11.7.2025–11.9.2025
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Agenda
Flashback to Last Year
Last year’s experience camping at Clear Lake was totally in tents! Get it? Well, no joke, we had a major mishap when a strong gust of wind blew a tent into the lake before the stakes were located. Luckily, one of our adult leaders hiked all the way back to his car to retrieve our spare tent. On Sunday, we all watched in excitement as our Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster fished it out in a boat. All who were present received a one-of-a-kind “Underwater Camping” patch.
Hike to Campsite and Unpack
After all of us arrived at the pavilion, we set out for what should have been a brisk, fifteen-minute hike to the site. However, we were all in such a rush that we zoomed right past a trail marker, which we didn’t realize until we were halfway up the hill. As it would have taken much more energy, we stopped to find another way to the campsite and we didn’t arrive until hours (in the rain) after we gathered at the pavilion. It was approximately 11:00 p.m. when we pitched our tents.
Notes
- Make sure to bring proper rain gear on backpack camping trips. Never pack more than what you need. An overpacked backpack would be burdensome upon hiking for hours.
- Fill up your water bottles before arrival when backpacking. At Clear Lake, the water isn‘t always on and it is a quarter-mile hike to the spigot.
- Always be careful to look at the ground when deciding where to pitch a tent. The two members of the Fire Ducks patrol who were present pitched their tent in an area where there was a low spot. Unbeknownst to them, the water pooled in that area at night and they woke up to a flooded tent. All of their stuff was soaked and had to be dried by the fire. Talk about underwater camping!
Breakfast, Day 2
Breakfast did not come with any major blunders. However, all of us were tired after the events of the previous night.
Notes
- Do most of the backpack cooking at home. Ex: The Mega Ducks cooked pancakes at home; therefore, they only needed to heat them up at camp.
Cub Scouts
After breakfast, we dedicated our time to teaching basic skills to Cub Scouts. Senior scouts were in charge of working in one of four rotating stations: backpack cooking, shelter building, knots and woodwork. Each age group (Lions, Tigers, Wolves, Bears, Webelos, Arrow of Light) began with a specific station and moved in a specific order around the site during rotations. The Cubs were enthusiastic about camping and we hope to eventually welcome them into Troop 13!
Lunch, Day 2
Like breakfast, lunch did not come with any major issues. However, we missed out on the opportunity for a short hike, due to the fact that we were disorganized. Since only a few Scouts helped to clean up the site, we couldn’t leave the site abandoned.
Notes
- Leaving a dirty campsite abandoned is dangerous, since food and other trash can often attract critters such as coyotes and raccoons.
- Always measure water carefully when cooking meals involving boiling water. Due to errors upon measuring water, the rice used by the Fire Ducks became soggy.
Dinner, Day 2
No notable problems here.
Notes
- Try to use brands made for backpacking or with simple ingredients. A member of the Mega Ducks patrol suggests using Knorr’s products, which allow for directly adding hot water to the bag.
- The simpler the meal, the less maintenance will be required. Using hot water or eating from the same cooking pot can prevent the need for packing another mess kit.
Visiting the Cubs
After dinner, we hiked to the Cub Scouts’ cabin, where we were presented with lemonade, hot cocoa and s’mores. Through our visit, we had a fun time playing games, laughing and sharing jokes after the mayhem of our Saturday. Thank you to Pack 313 for your hospitality!
Breakfast, Day 3
Sunday breakfast was the quickest meal, since our plan was to vacate the campsite as early as possible.
- Again, be careful when measuring amounts of water. The two Scouts present from the Fire Ducks patrol mistakenly added too much hot water to their oatmeal, which made it thinner.
- Always plan to pack your garbage (which should be limited) with you while backpacking. At Clear Lake, there are no garbage bags on site. After we had compiled everyone’s garbage into one large bag, we were stuck taking the large bag with us. If the bag had ripped, we wouldn’t have had another bag to put it inside. Pack out what you pack in!
Looking forward
Congratulations to one Scout for satisfying all of the trail cooking requirements for his Cooking merit badge! Hopefully, we can learn from the mishaps during this trip and set standards for future backpack camping trips. Troop 13 is psyched for the upcoming Urban Hike in December!