals, and the last rays of the sun painted the sky shades of red and pink, the Order of the Arrow held the public portion of the “call out” ceremony for those elected a few months ago by there fellow Scouts. Bella was voted in to start the OA membership requirements by being called out tonight. Congratulations to her!
With warm showers complete(finally!), the Scouts scurried off to tents to get some sleep before the early rise and tear down of camp tomorrow.
Only about 12 hours now (for most) until the piles of fragrant clothes with hidden critters return to your homes…carried by your incredible Scouts that exemplified this week what it means to work as a team, muster courage to face and conquer your fears, help others do the same, and smile and laugh and enjoy time with others all the while. As your adult leaders, we have been honored to witness and share all the great moments with your Scouts this week…thanks for supporting them in their Scouting adventures that are helping and guiding them to grow into amazing Scouts, strong people, and responsible citizens of this great nation!
July 22, 2021
By Mr. Larry. “Terrific Thursday”
Temps remained low today (both the weather and for our daily forehead checks), and we started with a breakfast plate of syrup (2 ladles per Scout!) with sides of French toast and sausage…interesting indeed.
Since our focused Scouts continued yesterday to knock out MB’s early, they eagerly started new ones today to keep enjoying the great CRE setting and weather we are having.
Ms Jody’s slithery friend has stayed away, but the chipmunks continue to make sure no crumb of food goes uneaten, no wrapper unchecked for tasty morsels, and no chapstick tube is left unattended too long (we didn’t even know those little guys had lips!)
The Scouts had time today for some reading…actual paper books!…and work continues on earning the various Camp awards for event participation and Scout Spirit.
On the waterfront, with a beautiful fresh breeze to keep cool, Bella continued her Swimming MB, while our Canoeing/Kayaking Scouts (Charlotte, Jordan MC, and Natalie) learned how to empty a swamped kayak and then held drag races along the far shore. No Tsunami alarms were triggered by their wakes, but a small craft advisory WAS issued due to the chop they created!
During Siesta time, the Troop performed a dignified retirement ceremony for a US Flag that was no longer in a condition to be flown. Thanks to the Colorguard, the MC, and those that could join for this historical part of Scouting.
During the afternoon, our climbing MB Scouts (Bella and Natalie) kept preparing for and tackling the various walls of the incredible rock formations that put the “Rock” in Rock Enon!…and with the examples and coaching of Bella and MC, by day’s end Natalie completed her first rappel (a 60-footer!), and Jordan completed her first climb up the 30’ face next to Flash’s profile. Awesome teamwork from all, for all.
Charlotte joined MC in the Cooking MB class where they volunteered Mr. Larry to be the taste tester – the food passed muster with a smile. Tomorrow is their “camp cooking” portion in an outpost area of CRE on lightweight backpacking stoves.
The last MB period of the day had the Magnificent 7 at the rifle/shotgun ranges – where by day’s end ALL of the MB shooters had qualified! Bullseye!!
Not to be thwarted by the approaching sunset, Charlotte, Bella, and Ms. Jody eagerly set out on the Pinnacle sunset hike, which Charlotte characterized on their return as “fun”…adding on the next breath…”that was the toughest hike I have ever hiked!” The sunset view with the whispy clouds was reportedly AMAZING (see photos)…and they returned just in time for the Camp Birthday celebration with Ice Cream for all!
Everyone earned their surging-hot-then-cold showers with their adrenaline-filled events today, and it’s very likely they won’t even hear the chipmunks rummaging through their tents tonight…maybe.
Tomorrow’s plan is finishing up the final MB requirements, teaching the mouse in the latrine to put the seat down when he’s done, and starting to pack for our Sat return.
Low of 58F tonight, gonna need the extra layers and socks as we fall asleep as visions of Cinnabon’s dance through our heads.
‘Night All!!
