05/31/2026
🦫 🐾🌲 What a way to wrap up another amazing Scouting year! 🌲🐾 🦫
This weekend, the 2nd Arnprior Beaver Colony headed to Camp Opemikon near Maberly for our year-end camp. Joining us were Cubs, Scouts, and Ventures from both Arnprior and our friends at 1st West Carleton for an unforgettable all-sections adventure!
For many of our Beavers, this was their very first overnight Scout camp—and what an introduction it was! The weather was beautiful (once we survived Friday night's "slightly breezy" conditions that may or may not have felt like gale-force winds). The campsite was fantastic, the scenery was stunning, and the mosquitoes were... very enthusiastic about welcoming us.
The wildlife did not disappoint. We spotted everything from ticks and millipedes to turtles, owls, turkeys, and even beavers. (We're keeping it a secret which kind was more plentiful.)
Our Beavers spent the weekend exploring the camp, hiking the trails, visiting the Venture cabin, and taking on the low ropes course. A huge thank you to Scouter Alex G for literally showing us the ropes and helping our youth tackle challenges that required teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. There may have been a few wobbly moments, but everyone rose to the challenge!
One of the highlights of the weekend was attending our very first Council Campfire. We learned some Scouting traditions, sang songs, cheered for fellow Scouts, and laughed until our cheeks hurt. Thank you to 116th Nepean Group for the warm welcome and a campfire our Beavers won't soon forget.
Of course, no Scout camp is complete without food. We ate until our bellies couldn't fit another bite... and then somehow found room for marshmallows anyway. A massive thank you to Scouter Lorne from 1st West Carleton for once again taking on cooking duties and keeping a camp full of hungry youth and Scouters well-fed.
The most meaningful moment for many of our Beavers was the Swim-Up Ceremony. Nine of our Beavers swam up the river, said farewell to their friends at the Beaver Pond, and joined the Cub Pack in Akela's Jungle. We are incredibly proud of how much they have grown and know they are more than ready for the next step in their Scouting journey.
The Colony also bids farewell to Echo, Rusty, and Tic Tac as they move on to become Pack Scouters. Thank you for everything you have done for our Beavers over the years. While we'll miss having you around the pond, we're excited to see the impact you'll have in the Pack. And don't worry—the Colony will be in great hands with that silly squirrel, Tic Tac, helping lead the way.
We were also fortunate to witness moving-up ceremonies for Cubs heading to Scouts and Scouts heading to Ventures, a reminder that Scouting is one long adventure filled with growth, challenge, friendship, and new opportunities.
As we packed up camp and headed home, we left with full bellies, sharpened skills, countless memories, and more than a few very tired Beavers (and Scouters!). Weekends like this remind us why Scouting is so special.
Thank you to all of our volunteers, youth, parents, and Scouters who helped make this weekend such a success. And an enormous thank you to our families who joined us this weekend - without you, we wouldn’t have made it til Saturday! (For real, we couldn’t even have set up our tents 😂)
We hope all of our Scouting families have an amazing summer filled with adventure, campfires, hiking trails, and plenty of opportunities to make memories together. We hope to see many of you throughout the summer, and we can't wait to welcome everyone back for another year of fun when Scouting resumes in the fall.
Until then: stay curious, stay adventurous, and keep sharing! 🦫💙
