BSA Troop 451, Lewisville, TX

Home from Camp Geiger

2011-06-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

One Post Script to camp this year and a story that should have been told earlier. I've had a lot of people ask, "why do you go all the way to Missouri for camp." I try to explain that the camp is top notch and that it's well run and well organized, but the big difference is Mic-O-Say and what it means to people. First of all the whole Mic-O-Say experience is a magical thing for all who get into the tribe. But one person in particular really summed up what it is all about for all of us. In advance, I'll confess not having done due diligence in getting all the necessary details. The story as I know it is as follows.

One scout, from a troop around the area in Missouri, had never walked before. He had been in scouting for a time, but for obvious reasons, could only do so much. A short while back, he had a surgery that finally had given him the ability to use his legs. He was quite literally, learning how to walk from scratch. He is on crutches. This young man was determined to be tapped into the tribe. Thursday night he was. Being tapped means you'll be doing some running, and some other activities at camp. You might think this story would be leading to how this young man did all of these activities without a hitch. But no, the story is better than that. The boys who were tapped were guided here and there by the runners of the tribe. When this young man, who managed to get many places on his crutches through sheer will ran into an issue that may have been too difficult, those runners literally carried him on their backs to complete the tasks. As you may know, there are many hills we have to go up every day, and it was up these hills on narrow paths that the runners helped carry this young man up. It was not only that this young man was determined to become a member of the tribe, but the staff at Camp Geiger was determined to see him succeed as well. This is why we go. We're not just going to camp, we're going to a place where a group of people are committed to having young men succeed in reaching their goals, no matter what obstacles they face.

The young man who could not walk a short time ago, did in fact reach his goal and through determination, and the helping hand of someone to carry him through, he is now a brave in the tribe of Mic-O-Say.

2011-06-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

"Turn out the lights, the party's over..." - Willie Nelson

As the sun sets on the mighty and swollen Missouri River, we get ready to close camp tonight. Something different for dinner. We had a barbecue in the trail to first class area, just like families getting together for a holiday. After dinner the Camp staff puts on the closing campfire, another great show by a great staff. After that, the tribe of Mic-O-Say will meet on the tribal grounds and welcome in the new braves. Current braves become warriors, and warriors become fire builders. All that 24 hours after the impressive tapping fire, which still burns at this hour.

We're expecting perfect weather tonight, temps in the mid to lower 60's. The first and second year scouts will be sleeping soundly when the tribe comes back from the grounds sometime after midnight. In the morning we rise, have breakfast, pray for a safe trip, and return home. This is the last post from Camp Gieger for this session, as we'll be crossing through these gates sometime tomorrow morning.

Get ready for all the wonderful stories you're about to hear.

Tapping fire

2011-06-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Had fun reading the post this AM and want to experience tapping fire virtually ! click on this video to view it !

Camp Geiger June 24th 12:37pm

2011-06-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

It's another day, it's another day...." - Paul McCartney

The sun rose above the camp and began a glorious day. The Arapaho campsite is at the top of a hill and has a glorious view. As the afterglow of last night's ceremony slightly fades, the last day of routine takes over. The main difference is you see the tapped candidates, along with the braves and warriors of the tribe, going through their day more quietly. Merit badge classes are finishing up and the scouts are turning in their blue cards for counselors to sign. Our first year scouts, have finished up most of their trail to first class and can have some time to play today. The game of the day is Ninja. I'm not sure exactly how it's played, but it looks like they're having a great time.

They also made time to take a few cracks at the new rifle and archery range.

We had our last meal at the dining hall with our lunch today. Tonight dinner will be served in tapper valley, and the scouts and scouters who are not in Mic-O-Say will be treated to another great show at the council fire by the Camp Staff. The Tribe of Mic-O-Say will gather on the tribal grounds and welcome all the new members of the tribe. Also there are warriors who are advance to fire builders, and those are:

Robby B., Noah B., Suraj D., Tristan G., Joseph M., and Michael M.

Braves who are advancing to warrior are:

Matthew B., Evan C., Michael H., Trevor K., James K., William M., Christopher M., Conner O., George P., Ben R., Adam S., and Nicolas V.

Lunch: Chicken strips and pasta salad.

Weather: Partly Cloudy and 77 degrees.

Camp Geiger June 24th 7:40am

2011-06-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

"Wild night, is calling..." - Van Morrison

An absolutely perfect night for the tapping ceremony last night. Temps were about 78 degrees at the time the ceremony started and steadily went down through the night. The sky was clear, and that's really saying something, because a clear sky here at Camp Geiger gives you a star show like you don't see in DFW. On a super clear night, with all the lights out in camp, you can see the Milky Way.

The Tapping ceremony went off perfectly. The scouts and scouters who were not in the tribe, formed a single file line and were led by a tribal chief on a hike through the camp to what is called the "story fire." When they came out of the woods from that fire, they were led to the giant tapping fire.

The saw the fire as they emerged from the woods and they saw the braves and warriors dancing around it. Then the members of the tribe came down a great hill to form two lines. The braves and warriors run through these lines and eventually fill them in at the end for the scouts and scouters to walk through. It is there that they form a giant circle around the fire and wait for the tapper to emerge. The tapper runs down the hill when the circle is complete with a torch in one hand and a tomahawk , runs around the circle sizing up the potential candidates. He pauses in front of some and moves on. Others however he looks them up and down, deems them worthy, and taps them twice on the chest with his tomahawk. Those who are tapped begin a night of adventure, and start their journey to become a member of the tribe of Mic-O-Say.

Now, what you've been waiting to hear. Scouts who were tapped in as candidates for the tribe of Mic-O-Say are:
Ellis C., Kaleb D., Kelby E., Riley H., Andre K., Justin K., Shelby M., Anthony M., Matthew P., Jack P., Jonathan P., Trey S., Matthew T., Justin W., Wes W.

Adults who were tapped were: Chad Faust, Lee Rebodos

Today they continue on their journey to become members of the tribe of Mic-O-Say. Tonight is the night when they find out if they are in.

Breakfast: Biscuits and Gravy, Yogurt, Cereal.

Weather: Mostly Clear, 67 degrees

Camp Geiger June 23rd

2011-06-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

"I can feel it, coming in the air tonight...." - Phil Collins

The big night is upon us. The boys who are already in Mic-O-Say are getting into their regalia now in anticipation of the big event. Lots of boys are getting more and more excited as the moment gets closer. There is much hope and anticipation in the air. Those in Mic-O-Say depart for the big event.

On a quick note, today was a big mountain boarding day for the older scouts. It's like a skateboard with giant wheels that you use to "surf" down the giant hills here at Geiger. Robby Barry, below, was doing a great job....

until his last run, when he fell. Robby and adult leaders took him to the doctor to get him checked out and it turns out it's a mild sprain. He's already on his feet again.

At dinner tonight was the big King Peewee crowning, the contest where we find the smallest scout in camp (based on weight). We were two time defending champs, and although young Chad represented Troop 451 proudly, he was undone by a much more (or less) opponent. Way to represent Chad!

Dinner: Hamburgers, fries
Weather: Clear and 78 degrees.

Camp Geiger June 23rd 2:40pm

2011-06-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

"I want it all, and I want it now..." - Queen

What you are looking at is very important to all the scouts here at Camp Gieger. These are the claws that a member of the tribe of Mic-O-Say wears. There are different types, with different paints, and that hang differently. They bascially distinguish what status you hold in the tribe. You may have seen some of the boys and adult leaders wearing them at the meetings back at home, and if you've wondered exactly what they were, now you have an idea. Mic-O-Say has been around since 1935 and is an honor camping society for the Pony Express Council. In this region of the country they are very well recognized and respected. Each young scout that comes here to Geiger really does get inspired to become a member of the tribe. Many are also inspired to continue scouting well into high school, and involved in the tribe beyond that.

This is the tapping fire where the ceremony will be held to induct new members of the tribe. It's about 16 feet tall, and the members of the tribe, families and others will gather to dance around the fire, then have all the candidates form a circle around it, for the Tapper to enter. The Tapper will select who are worthy candidates to be inducted into the tribe.

What a great afternoon here at Camp Geiger. The weather has been picture perfect and all the boys are finishing up their work for the week.

A Scout is Courteous

The boys are not the only ones who've worked hard all week. Generally the adults pitch in for a major service project every year. We do this for the incredible hospitality we are shown here in camp. We've built decks, shotgun ranges, fences, put up flagpoles, and we always contribute in the mundane every day ways too.

Soon we'll gather for dinner and then the big night tonight, the Tapping Ceremony.

Lunch: Ham and Cheese sandwiches, pasta salad, cake.

Weather: Mostly Sunny 77 degrees, breezy.

Potters @ Work

2011-06-23T12:21:00.001-07:00

Young scouts working on their pottery skills !

Video 15 - Shot Gun Shooting

2011-06-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Watch Robbie B. Shooting the at the Shot Gun Range. See if you can spot the shot hitting the target !

Video 14: Riffle Shooting @ Camp Geiger

2011-06-23T09:37:00.001-07:00

Riffle Shooting - More Adventures. Watch both Adults and Scouts go at it!

Camp Geiger June 23rd 9:41am

2011-06-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

"Tonight's gonna be a good night..." - Black Eyed Peas

Waking up this morning, the boys file out of the Arapaho campsite, down the gravel road towards the dining hall as they head for breakfast. There are many conversations, yet one prevailing subject. "I wonder if I'm gonna get tapped tonight. Yeah, I think I am. I think you will too." Tonight is a very big night at Camp Gieger. Tonight, is when the tribe of Mic-O-Say welcomes new members. As the day goes on, the boys get more and more excited. We'll have a description of what they'll be experiencing tonight a little later in the day.

Tonight is also the night of one of the fun contests at dinner. This is the night we crown the new "King Peewee"! King Peewee is the smallest scout in camp, based on weight. It's a tough competition, but Texas always seems to come through. Once the king is crowned he gets to make a proclamtion that all on the camp staff must abide by. Troop 451 is proud to have the reigning champ and he had a few words on his reign and some advice on how the king can best serve his troop:

We woke to a wonderfully crisp morning with 58 degree temps and hardly any breeze. It was a nice little oasis in the middle of a summer of Texas heat. We ate breakfast and everyone headed to their classes, but excited about tonight, and the anticipation that camp is coming to a close.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, cereal, yogurt

Weather: Mostly sunny, 67 degrees

Camp Geiger Video 13

2011-06-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

More adventure for the Trail to First Class guys!

Camp Geiger Video 12

2011-06-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the coolest thing on four wheels!

Camp Geiger June 22nd 10:36pm

2011-06-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

"Celebrate good times, come on! It's a celebration" - Kool and the Gang

There were many great reasons for celebration at Camp Geiger today. First, it was family day, the day when families of all the troops on camp can come visit and see what a great place this camp is.

We were fortunate to have some family come up today, with more to come tomorrow. The other great reason for celebration today was scouting itself. Today is the day when the families and the troops gather around the council fire and enjoy a show put on by the incredible camp staff. Troops also participate with skits of their own. The staff provides their own comedy also.

This is also the time we see the Tribe of Mic-O-Say for the first time. They always give a very serious and reverencial performance, as well as having the chance to show the elaborate costumes they have worked on all year.
This year's Mic-O-Say Dance featured 3 our our own boys doing the Eagle dance, Noah B., Suraj D., and Will M.

The closing is very inspirational. It's all about our country, it's founding, the things we've gone through to get where we are now, the greatness we've achieved, and how scouting contributes to it all. I wish all parents of a scout could witness this presentation one time.

