Snow Camp - in April!

After a slight change in location due to bad weather in the forecast (swimming and freezing temps don't mix), we travelled to the juniper covered hills near Cherry Creek. After hiking a few miles in, we set up camp and were even able to get some .22 shooting in before the sun went down.

The campfires continued to get bigger as the air got colder and the wind started to blow. After lots of crazy Boy Scout run-around-in-the-dark games, it was time to hit the bedrolls. At about 2am the rain started in and it came down hard. Then when we all awoke in the morning, we were greeted by a wintery wonderland - in April! The snow had piled up between 4 and 5 inches, and it made for a great snowball fight before we had to pack up and hike out. I think the boys all learned what "make hay while the sun shines" means, as the leaders all stayed warm and dry all night in our well-prepared shelter, while most of the boys . . . . not so much.

It kept snowing on us while we hiked out, but seeing as how a lot of the Scouts were already wet (from the night before and the snowball fight) they didn't seem to mind too much! There was much celebrating when the trucks came into view over the last hill, and after one last snowball fight we climbed inside, turned up the heaters, and headed home.

Click on the picture below for more awesome pictures!

Scout Camp Fundraiser

As in previous years, our Scouts will be selling t-shirts again this year in order to earn their way to Scout Camp. We have some new designs this year, so please take a look at what we've got. You can either contact a Scout or visit our web store to see what we have and place your order. A huge THANK YOU to Arizona Cap Company, owned by Assistant Scoutmaster Stine, for sponsoring our fundraiser, as they have in the past. Arizona Cap Company has been very generous to the Scouts in regards to this fundraiser, and it is greatly appreciated.

So don't delay - order some Scout shirts today!

Scoutmaster Stilson's favorite shirt designs:

Shooting Merit Badges

For the past few weeks, the Scouts have been learning about firearm safety, types of actions and ammunition, range safety, and the basics of marksmanship. This last weekend at our campout we finally got to put some rounds downrange and get these boys dialed in!

Once we got the range and campsites set up, we had each Scout fired their "first shots" - three rounds from a shotgun at some clay pigeons. This helps to get the bug out! Once the sun went down, and the fire roared high, we had the privilege and honor to retire somw American flags. As always, the Scouts did a fantastic job and showed reverence and respect as this was done.

Saturday morning we were up early and ready to get the firing line hot! The day progressed well, and the Scouts rotated through the shotgun and rifle stations as they each got qualified for their merit badges. We had some very excellent shooters out there!

We shot until well into the late afternoon, and then we set up some "organic" targets to shoot at with 12ga slugs. Each of the Scouts got to shoot, and fruits and veggies really blow up when they are hit with that much force! It's all captured on video, and I'll upload it to the blog as soon as time allows.

The Scouts (and leaders) all had a very excellent time, and we're looking forward to getting back out there and heating the barrels up again!

I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to all of the donors that made this great shooting event possible - you have done more than you know!

Click on the photo below for more pictures of shooting fun.

Scavenger Hunt Food Drive

Tonight our Scouts were in charge of the combined activity, and they planned a really great one: a Scavenger Hunt Food Drive.

12 names of known families were put on a list, along with 8 clues that were based on those names or addresses. Obviously only 8 of the families had food for the food drive, and the clues held the secret to which ones. We split all of the youth into 7 teams, each with an adult driver. The first team to collect their food and return it would get a stash of candy!

Everyone had a great time, learned a lot about how to get around our town, and got to know the people on their team better. But the best thing about this activity was that we collected 56 food items for the Yavapai Food Bank, which will be delivered tomorrow.

A big thank you to all of the drivers for their time and energy, and a big thanks to all of the youth that showed up - they were competitive, lively, and most of all, they were charitable tonight with their time.

Court of Honor Campout

It's not often that we car-camp. Our Scouts are used to carrying everything they need and hiking in for miles before we find a spot to nestle in for the night. But sometimes it's nice to have a cot to sleep on and a stove to cook with, especially when it's 15 degrees!

We headed into Powell Springs for our 'Court of Honor Campout', where the boys can bring some extra comforts such as tents, extra food, and chairs. Most of the boys still live out of their packs, but the leaders take advantage of it and bring pounds of bacon and bags of chocolate!

Thank you to David, our head cook, and all of the other Scouts who helped out with breakfast. And I appreciate all of the Scouts who showed their great respect for the outdoors by cleaning up the large trash pile that we found so that we could haul it away.

After the campout, we headed back into town to get cleaned up quickly so we could get to the Court of Honor. We awarded 4 rank advancements and 32 Merit Badges to 7 different Scouts. We had the opportunity to use the flag that was flown for us in Afghanistan (see the 'Signalling' blog entry from December) in our flag ceremony, and it was officially presented to the Troop. We also got a very special certificate of thanks from the VFW and AL for our help with the Veteran's Memorial.

Thank you so much to the Boy Scouts and fine young men that make up our program - we appreciate their hard work and diligence. And thank you also to the parents, family and friends of our Scouts who continue to push them to new heights and inspire them to be great.

Get more pics by clicking the picture below (I know it seems crazy, but David can actually cook!)

Fox!

The Scouts wanted to learn about skinning an animal and what to do with the hide, so after spending some time looking at different types of animal hides and talking about how to properly take care of them, we grabbed the skinning knives and got to work. The wind was howling outside so we had to move it in the garage, which was a little cramped for space. But we got it done nonetheless and each Scout got his hands dirty in the process. It was a fun and educational night, and gave the Scouts a healthy respect for animals and hunting!

Click below to see more!

Tanner is an Eagle Scout!

He has hiked in the rain, slept in the snow, eaten bugs, and started fires with flint and steel. He has fed the hungry, helped the widows, and served his fellow man. His current merit badge count is 36, and he is an unstoppable force of truth and righteousness. He is Tanner - Eagle Scout!

It was a great day as friends and family of Tanner gathered together to watch as he was awarded the highest rank in Boy Scouts. It was a great honor to pin that medal to his chest - he never looked better standing tall in his uniform.

What's even more, though, is that Tanner truly does understands the meaning behind getting his Eagle Scout - it is a commitment to a life of service and appreciation. I have watched this young man do so many great things, and I am so proud of his accomplishments.

You Rock, Tanner!

As always, see more pictures by clicking below.