July 21, 2021:
From Ms. Jody:
After morning flags the results for the cookoff were read and our troop…WON!!!! The judges said it was surprisingly good. Breakfast was not as great as the day before with a Danish and milk. The troop went to their merit badge sessions (one and two). Merit badge session three was rock climbing for some (and Natalie got in her first repel and climb of the week), great job! Merit badge session four was at the shooting sports range with the ever-popular rifle shooting and shotgun for Shawn. The instructor for rifle was excellent and really educational. After dinner there was a fun water wing-wing. The top favorites were Mr. Larry doing a belly flop with a watermelon hat on his head. Yes, we have the video!T here was a frozen t-shirt relay, watermelon water polo, canoe tug-of-war, and much more. Our cracker barrel for the night was a delicious apple cobbler made by Bella to satisfy one of her cooking merit badge requirements. It was enjoyed by all. After another jam-packed fun filled day lights out was at 10pm. *Most of the troop had earned partials up to this point. And a few had earned completed merit badges by the end of the day. Great job Troop 2018!
July 20, 2021:
“Waffles” Tuesday, from Ms. Jody:
Mr. Larry (Waffles Alien) wore an aluminum hat to the morning flags ceremony and kept us all entertained with his waffles, waffles, waffles! chant.After the Belgian waffles breakfast the girls and Shawn went to their first and second merit badge sessions of the day which was at the water area. We all were there for that session and it was a gorgeous day to either be in the pond or on it in a canoe/kayak.
Lunch was the best of the week in my opinion (cheese pizza). After lunch there was a leaders and SPL meeting then rest time. Merit badge session three was fun with rock climbing and cooking. Session four was voted the best with Rifle shooting for all the girls and shotgun for Shawn.
After dinner they had the Chopped cookoff contest with the 3 ingredients being black olives, Fruit Loops cereal, and Old Bay seasoning. The vote was to make a pizza. This was a joint effort and the girls made a delicious deep dish in the Dutch oven over coals. The Geology merit badge was also that night as well as open with either rock climbing, shooting sports, and swimming. With a fun filled day we all made our way back to camp and lights out at 10pm!
July 19, 2021: Camp Rock Enon, VA, Day 1, by Ms. Catherine
Wow, what an awesome day! We arrived yesterday afternoon and enjoyed the camp’s new check-in process where the camp staffers rotate around to us at our campsite for check-in, instead of having us run around to the different stations in the heat. We got a campsite fairly close to the dining hall. There’s a short climb up to it. but it is SOOO much better than the super long hike we had at Camp Henson. We were surprised to discover that their evening flag ceremony was held right after the leader meeting and Vespers, instead of at the advertised 8 PM, so we missed it. OOOPS! Several of us got up at 6:30 am today to hit the lake for the Polar Bear Plunge. OOOOH! The lake sure was refreshing. Ms. Jody made a new snake friend. Just ask her. She’d love to tell you about it! We hit the ground running with the BORING safety chats for rock climbing, rifle, shotgun, lifeguarding, swimming, theater, Indian lore, mammal study, and more. Tomorrow we will get into the hands-on skills stuff we came for. Mr. Larry and Ms. Catherine embarrassed everyone within earshot by singing loudly along with the staff during the pre-meal spirit cheers and songs. The food here is pretty good, and they always have a nice salad bar with goodies in it. Breakfast was eggs and sausage with hash browns. Lunch was burgers and beans, and dinner was pasta and meat sauce. Today’s dessert was a tasty pudding bar. The tiny plastic spoons got a few giggles but they didn’t slow anyone down. The daytime temps today were decent for outdoor fun and the cool evenings work perfectly for good sleeping. After dinner was free time and most of our troop either went to rifle or rock climbing for a little extra practice. Ms. Catherine broke out the chocolate-filled-chocolate marshmallows, and we’re about to dive into the bag. Yumm.
June 2021:
In June we headed out to the youth camping area at Calvert Cliffs State Park. it was a tiny trip with only 3 Scouts, a potentially new Scout guest, and 2 chaperones, but we had fun hiking the trail to the beach 3 times, learning to cook with Dutch ovens, and finding shark’s teeth and other fossils.
May 2021:
On May we went to the county pool and took our pool test for camp and completed some rank advancement.
April 2021:
April was a big month for the troop. We had a quotbring some friendsquot campout at the DFRC. Lilly brought a friend, but her parents can’t agree to let her join the troop. On the 17th we hosted Mr. Ryan Langis from Troop 454, who put our shelves into our trailer. FINALLY, yaaaay! On the 30th, we attended the tiny District Camporee and enjoyed our freshly organized trailer. We won the pioneering lashing game and hosted the wilderness first aid game.