Tomorrow of course is the really big day: The night of the Tapping fire. This is when scouts find out if they will become candidates for the tribe. we'll have more on this tomorrow, but after the first taste of what seeing what it means to be in the tribe, there is a lot of anticipation, that will only grow exponentially tomorrow.

Dinner: Little Ceaser's Pizza
Weather: Mostly Clear 70 degrees (but feels much cooler.)

Camp Geiger - Happy Trails Pt. 2

2011-06-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

For years, campers have only had the Chief White Sands trail (in Monday's blog) to get from the Trading Post to the Dining Hall but last year, Camp Geiger built a new trail called the Silver Eagle Trail that takes us around the HQ/Med Lodge and up toward the Shower Houses. The trail is shorter than White Sands but steeper offering an interesting choice before every meal. Either way, it's a nice walk guaranteed to get your heart pumping.

Camp Geiger - Wed. June 22 - 4:17 p.m.

2011-06-22T12:54:00.003-07:00

This week, high on a tower about 90 feet above Camp Geiger, many of our boys are learning to defy gravity, face their inhibitions and in come cases, remind us old guys that they are absolutely fearless.

Yesterday, we blogged about the boys taking C.O.P.E. and covered a number of the "low course" challenges they were tackling with their teammates. Today, they took to the "high course" climbing up a 65-foot hanging rope, or maneuvering their way up a 65-foot climbing wall and then rappelling or ziplining down from the top of the tower. For some, there was also a triangle of terror to deal with at the top where they walked across a single wire with just one wire to hang on to, a single wire with two wires to hang on to and then a series of wooden steps with only their harness to hang on to - all 70 feet above the ground! But fear not, they are always locked onto a guide wire and they are always On Belay.

After last night's storms, this morning's winds at the top of the tower were at least 20-30 mph. Even double hooked in as all people on the top platform are, it was still a little disconcerting when the wind gusted and the tower swayed. Only a few of our guys were on the team ziplining today but we had a bunch of climbers and climb they did. They were like a pack of spider monkeys scurrying up the wall in just minutes.

But of course what goes up, must come down and for a bunch of our boys, that meant rappelling off the 65-foot tower.

All in all, another awesome day at the C.O.P.E. tower for team 451!

Camp Geiger Video 12

2011-06-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

And now, a word from our second year scouts.

Camp Geiger June 22nd 1:36pm

2011-06-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

"Oh, yes, wait a minute mister Postman..." - The Marvelettes

Lunch time is important for more than the obvious reasons. The scouts not only get the necessary nourishment to get themselves through the afternoon, they also get nourishment from home that gets them through the rest of the week. Mail call happens at lunch each day, and it's great to see the faces light up on the boys who receive mail. Some are cards, some are letters, some are even packages with goodies in them. All of them are very happily received.

Mealtime is also very entertaining. Many times spontaneous shouts and chants occur, like the one below.

That's a typical chant designed to get a certain person up and show us their very best dance moves. The chanters will not let up until said dance is done. After everyone is done eating, there are songs, games and other forms of entertainment. A good time and a good meal is had by all.

Lunch: Chicken patty sandwiches, baked beans, salad, chocolate chip cookies

Weather: Cloudy and 73 degrees

Camp Geiger June 22nd 11:15am

2011-06-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

"I'm takin' what they're givin' 'cause I'm workin' for a living" - Huey Lewis

One thing you can be sure of when your boys are at Camp Geiger, is that they are always hard at work during the day. When we tell you that their average day consists of merit badges and trail to first class, you may not realize how hard they are working to gain in rank. The above pitcure shows some of the older scouts testing their skills and their nerve on the COPE tower. All the other scouts are working hard too, but they are learning new things and having a lot of fun doing it.

Like building sharp things....

Throwing sharp things...

And how to care properly for sharp things.

Well, they actually learn a lot more than all that.

There's also cooking, nature hikes and myriad other skills they can take with them for the rest of their lives. All of this of course leaves them very hungry for lunch, which is coming up in a matter of minutes.

Weather at 11:15 - Cloudy and 68 degrees.

Camp Geiger, June 22nd 7:47am

2011-06-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

"Change in the weather, change in the weather..." - John Fogarty

Afther the proverbial gullywasher we went through last night, a cold front came through the area leaving temps in the upper 70's with a very brisk wind. Although there was one brief shower during the day, these nice cool temps were a welcome change from the previous days when the weather was something like south Florida, only with no beaches.

You know those long pants and light jackets, you helped your sons pack? They usually sit in the bottom of the foot locker for the duration of camp, soaking up the moisture of bathing suits and socks that have been worn for three days straight. But not today! We woke up this morning with temps in the upper 50's and a strong wind (that kept many awake last night), and everyone was loving it. The morning starts off with eyes being rubbed, meds being handed out, and getting everyone ready for breakfast.

A Scout is Clean

Each day waiters are assigned for duty. Their job is to get to the dining hall early, set the table and bring the food out for everyone sitting at their table. They are also responsible for getting seconds and then cleaning up after the meals are done. Every scout takes a turn.

Today the scouts will continue to work on merit badges and trail to first class. The real treat comes tonight's "Family night". In the past, the families to come visit have been sparse (a 9 hour drive could do that). This year we're expecting a bumper crop. And all who are here will be treated to an excellent presentation at the Council Ring camp fire tonight. This will be the first time the younger scouts will see the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. Mic-O-Say is the honor camping society exclusive Geiger. It is an honor to belong, and tomorrow we'll have more boys and adults being tapped into the tribe. But more on that later.

Breakfast today: Pancakes, bacon, cereal, fruit, yogurt.
Weather at 7:47 - 64 degrees with stiff breeze and cloudy

Camp Geiger Video 10

2011-06-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

Every year when we get to camp, Geiger lets us know what service project they have for the adults to tackle while we are here. This year, they had four for us! First thing this morning, a bunch of the adults headed out to start getting them done.

Camp Geiger Video 11

2011-06-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

From time to time, Camp Geiger adds fun new activities for the boys and last year, they added Mountain Boarding - like skateboarding down a giant hill! The boys love it and a number of ours have gotten pretty good at it!

Or not.

Camp Geiger Video 9

2011-06-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

If you ever need a blacksmith, now, you know where you can go!

Camp Geiger Video 8

2011-06-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

We're on the Trail to First Class and we're lovin' it!

Camp Geiger Video 7

2011-06-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

Thunder and lightning storms? We're not afraid of any thunder and lightning storms!

We're Troop 451 from TEXAS! Bring the rain, baby!

Camp Geiger - Tues. June 21

2011-06-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

Camp Geiger wouldn't be Camp Geiger without a rainstorm. And last night, we got one! Hopefully, it was our one big storm for the trip. While it ultimately turned out to much ado about not a whole lot, on the radar, the storm looked pretty ugly when it was 20-30 miles out. About 8:20 p.m. we started battening down the hatches in camp and even took the tops off the dining flies. By 9:15 p.m. we were on the move evacuating our campsite (Arapaho is the highest point on the Geiger Reservation) for the safety (and relative comfort) of the training center where many of the staff members live. In true Camp Geiger fashion, the counselors were awesome and pulled an old big screen TV and DVD player out for the boys to watch a movie. The older boys did an outstanding job helping shepherd the younger scouts through the rain and by 11:38 p.m. we were back in our tents and by 11:45 p.m. all sleeping soundly.

This morning brought dark, overcast skies and a lot of sleepy faces, but we were all thankful the weather wasn't worse than it was. In fact, it sounds like the storm at home was 20 times worse than ours. The day also brought a high temperature of 74 and yes, before you ask, THAT was worth missing a couple hours of beauty sleep.

It has been a great day so far. The boys are all firmly entrenched in their merit badges. The first year scouts went on their 5 mile hike this morning to satisfy that requirement for First Class and the adults were off doing two of the four service projects that Camp Geiger has assigned to us this year. In addition, many of the senior scouts headed out for C.O.P.E. - easily the most coveted of the activities here at camp. Mainly because it's only for the older boys and the younger ones can't wait to get there. That and the fact that at the end of the week, the boys in the program get a "I Survived C.O.P.E" T-shirt.

Depending on who you talk to, C.O.P.E. stands for either "Challenging Outdoor Physical Exertion" or "Challenging Outdoor Personal Experiences." Either way, C.O.P.E. is a national program that started here at Camp Geiger that puts teams of boys through rigorous physical and mental tests that challenge their abilities to think, plan and work together to achieve given tasks.

For the most part, everything in the program revolves around the giant C.O.P.E. tower that sits just inside the entrance to camp.

The top platform is about 65 feet off the ground and a number of activities emanate from that height. But there are also a bunch of activities on the ground and on apparatus built about 10-15 feet off the ground.

This morning, our boys tackled a number of cool challenges starting with a 20-foot cargo net they had to climb up and over. Each boy had their own style, but each one conquered any fear they had and made it over.

Next, they were off to a team building exercise that tested their sense of logic and teamwork. To the naked eye, it's a series of seven stumps with four planks. But as the counselors set it up for the dozen boys tasked with the challenge - "you are a band of elves being chased by an army of giants over a sea of lava. There are five chasms but only four boards and they don't all match the spaces they have to traverse so you'll have to cross on them and then pick them up and move them - all without falling. You all have to be up on the boards at once and you have to figure out how to move the boards and yourselves from one side to the other. None of you can exit the other side until you reach the final stump and you must bring the boards with you - less the giants chase you!"

The boys had a blast figuring this out and when they fell, the counselors were nice enough to let them jump back up - but with an applied disability. Matt B. fell and "lost a leg" and had to hop his way around. Robby had his feet tied together. Someone else had to cross with their eyes shut. The boys were forced to rely on one another and in the process, solved their challenge and managed to have a whole lot of fun.

The next activity was getting the team past a flat wall about 12 feet tall. For 20 minutes, the boys made pyramids, jumped up, stood on each other's shoulders and tried and tried to figure out how to get past the wall. Finally, someone just said, "dude, I'm going around it." Which, as it turned out, was a perfectly acceptable solution. The boys protested, but all the counselor had to say was, "hey, I never said you had to over." Sometimes at camp, as in real life, the best solution is the simplest one and the one sitting right in front of you. It's also a valuable lesson on what happens when you simply "assume."

The rest of the week will bring rappelling, ziplining 500 yards about 50 feet off the ground and many other "tests." The boys are having a blast and can't believe that it's already Tuesday.

Neither can we.

Camp Geiger Video 6

2011-06-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Every night after dinner, there are fun extra activities for the boys including an archery contest, a rifle shooting contest, a skeet shooting contest and last night, rappelling off the 45-ft C.O.P.E. climbing tower. We usually have a bunch of scouts who want to rappel but last night, due to the impending storms we only had one, which ended up being a good thing. Right as Matt was about to go, they had to close the tower due to lightning.

Camp Geiger Video 5

2011-06-20T11:49:00.001-07:00

What could be more fun for a boy at camp than throwing Tomahawks?

Camp Geiger Video 4

2011-06-20T10:53:00.001-07:00

Getting ready for Trail to First Class.

Camp Geiger - Happy Trails Pt. 1

2011-06-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

If there's one truth to navigating Camp Geiger, it's that wherever you're going, you can sure there will be a hill involved. Not a slope. Not a gentle rise. A hill bordering on elevation change. The entire camp is built on a serious of tall ridges and in the valleys in between. It's that topography that has us walking 7-10 miles a day up and down, up and down, over, across and up and down. While there is a narrow, main road, we're not really allowed on it for safety reasons. Tradition mandates we take one of the many trails that traverse every inch of the camp.

