Scout Camping Trip

Kenny and the boys went on a Cub Scout camping adventure the first weekend of October. The whole pack went to Camp V-Bar in Mississippi, about an hour and a half away. They left right after school on Friday and didn’t get back until Sunday afternoon.

 

 

After a morning hike, Riley and the rest of the Bears earned their whittling loop on Saturday, and most of them were rewarded with their very own pocket knife. They still need a little practice (re: there were a few small incidents), but Riley enjoyed carving a stick and a bar of soap.

  

Rory only had a couple of friends his age there, but he still had a blast running around, exploring, and getting dirty. Very dirty.

They also had a pack-wide water balloon fight, performed skits around the campfire after dinner on Saturday night, and went for a night hike before bed. (Kenny and Steve did most of the cooking all weekend long, which everyone was so grateful for.)

The next morning most people packed up and left early, but a few stuck around to do one more hike. Riley discovered a {very small} waterfall, which he wanted to explore more closely, so a small group did just that before heading home.

 

 

They came home tired and very much in need of showers, but they had a great time. And Riley even brought me back a flower that he picked on one of his hikes.

Sweet boy.

Starting Scouts {Riley + Rory}

The boys started something new this year: they both joined Cub Scouts at SCR! Riley is a Bear, and Rory is a Lion. We asked Riley for three years if he wanted to try Scouts, and he always said no. Until this year. We also didn’t really give Rory a choice: it’s the first year he’s able to do it, so we made him try it. Parent prerogative.

Riley’s first Scout activity was a den meeting in early September. The Bears typically meet out at Bright playground on a weekend morning to do some kind of activity and earn a loop for their Scout belt (like patches in Girl Scouts). They did a little woodworking on this particular morning. Kenny said Riley was the best at hammering in the nails, thanks to all of his practicing with Nopsi.

The next activity was a pack meeting for all Scouts at SCR. Both boys wore their uniforms to the evening meeting in the gym. They looked so darn cute.

Also, all pack members were required to sell popcorn this year, in lieu of their traditional pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner. The pack leadership figured they’d make more money selling popcorn instead of hosting meals, and I think they were right, even though it was a bit of a pain. Multiple weekends were dedicated to popcorn selling at local businesses, and the boys did three shifts. Kenny went with them and said they did really well. And they ended up selling enough to reduce their pack dues to almost nothing! Winning.

 

They have also done one more big event with Scouts, but it deserves its own post. Scout camping trip recap up next!