March 2021:
n March we went to Waterworks Park in Annapolis to hike. We also held our first SLEEP Patrol (Star Life, Eagles) and chose the patrol’s first trip. No one signed up, so we had to cancel it. The patrol is off to a slow start, so we’ll see how that goes.
February 2021:
Happy Second Birthday, Troop 2018! Bella and Charlotte hosted a Hiking and Orienteering event at Davidsonville Park. It was a beautiful sunny day, but the park was full of snow. We survived the cold and the snow and enjoyed the pretty scenery as we hiked and used our compasses. We broke into different group for different routs and all of the groups met at a crossroads of different paths at the end. Clever!
January 2021:
We completed another virtual campout and held another virtual Court of Honor.
December 2020:
In December, we started getting out together as the threat of COVID started to drop. We put on our masks and took a nice hike in beautiful weather at South River Farm Park. On December 20th, we hosted a Scout (Taylor Bell) from another state who was zipping through the country on a 50 in 50. (50 merit badges in 50 states.) She earned the Game design Merit Badge with us.
November 19, 2020
(By Bella): Virtual campout. Scouts continued to go over leadership training. Scouts also individually went out for a hiking break. At the end of the day we got to watch Charlotte’s campfire and hang out via Zoom.
November 19, 2020
Scouts helped Patuxent River Park employees make bluebird houses to be put up around the park. Scouts got to work with power tools such as drills.
November 2020:
Cycling Merit Badge: Scouts have biked 3 separate times so far, the most challenging one yet has been the bike at park Bacon Ridge where the scouts completed their 5 mile biking requirement. We also went over safety at the Maslar’s as well as mechanics of the bike we were to use.
October 2020:
Scouts got together for a campout. Activities consisted of leadership training, pumpkin carving, brush clearing service project, and going out to trick-or-treat at surrounding homes. We all slept individually and cooked individually as well.
October 13, 2020:
(By Ashley) Our troop held several meetings which consisted of activities to complete the totin’, and fierm’n chits. Some of the activities were a fire building contest, witling, and earning them. We also had a fun meeting where we practiced, learned, and reviewed our knots.
October 13, 2020:
(By Ashley) A few girls in our troop went kayaking on a freezing cold day to work on the Kayaking merit badge. Other than having to fake-capsize into the cold water, everyone had a great time.
August 19, 2020:
(By Ashley) A few scouts in our troop had loads of fun while swimming, hiking, camping, and white water rafting on their adventure weekend. Their pictures show constant smiling as a result to all the fun they had.
August 17, 2020:
(By Ashley) The Jamboree originally scheduled for 2021 has been postponed.
August 17, 2020:
(By Ashley) Recently some scouts in our troop have begun their Eagle Projects. They’re working hard to achieve their next rank.
August 17, 2020:
(By Ashley) As this worldwide pandemic continues, our troop proceeds to have virtual meetings, but have been beginning to think about social distancing with in person meetings. The troop isn’t completely sure, or have worked out all the details but has been thinking about it.
May, 2020:
(By Ashley) Due to the recent changes of COVID19, our troop has adapted to virtual meetings, and campouts. Our troop attended the Great Virtual Camporee, which was a worldwide event that consisted of skits, fun contests, hikes, and a service project. Just like a regular camporee, but virtual.
This event even had a scout from every continent in the world.
The National Camp-In was a weekend long, nation wide, campout with thousands of people attending, and participating. The catch about this event was every activity was on a larger, more intense scale, which attracted lots of people. This event was tons of fun, but mostly the adults from our troop attended.
May 2020:
(By Ashley) Feb 2020: Some members of Troop 2018 got together and celebrated our first birthday as a troop, by enjoying some cupcakes and bonding together.
May 2020:
(By Ashley) Troop 2018 welcomed Alexa and Alyssa by attending their Blue and Gold Banquet, and Bridging Ceremony. We gave them their neckerchiefs and looked forward to the fun memories we will make with them.