One of the main trails we take to and from the dining hall is the Chieftain White Sand trail named after a former Chieftain of Mic-O-Say. Best we can figure, the walk is about half a mile from the Trading Post to the Dining Hall. Which means it's half a mile back. Three meals a day? You can see how the miles stack up. But this isn't a complaint. For the most part, they are calm, beautiful, relaxing miles. And good for us.

For those who will never have the pleasure, here's a glimpse of the Chieftain White Sand Trail. Half way though I caught up with Mr. Koonce and Mr. Kay.

Camp Geiger Video 3

2011-06-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

An evening interview with Trey before dinner

Camp Geiger - Mon. June 20 - 10:46 a.m.

2011-06-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

The boys are well into their second class periods, almost to their third and everyone has gotten where they are supposed to go. One of the great opportunities for all the boys at summer camp is to come home with one to seven new merit badges either completed are darn near. It's a great source of accomplishment and a focused way for them to earn the badges they need to earn to advance in rank and fill out their sashes. It's also a lot of fun - especially for the first year boys who've been focusing on Trail to First Class rather than merit badges.

For the first year scouts, mornings this week are all about finishing their "Trail To First Class." The goal is to have all of the first years to their First Class rank or very close to it by the time we come home. And they are working hard to get there.

This morning, half of the boys started with cooking safety and got to make a little eggs and bacon for the counselor and a couple of 451 dads.

The other half got to learn about fire safety and how to build a good fire.

The older boys scattered to the four corners of camp for C.O.P.E. (for the senior boys) and other merit badges. Of all of them, swimming looks awfully tempting, especially as the temperature continues to rise toward our high of 94 today!

Camp Geiger Video 2

2011-06-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

We shot this video last night at the trading post before we knew Andy would be chosen for this morning's game show! Been a fun 12 hours for him and all the boys!

Camp Geiger - Mon. June 20

2011-06-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

We awoke to cool temperatures and a light breeze this morning as we cleaned up camp and headed to our first breakfast of the week – French Toast sticks and sausage. As is the tradition at Geiger, there are always fun, post-meal activities like songs, cheers and games. This morning, we got “Let’s Make A Deal” and young Mr. Turner, one of our first year scouts was called up to play.

In the Geiger iteration of the old TV game show, each of the boys from the four represented troops were given a prize from the camp store that they could then trade to see what was under one of four colored boxes. When it came Mr. Turner’s chance he choose one of the boxes and walked away with a very cool Marine knife.

Already the second victory for Troop 451. Last night at dinner, we were named the “sharpest troop” at uniform inspection.

After breakfast, the boys got their first opportunity to hit “ the bank” operating out of the back of the Penske truck.

One by one they came and took out some of their spending money and then headed on to the Flaming Crow Trading Post easily the most popular spot at camp.

The Flaming Crow is where the boys get all their craft supplies, but also home to Geiger T-shirts, bags, hats, candy, Mic-O-Say supplies and of course Slushies!

Hard to believe we could get so much joy out of sugar, ice and artificial flavoring, but when it’s 94 degrees with 80% humidity, they are the greatest things ever! More on Slushies later in the week!

Camp Geiger - Sun. June 19 - 10:19 p.m.

2011-06-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

Rain clouds have threatened all afternoon but so far all the weather has moved around us. As always, its been a big first afternoon. For those who have been to Camp Geiger before, there were meetings and renewals and double checks to make sure all was in order heading into the week. And for those making their first trip, its been a playground of hills and adventure waiting to be discovered.

For members of Mic-O-Say there are last minute additions to regalia.

Tonight was our first "opportunity" to eat in the dining hall and also to meet the staff for the week. We're all extremely proud that two of "our boys" - Elliot Covington and Brad Leuking - are on staff this year and the boys certainly look up to them. The guys on staff are always great and the boys are very excited to start getting into their merit badges. There are many familiar faces of counselors who have been here in years past.

After a dinner of Salisbury Steak (not sure by law it should really be considered a steak, but whatever), mashed potatoes, corn and chocolate cake with white icing, we all headed to the Scoutcraft area to get lined up for the procession to the Council Ring for the opening ceremonies. It was a great chance to catch up with each other since we've all been running in different directions. But more importantly, it felt great for all of us to see the boys having so much fun already.

The evening concluded with the opening ceremony at the Council Ring with songs, jokes and introductions to all the different staff members. Our youngest boys laughed at all the new jokes and the older scouts played along too even though for many, this was their 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th time hearing them. As fate would have it, the staff even sang "The Turtle Song" which our boys have jokingly sung - literally, every week for a year. It got a huge response from the resident Texans which frankly, shocked the staff a bit. Not sure the session last week found it as funny.

Today has been a good day. But tomorrow, the real fun begins!

Camp Geiger Video 1

2011-06-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

How happy are we to finally be here?

Camp Geiger - Sun. June 19

2011-06-19T10:45:00.001-07:00

Sunday at Camp Geiger brings the arrival of the rest of our crew, setting up camp, the swim test, our first meal in the dining hall and tonight, the opening ceremony in the new Council Ring. For members of Mic-O-Say, it also brings a visit to the Mic-O-Say grounds for a recommitment to what being a member of the tribe is all about.

We started our day about 6 a.m. unloading the truck and stacking everything up for the road warriors coming on the bus. After that, we enjoyed a very happy Father's Day breakfast at the local Bob Evans - a feast of eggs and bacon, pancakes and French toast, biscuits and gravy. Oh, and our last chance for caffeine!

After breakfast, it was back to camp to clean up and organize the rest of camp. Part of the real joy of camp is watching the boys gel as a troop and reconnecting with friends they've only seen in passing during the previous year.

The day is gorgeous here! Thankfully the temperature is only 72 degrees because the humidity is through the roof - at least for us Texans. The Missouri is still swollen from all the rain earlier in the spring so things are a bit stickier than most of us like. There are also plenty of mosquitoes and horseflies, but we have our bug spray and quick reflexes.

The boys are smart and are finding fun ways to stay cool. They are working hard setting up camp, but are also finding plenty of time to relax. For many, this is the first time to set up any kind of living space and they are pretty proud as they should be.

While the boys worked hard putting up all the dining flies...

The adults engineered a way to get Mr. Kay up on the roof of the latrine to lay out all the hoses we've strung together to make our own shower. The Geiger shower houses are a good 1/2 mile from Arapaho and there's nothing quite like getting clean and then sweating your way back to the campsite. So about 8 years ago, Gary Leuking, Terry Goodnight and company came up with the brilliant idea of stringing 5 hoses together, putting a nozzle on the end and laying them on the roof to heat the water. We keep the water on, let it heat up and then voila! we turn on the nozzle and... instant shower.

Mr. Kay is doing a great job as camp master and already has us ticking like a Swiss watch.

For now, camp is set. The tents are organized. The boys are on their way to take their swim tests and the troop gateway is up welcoming all those who come to visit.

It is only appropriate that our first visitor after getting the gateway raised, was 451 Eagle Scout and now Camp Geiger counselor Brad Leuking (on the left) who showed up with one of his buddies on staff. Elliot Covington is also one of the counselors here this summer and has visited us a few times. Yes Moms, this is what happens to your little guys. They seem young now, but in the blink of an eye they too will be grown up and coming back to Geiger on staff.

We are all so excited to be here and look forward to what the week will bring! We are reminded everywhere we turn of God's wonder in all things large...

and small...

and we are all just happy to be in the middle of it.

Camp Geiger - Sat. June 18 - 10:41 p.m.

2011-06-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

As night falls here in Missouri, the rest of our tribe boards the buses back in Flower Mound and heads toward camp. We are all settled in here - tents are up, the truck is mostly unpacked - and now we're just reacquainting ourselves with the bugs, the crickets and the stars. The sky is always so dark here at night without the light pollution from nearby big cities. Our conversations quickly turn to what it must have been like for early settlers like Lewis and Clark who rolled through this very area when their provisions were way more primitive than ours. We also think of the soldiers serving overseas who live for 18 months or more in what we "endure" for a week. We are blessed on many fronts.

As we pulled into camp tonight, we were greeted by Dave Thomas, a long time camper and staffer at Camp Geiger. Notice his necklace. Every year we come to Geiger as a camper, we receive a set of round beads to put on the leather cord that holds our claws. Those staffing the camp get a square bead for each summer they attend. If you notice Dave's beads, they surround his neck to the point you can't even see the square beads for when he staffed. There are many here who have that kind of experience and it is a reminder what a special place this is for so many.

After we checked in with Dave, we got the van unloaded as quickly as we could so we could head to dinner. If you ever want to know how much a 24 foot truck will hold, load and unload it. Lots of stuff!

Next, the boys were on to picking their tents - one of the perks of riding up in the vans to help prep camp for everyone coming tomorrow. Alex picked out a nice one at the top of the ridge as did all the others. Funny how some of them scurry to grab the exact tent they had last year or the year before. Then again, you'll find the adults in their same spots too. At this point, there is a wonderful familiarity to this place.

After the tents were set up, we ran to the "restaurant row" of St. Joe, a fairly new area really, and grabbed our last "real" meal of the week at Buffalo Wild Wings before a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get the batteries, sunglasses and fans that we left back in Flower Mound in our haste to pack. Tomorrow morning, we will wake with the sun, head out for a quick breakfast at Bob Evans and then head back to welcome the boys before noon.

For now, the moon shines down on the Koonce Hilton as well as the other lowlier tents that lie in its shadow and we give thanks - thanks for a safe trip here, thanks for the 68 degree sleeping weather, thanks for the chance to spend what is certainly one of the best weeks of the year with our boys and added prayers for the bus on its way here.

Camp Geiger - Sat. June 18

2011-06-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

And so it begins...

This morning at 7:27 a.m., armed with a box full of donuts, Starbucks coffee, 27 iTunes playlists and a Penske truck loaded to the gills with foot lockers, cots, sleeping bags and Indian costumes, the first 26 of us set off for our summer stay at Camp Geiger in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Normally, our first stop would be a lunch break at the McDonald's travel plaza on the Kansas turnpike, but this year, we decided to give the boys a little treat and we switched things up.

In Arcadia, Oklahoma, about 4 miles east on Route 66 (yes, THAT Route 66) sits a cool restaurant and gas stop called POPS that offers great food and more importantly, more than 600 kinds of ice cold soda pop in glass bottles!

Seriously, this place had everything! Colas, Root Beers, Cream Sodas, Ginger Ales, Cherry this, Vanilla that and every kind of "pop" in between. They even had an international section for all the Italians and Venezuelans who magically find themselves in Arcadia, Oklahoma.

After a quick scan of the store to find the most obscure bottle of soda they could find (can you say Green Apple Chocolate), the boys all settled in for a tasty lunch and a discussion of what the next week will bring.

Now for those who know this crew, this may be hard to believe, but the grownups are having a little bit of fun too. Everyone seems to have picked up right where they left off last year and we're all looking forward to a great week together.

Many thanks to Shelly Koonce for the heads up about POPS! The boys loved it and it looks like we have our new morning stop for years to come.

2010-11-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Austin T.
Troop 451's newest Eagle Scout!

Saturday afternoon, in the Highland Village Community Center, friends and familiy gathered for Austin T's Eagle Court of Honor to celebrate his achieving Scouting's highest rank. The ceremony was both cheerful and reverent, two of the tenets of the Scout Law, and was enjoyed by all there to honor Austin on his great accomplishment. Only 2% of those who enter Scouting ever attain the rank of Eagle, but Troop 451 is proud to count Austin as our 6th Eagle Scout this year. Austin, your friends, family and fellow Troop 451 members are both proud of, and happy for you. Many congratulations to you and your family on this outstanding honor.

