10/20/2020
Mason, MI Scouts BSA Troop 141 Thrives Outside
Covid-19 presents some unique challenges as far as camping with the Boy Scouts. Chief among them is car-pooling. Ya just can't pile 6 Scouts with gear in an SUV and head to the back country - even with the windows open") So, we improvise. We have been camping close enough to Mason so parents can drop their Scout off - eliminating car-pooling.
The fact is, skills and learning don't care where they are taught or take place. This week-end, we camped on my 6 1/2 acres. The challenge this week-end? No stoves. Campfire cooking only. And the Scouts rose to the challenge cooking everything from Scotch Eggs and pizza to country-style ribs and lasagna. Our fearless Scoutmaster lashed together a tripod from which to roast a rabbit. I spatchcocked a couple chickens allowing them to lay flat for grilling. We used a Dutch Oven to bake bread. Even tried to cook in a pit full of coals and buried. (That effort failed because by covering the pit with dirt I extinguished the coals. Grilled them to finish them.)
Not everything worked perfectly ... but we learned stuff. And we came away from the week-end empowered. Among the 60 units in our Scout District, Scouts BSA Troop 141 is among only 12 that are actively functioning, meeting and camping.
We follow protocols, sanitize, masks where needed, social distancing and have developed protocols for group meal prep and serving that are within recommendations.
Our Scouts are learning that with the right attitude, adversity can be effectively dealt with, whether it's building a shelter or dealing with a pandemic. And that the teachings of the great outdoors can take place just about anywhere if you choose to not paralyzed by fear.
