This trip took us back to Camp Squanto in Plymouth for our first in-person camporee since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Troop 54 and Troop 7054 both participated in the event. We had 7 Troop 54 Scouts, 7 Troop 7054 Scouts, 7 leaders from the two troops and one other parent participating on this trip for a total of 22.
We camped with most of the participating units on Camporee Field. Our two troops had “sites” about 50 yards apart, so the Troop 7054 adults had a short walk to join in the combined meals. Otherwise, the two troops were pretty separate on this trip with each troop fielding its own patrol to work through the event's locations.
At each station, the patrol was given the coordinates of the next station, which they were expected to find using a GPS. Except for a couple of stations that had erroneous locations, this went fairly well. At one point, a missing digit in the GPS entry led Troop 54 into the forest outside the camp. The stations were mostly well-run, calling for a mix of teamwork and Scout skills. The Dutch Oven cooking station seemed a favorite of the Troop 54 Scouts.
The Troop 54 Scouts made intentionally simple meals, including Ramen noodles for dinner. The Troop 7054 Scouts made a homemade mac 'n cheese dish for dinner. Without a doubt, the most impressive meal at our campsite was the adult dinner on Saturday; this featured a roast chicken Mr. MacNeal cooked in foil over coals on our Pop Up Fire Pit and potatoes baked on the coals and in a stove top oven, together with salad.
At the closing campfire, held in the Council Ring, Troop 7054 was awarded 2nd place ribbons for two stations. That part of the event was probably the largest and densest gathering any of us had been part of in well over a year.
The weather was mostly clear until Saturday evening. It started raining after the campfire. Since it was about time for bed, about the only impact of the rain was that we had a bunch of ash mud to clean out of the fire pit in the morning.
This was our 154th consecutive month with at least one overnight camping trip.
Page updated 10/31/21
J. Froimson
