Although the camp out was very muddy, we were lucky that after two weeks of continuous rain, it finally stopped on the day of our camp out. All the events went as planned. We woke up early on Saturday to take place in the flag ceremony and the Amazing Race.

We have made it to hump day and we haven't lost a kid yet, although ushering the first years has been quite an experience for some of our new scout parents.  The Dan Beard scouts are doing great.

Yesterday we had 5 of the 18 contestants in the Big Kahuna challenge where they had to race up to the lake, kayak, run to the archery range and shoot arrows.  While the announcement of the official winner is set for Friday, I have on good authority that I am the undisputed BIG KAHUNA.

Our scouts noticed a fellow scout from a neighboring camp site sitting alone and crying.  They went to console him and found out he was homesick.  So they talked to him and cheered him up.  We were all very proud of our scouts.

On Tuesday, Sean led the charge to get Troop 1018 points in the boardwalk games with Willem spearheading the pool games.

Polar Bear Smackdown is one of the biggest highlights and ongoing battles with no clear victor as of yet.  If you don't know what this is, you never will.  It is way too much fun and too difficult to put into words.

Along with, Mr. Dresdner, we cooked an awesome pineapple upside down cake and entered it into the Dutch Oven cooking competition.  Results to be announced Friday, but the dessert was excellent.

Any down time has been spent in the trading post getting sugared up on slush puppies.  They just got a Dip'n Dots vending machine, so the slush puppies will have some competition.

Mrs. Zeina is the hero among the adults.  She brought the most awesome propane coffee pot we've ever seen. Along those lines, several adults earned the Coffee Merit Badge.

Funniest line heard at camp was from Willem:  "Sean (SPL) said I have latrine duty for waking him up."  (It was the middle of the day).

We are all settled in, and the scouts are all heavily into their programs.  We are in the DesChamps Camp Site 12.  It is a really nice camp site, nicely shaded and secluded and pretty close to the showers and parade field.

The Trailblazers are doing really well.  As part of their program, they will also be earning the First Aid (Eagle Scout required) Merit Badge.

Last night, we avoided a pretty big storm.  It went right around us.  We heard lots of thunder.  Today, we had a lot of rain, but it looks like it is over.

The food is actually pretty good.  Much better than Goshen.

Hey Everyone,

I know it has been a few weeks since the rafting trip but I wanted to tell you guys what a blast my patrol and I had! On Friday, June 3rd, a small group of scouts and adults traveled to the Lower Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania to brave the class three and four rapids. From the long ride up to being swept into the strong current the fun seemed to never stop! I cant speak for others, but the highlight of the trip for me was when one of the final rapids flipped our raft up onto its side. As I climbed to the top of the raft to prevent it from flipping, I watched my whole group topple over each other into the water! I encourage all scouts to come to any future trips we have on the water. They are a blast and you will not be disappointed!

This past Monday I had a wonderful time at the Summer Extravaganza and I hope you did too! All scouts enjoyed a nice Chipotle meal (Thanks to Beau Lawalt) and a huge game of Capture the Flag. Sadly, we were not able to play a movie during dinner, but that didn't stop us from having a great time!

I hope you all have a great time at Summer Camp next week and a nice long break from school! 

 

See you in September,

 

Benjamin Hunt

Troop Historian

Rahul	Renard
Sean	Nathaniel

They earned their Totin' Chip and Firem'n Chit patches, and some of the older scouts worked with them on various knots including the taut line hitch which was used to set up a tarp that protected us from the rain.  The scouts did very well on their first orienteering course.  Prince William Forest has a wide variety of orienteering courses, and the older scouts also did very well proving their skills and experience.

On Sunday, August 23, 2015 the Boy Scouts of America partnered with the National Park Services to keep the National Monuments beautiful for visitors. Troop 1018 from Dranesville, VA, along with Venture Crew 1018 and the Powhatan Chapter of the Order of the Arrow spent an early morning at the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial with scrub brushes and hoses, cleaning one of the most poignant War Memorials ever designed.

Our proximity to our Nation’s Capital enable our Scouts to perform a much appreciated service for our Nation. After cleaning the Memorial the Scouts had the opportunity to learn about the design and meaning of the Memorial

from a National Mall and Memorial Parks Ranger. Citizenship is one of the core values for the Boy Scouts. Caring for the Memorial and talking to the National Mall and Memorial Parks Ranger is a hand-son experience that teaches citizenship.