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2017 Bartle

We had 30 boys departing for H. Roe Bartle Summer camp this year.

Things started off with a bang literally as the fire extinguisher went off inside the closed trailer before we left.

The weather this year was some of the coolest we have seen requiring sleeping bags each night to stay warm. This allowed us to enjoy our time even more and relax a bit more. This is what happens when you take away phones, TVs, and computers from boys…they still have fun!

The adults also had their version of fun.

Day 2 offered new challenges. Merit badges were earned.

Aaron E in Mammal studies All in “underwater basket weaving”

Anderson R in Mammal studies

Falcon patrol hammering away on woodworking project, under guidance from staff counselor Keagan

The newest outpost is Catapults that all first years participated in.

We had our campfire and s’mores along with skits jokes and PUNishment.

Joke time at the campfire with Ian.

The evening brought many visitors. Some we had pictures of and some we did not. The usual Raccoon visit to first year tents proved to be a continued tradition. Remember not to bring food to store in your tent if you don’t like visitors. They also enjoyed sifting through the evening trash anytime it was left out.

This “first summer” Summer Tanager (we believe) was a frequent visitor to the shelter. The turtle was a bit easier to photograph and only had 3 legs so he was even slower than normal.

Several Armadillos were around, but they move surprisingly fast and only come around at night so no photos. We were able to catch a rare glimpse of the foxman. They are often only to be found where there is food or money for food available and don’t like the light.

Day 3 brought some Rain very early on. While it looks rough it was simply hard rain. It did cause several of our first year campers to gather in the shelter from 430AM until 500. The rain offered some interesting views as well once over. We tried to take all campers who had not yet been to the point, but it was unexpectedly closed (Soorry). If you missed it on Visitor day you can see the dawn view below.

We took our annual hike to Ike (Iconium) where we had even more visitors. Note the passenger on the top back of the hat. We were not sure if the scoutmaster was making a strange noise until he took a bite of his pizza and the noise continued on.

We managed to touch up the troop rock as well to remove the previous damage.

While our SPL Clayton and Brother Peter were painting the rock our ASPL Ryan was walking the Falcon Patrol through their very first service project to help get them to Tenderfoot.

Here is the before and after photo to show how we improved our campsite. As you can see the Armadillos like to dig. If they dug too deep they may have fallen into the lolly.

 

Falcon patrol also attended the “Top Shot” outpost. The boys were disappointed they could not shoot paintballs at people, but the targets, I mean dads, were really glad that was the case!

Group photos are always an issue getting everyone to stand still and it took great coordination from a long time scoutmaster.

 We did place third in the cardboard boat race. We fell a bit short of the finish line before our boat sank, however Captain Clayton did save the 257 Flag before she went down. Fortunately both Captain and First Mate Sammy survived.
 
First Mate Sammy also went on to almost win the Minute to Win it contest. Here he is with a cookie on his face that he had to eat with no hands.
At Call Night on Wednesday, June 28 there were three Scouts who became Foxmen:
Ryan D
Clayton M
Peter M
Brave Ceremony was Saturday, July 2. Congratulations to Troop 257’s newest Brave of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say:
Marty L – Brave Sly Stomping Raccoon

Warrior Ceremony was Friday, June 30. Congratulations to Troop 257’s newest Warriors of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say:
Nicolas C – Warrior Swift White Puma
Ben C – Warrior Swift Straight Green Arrow
Owen R – Warrior Swift Scarlet Stinging Scorpion
Micah J – Warrior Majestic Brown Bear
Andrew S – Warrior Fierce Stealthy Hawk
Luke W – Warrior Son of Little Climbing Red Squirrel

Also at Warrior Ceremony, Friday, June 30, there were paint responsibility elevations. Congratulations to the following Tribesmen:

Alexander E – Firebuilder Helper of Walking Catfish
David M – Tom-Tom Beater Pestering Wasp
Congratulations to all these Scouts on their accomplishments!

We had our annual visit to Ico on the way home.

It was a great summer and lots of fun for everyone!