May 2020:
(By Ashley) USNA Campout and Farelwell to the Kistler’s: When Troop 2018 went to a fun day full of merit badges, we camped overnight near the Naval Base. Some of the girls went on a late-night walk to the NEX. During the day we went on base to complete our merit badges. After the badge work, we went down and had lunch with the Midshipmen. But besides all the fun, we all shed some tears, and said goodbye to the Kistlers while enjoying one more event with them.
May 22, 2020:
(By Ashley) When Troop 2018 went to this thrilling event (Klondike Derby), we attended stations raking up as many points as we could. Each of the stations were a test of our scout skills, we got a lot of gold and even snapped a picture of the yeti. Even though we didn’t earn first place, the experience was a good enough prize for us.
December 19, 2019:
(by Natalie) Troop 2018 gathered at Cedarhurst Community Center for our four-monthly Court of Honor! It was certainly a much less formal occasion than the last one, and the Historian’s Slideshow wasn’t very exciting (my fault). Everyone was very successful at completing merit badges, and we had new rank advancements. We ate yummy Christmas cookies, veggies, and Paw Patrol juice boxes and after the ceremony we had a great time playing a fun game involving rolling doubles with dice to complete scout challenges and get scouting prizes!
December 19, 2019:
(by Natalie) Troop 2018 gathered at Cedarhurst Community Center for our four-monthly Court of Honor! It was certainly a much less formal occasion than the last one, and the Historian’s Slideshow wasn’t very exciting (my fault). Everyone was very successful at completing merit badges, and we had new rank advancements. We ate yummy Christmas cookies, veggies, and Paw Patrol juice boxes and after the ceremony we had a great time playing a fun game involving rolling doubles with dice to complete scout challenges and get scouting prizes!
December 2019:
(by Natalie) Kiwanis held a “Breakfast With Santa” fundraiser, and Troop 2018 pitched in to help out! Our scouts prepared food, waited tables, and even dressed up in Christmas mascot costumes! Guests enjoyed breakfast while listening to a musical performance, with the plus of meeting Santa and his snowman and reindeer!
November 9, 2019:
(by Natalie) Scouts from Troop 2018 and others gathered at MUMC to package meals for the homeless and the hungry. We pledged to package over TEN THOUSAND meals, and we succeeded! Everyone contributed and had a great time working as a team to combine rice, dried veggies, soy, and vitamins into over ten thousand meals.
December 7th, 2019:
(by Natalie) At Elks Camp Barrett in Crownsville, our Troop began working on clearing an area for a bee garden. After considering many possible locations, we found a perfect place for the garden, and worked hard to dig up the dead grass and collect the sod. In spring, we’re going to return and plant bee-friendly plants in the garden.
October 18th-20th, 2019:
(by Jordan) Webelos Woods is like a Webeloe/Cub Scout version of Camporee, in which older scouts and troops run the games and activities. That is what our troop did when we camped at Webelos Woods. We ran a cooking station in which kids learned about cleaning properly before cooking, starting safe fires for cooking, and even got to make dough boys: dough cooked over a fire and smothered in butter and cinnamon- yum!!!
December 14, 2019:
(by Natalie) October 12th, 2019- We went to Freedom Hill Horse Rescue to participate in a service project. We did many fun jobs for the rescue that day. The first thing we did was pulling weeds from an area near the fence. While we did that, a few scouts hammered a fallen board back onto a part of the fence. Next, we all painted things in need of it. For example, some of us painted a platform. Before we did all these jobs we got to meet all the horses (and the cats!) and learn about the rescue.
September 28, 2019:
(by Natalie) At Londontowne House and Gardens, several Troop 2018 scouts and members of a nearby church participated in a tour and service project. We worked on making a healthier and more beautiful garden by spreading a LOT of heavy bags of fresh mulch over old mulch and pulling up weeds. On the tour of the site, we got to see a bunch of cool plants and learn new things about the environment.
October 11, 2019:
(by Natalie) On October 10th, at Riva Baptist Church, several fast trackers of Troop 2018 along with scouts from other troops in the area gathered for a seminar about becoming eagle scouts. We learned a lot of helpful information about the SUPER huge amount of paperwork we have to fill out once ready for our eagle projects. An experienced scouting adult talked us through the preparation and the steps taken throughout eagle projects. This seminar was a very important experience in our journey to achieving eagle scout rank, and every scout who attended stepped out of that door more ready for eagle than ever!