Greenbar Fall Planning Campout

2010-11-06T12:56:00.001-07:00

The Greenbar Patrol spent another great weekend at Sid Richardson over Halloween planning the next six months for the troop and helping scare those who dared buy a ticket to Sid's Haunted Hayride. Senior Patrol Leader Brown, SPL-elect Koonce and their staff did an excellent job and all present offered great input and worked hard to improve their leadership skills. On Sunday, a number of Scouts did their "daily good turn" helping the camp staff take down a significant number of the hayride "scaring stations" and after an ice-cold IBC root beer to cool down, we all headed back to Dallas.

Always a good trip to Sid Richardson Scout Ranch.

Senior Patrol Leader Brown pondering all he wants to accomplish during the weekend.

Not a bad place to find a little inspiration.

SPL-elect Koonce listens as the boys offer their suggestions for new campouts and new troop activities.

Mr. Bach works with troop Quartermasters Hix and DiCiaccio on keeping the chuckboxes clean and properly stocked.

What's Halloween weekend without a black cat? This one at least is well fed. After the Scouts left for more planning, a few of us were working in the dining hall and turned around to find the cat standing in the aluminum pan with the uneaten hotdogs having a feast. Interesting cat bites dog moment.

Long day but very productive.

Mr. Dave takes notes as everyone discusses troop strengths, weaknesses and what things we can improve.

The boys had fun dressing up for Halloween. Thanks to Mr. DiCiaccio for bringing lots of great masks and costumes.

Boy, boy, boy, boy, boy, boy, boy, boy... Scout, scout, scout, scout, scout, scout, scout, scout...

Appetizing.

This caption writes itself.

Connecting with the afterworld... Very Halloween!

Three of our expert scarers!

We had fun trying to scare people coming through our stations and occasionally, we succeeded.

The spider station was very cool...

thanks to Mr. Erickson and Mr. DiCiaccio who worked the pulley that controlled the giant spider.

2010 Summer Camp Recap and Thank You

2010-07-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

There have been several events that occurred over the past several weeks that have caused me to reflect on the events of my life over these past 12 years in scouting, 18 years at Grace Baptist Church and 20+ years with my children. I can give you more specifics to the church and family, but wanted to focus on scouting in this note.

For summer camp this year, we came to the Arapaho campsite as we have for the past several years and there at the head of the dining fly area was a picnic table with a star and Lewisville, Texas router-ed into the center board of the table. This was one of the 2x10s that Troop 451 donated to the camp in 2002 for the old council ring. The camp had asked troops to donate boards rather than sit on the ground for opening camp fire and Wednesday night activities in the old council ring. Bill Webber and I routered a couple boards all those years gone by. I can still remember the hot afternoon and the sawdust all over the place as we worked behind the campmaster building (now the new trading post area).

This was just a start of a great week. We soon realized the tasks for the week was going to a little larger than expected as we were asked to build the tapping fire, the handicap deck was replaced by two elevated shot gun decks on the new course, and of course we still wanted to add our annual flag pole. This time the flag pole was to be installed in the new campsite, just reopened, at the end of the ridge (Navaho). As in true Troop 451 spirit, the adults quickly jumped into action. With the help of the John Clawson and Larry Means, the projects were quickly underway.

Leo and others drove to a sawmill in the Penske and picked up a load of skirting material, several took there turns on the chain saws (after proper training of course), and by Tuesday evening the tapping fire was pretty much complete awaiting on the final touches by our four firebuilders.

Richard led another group of adults on the decks while we worked on the tapping fire. As we had time, we joined in to drive lag bolts, etc. After taking a little break on Thursday, the team got almost complete on Friday with both decks. Larry Means would have other volunteers put on the final touches and handrails later in the camping season.

Other activities were the normal supervision duties – banking, medics, advancement, communications, photography, sun watcher, etc. Leo took care of the flag pole. I am sorry to say I do not know who helped on that effort. All these tasks took place as normal with care for the boys.

Finally, as we came to the tapping and advancement ceremonies, I believe the camp really put forth a tremendous effort to recognize our troop. 15 youth and 4 adults were added to Mic-O-Say, Richard and Scott were awarded the White Coop for service to scouting and Mic-O-Say, Ethan and Brad were awarded the Silver Coop for leadership in the ceremony team/dance district, Josh was advanced to our first Keeper, and finally, I was advanced to Sachem. As I stood there before Ken Baker, Chief Little Pack Rock, I could not help but think of the teamwork from the week and the 10 years that we have been attending Camp Geiger.

From my first days with Kevin Gibson and Bill Webber, those that have been added and left over the years, to the excited group of youth and adults that are our current active troop members; thank you. Thank you for your participation, your efforts, your mentorship, your leadership, your teamwork to add to the scouting experience we have been able to provide to the many youth that have been part of Troop 451. As I have told many perspective parents as they visit out troop, I believe the key to out troop is the comradeship of our adults over the years. To a person, I believe each has put the program for the boys above their own glory or recognition. Again, thank you.

The week ended just as high as we had started and progressed during the week - with the individual scout awards, clean sweep award for the troop, sharpest unit for the troop and safely returning all scouts home (with no hospital runs this time).

Thanks again for a great summer camp.

Gary Lueking

Assistant Scoutmaster

‘Sachem Big Spirit Mist’

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here are just a few stats on the concept of teamwork for our troop:

39 Eagle Scouts (per Mr. Moore, several more in line for 2010 and early 2011)

126 Mic-O-Say members – 82 youth, 44 adults

103 OA members – 86 youth, 17 adults, 19 brotherhood

14 summer camps (10 Camp Geiger, MO; 3 Camp Dobbins, CO; 1 Camp Cherokee, TX)

Many other exciting trips – Philmont, Big Bend, Arkansas, Colorado, Sid Richardson water camp, etc.

Finally, here is a thought from one young man that that was in our troop for only a short time. He did not make it to eagle, was not in OA nor Mic-O-Say, came from a broken home and related this to another church member in his neighborhood (I may not have this word perfect) – “The adults from the scout troop that meets at your church took us to summer camp at Camp Geiger. We had a great week. It will be a time I will never forget.”

Camp Geiger July 9th 6:00pm

2010-07-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight, after a long and excting week, this year's journey comes to an end. We go to the dining hall tonight for dinner, then the scouts who are not involved in Mic-O-Say will attend the closing council fire. The foxmen, who have been silent all day will complete their journey to become Mic-O-Say braves, and the adult foxmen will become Honorary Warriors. The weather for tonight's ceremonies should be spectacular, cool and clear, with temps in the low 70's to upper 60's. Tomorrow morning, we wake up, load the truck, and head for home. We'll be taking home souviners from the trading posts, new achievements and merit badges, and lots of good memories.

I'd like to say thanks to the folks at Camp Geiger HQ for all their paitence, hospitality, courtesy and freindship, especially at times in some challenging circumstances.

That's all folks, don't forget to tip your waiters on the way out.

Tonight's dinner - pulled pork, and mac and cheese.

Weather - Mostly sunny and 78.

Camp Geiger July 9th 1:15

2010-07-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

The nature here in the bluffs of the Missouri River is amazing. The deer footprint above is evidence of the abundance of it around here. The men who are doing the service project by the new shotgun range have seen several turkey, and today at the swimming pool, I was standing there minding my own business, when out of the woods popped this...

There are a lot of tired bodies around camp today. Naps seem to be in more than a few people's future. The candidates from last night are doing their daily merit badges as well as working on a service project. The candidates are now called Foxmen, their first status in the tribe of Mic-O-Say. They are not allowed to speak with anyone today, unless of course they are working on a merit badge or a project and need to communicate. Our Foxmen have been treated pretty well by the rest of the boys in the troop as far as they're not trying to make them talk.

We spent a lot of time showing you the tapping fire we built. The fire was lit about 8:30 last night and as of 1:15 this afternoon, it was still burning.

Now that's a fire.

And now, this will be the last video from camp, as we are coming home tomorrow, and tonight will be another late night. I will try to post one more time before the day is out. It is a perfect day today though, at Camp Geiger.

Lunch - Chicken tenders, pasta salad, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Weather - Mostly sunny and 82

Camp Geiger July 9th 9:00am

2010-07-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

"I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink..." - John Lennon/Paul McCartney

Lots of sleepy eyes around camp this morning. It was long and glorious night. Boys and many of the adults were up until 12 to 1am. The tapping ceremony lived up to all the expectations, and then exceeded them. I'll have a lot to report on that, but first lets' take care of some business from yesterday during dinner.

We talked a lot about the King PeeWee contest held after dinner. Leon Jacob was the reigning champ from last year. After careful deliberation throughout the day, and like George Washington, who decided the time he spent in office was enough, Leon decided his reign should end after a year, and would pass on the opportunity to be king to another worthy champion. The young man who stood up was Trey Stevens. The competition was fierce, and Trey weighed in at 69 pounds (although 4 of that was his shoes). But at the end of the day...

Trey, brought home the title for troop 451. Hail King PeeWee! As king, Trey got to make a proclamation. Trey decided on something big for the whole troop. The Geiger staffers, about 8 strong tried and tried to steer him in a different direction. But Trey wouldn't budge. After several long tense minutes...well...let's just say Trey really came through for his troop. We'll give you the lowdown when we get home. Needless to say the former king was very proud of his successor.

Now the biggest event of the night. The Tapping Ceremony. All tribesmen dressed in full regalia and prepared for the ceremonial dances and for all their other parts of the ceremony. I'll try and describe what the scouts who are not in Mic-O-Say, and the potential candidates witnessed, and I'll hold you in a little suspense to find out who was tapped out.

The troops form a long line, and follow an honorary warrior leads them on to the story trail. The scouts and adult leaders walk the long trail, until they get to a fire, where a chief awaits them. He tells them the story of a young brave who gets lost in the woods, and finds his own way to survive. Then they all get up from sitting down and follow the chief towards the tapping fire. As they head towards the fire, they hear the tom toms and yells from the dancing braves and warriors, as the rest of the tribe forms two lines for the waiting candidates to pass through.

When the two lines are formed, the braves and warriors stop their dance and run to fill out the rest of those same two lines. It's then that the chief leads them towards the tapping fire, through the members of the tribe. They walk until all the candidates form a giant circle around the fire. When they finally finish the circle, the tribesmen form an outer circle around them.

Medicine Man Walks Tall greets the candidates and informs them that some may be eligible to join the tribe of Mic-O-Say, and a tapper will decide who those candidates are. A yell is heard at the top of the hill. The Tapper, strong and steady, carrying a torch held high in one hand and a hatchet held high in the other, descends from the top of the hill towards the circle of hopeful candidates surrounding the fire. He runs around the entire circle, sizing up the potential tribe members and on the second time around he begins to tap the worth candidates. He runs around the circle, then slows to eye the candidate. He pauses, looking intensely at the candidates face,

the candidates eyes widen, their heart begins to beat a little faster, and after a determination is made, he taps the candidate with his hatchet, once, twice...and the candidate runs to a spot inside the circle, where he awaits his instructions and begins his journey into the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.

Okay, here's what you've been waiting for. These are the boys who were tapped into Mic-O-Say:

Robert Arnet, Matthew Bach, Evan Curl, Michael Hooks, Trevor Kay, James Koonce, Matthew Larsen, Erik Lowell, William McKinley, Christopher Modrall, Conner Osborne, Lee Pederson, George Petagrew, Ben Reineck, Adam Stephenson, and Nicolas Verdi.

Adult leaders tapped into Mic-O-Say were:

James Cole, Mark DiCiaccio, Michael Kay, and Bill Reineck.

Congratulations to all.

