Pack 1714

The theme this year for the Bert Adams Spring Family Camp was “Under the Big Top”. There was a small group that camped out for the weekend and they enjoyed circus theme activities. In the morning, the scout were mystified by the mime swallowing flames. They did challenge the balloon artist with requesting different animals while some settled for a sword or light saber. In the afternoon, the scouts visit the petting zoo and enjoy petting the different animals. One or two of the animals tried to escape but did not get very far. Of course the scouts visited the animals on multiple occasions and were giving them names to their favorite ones.

For this year, the fort was open with more fun activities to enjoy while being in the shade. There were miniature skeet ball, suction cup darts and picking a luck duck from a kiddie pool. Some of these game involve small prizes such as candy. Of course the scouts did enjoy shooting the guns and arrows on the range. Also, each scout received a card to enjoy tasty treats: popcorn, flavor icy and cotton candy. Since the weather was on the warm side, an icy was a relief. The scouts that went, they enjoyed every minute of it.

Who went caving? Pack 1714 went to Cumberland Caverns, and many of them were muddy from the experience.  We took the wild tour of the of the cave first.  Before the adventure, there was a test to see who can squeeze through tight spaces by going through the squeeze box.  All scouts squeezed through with ease while the adults made sure they would be able to handle the possible tight spaces of the tour.  On the tour, we climbed up and down ladders, crawled through low areas, and walked through muddy areas.  We were able to test how darkness of the cave by turning off our lights.  We were not able to see anything but a glow-in-the-dark shirt.  At the end of our wild tour, most of the scouts and adults were muddy.  So you can say, we truly went caving on that tour.

We went on a second tour to view the beautiful features that many caves offer.  We viewed stalactite and stalagmites, discover cave bacon, saw massive columns, and found crayfish in crystal clear water. After our tour, we ate dinner, changed clothes and head to bed.  Where did we sleep?  We slept in the cave.  Some of the adults discover how loud some of us snore while we sleep.  At one point, there seemed to be a snoring contest.  Who was the loudest? No one will ever know.  Overall it was an experience that everyone on the trip will remember.

This trip was awesome. Blue Angels was a go for their annual homecoming show at a great location, Pensacola Beach. The Scouts enjoyed playing in the sand and playing volleyball while waiting for the show to begin. We were at the perfect spot to watch the Coast Guard demonstrating how they saved their cadaver dummy named Elmo. The many different pilots of each aircraft wowed us with their tricks and skills until it was time for the Blue Angels to begin their stunts. It was amazing how they stayed in unison while flying. There were times we were surprised by several planes flying from the left, the right or behind us. Overall, it was well worth the location change.

The next day, the Scouts visited the USS Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. They explored the battleship and the submarine. The battleship was a maze with many different levels and rooms to explore. Luckily, there were maps to help out. We enjoyed our lunch before going trough the submarine. There was only one level to explore and some Scouts decided to explore the sub again. It was hard to imagine how anyone could live in tight quarters for many months. Some families took advantage of the gift shop and walked around to look at different aircrafts and tanks before heading back to camp. This trip will most likely be on the calendar for November of 2022 because it is worth doing it again.

It was a perfect weekend to go camping and explore different activities while earning badges. The different activities the dens explored were STEM, Nature/Outdoor skills, Field Sports and Crafts. The kids were able to choose from the three popular activities and learned how to be safe while on the range: Slingshot, BB Gun, and Archery. We did discover a Pirate Ship while waiting for our next round of fun to begin. Before heading back to camp for dinner, the kids did enjoy the games and crafts at the pavilion as well.

After dinner, we attended the Closing Flags and Campfire Show. We were entertained by each Pack and Troop performance. The Webelos represented our Pack with a hilarious skit. The Campfire ended with a flag retirement ceremony which was great for our newest members to witness a flag being retired. Overall, it was a great experience for everyone and we hope to do it again next year with more members from the Pack.