August 25, 2019:
Our first fundraiser Car Wash and Bake Sale was held at the American Legion in Mayo this past Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. We were very successful and earned $510.00. The scouts agreed to put 90% of the profits towards the expense of the trailer. The remaining 10% will be divided among the number of scouts who worked the event and then deposited into each scout’s travel account. Cars were lined up to be washed and several people visited our bake sale table. Our next Car Wash/Bake Sale will be in just a few weeks!
August 11-16, 2019:
This week-long Cub Scout Day Camp was held at the Elks Club Camp Barrett in Crownsville. Over 200+ Cub Scouts participated in camp activities including American Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course, Archery, BB’s Range, Crafts, Nature, Knife Safety and Whittling, Leather Work, Rock Climbing Wall and Water Games. The weather was hot and sticky! The scouts were able to cool off at Water Games to the point of getting soaked on the Slip and Slide, playing the Drip, Drop game and Sponge Dodge Ball to name a few. Troop 2018 Scouts though exhausted had tons of fun participating in the games with the Cub Scouts.
August 2-4, 2019:
Another backyard adventure! While at Autumn’s we worked on advancements and two merit badges, Personal Management and First Aid. We learned a lot of valuable information from each class, and these skills we will be able to use throughout our lives. Thank you to Ms. Cheri and Ms. Catherine for teaching Personal Management, and thank you to Mr. Larry for teaching First Aid. The weather was hot and humid! Fortunately, we were able cool off in Autumn’s pool.
August 28, 2019:
July 7 – 11, 2019 – Several of us braved the sweltering temperatures camping in Lilly Kircher’s backyard. Our service projects included picking up trash behind Central Middle School, and we also cleaned the garden at the pastor’s house next to MUMC. While camping some of us worked on advancements and others planned games for Camp Tomahawk. To cool off we swam in Lilly’s pool. Thank you to Lilly and her family for welcoming Troop 2018 to camp in their backyard!
August 28, 2019:
June 23 – 29, 2019 – What an eventful week! Sleeping in platform tents took a little getting used to, but other than that we loved our campsite waaay back in the woods! We got plenty of exercise walking to and from our Merit Badge classes, many of which were Eagle required. Lots of new skills were learned such as swimming, cooking, archery, leather work, rock wall climbing, welding, graphic arts, environmental science, communication, Citizenship in the Nation, canoeing and kayaking. Troop 2018 made many new friends among the staff members and campers. Everyone was very welcoming and nice. All in all Troop 2018 had an amazing time at Camp Henson. We can’t wait for our next summer’s adventure.
June 28, 2019
Friday-last day 2019, by Ms. Cheri
It was a busy, hot & eventful day today. The humidity was stiflingly!
We started our day with a good breakfast. Pancakes, bacon & eggs.
It’s our last day to complete badge work. All in cooking made scrambled eggs in the dutch oven & chicken, onion & green pepper silver turtles.
Caitlin dismissed early in most classes then read her scout book on First Aid. She says swimming at the pool was the best part of the day to get away from bugs. Kira learned how to Filet a fish & cook it. She got to kayak today too.
Madi, Ashley & Amelia finished their tie t-shirts in graphic design class & research other graphic artwork. Autumn loved that she got ice cream during welding. Lilly worked on her archery.
A favorite today was in handcrafted pottery & basketry, says MC & Ashley.
Lunch was chicken patties & crinkle cut fries, fudge or orange pop, followed by a funny “Old Lady Leary” song. Sarah planted trees in Mammal Study & finished up her First aid badge.
By the afternoon, the temperature was a high 93. It was the perfect timing for swimming badge class. All finished early & had free swim. They got to use the diving board & rolling log. Charlotte lasted the longest standing on the rolling log! In Small boating class, Akie was able to go tubing. Ashley & Madi enjoyed painting in their free 5th period. We handed out our troop 2018 patches to personally thank our councelers for an awesome week.
It was so hot today that we were able to wear our class B shirt to dinner. Dinner was pork gravy, mashed potatoes, veggies, dinner roll, make your own potpie, dessert was peach or blueberry pie!
At 7pm, we had a Scouts Own Service at the Hershey Chapel.