I'll have some more pics up later. It's an absolutely beautiful day here at Camp Geiger. The weather is perfect, and we'll be in for a great Mic-O-Say ceremony tonight.

Dinner last night - Cheeseburgers and French Fries.

Breakfast - Biscuits and gravy, hash browns, cold cereal, yogurt and fresh fruit

Weather - 73 and sunny.

Camp Geiger July 8th 5:30pm

2010-07-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

"Tonight's gonna be a good, good night." - Black Eyed Peas

The air is full of excitement. I know it's a cliche, but you can really feel the electricity. Tonight's tapping ceremony? Well , yeah, but...It's time to crown King PeeWee! Last year our own Leon Jacob was the winner, and made his proclomation. This year he's looking to repeat, and he thinks he's got a great shot.

We'll let you know later how it turns out.

In all seriousness, there is an electric feeling in the air. All the kids, especially those who are in their third year coming here are really starting to feel nervous. It is truly an honor to become a part of the Mic-O-Say organization. It is a program that really gives young people confidence and teaches leadership, while helping to maintain the excitement of scouting that they had when they were much younger. The camp truly transforms tonight. It really does go from a scout feeling to a tribe feeling, and it will be that way for the rest of camp.

The finishing touches are being put on as we speak for everyone who will be a part of tonight's ceremony. There is a lot of pride and care that is put into every aspect of the ceremony, from regalia, to dance, to the fire.

As tonight's ceremony may go past midnight, I'll have to give you full details tomorrow.

Camp Geiger, July 8th 1:20pm

2010-07-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is the new COPE tower at Camp Geiger. COPE stands for Challenging Outdoor Physical Exercise and consists of many high wire activities. You can challenge yourself to walk across cables, climb giant rope ladders, climb the rock climbing wall or take a ride on the zip line. COPE is for older scouts only, although on occasion the have open rappelling and zip lining.

Here's Tristan Goodnight taking off down the zip line.

Also, all over camp scouts are finishing up merit badges. There will be some opportunity to finish some things tomorrow, but everyone tries to get finished up today, as some scouts will be tapped, and they will have different things to do. So they're getting that final paperwork done to complete their merit badge...

...or finishing up that last project. Non merit badge activities are reaching a climax today too, as competitions in the buckskin games heat up. While those are going on, Marvin, a fixture at Camp Geiger, who is the tomahawk king, regales the boys with stories and shows them his collection of ornamental tomahawks.

We're hours away from the tapping fire and the staff has been very complimentary of the job our adults and firebuilders have done on the tapping fire. They tell us it's the biggest one this session and may be the biggest one in years! Here is what we can see of the final product (with the tarp still on to protect it from rain.)

It stand at nearly 16 feet and is 8 feet by 8 feet at the base.

A few things I forgot to mention this morning, we have two tents to win the cleanest tent award again and the winners are...(drumroll)

Ethan Brown and Joseph Martin....and....

...Matthew Perez and Trey Stevens. They all get to enjoy a free slushie each, courtesy of Mr. Koonce and Mr. DiCiaccio.

If you are interested in a sample of what the fireworks looked like last night, Mr. Kunamneni has provided a link to facebook to see a little video of the show. Go to http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1515339769430

Here are a couple of more "hi, mom" videos.

Lunch - Bean burritos, Spanish rice, and snickerdoodle cookies for dessert.

Weather - as of 1:30 - Mostly Cloudy, 77 degrees and less humid.

Camp Geiger July 8th 8:30am

2010-07-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

"Tonight's the night..." - Rod Stewart

As we awaken to a misty morning on the bluffs of the mighty Missouri River, the air is thick not only with moisture, but with anticipation for tonight's tapping ceremony. Several of the boys have actually said the nerves are starting to take over as they contemplate being tapped out to join the Mic-O-Say tribe. A light rain fell all night long, leaving the camp with more mud, but as we left the dining hall, a cool dry breeze greeted us. The feeling was wonderful. The camp is also still buzzing about last night's incredible council fire and fireworks show. All of our boys who are currently in Mic-O-Say work hard all year long on their dance, and on their regalia, I thought I'd include some pictures of how their hard work has paid off.

Some tribe members are very serious and intimidating...

...others, not so much.

A Scout is...Kind

A great moment yesterday at camp that lived up to one of the tenets of the Scout Law. One boy took a tumble and bent a finger back further than it should go, causing a strain or sprain with some swelling. The scout came over to the adults and asked for some tape for a splint. Amazingly, there was no tape in the first aid kit, but along came Ellis Covington to the rescue. He said, "I've got some in my tent. Come with me, I'll fix it," and off they went. One splint in hand, one act of kindness administered.

...and now for something completely different.

Every in the meal in the dining hall someone winds up with Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull is a small dowel rod that is planted on an unsuspecting individual while they are sitting and eating. At the end of the meal, Thomas, the program director starts the chant, "Who has Sitting Bull?" Everyone checks to see if they have it. If they do, they get to go to the front of the dining hall and draw from a hat. Some of the things that the possessor of Sitting Bull can win are really great, like ice cream for your table, some are a fun, like a race around the dining hall, some are odd, like getting to spit shine camp staff member Jordan Elo's head, and some are not fun at all, like getting to wash the camp truck (no one has won that so far, although the staff always yells for that one.)

Now, here's a few kids with some messages back home:

Breakfast - Scrambled eggs and sausage patties, cold cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit.

Weather - Cloudy and 72 degrees.

Camp Geiger July 7th 9:45pm

2010-07-07T19:52:00.001-07:00

Yes, this is how our night ended. I know, you wish you were here. I'll get into more detail in a minute.

Sorry for the late post, but a busy day and I confess, I took some time to sit around and tell stories with the rest of the dads. No video today, but I promise a bunch tomorrow. Today the boys continued their hard work on their merit badges.

Like Archery...

Pottery...

Leather work...

And Trading Post. Although Trading Post is not an official merit badge, the boys have become very good at it.

Tonight was family night at Camp Geiger. Most of the troops here have families that live close by and can come visit. Our troop, as you know, is a little further away, so we mainly bring most of the dads, and sometimes some moms too, for the whole week. On family night, the routine of the dining hall changes and the bring food in from town to feed whoever is in camp. I'll post the usual dinner report below. Another treat tonight is the big fire in the council ring. This is an amazing show. It's also the first real appearance of the tribe of Mic-O-Say.

Our troop left for the council fire looking very much like the Spirit of '76. All the troops line up to go up the path into the council ring. Along the way we are flanked by members of the tribe.

We all come in and walk around the fire to our seats. Then the show begins. The camp staff performs many skits as well as the troops. Our troop performed "the car."

Scoutmaster Perry is the driver of the car and the boys are the parts of the car...the tires, the door, the spare tire...and they get an unsuspecting camp staff member to be the engine. And the whole skit leads to..."kill the engine!" where the boys get up and do their best to shut the engine down.

Later we get the first real introduction of the tribe of Mic-O-Say. They perform a narrated play backed by the tom tom beaters and all the members of the tribe from the troops dance during this drama. The outfits are amazing and the dance and story are intensely entertaining.

After the Mic-O-Say dance, there is a very moving tribute to the United States, the Boy Scouts of America, and to Camp Geiger. That tribute alone should inspire these boys to stay in scouting and to want to belong to the tribe.

And this year for a special treat, since we had rain on the 4th of July, we closed the night with a fireworks spectacular!

Okay, a late and a little long, I promise video tomorrow and to have better posts during the day.

Dinner - Flatbreads from Fleishman's, two choices, Italian three meat, or Buffalo chicken.

Weather - Humid and 82. Possible rain overnight.

Camp Geiger July 7th 1:30pm

2010-07-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

Just before lunch, a mysterious sign showed up on our gate. We don't know how it got there or who put it up, but let it be known that if the men in this troop were for sale, it would be for a very high price. Pranks do happen around camp. Last year someone "borrowed" our Texas flag, this year it's the For Sale sign , and, oh, a there are a few things we pull on ourselves.

Like I said a couple of days ago, you can't fall asleep around these people.

Tapping Fire update

Here's how the tapping fire is coming along. If you're wondering exactly what the tapping fire is, I'll start by saying it's no ordinary campfire. This is a 16 foot tall fire that is lit the night of the tapping ceremony. That is the ceremony where certain kids who have earned their keep in camping and scouting will get "tapped" into the tribe. Basically they have been deemed worthy enough to join by the Mic-O-Say council. Mic-O-Say is a very traditional tribe, and has been around since 1935. It is an excellent program for anyone to be a part of.

The ceremony is tomorrow night, when the boys walk many of the trails around camp and stop at certain fires along the way to hear from the tribal elders about the journey they are taking. When they complete the trail, they come through a welcoming comittee of current tribesman and circle around the fire you see above. After words from the chief and the medicine man, the tapper comes down, and taps the worthy scout, who is taken by a runner up a hill, and then they begin their path to Mic-O-Say. The discussions have already begun among the boys. "Do you think I'll get tapped?" "I think you'll get tapped." "Boy, I hope I get tapped." etc.

Camp Geiger Feature of the Day - The Slushie

What is a Slushie? A dollar of deliciousness, four flavors of fun! I know to you it looks like a simple Icee or Slurpee, but no! At Camp Geiger, they are more valued than gold! To get the kids motivated to make sure they get their things done, all you have to do is mention a slushie and you'll see a kid move faster than you ever have before. The flavors change from year to year, and this year's offerings are blue raspberry, orange mango, kiwi, and cherry.

...and now for something completely different.

James Koonce successfully completed his mile swim again this year! Congratulations James!

Best line heard from a scout.."I never do what I'm supposed to do with magnesium."

Lunch - Meatloaf, cinnamon apples, and baked beans.

Weather - mostly cloudy, humid and 83 degrees.

Camp Geiger July 7th 8:15am

2010-07-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Another dry, but humid day at Camp Geiger. We usually start our day getting up at6am to clean up the camp for inspection. There are other boys who get up even earlier. A certain set of boys getting the fishing merit badge wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go down to Lake Richardson to try and catch fish. Up to this point, they haven't been successful, but they'll keep trying! But they were successful at something much more important.

A Scout is...Friendly

This is a group of boys that go fishing every morinng for their merit badge. There is a boy at the end who is not in our troop. Before Mr. Kunamneni took this picture was taking, the boys from our troop were saying,"Wait! Eric needs to be in this picture!" Obviously Eric became part of this close knit group. That's one of the best things about scouting and it's not the only example we've seen at camp. In scouts, and here at Geiger, you can meet friends that you can have for a lifetime. It's kids who all share common experiences, and yet can see how people live in other parts of the country, and in some cases, the world.

...and now for something completely different

Cleanest tent of the day was a tie. And the winners are (drumroll)

Robbie Berry and Tristain Goodnight! and...

Steven Reyna and Hayden Brewer! They'll all enjoy a free slushie today! (Robby and Tristain needed to hurry so they couldn't take a picture.)

Breakfast - Pancakes and bacon, yogurt, cold cereal and orange juice.

Weather - Cloudy, humid and 76 degrees.

Camp Geiger July 6th 8:30pm

2010-07-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is the entrance to our home sweet home after dinner, the Arapaho campsite at Camp Geiger. There were many fun activities throughout the day today, including an archery contest, and free turns on the zip line or rappelling. Usually after dinner the kids wind up at the Trading Post.

The Trading Post is almost like an old fashioned general store. It's got everything scouts can use while camping, snacks, drinks, and of cours slushies. Kids can buy souveniers there, the most popular being the shoulder satchels, but there are t-shirts, hats, Indian garb, even animal pelts. Lots of times the kids will just hang outside the Trading Post and play cards or just talk. There are nighttime activities also.

