Another Great Scouting Winter Camp

What a great Family Day weekend!

We took our Scout group (Troop, Pack and Colony) to the Cobourg Scout Reserve for our annual Winter Camp this past weekend. We had 23 youth and about 10 Scouters and parents, 1 furnace heated cabin for Colony (5-7 year olds) and Pack (8-10 year olds) and 1 woodstove heated cabin for Troop (11-13 year olds). We didn't have enough snow for quinzees but did set up a tent and a tarp shelter for 2 of our leaders to show the youth how real wintering camping can be done. (And to reassure the inexperienced adults.)

Except for the occassional blowing of snow and a cold nose,
Scouter Darren reported that he was very warm sleeping in this shelter.
Jonas is chomping at the bit to give it a try!

Troop was challenged with a campfire contest. They had to find dry tinder and kindling, get their fires lit and build a good bed of coals for cooking by noonish. While the Scouts were fire building, Pack and Colony got a hands-on lesson in campfire cooking using tin foil and coals. They made their own foil meal packs and then used the Scout's coals to cook them for lunch. After that, the Scouts had a lesson in dutch oven cooking and made a really yummy venison stew with bannock for their dnner.

On Saturday afternoon we took everyone on a huge hike to the top of an old ski hill. Some of those little legs weren't sure they were going to make it to the top but everyone did. The best part, according to the kids, was the hot chocolate we were rewarded with when we got there. (Special thanks to the Scouts who hiked it up there for us.)  Of course, the GT Snowracers were wating for us at the bottom of the hill so the trip back down was much easier.

By the time our campfire rolled around on Saturday night, we had some pretty sleepy kiddos on our hands. It wasn't long before everyone was ready for bed and it seemed like only the blink of eye before the snoring started.

It's been a very mild winter here so this was the first chance we've had for sledding all year. We did A LOT. We had a bunch of activities planned in case Mother Nature didn't cooperate with us but we didn't need them. We probably spent a good 8 or 9 hours on the hill on Saturday and Sunday. We practically had to drag the kids inside to warm up. There are some really good toboggan runs at this camp and we gave them a really good workout. In fact, by Sunday afternoon, the grass was poking through the snow again on a couple of them because we'd used them so much.

When Sunday afternoon rolled around, and it was time to head home, we had a few tears. Everyone had a great time. Pack and Troop got some important badgework done and everyone got their fill of snow sliding. Jonas says he can't decide what his favourite part of the weekend was. He loved it all. That's success in my books!

Cheers!