The sun went down & it was time for Camp fire skits. Our troop did their Leave no Trace skit. They picked up trash, but left Jordan!
Seemed like the bugs were bitting more than any other night as if they knew that no campers were coming next week.
We ended our evening we a new First Class, MC Kistler!
Sarah says her favorite part of the day is going to bed. We are walking an average of 8-9 miles a day. It’s been an exhausting & fun week!
June 29, 2019:
Camp Henson Thursday, 2019, by Ms. Liz
Hello Everyone,
Live from Camp Henson! We have survived day 5 of camp. 4 days of classes, adventure, and fun.
Update for today:
MC, Autumn, and Caitlynn started the morning with a Frigid Frog swim.
Aimee and Lilly F. did a 1 mile hike, lashing, and fire-building at Brownsea!
Aimee got her Firem’n Chit. Super job!
Akie outshot Assistant Scoutmaster Larry in archery! 35 to 37 points. Amazing and I believe the winner is going to get ice cream. Yum yum !
Sarah was transporting “victims” in first aid class and passed her swimmers test in the pool yesterday. Hooray!
Amelia, Ashley,Jordan, Madi, and Natalie are still cooking away with lots of paperwork to complete. Not as much fun but needs to be done for their merit badge! We know how that goes!
Charlotte was awesome on the climbing wall and said,”it was a beautiful day but a little hot”
Lilly K is working towards her Archery merit badge! Keep at it Lilly! You can do it!
That leaves Kira and Natalie O who are busy each day in moviemaking. I can’t wait to see the final production.
Signing off from Camp Henson,
Ms Liz
June 26, 2019:
How Troop 2018 is Living the Scout Law at Camp, 2019, by Mr. Esa (Ms. Teresa)
A Scout is Trustworthy
She knows that others in our Troop count on her to honor her commitments. She performs her waiter-ing and latrine duties well so that her Troop has clean facilities.
A Scout is Loyal
She stands by her Troop and her sister Scouts. She will stand up to others who doubt or disrespect our Troop, our Scouts or any other Scout. She shows Scout Spirit by cheering on other Scouts and by encouraging her to succeed.
A Scout is Helpful
She will step up to make sure that every Scout in our Troop has a buddy. She will tidy up and consolidate dishes to make the waiters’ job go a little quicker and easier.
A Scout is Friendly
She welcomes provisional Scouts to our Troop and treats them like one of our own. She supports our neighboring Scouts, sharing stories and jokes and games. She smiles and says hello to every Scout she encounters.
A Scout is Courteous
She remembers to say please and thank you, both with words and actions. She finds a way to include others in on the fun and on the Troop habits and traditions.
A Scout is Kind
If she encounters what she feels is a bothersome bug, she seeks out those Scouts who can remove and release it unharmed. She is learning and demonstrating much more patience with others in her Troop. She notices the moments in other Scouts to celebrate accomplishments, collaborate for problem-solving, and console and bounce back from setbacks.
A Scout is Obedient
She is diligent in following the Henson camp rules, our Troop rules and the direction and instruction she receives from the course instructors, camp staff and Troop adult Scouters.
A Scout is Cheerful
She smiles and is joyful in all that she does. She is exuberant in expressing Scout Spirit and in acknowledging the Scout Spirit of other Troops and Scouts.
A Scout is Thrifty
She is practicing the principles of the Outdoor Code, Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly. She is creatively reusing and repurposing items to minimize consumption.
A Scout is Brave
She is stepping out of her comfort zone and trying new experiences. She is often the only female in a class. She is proudly showing the world what Troop 2018 represents.
A Scout is Clean
She is showering in iron-rich water, and like our dishwashing stations, sanitizing with chlorine rinse in the swimming pool.
A Scout is Reverent
She is participating in each of the camp prayers. She is learning to appreciate the majesty and grace of the natural world. She is finding beauty in unexpected places and witnessing the miraculous circle of life.