Tonight was a big activity night. The boys had their choice of soccer, ultimate frisbee, and a giant slip and slide!

Tapping Fire update

As you saw earlier today, the adults started building the big tapping fire for Thursday night. I'll explain more on the significance of the fire and the tribe tomorrow. The fire is also built by those in the our troop that have attained the paint station (similar to a rank) of firebuilder. They are the ones primarily responsible for having the fire built and built correctly. Below is how far along the adults and the firebuilders have gotten.

The blue tarp is on the wood in case it rains. It's very important to have dry wood for this fire.

And now for something completely different...

There's an ingenious way to find the trail that leads to one of the places you can shower. Look for the trail with the orphaned single socks and abandoned underwear. If you're on that trail, you're close to the shower.

Dinner - Chicken Fried Steak with gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, and pineapple upside down cake for dessert.

Weather - Partly Cloudy and cool, 75 degrees.

Camp Geiger July 6th 3:45pm

2010-07-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Camp Geiger isn't only a fun place for scouts to go, it's actually quite beautiful too. There are so many parts of the camp, it'll take you a few seasons to really see them all. The above picture is from a road that leads to the new shooting ranges, currently under construction, which leads us to...

A Scout is...Courteous

There are always subtle and some not so subtle ways the folks here let us know that they know we're from Texas. I guess we contribute a bit to the good natured ribbing by showing our Texas pride. We put up a Texas flag at camp, have them on our tabled in the dining hall, and when we win the contest for sharpest dressed unit for dinner we usually raise the Texas flag up outside the dining hall. The people in the Pony Express Council have extended every bit of graciousness and courtesy to us, and they have every time we've been here. One small example of that courtesy is allowing us to hang out at the Headquarters and blog. The staff also makes sure we have whatever we need. In return, we usually do a service project for them.

This year we're working on platforms for the scouts to shoot from on the shooting range. When this is completed, scouts will have a nice vantage point to shoot clay targets from.

Between building the tapping fire and putting up these shooting stands, it's easy to say we're doing our best to return the courtesy extended to us.

...And now for something completely different.

Lunch - BBQ'd rib sandwiches, tater tots, and fruit salad

Weather - This afternooon was partly cloudy and humid with a high of 83.

Camp Geiger July 6th 11:30am

2010-07-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

As the boys go through the week, they work on their merit badges, they hang out at the trading post and they generally have a good time. But the week really leads up to the time for the tapping fire. This year, our troop has been charged with building the fire. It's a huge honor and one that our guys are happy to undertake. Here's a little taste of what the adults are up to...

Mr. Bach, he's a lumberjack and he's okay.

In other news...

In campsite inspection today, our troop came in second. We had a winner in the cleanest tent contest, and the award goes too....(drumroll)

For their efforts they each get a free slushie at the trading post! And a shout out home:

Camp Gieger Feature of the Day - The Staff

The staff here at Camp Geiger is top notch. You know them when you see them with their official purple Camp Geiger staff shirts. Very professional young men, most of whom are in college, many who have achieved Eagle Scout, and all dedicated to making sure the kids at camp have a good time. They teach merit badge classes, run the programs in the dining hall, and all are a part of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. That is high honor here at Camp Geiger. This year's program director is Thomas Wilke. He's responsible for the entertainment and planning of the activities for the scouts. When he's not at camp, Thomas goes to Emporia State University and is a year away from getting his degree in Secondary Physical Science, and wants to get his teaching certificate to teach middle schoolers. These experiences in scouting and at Geiger give him a high degree of expertise.

Weather as of 11:30 - partly cloudy 78 degrees.

Camp Geiger, July 6th 8:12 am

2010-07-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

"It's a beautiful mornin', I think I'll go outside for a while and just smile..." - The Rascals

Although it was humid as we woke up about 6, there was no rain and we were welcomed by a beautiful sunrise through intermittent clouds. The way the mornings start off here at the Arapaho campsite at Camp Geiger is pretty simple. At around 6:15, Mr. Perry walks around waking up the slacker adults who haven't woken up yet, while the other adults wake up the slacker scouts that still need to get up. Everyone gets their class B uniforms on (scout shorts, red tshirts, scout socks) practices their usual morning routines. For the boys it's not brushing their teeth, for the adults it's telling the kids to brush their teeth. The med staff will chase the kids who need their daily medicine to make sure they're set for the day, and then we meet at our camp flagpole for the pledge.

After the flag ceremony has ended, the waiter staff for that day gathers and heads to the dining hall to prepare the tables for breakfast. Our troop has 14 tables, almost an entire quadrant of the dining hall, and each of those tables has a waiter. They get the plates, cups and food for the table, and are responsible for getting more drinks and seconds on the meal when it is offered.

A Scout is...CLEAN

After the flag ceremony and before the boys leave camp, they have to make sure their tents are absolutely clean and all their gear is stowed in the proper places. There is a camp inspection every morning and we are graded by a committee comprised of other scout troops that are here for the session. Yesterday we tied for first. We could have had first outright, save for one tent, of whom the guilty party shall remain nameless. Our campmaster Mr. Koonce, and some of the other adults have devised an incentive plan to make sure the boys have done their best job possible.

These tokens will go to the scouts that have the cleanest tents as voted by adult staff members assigned to that judging duty. These tokens are no ordinary tokens either. They are completely redeemable for one slushie at the Trading post. You may have heard all those commercials on the radio and TV trying to get you to buy gold, but I can assure you, at Camp Geiger, there is no greater commodity than the slushie! I'll have more on this amazing frozen concoction later today.
For a report on how things are going at camp so far, here's our Senior Patrol Leader, Joseph Martin:

And here's a couple more greetings to back home:

Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs with Cheese mixed in, hash brown potatoes, and your choice of yogurt, cold cereal, and fruit.

Weather - Partly cloudy, 72 degrees, High of 86 today, 50 percent chance of rain.

Camp Geiger July 5th 5:30pm

2010-07-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

"Here comes the sun, and I say, it's alright." - George Harrison

A very welcome sight right before dinner. The rain had been stopped for a couple of hours and finally the sun decided to make a long awaited appearance.

As I mentioned earlier, the kids would look for a way to blow off a little steam. Below is a must see video:

This is what the boys call cardiac hill, but is known throughout the tribe of Mic-O-Say as Tapper hill. Our innovative young men buy giant blocks of ice from the trading post and slide down the hill. That is just one of the many things that passes for entertainment between classes and dinner. Here's another.

A Scout is....Reverent.

After dinner on Monday nights, the camp has opportunities for scouts to go to religious services. They consist of singing hymns, and praying. There is even a mass for Catholics available to go to.

Dinner tonight - Baked Ziti with a red meat sauce, garlic bread, green beans and salad.

Weather at 9:30pm - partly cloudy 78degrees.

Camp Geiger - July 5th 3:30pm

2010-07-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

The rain has stopped!!!! And although it's humid, it does feel like a little bit of a cold front came through and the brisk cool breeze was very welcome. It's the middle of the afternoon and the boys are working hard on merit badge classes.

Earlier the boys were talking about the weather, the fun they were having, how much they were glad to be here, and there was some good natured joking around too. Listen below:

After classes today, the boys will have a chance to cool off with a free swim at the pool, or they can just relax at camp, taking advantage of being outside without water dripping on them. Then at dinner, we all put on the class A uniforms and head to the dining hall.

After dinner tonight, there are voluntary religious services for the kids to attend, then it's back to the campsite to hopefully enjoy the outdoors. Although the forecast for tonight calls for more rain.

Camp Geiger - July 5th 10:45am

2010-07-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

"Blue skies, smilin' at me, nothin' but blue skies..." - Irving Berlin

Now there was a wonderful sight! Just a brief respite in what will most likely continue to be a rainy day, but welcome nonetheless.

The boys are busy with lots of activities. From the buckskin games, where the kids participate in activities like tomahawk throwing...

...to many different merit badges at the pool.

Once the horn sounds to end classes for the morning session, it's back to camp to get ready for lunch.
If a need arises where one of the boys feels sick or suffers an injury, there is a willing and able staff to help them. This camp a young man named Clay Easton is the guy taking care of business. So far in the short time we've been here, I've seen him handle , blisters, a case of fever, and an acute case of homesickness. All were handled quickly and professionally. So far on the Troop 451 homefront, all is well.

10:45am - 82 degrees and overcast.

Camp Geiger - July 5th 7:00am

2010-07-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

"Monday, Monday, so good to me...it was all I hoped it would be." - Neil Diamond

Sunday night ended on a good note. The rain stopped about 9:45, and the fireworks commenced all over the little corner of Missouri and Kansas where we were. After dinner most everyone retired to their tents as the rain had limited any other plans. Which brings us to our feature of the day.

The Canvas Tents

What makes Camp Geiger different from our other campouts throughout the year is that we do not need to bring our own tents. You may have seen these in war movies and such, and you might think you wouldn't want to stay in one, being that it's not sealed up like the tents you can by at the story. But these tents are great.

Plenty of room for two boys and their equipment, and best of all, when they got back to the campsite in a downpour, mostly nice dry floors and dry sleeping bags. For the week that they're here, it does become a home sweet home.

The night was dry thankfully, and everyone slept restfully. (Especially many of the adults, who could be heard sleeping restfully). We began to wake up between 6 and 6:30, the kids wishing desperately for a few more minutes of sleep and the adults wishing desperately for some coffee. at 7:30 it was time to breakfast and everyone fell into the excellent routine that is established at the dining hall. It's truly a well oiled machine. All the boys begin their regular routines today. Merit badge classes and Trail to First Class start at 9am, then we break for lunch, and continue merit badge classes through 5pm. The boys can feel free to take in free swim at the pool at that time, or just relax back at camp.

Breakfast - French Toast sticks, link sausage, cold cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, milk, and juice.
Weather - This morning, on and off rain, 74 degrees.

Camp Geiger - July 4 5:45 pm

2010-07-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

"If the rain comes, they run and hide their heads..." - John Lennon/Paul McCartney

The rain is here just before dinner and it is solid. No storms, no thunder, no lightning, but a steady rain. That changed tonight's planned activities, but the Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared" for a reason. The boys were supposed to register for their merit badge classes tonight at 5 outside the dining hall, then have dinner inside, and enjoy an entertaining show at the amphitheater with the opening campfire, but we had all those activites in the dining hall. There was a good chance we were going to be able to see fireworks, but obviously those plans were dampened. And of course playing in the rain is always a favorite pastime.

We did get to meet the staff, and once again they are a top notch bunch of young men who will teach the boys lots of great and useful skills, and provide some great entertainment too. Our program director this year is Thomas Wilke, and if his plans are anything like last year's, we're in for a great time. Although the clouds linger overhead, and the campsite is wet, it's not dampening everyone's spirits.

Tonight's menu - Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and for dessert, peaches and cream.

Camp Geiger - July 4th 2:30pm

2010-07-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

After setting up camp, then having the lunch their parents so lovingly packed for them, it was off to check in. The process was a little bit different this year than in years past. The boys were taken from the campsite in groups of 15 (other troops were groups of 10, but since we are the largest contigent...) and we were taken to the HQ, but we took the scenic route instead. One of the camp staff was our guide and showed us some of the new paths, where the dining hall was, where the med station was...then it was time for check in.

After check in (a quick and painless process where you get your blue wristband..."if you don't have a wristband, you don't eat" the boys were told), the tour of the camp continued. The merit badge areas the shooting ranges, the camp fire areas, and then the swimming pool, where the boys had thier swim tests.

