Fall 2021 Cub Scout Camping

My youngest's Cub Scout pack went on their Fall campout in mid-November, which was probably later than most cubs go camping in our area. The weather was more Winter than Fall! We had a fun time anyway. 

My Cub Scout (incognito)

The weather on Friday was a bit rainy so we started camping Saturday morning. That avoiding having to set up in the wet and dark. We arrived just before 10 a.m. and it seemed pretty empty at the campground.

Broadcreek Campground field

Our campsite camp had a cabin on it. Due to our numbers (and Covid carefulness) we didn't stay in the cabin. The cabin was amazing to us. The bunks did not look that comfortable but the cabin has a wood stove for heat (something we appreciated when we were there) and tables so we could eat meals inside.

Tables and bunks

The cabin's kitchen was the most amazing part. A big three-sink counter let us do the traditional Scout cleaning after meals.

And a separate hand-washing sink!

The kitchen has a gas stove and a large refrigerator. Meal prep and clean up was very easy.

Cooking is a snap!

The site had some pallets for tents with metal frames over them. Since my son and I were among the first to arrive, we used one of the pallets to keep our tent off the ground and hopefully drier. 

It did rain at lunchtime, so we ate in the cabin and played some card games and chess while waiting for the storm to pass. The sun came back out and we went for a hike.

Our group heads out

The oldest boys needed a three-mile hike for one of their achievements. The route was long and a bit hilly, but also exciting.

Going single-file

We followed Dam Road (which got a lot of jokey comments from the scouts and the parents) down to a lake on Broad Creek made by the dam.

Lakeside break

Bustin' out a snack

View from the dam

The river past the dam

The hike went up the hill on the other side. While it did have trails, it also had a lot of abandoned campsites. At least, that's what they seemed like.

Hiking into a rougher area

A memorial stone

Eventually we made it back to the campground. The younger scouts were a bit tired so we had some break time. After that, the boys worked at knot-tying and tried an obstacle course where the obstacle runner was blindfolded and the other scouts had to guide the runner through by telling him what to do. Often the advice was to jump over an obstacle, which worked surprisingly well in many instances. Of course, sometimes a scout landed with both feet on an obstacle. The obstacles were recyclable materials, so the occasional plastic milk jug got smashed.

After a yummy dinner we had a campfire. Toasting marshmallows was fun and the boys got a little too focused on fart jokes for a while. They managed to move on to other topics. The cubmaster also made peach cobbler in a dutch oven. Also yummy!

The fire!

Going to bed wasn't hard but I had my usual hard time falling asleep. The forecast was for the temperature to dip into the 30s. I couldn't put the thought out of my mind. My son was snoring in almost no time. Morning came and we woke up and went to the bathroom.

The sun coming up

We realized our tent was covered in frost. Also the camp chairs!

An icy start to the day

Dressed for the weather

Breakfast was simple--hot cocoa, fruit, and baked goods. The pack had a short "Scouts Own" service that fulfilled a Duty to God requirement and helped me finish a Woodbadge requirement. We packed up, cleaned up the camp site, and headed back home.

It was a fun campout and we earned some cold-weather-camping patches that we look forward to receiving!