Camp Henson Day 2 by Scary Larry
June 25, 2019
Following a great fun-packed first day, the adults woke to a surprisingly quiet campsite. We expected some overly-tired Scouts, but nothing this quiet…
Turns out, there was a motivated group of Scouts that were up before 5:15 a.m. to eagerly participate in the Frigid Frog before-dawn pool swim. By the time most of us were rolling out of our tents, these brave swimmers were already done with their first exhilarating event of the day! They all plan to do it again on Thursday, and earn their Frigid Frog patches!…and they might be dragging some of the leaders and adults with them as well…
Day 2 on the Merit Badges was even better than the first. Having completed the required introductory and safety portions, our Scouts quickly accelerated to practicing and perfecting their new skills of swimming for most, and countless varieties of handicrafts, shooting, nature awareness, and water sports. The youngest Scouts with us, our provisional members, were even busier working on critical initial Scout Skills while also pursuing their Merit Badges.
Scouts aren’t complaining about the weather, and we have all realized that hot and dry is probably better than being cold and wet…like we have been in the past! It’s not 16 degrees (they complained), it’s not raining (they complained), and it isn’t windy (they complained)…This is a new change from our previous camping experiences, and we still have something to talk about!
This evening is the first non-scripted opportunity for activities, and we can’t wait to hear about the adventures the buddy pairs/groups have sought out in the cooling evening air.
Pretty sure we are also leading the camp on care packages…and the smiles are priceless.
Camp Henson, Day 1, by Ms. Catherine
June 24, 2019
“Hey!” from Camp Henson!
We checked in last night and were treated to a nice tour of the camp. A few of the highlights we saw were a pool with a slide, a huge climbing wall, and a beautiful and peaceful waterfront with oodles of small boats. After the tour, we headed down to our campsite and unpacked. The camp staff’s promise that we were close to the pool and bath house was a bit of a stretch. The bath house is not the farthest thing from us, but it is not particularly convenient.
Mr. Larry warned us to make sure that we kept our food out of our tents, but we forgot to think about wherever else we might decide to leave some snacks. We fed Mr. Larry’s raccoon some of our tasty snacks after that. Oooops!
Ms. Teresa exclaimed before bed this evening that she hiked 11.5 miles today going to and from the different stations our Scouts were attending. Ms. Jo Ann had a birthday party today and was treated to a cake, party hats, decorations and the sweet sounds of over 400 Scouts singing to her after dinner.
Tubing tonight was HUGE! We partnered up with another troop of girls sharing half of our campsite here. We signed up for a private pool party (and invited our sister troop) late tonight, and they signed up for a boat-pulled tubing adventure on the local river. That was amazing! We had just enough time to get everyone out on the tubes. The boat went super fast.
Mr. Larry said he was especially impressed by how well everyone worked together to solve any problems that came up during the day and to make sure that all of our Scouts were able to move from station to station with buddies. There is an amazing level of teamwork being shown here in Troop 2018! Mr. Larry was also thrilled to hear other Scoutmasters praise us for giving our Scouts this amazing opportunity to join Scouts and go to this fantastic camp. One of our Scouts’ Merit Badge Counselors said that we are the most sophisticated troop they’ve ever seen. Yeah, Troop 2018 is awesome!
Today’s mail was a huge hit. One Scout was thrilled to receive 2 packages in the mail! Ms. Catherine got to carry all of the packages back to the site. Tomorrow she’s taking the wagon!
Most of today was spent on things like safety and history for each of their merit badges, but we expect to report some more exciting news of accomplishments from here on out. A few of our Scouts have found time to work on advancement and using their knots and lashing skills to build a few useful things for us at the campsite.
We are especially happy to report that MC earned her Second Class rank today!
All-in-all, we’re all happy and exhausted. Today was really fun. The Scouts are having a blast. They’re already taking about what they are going to do for camp next year.
-Ms. Catherine
May 16, 2019:
Whoo Hoo!! Camporee was a blast! Troop 2018 won, not 1, but 2 Awards!! Friday night, April 25, we started to set up a beautiful campsite, perfecting it Saturday morning. We were pleased to find out that we had won the Campsite Inspection, earning a total of 100 points and winning a huge camping stove!! “Finally! We can boil water and cook at the same time now,” is pretty much all we have been saying since winning the grand prize! Saturday, April 26, was jam packed with lots of fun and interesting stations that we were able to participate in. From throwing Tomahawks to eating weird foods, we got to learn lots of fun skills and information as well as working on our knots and teamwork. I don’t know but I’e been told, that Troop 2018 had the loudest and best cheer of them all, beating out 18 other troops! We showed lots of Scout Spirit and we won the Spirit Award. We made huge progress this Camporee. I can’t wait to make even more Camporee 2020! Let’s keep blazing those trails Troop 2018!!!