The boys were very excited to start getting into the meat of their camp experience, but for some their minds were still on things going on at home:

Camp Geiger 2010 – July 4th 10:30 am

2010-07-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

The bus arrived at camp around 9:30 am and the boys began to immediately unload the truck. Footlockers, cots, sleeping mats…everything they had packed and checked in was coming off the truck. Most of the boys had selected who was going to be their tent mate before arriving at camp, now the only thing to do was figure out which tent to get. Let the games begin!

A Scout is....Helpful

After getting gear stowed and tents set up to their liking, time to help set up the rest of camp that wasn’t completed last night. All the kids however were glad to be at camp:

Camp Geiger - July 4th 2010 7:30am

2010-07-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

"God Bless America, my home sweet home." - Irving Berlin

No, that's not at Camp Geiger, it's the real deal in New York. But it is the nation's 234th birthday, and we needed to make note of it. From an historic sense, Lewis and Clark were camped just a few miles south of us on July 4th 1804. They shot fireworks and had a huge celebration. As a matter of fact, the place they stopped to camp, close to Atchison, Kansas, was a small creek that ran into the Missouri River. Meriwether Lewis said it was so beautiful, he compared it to the Garden of Eden, and they named it Independence Creek.

We were treated to several fireworks shows around the Missouri and Kansas area last night as we stood on the ridge of the Arapaho camp site.

Good news for all parents, the bus made a safe trip last night. The kids are just south of us in Platt, Missouri having breakfast, and should be arriving at the camp shortly. The prep crew is enjoying a nice breakfast at Bob Evans.

Within hours, Summer Camp 2010 will begin.

We're here! Camp Geiger 7/3/2010 8pm

2010-07-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

...and I wonder, still I wonder, who'll stop the rain. - John Fogarty

The advance team left this morning about 7:30 in a light drizzle, and rain is what we drove through until we got into Missouri.

Of course there was the ususal friendly chit chat on the trip up, as evidenced above, and then there were the things that made the miles go by much easier, Mrs. Reineck's homemade brownies, Mrs. Koonce's cookies and all the other goodies kindly provided for us by Mr. Tuggle.

The trip was not without drama however. As the rain poured down, we got a call from Mr. Peterson and Mr. Engel in the big Penske truck carrying ALL the equipment, and they had an extremely uncooperative windshield wiper. They waited and waited for help to arrive just south of Oklahoma City, as the rest of us in the vans waited about 60 miles ahead to find out if we were going to have to go back, unload the truck and reload a new truck. Fortunately the wiper was fixed, and we waited for the truck to catch up while also taking advantage of the real pit BBQ at the Cowboy Travel Center in Orlando, Oklahoma.

Then of course the usual shennaigans continued. (It's not wise to fall asleep in the van.)

The first contingent, comprising the two vans and Mr. Reinek's Suburban arrived at Geiger at 8pm, with the big truck an hour behind. After we ate dinner, the truck arrived, the rain held off, and we were able to set everything up while keeping dry at the same time. We'll take that as a sign that this is going to be a great camp.

'10 Camporee - Nature Strikes Back!

2010-05-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Proving once again that Troop 451 will camp in any conditions the good Lord throws at us, in April we headed up to the LBJ Grasslands outside of Bridgeport for the 2010 Camporee. Late Friday night, we joined a number of other troops in anticipation of a fun weekend highlighted by Highland Games and the always special Order of the Arrow tapout.

We arrived about 8 p.m. and carried our gear in while dodging raindrops. Quickly, we assembled tents and started putting up the dining flies. It was then that the Heavens opened. By Sunday morning, we would endure 6.5 inches of rain that turned hiking trails into muddy soup that came 2/3 of the way up your boots. Even the hardcore campers agreed this kind of weather put a damper on the fun of the weekend. But as Boy Scouts is also about building character, we put this campout in that column and looked forward to May!

After a day and night of rain, the entrance to our campsite was more Slip 'n Slide than trail. A few limbs and later some hay gave us enough traction to at least come in and out of camp.

By Saturday morning, the trails had turned to a series of mud puddles that swallowed your feet when you walked threatening to suck your boots right off your feet if you stood too long in one place.

It's weekends like this that make you thankful to be surrounded by friends.

Rain? I don't know what you're talking about.

This was the :37 it didn't rain during out 36 hours in camp.

Funny how teamwork and communication improve when you're getting pounded with rain. We got the dining flies up in record time and enjoyed their shelter immensely during the weekend.

If you want to know how to roast a pig in a rainstorm, just ask Mr. Maddie and Mr. Kay. The hands down highlights of our weekend were the pig and brisket they cooked for Saturday night. It was every bit as good as it looks and yes, both have been nominated for the post of permanent grubmasters!

New Scout Campout, March '10

2010-03-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

Scouting is all about the path. Finding it. Following it. And all the things that happen to you along the way. Knowing how important it is to help both new Scouts and new Scout parents find the right path, every spring we hold a special first year camp out.

Mr. McKinley heads up Troop 451's "Trail to First Class" program and while it was certainly a boy-led weekend, he did a tremendous amount of work and planning to make sure our weekend went off without a hitch.

Mr. Brown was the first recruit, working to help all the new Scouts work on their Fireman's Chit and their Totin' Chit. Some of the older Scouts also did a great job helping staff the weekend.

Young Mr. Perry helped some of the younger scouts put up a flagpole which proved to be quite the effort with 30 mph winds blowing. All in all, we had great weather but when the wind causes white caps on the lake, it can make putting a flag up a little difficult.

This weekend was all about meeting new friends, new Scouts, new parents and of course for some great bonding time for kids and parents.

It was also a great weekend to clean out all the chuck boxes and to check out our equipment. We also took stock of the adult dry goods boxes which are now organized and inventoried.

Don't mind us. We're just over here reading the Boy Scout Handbook like good Scouts. We're not up to anything...really!

Mr. Dave was acting Senior Patrol Leader and did an outstanding job all weekend. Nobody does the Apple Skit better!

We turned the new dads loose in the kitchen and they made some unbelievable cobbler!

On Saturday night, the older "Staff" scouts decided to sleep under nothing but a tarp and the stars in their own little enclosure. It was a very cool location, but easy to sneak up on.

High winds are not optimal conditions for dutch oven cooking so we wrapped our ovens to keep the heat in. Must have worked. Meals were the quietest times of the weekend. Thanks to Mr. Taylor the food was outstanding as was the fellowship.

After dinner Saturday night, it was time to settle in for our "campfire" in the fireplace and a late-night game of Werewolf. Final Score - Werewolves 2 - Villagers 0!

All in all, we had a great weekend. The new Scouts learned a ton as they started down the Trail To First Class. The parents all learned each other's names and now we all look to Camporee coming later this month.

Dinosaur Valley Campout, Jan. '10

2010-02-25T16:57:00.000-08:00

Never let it be said that the members of Troop 451 are fair weather campers. In January, braving temperatures that dipped into the low 20s, we headed off to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, TX about an hour and a half southwest of the DFW Metroplex. The park is set in a spectacular panorama of mountains, forests, rivers and rocks and features riverbeds with real fossilized dinosaur tracks. Few things can make you feel smaller quicker than looking at tracks that were made 65 million years before you got there. All in all, we had a great weekend and lots of fun - especially the 20 or so scouts who earned their Wilderness Survival Merit Badge!

Right inside the front gate, we were met with two life size dinosaur models that stand guard over the park.

We had a number of fun conversations down in the riverbed imagining what it might be like to look up and see a real T-Rex thundering down the river in your direction.

Don't ask.

Miles and Hayden enjoy a few minutes just chillin' in a tree.

The Green Bar patrol did a great job leading the weekend and even found time to knock out the dishes.

Andrew takin' a little break between breakfast and a long hike up into the mountains. How great to be able to spend the weekend relaxing in God's country?

Matt and Webelo-soon-to-be-Boy Scout Ethan take a second to figure out what they're going to do next. This was Ethan's first campout with the Boy Scouts and now he's fired up to get on the Trail to First Class.

Check out the Wilderness Survival crew! To earn their badge they hiked more than a mile away from camp, crossed rivers and climbed up a mountain where they made their temporary housing and "survived" the night. They all did an outstanding job!

Incredible dinosaur tracks! It's truly unbeliveable to think these tracks have lasted all this time without being destroyed.

Some people danced their way across the rocks to cross the icy cold River in Dinosaur Valley. Others took a different approach. We're not naming any names.

Meanwhile back at Camp Wilderness Survival, the Scouts are beginning to wake up.

And just as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, Sunday morning finds Mr. Perry making the pancakes. This campout he was up at 6:20 a.m. to make sure he got first shot at the spatula!

After a fantastic breakfast and breaking camp, we ended our campout like we always do with a Scout Song Service and our Thorns and Roses. One of these days we're going to learn the second verse to Amazing Grace!

Shooting Campout, Dec. '09

2009-12-15T07:06:00.001-08:00

This December brought another excellent chance to earn the coveted Polar Bear patch for sleeping outside when the temperature is below freezing and as expected, Troop 451 didn't back down from the challenge. On Friday night, a large contingent from 451 made their way to Worth Ranch for a weekend of shotgun and rifle shooting, and of course, great food and fun fellowship.

Needless to say, the mornings were a little chilly, but ever prepared, the Scouts found excellent ways to keep warm.

Mr. Kay fed us way too well and really spoiled us with a fantastic gumbo on Saturday night. One more weekend like this and he may have to elect him permanent grubmaster!

After a little Saturday breakfast, it was off the shotgun range where Mr. Whitten and Mr. Arnett did an awesome job teaching the boys about gun safety, gun etiquette and the proper way to handle a shotgun.

Each of the boys got to shoot at the bright orange pidgeons flying everywhere (thanks to our very popular hand launcher)

8 of the boys were good enough shots to satisfy their shooting requirement for the Shotgun Shooting Merit Badge - hitting at least 24 out of 50 clays thrown. Congrats to Matt B., Jacob P., Noah B., Robby B., Tristan G., Muhsin Q., James K. and Michael M. for some darn good shooting!

If you haven't been to Worth Ranch, it's a beautiful piece of property with all kinds of terrain - hills, hollows, peaks, valleys - it's pretty spectacular from the top of the rocks on the path back to camp. After a fun Saturday night playing "Werewolf," we woke up to a Sunday morning so cold even the bacon was hard!

Normally, we pack up and head home pretty early on Sunday but at Worth, we had the rifle range all to ourselves and took full advantage of it. Each of the boys got to shoot for at least 20 minutes and there was some pretty impressive shooting on display.

Nice shooting guys!

2009-11-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Ameya B.

Troop 451's newest Eagle Scout

Saturday afternoon, in the sanctuary at Grace Baptist Church, the weekly meeting place for Boy Scout Troop 451, friends and familiy gathered for Ameya B's Eagle Court of Honor to celebrate his achieving Scouting's highest rank. The ceremony was both cheerful and reverent, two of the tenets of the Scout Law, and featured a wonderful video compiled by Ameya's parents of his scouting career from Cub Scout to Eagle Scout. Only 2% of those who enter Scouting ever attain the rank of Eagle, but Troop 451 is proud to count Ameya as our 7th Eagle Scout this year. Ameya, your friends, family and fellow Troop 451 members are both proud of, and happy for you. Many congratulations to you and your family on this outstanding honor.

Look Your Best, Do Your Best, Be Your Best

2009-11-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

I listen to Dr. Charles Stanley on the way to work most days. I have heard in his sermons this phrase – look your best, do your best, be your best. His messages relate this phrase to the Christian life. I was thinking how that same message is what we are striving toward in out scouting troop.

