Q: What is offered for your Memorial Day Weekend Campout?

A: For our Memorial Day weekend campout we typically offer canoeing and hiking. There are several adults and Scouts who do not wish to go canoeing, so there is always a crew that plans a day hike. Sometimes that crew will instead plan a bike ride, and sometimes the water level is insufficient to canoe and the canoeists plan instead to go biking. We will identify the primary activity as we get closer to the weekend. There is almost always a hiking crew for that weekend.

For that campout we will usually gather around 5 on Friday and be back near supper time on Sunday. We usually have enough adults going on a campout to provide the necessary transportation of Scouts and gear, but sometimes it will be necessary to ask parents to help us by being a driver for the weekend. Sometimes those parents will even stay with us at the campout, but they usually drive us to the site then return Sunday to help transport us home.

Q: What is expected of a Scout on a typical campout?

All scouts help setup our camping area upon arrival and tear down and pack our Troop camping gear before departure, including tents, tarps, patrol equipment, and other group equipment. Generally speaking just after arrival and just before departure all boys and adults should be busy (the adults help out where they can, they don't just watch, they lead by example)! He is also responsible for his own equipment. We do our best to teach all Scouts to pack-up all their gear and remove it from the tent on the last day of a campout. This way they do not use the Troop's clean-up time to take care of their personal gear, and all their gear is out of the way for those Scouts who tear down and pack-up our tents.

Generally speaking, on a campout each Patrol assigns tasks and responsibilities to the patrol members. They will vary the tasks to try their best to ask the same amount of effort from each boy in the patrol. Here is an example of a typical weekend:

• Friday night Jimmy (random name) may be responsible for the fire. He may need to ask other Scouts to help him gather wood, then he must help setup the campfire and get it going.
• Saturday morning may be Jimmy's time to help cook, so he may be responsible for preparing the meal. Often the patrol assigns an assistant cook to help the "Grub Chief" prepare the meal more efficiently. Often several jobs are doubled-up to make the task easier for the boys and the Patrol.
• Saturday lunch time he could be responsible for clean-up. He would then have to get some water in a pot over a heat source and get it hot. Then he will setup the dishwashing area to clean everyone’s personal dishes and the patrol’s cooking dishes.
• He may then have Saturday night off where his only responsibility would be to help out, if needed. If he is not too tired he would offer to help other Scouts in his patrol with their duties.
• Sunday morning he may be assigned to clean up the area, pick up garbage, and sweeping latrines.
• When we return to the Scout House we all pitch in to properly stow all the Troop Gear and hang wet tents so they will be dry and can be taken care of at the next Troop gathering.

The cycle would go through the weekend, each boy fulfilling his responsibilities to the best he can. Some boys do this well, others it takes time to get them into the swing of things. But generally a good patrol is one that each boy does his assigned task well and without complaint. Patrols suffer when boys avoid a task or outright refuse to do the task assigned to them, or they do a job so poorly that another patrol member must take up the slack.

On typical weekend campouts the Troop gathers at the Scout house at a designated time. If we had planned a meal on Friday night the we would generally gather at 4:00 or 5:00. If a meal was not planned then we would meet at 6:00 or later. However there are always exceptions, and the boys should be fully aware of Friday night meals and whether or not they should eat dinner before going to the Scout House. They are responsible for themselves, and if they forget to eat before coming then they may be a bit hungry until morning (we usually have a snack Friday night, so nobody starves). We typically come back from campouts around lunch time on Sunday. With the new popularity of Cell Phones the boys can call their parents with a leader's phone when it is time to be picked up.

Q: What does it mean to be Grub Chief?

Each patrol that goes on a campout determines who will be grub chief for the event. This Scout is responsible for determining the menu (with Patrol approval), purchasing the food and supplies, storing the food properly on a campout, preparing the meals, and ensuring that cleanup has been done properly.

The Grub Chief's first responsibility is to determine the menu. This is usually done with the Patrol at a Troop or Patrol Meeting. After planning the menu the Grub Chief must identify what needs to be purchased (some of the non-perishable supplies may be at the Scout House, purchased by the boys for previous outings or events). The Scout will then go shopping for the items and keep track of how much money was spent. Before departing on the campout the Grub Chief should secure payment from each Patrol member (note that often the adults will eat with the patrols, so money must be collected from them as well). The Grub Chief must determine what foods must be keep cold and secure a cooler and ice to keep the food fresh.

Once on the campout the Grub Chief will prepare the meals with assistance from another Scout in the Patrol (per the Duty Roster). He will also oversee cleanup and ensure that all items are properly cleaned and stored. Since this is a pretty intense job the Scouts in the patrols will rotate the responsibility so that one boy is not always stuck with the job.

Each Scout must do this job to fulfill requirements towards first class:

Q: What should Scouts bring on campouts?

That depends on the planned activities, the weather, and personal preferences. Below are links to gear lists for various occasions or time of the year, a link to a page that discusses preparing and staying warm in cold weather, and a link to help parents and Scouts purchase the right gear for camping.

Personal Gear List for Spring time Canoeing and Camping
Personal Gear List for Spring & Fall Bike Trips
Personal Gear List for Fall, Early Winter, or Early Spring Camping
Personal Gear List for Winter Camping
Cold Weather Hiking & Camping Tips
General Gear Purchase Recommendations