It has been great to get back to normal scouting events and in no case was that more true than with our annual Fall Kickoff event, which was cancelled last year.
Fifteen scouts and six parents gathered for two nights in September at Camp Piggott. We never know what kind of weather we're going to get for these events, given the season, and our forecast was poor. Indeed, while we gathered in the parking lot as it was still light and dry, by the time everyone had arrived and we had hiked to our campsite, we were setting up tents in the dark and in the pouring rain. That was an adventure, but a good time of bonding.
The first evening's meals were individual affairs with what you brought with you. But after a night of quite mixed sleep, depending on how wet your belongings had gotten or in the case of the adults, how much you liked the sound of rain dripping on a metal roof all night, we all got up and made breakfast. The boys did this as patrols and did well. The adults were treated to an amazingly gourmet Mexican-style hot breakfast courtesy of Mr. Alvarez.
The morning activity was a Pioneering Competition. The idea was to get as many members of your patrol as high off the ground as possible using rope and poles. You could have 1, 2, or 3 poles – or chop down your own Alder ones – depending on how well your patrol did in the pre-game Bible Trivia competition. Run by SPL Christopher and ASPL Gavin, scouts had to "buzzer in" by being the first to demonstrate a square knot. Each scout was allowed to answer once and once only. If they got the answer right, a point for their patrol. The competition lingered as Andres and Cole held out for a question they knew, and Christopher and Gavin sought to find ever easier questions.
With the Eagles winning, they actually picked the 2-pole kit. The Chilis picked the 3 and the Blackbirds were stuck with the single. Over the course of the next 90 minutes the boys had a lot of fun trying out their knots and lashing skills, and experimenting with various ideas. The most success was found by the Blackbirds with a single pole, lashed with cross bars, and tethered at 3 evenly spaced points around the compass. Oliver fearlessly scaled to the top, followed by Christopher who went hands-free.
After lunch, it was an afternoon taking advantage of the fact that Camp Piggott has its own Gaga Ball Pit. This was a new game to many and a ton of fun. Recurring members of the Final Four included Graham, Toren, Andres, and Christopher. The dads even got in on the action and Mr. Keen and Mr. Said demonstrated their competitive spirit. The weather was much more cooperative during the day for these events.
Dinner (like lunch) was back at camp with patrols cooking their own meals. One particular feature of Kickoff is that the patrols are constantly competing with each other, with the SPL judging. And this especially includes cooking, so Christopher (and Gavin) got to go around to "white tablecloth" meals to be wowed (or not) by the festal offerings from the other scouts. When all the points were eventually tallied, the winning patrol was: The Eagles!
The weather turned sour Saturday evening and instead of a nice gathering around a campfire singing songs and telling stories, most scouts retired to the shelter of their tents. The next morning Logan led a Scouts Own, followed by Reflections, and everyone headed home. Despite the challenging conditions at times, everyone seemed glad that they came.