- Amelia
March 26, 2019:
March 16, 2019, Troop 2018 went on a hike and service project at Calvert Cliffs State Park. The 3.6 mile hike had beautiful scenery with lots of signs of wildlife, including beavers! We helped make the trail even more gorgeous and accessible by trimming overgrown branches and shrubbery off of the trail. While working, we also had the chance to identify many plants and signs of wildlife, as well as take lots of cool pictures. At the end of the trail, we got to roam on a beautiful beach and look for shark teeth. Not only was it a fun experience and great chance to help our community, but we also had lots of bonding time. Lets just hope that next time, no one gets lost 😉
Feb 28, 2019:
On February 24, Troop 2018 traveled to our local beach, Mayo Beach, for a hike and service project. As we trudged along the sand, we picked up every single piece of trash that we could, making it an even cleaner beach. From goggles, to broken bottles, to balloon strings, we filled 3-4 garbage bags. We hope to have many more successful service projects to come!
– Amelia Hodgson ♥
Feb 28, 2019:
On February 18th, we went on a visit to the State House in downtown Annapolis. We had a great time with LOTS of other scouts! After being able to tour the first level of the State House and take a giant picture with Lieutenant Governor Rutherford, and we had a chance to sit in the Senate Chamber and hear what other Scouts thought about scouting. We heard some amazing speeches and stories from everyone! Then we traveled to the Legislative Services building for refreshments, and we heard from Senator Ed Reilly and Delegate Michael Malone who shared some of their scouting experiences as boys. We had a great time at the State house and hope to go back for another visit soon!!
-Amelia Hodgson ♥
Feb 10, 2019:
February 9-10, 2019 Troop 2018 survived our first cold weather camping trip! We arrived at the DFRC at 8:00 am Saturday the 9th to find a trailer filled with brand new supplies for each patrol. We received new cookware, pop-up tents, tables, sleeping tents, and chuck boxes donated to us by Troop 454. During the day we earned our Totin’ Chip, practiced using our new supplies, went on a hike and even made time for some more advancement. Both Patrols made fabulous meals for lunch, dinner and breakfast. Aussie Patrol won the cooking competition based on kitchen cleanliness, food display, My Plate four food groups, taste and least amount of leftovers.
We earned our first merit badge Fingerprinting thanks to Pat Osborne our Merit Badge Counselor. Saturday night the temperature went down to 16 degrees! Brrrr!!! Scouts learned what type of clothing/layers you should wear for cold weather camping.
Sunday morning we woke up to find everything covered in a layer of frost. Mr. Larry had the fire going, and we put Amelia’s banana chocolate chip mini muffins on skewers and warmed them over the fire. We had cocoa, bread with peanut butter and bananas, granola bars, eggs, bagels, fruit, and Mr. Larry’s Frittata of eggs, sausage and green peppers. We ate very well all weekend!!
This was the first of many great camping trips to come for Troop 2018!!! Thank you to Ms. Catherine, Ms. Teresa, Mr. Larry, parents and all our scouts for making this a great weekend!!!
Feb 10, 2019:
February 1, 2019 was the official day that Boy Scouts of America now known as Scouts of America welcomed older girls to enter their program and enjoy the same fun experiences and life skills as the boys. Troop 2018 had it’s first official meeting at Mayo United Methodist Church where Troop 454 and Troop 758 helped us earn our Scout Rank and a few of our girls even started their First Class Rank. We were also joined by Fox 45 News who did a piece about us in their 10 o’clock news that night. They interviewed Ms. Catherine, MC and Akie, and they filmed the Scouts working on their rank requirements.
Prior to our meeting on February 1st, we met at Edgewater Fitness to work on our Fitness Rank. MC’s’ mom recorded the time it took us to run/walk a mile, number of push-ups and sit-ups you could do in 1 minute, and how far you could reach on the Sit-and-Reach flexibility test.
Welcome to Troop 2018! 