Look Your Best – We expect each scout to be in full scout uniform, to wear their uniform proudly and to take proper care of how they present themselves. The uniform has many aspects. The word uniform is defined as distinctive clothing worn by members of a particular group; not varying; having the same form or manner. We are all part of one team. The symbolism in various parts of the uniform shows the desires of scouting – learning about truth, acquiring knowledge, being lead in the right path to name just a few. Check out the first few pages of the scout manual to see the importance of the uniform.

Do Your Best – This is one of the foundations of scouting. Each time a scout or scouter says the Scout Oath, he or she is promising to do their best in their duties to God, helping others and to themselves. To do our best is in all aspects of our lives – scouts, work, school, activities, etc. I see so many today that want to just do the bare minimum to get by, to get the box checked. I think we need to strive to do the very best we can in every activity. I saw a shirt at a summer camp one year that said “Maximum Effort, Maximum Pride.” I do not think this is the pride of being puffed up, but to know that you have given everything you’ve got in the effort and are satisfied with the results.

Be Your Best – This speaks to each person’s character. To be trustworthy, courteous, kind, reverent (and the other points of the Scout Law) is to have the character of a person others want to be around; to be a servant leader; one who is dependable and a person of their word. This is what we desire for our scouts, to be much different than the normal teenager in today’s society. To be the person whose character and actions are honorable and respected. To be the young person who will stand out in a crowd because of their character and the way they conduct themselves.

I believe scouting has impacted many of the young men who have been in our troop over the years, making them better individuals. I am thankful for being just a small part of the influence on these scouts and for the working relationships we have had among the many adults to provide a quality program.

Gary Lueking
Asst. Scoutmaster

Troop 451

2009-10-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Trent P.

Troop 451's newest Eagle Scout

Saturday evening, in a serene Chapel setting in the woods overlooking Lake Lewisville, nearly 100 friends and familiy gathered for Trent P's Eagle Court of Honor to celebrate his achieving Scouting's highest rank. As with many of Trent's Scouting accomplishments, the ceremony was unique, impressive and in the true spirit of what it means to be an Eagle Scout. Only 2% of those who enter Scouting ever attain the rank of Eagle, but Troop 451 is proud to count Trent as our 6th Eagle Scout this year. Trent, your friends, family and fellow Troop 451 members are both proud of, and happy for you. Many congratulations to you and your family on this outstanding honor.

Family Campout, Oct. '09

2009-10-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Even though this weekend was cold and rainy, there was plenty of warmth and fun to be had at our annual Fall Family Campout - this year at Camp T'Sungani on Lake Lewisville. It was great to have "whole families" camping together and the facilities at the Town North Y were great for camping.

Everyone met up Friday night about 7 p.m. and started setting up camp. The Evans were some of the first to arrive and proved to be lifesavers loaning their extra tent to another family who found themselves in need of one.

The camping area at Camp T'sungani is a mixture of the kind of woods boys can get lost playing in for days.

There are also a bunch of open spaces overlooking Lake Lewisville including this stunning point, as well as an inviting dock for swimming and canoeing in the warmer months.

One of the neatest features of the campsite is the little chapel built into the side of the hill up in the woods. It's quite a reverent, serene place during the day, but on Saturday night, it was transformed with fire and color into a spectacular setting for Trent P's Eagle Court of Honor.

Even though it was chilly, we had all kinds of fun.

The McClellans did a little offroading with their gas powered remote controlled cars on a long bumpy stretch of road that proved the perfect drag strip.

Meanwhile, Team Williams played a little football in the adjacent meadow.

Just inside the camp gates, Mrs. Pederson set up the Archery range, much to delight of parents and kids alike, and helped guide bows and arrows for most of the afternoon.

In addition to the Archery range, Mr. Perry and Mr. McClellan set up two stations to throw Tomahawks. It quickly became the hot spot to visit and throughout the afternoon we learned three very important things: 1) throwing Hawks isn't as easy as it looks, 2) it takes a lot of finesse and technique to consistently stick the hawks in the targets, and 3) Mr. DiCiaccio needs to be really nice to Mrs. DiCiaccio because she's really, really good at throwing Tomahawks.

Even the "future Scouts" found plenty of fun - this time in the wonder of a big stick!

While most spent Saturday afternoon playing, many of the Scouts took some time out to help prepare for Trent's Eagle Court of Honor ceremony in the Chapel.

Others helped line the path from the pavilion to the Chapel with luminarios that were stunning when lit.

After so much time and work, Trent found a moment to catch his breath and think about his last few hours as a Life Scout.

Back at the pavilion, the rest of the troop was also thinking of Trent's journey to Eagle, but they were all starting at the beginning.

Always so cool to see a sash filled with Merit Badges and so fun to look and see which ones have been earned.

Brad L., a fellow Eagle, provided a dramatic soundtrack for the Ceremony.

Ethan B., the Troop's most recent Eagle Scout, also played a huge role in Trent's ceremony in full Mic-O-Say costume and paint.

Mr. Quraishi was proud to preside over the impressive Eagle Court of Honor as Master of Ceremonies.

Mr. Goodnight and Mr. Lueking, two of Trent's longest tenured leaders, served as Chieftains over the ceremony.

Finally, the moment arrived when Scoutmaster, and more importantly, proud Papa, Scott Perry awarded Trent with his Eagle along with a certificate signed by Chief Scout Executive Robert Mazzuca and the President of the United States.

2009-09-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Ethan B.
Troop 451's newest Eagle Scout

This afternoon, in front of a packed sanctuary at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Flower Mound, Ethan B. was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank of achievement that can be attained in Scouting. Only 2% of those who enter Scouting ever attain the rank of Eagle. The church was a fitting location for the ceremony as Ethan's Eagle project involved repainting the historic Bethel Chapel behind the church. Ethan, your friends, family and fellow Troop 451 members are both proud of, and happy for you. Many congratulations to you and your family on this outstanding honor.

Slippery Falls Scout Ranch Campout, Aug. '09

2009-08-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went up to Oklahoma to the Slippery Falls Scout Ranch and enjoyed a hot, sunny August day swimming in a river, a creek, a watering hole, a pool, and a lake - not the mention the time we spent climbing on giant rocks, jumping off boulders and enjoying God's wonder in the sunset over Turtle Rock. As always, the weekend was filled with great fun, great friends, great food, a couple of midnight raccoons and one leech. We can't wait to go back!

SFSR is a huge sprawling piece of property with hundreds of giant rocks, thickets of trees and dusty trails.

Saturday morning breakfast consisted of homemade donuts - or uh, that's what they were supposed to be. What time is lunch?

A 100-ft. footbridge connects the shoreline to Turtle Rock - a huge rock formation that provides the perfect place to look out over the entire lake. As we'd find out later, it also makes a spectacular spot to watch the sunset.

Good thing we saw this sign. DiCiaccio and Tuggle were about to throw down some wicked Triple Lindys off the high dive!

On the way to the lake, we ran across this family of deer. We had seen some tracks earlier, but they were nothing compared to the real thing.

Heading to Slippery Falls for a little splash time in the river.

Andrew L. cooling his heels upstream in the cool river water.

O.K. Who's up for a water massage?

After the river, we headed over to "Little Niagara" at the Chickasau National Recreation Area where we shared the afternoon with a fascinating cross section of America. By the way, that water is about 68 degrees and yes, it will take your breath away.

Bombs away!

Ellis C. found a beautiful spot down river but yes, the water was still cold.

After "Little Niagara," it was off to another pooled section of the river where the boys spend more than an hour jumping off of 12 foot boulders into the water below. You forgot how much fun rocks and water can be.

Is that Tristan G. or Spider-Man?

Will M. takes the plunge!

Troop 451 finishes off an awesome day of swimming with a little after dinner swim in the lake.

At sunset on Turtle Rock, the "Scoutmaster Minute" takes on a whole new meaning.

As the sun sets over the lake, there is no question that God in all His wonder is most assuredly in this place.

Morning brings one more chance to climb the rocks next to our campsite.

And for breakfast? Some fantastic pancakes made with fresh blueberries and bananas. Now for the record, the cooks took a lot of grief over the "fruity pancakes." However, if one is to peruse the Official Boy Scout Handbook, Eleventh Edition, published in 2005, you will eventually come to Chapter 10, page 268, paragraphs one and two under the heading of "Pancakes," which state - "Flapjacks are a favorite treat on mornings when you aren't in a hurry to break camp. They are best cooked in a heavy frying pan or on a griddle. Follow the instructions on a box of pancake mix. For variety, add fresh berries, chopped fruit, or nuts to the batter."

Next campout, we're making a Quiche!

2009-08-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Mudussir Q.
Troop 451's newest Eagle Scout

This afternoon, in front of a standing room only crowd at the National Boy Scout Museum, Mudussir Q. was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank of achievement that can be attained in Scouting. Only 2% of those who enter Scouting ever attain the rank of Eagle. Mudussir, your friends, family and fellow Troop 451 members are both proud of, and thrilled for you. Many congratulations to you and your family on this outstanding honor.

Junior Leader Training, August - 2009

2009-08-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

The key to leadership longevity lies in succession. And this weekend, Troop 451 took a great first step toward building the leaders who will be running our troop in the years to come. Thanks to outstanding leadership training put together by Mr. Brown Sr. (Sterling) and executed by Noah B. and his staff, our first and some second year scouts now have a better grasp of "shared leadership," the traits that make a good leader, and why trust and working together are key to running a great troop. Now it's on to Brown Sea - the second stage of leadership training - the weekend of September 11-13. The future of 451 is indeed bright.

Saturday morning, the scouts arrived at Hills & Hollows in Denton excited, but not quite sure what was in store.

Packed and ready for whatever the next 36 hours brings our way

First up, the flag raising ceremony...

And the Pledge of Allegiance. Always a wonderful reminder of the importance of Scouting and why we do what we do.

Next, get unpacked and help each other get all the tents up.

The senior scout staff did an outstanding job all weekend. Thanks Noah, Matthew, Chris, Saurage, Will and JJ for your leadership.

Noah B. laying out the lay of the land and the schedule for the weekend.

The scouts had a great time working through a "blind" communication exercise where they all held on to a rope and had to make one giant shape without looking at where everyone was standing, relying on on verbal communication.

Fortunately, on another 100-degree Texas afternoon, we had a great pavilion where we could meet to watch the video portions of the leadership training. It was also a great place to watch our Saturday night movie - "The Great Debaters!"

At the breaks, there was plenty of time for a little Football.

Hey, it is August in Texas. Football is on everybody's mind!

Mr. Covington did a fantastic job as Grubmaster putting on a Feast of Tacos on Saturday night including a delicious batch of Queso.

The great eating continued Sunday morning as Team Brown put on a Pancake & Bacon buffet!

Of course, the "patter vs. non-patter" pancake debate was raging as it always does when the 451 griddle gets fired up. Mr. Brown made it clear where he stood and as if on cue, Mr. Perry appeared to represent the "non-patter" side of the debate.

Quite a popular spot over the last two days - we went through 40 gallons of Gatorade, Lemonade and Water over the day and a half we were at Hills & Hollows. Got to stay hydrated! Many thanks to Mrs. Kahn, Mr. Osbourne and Mr. Lagesse who helped make all the meals and watch over camp.

This morning, the boys formed their patrol lines and cleared the campsite of all the trash they could find. The boys take "Leave No Trace" very seriously and did a great job cleaning up.

Our last activity before leaving camp was our Sunday morning service and the sharing of our "Thorns and Roses." Other than "bugs," "heat" and "a little late night talking" it was all roses including the food, the activities, the movie and from the adults, the joy of seeing these boys working together and learning to become leaders.