Boy Scout Camp, Baden-Powell High Adventure Camp South Yorkshire, England

June 28 - July 4, 2003

Will joined the Boy Scout troop here in Belgium shortly after we moved here. He and Kevin enjoyed a couple of camping experiences with the Scouts here in Belgium, so they decided to go to scout camp with the troop in England for a week. On the right is a photo of their troop.

After flying from Brussels to Manchester, the troop had some time to kill before checking into camp, so they went to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Since Manchester is the birthplace of the industrial revolution, it was an especially interesting museum. Of course, Will really enjoyed it.

Predictably, camping in England was a wet experience. It rained a lot the first few days of camp (about 3 inches in a 24-hour period). So, everyone worked hard to keep dry, and tarps had to be strung up to protect the food preparation and eating areas. Kevin and the other leaders made daily trips into town to gather more raingear and worked hard to keep the kids relatively dry and happy. They all made the best of the situation and stayed busy with the many activities. Below is a photo of the boys earning their Basketry merit badge. Will and the other younger boys participated in a program called ACE (Accelerated Camper Experience), which gave them the skills necessary to make progress toward second-class and first-class scout ranks.

Right is a photo of Will and Kevin showing off the Ravioli cans in which they measured the amount of rain pouring down on them.

To the left is a photo of Colin, Noah and Will at the top of a hill on their 5-mile hike (which they all swear was really 7 miles!) Will especially liked the wild strawberries they found on the hike and the Snickers bar he was given! 5 miles in "Wellies" - there has to be a merit badge for that!

They wrapped up camp with the traditional raft race and campfire. Above you can see Will's troop in the upper right corner of the photo. They actually won the race because the team coming ashore didn't follow the rules (and their raft sank), and the dolphin team to the left was the staff team - so Will's troop got the trophy!

Both Will and Kevin had a great time at camp and came back tired, but really happy. I'm sure that on future camping trips in dry Colorado, they will sometimes remember the rain in England fondly.

Above, Will is seen performing in the troop skit at the campfire.

Or click here to see what Laura and Ellen did while Kevin and Will were at camp.

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