Parent/ Son Camporee Weekend

There wasn't a cloud in the sky last Saturday when more than a thousand scouts, scouters, cubs, and their parent(s) met at Camp Raven Knob for the annual Parent/Son Camporee. This event is specially planned for the smaller Tiger, Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, and Webelo Scouts between the ages of 6 and 10 so you can just imagine the the vast amount of energy that was raring to be released and this 3,200 acre Scout reservation fills the bill every time for that calling!

The main events and activities occurred on Saturday which included three VERY popular shooting experiences. The longest lines were at the BB rifle range and the archery range where your hand/eye coordination could be well tested. Safety is always the most important aspect at any shooting event and I was impressed with the attention given to being sure that there were no accidents and that every boy enjoyed these great activities. The third shooting event was at the slingshot range where target pans were lined up and personal instruction was given to each individual child on how to properly hold, load, and
shoot a real slingshot.

At other parts of camp there were many other activities offered which included two (yes TWO) climbing walls. Boys love to climb so not too many Cubs missed these great experiences as they "monkeyed" themselves to heights of 30 feet on the tower where they could press a wild sounding buzzard to signal their achievement and an applause from the by-standers. These kids felt like a million dollars with their achievement and all of the positive attention. Great stuff!

There were also hikes up a very steep trail to "The Knob" where one of the most panoramic views of northern Surry County was the reward. This was a somewhat difficult hike with a 900 foot elevation gain but the views were worth it as my video below shows with great clarity. Cubs earned a nice pin for their hike. See a video of the view that I shot during the day by clicking the video below:


Leading all of the events were about 35 Order of the Arrow Wahissa Lodge 118 members who take great pride in volunteering and making sure that these events are safe and successful . I enjoyed leading the Whittling Chip station where more than a hundred Cubs and probably two hundred parents and leaders attended my classes on soap carving. It was a great experience for the kids to try their hands at shaping a bar of Ivory soap and I had boats, canoes, crosses, names, fishes, and you-name-it as carving projects and they did a great job thus earning their Whittling Chip card. I greatly appreciated the help of scouts Chris and Noah who provided me with a lot of support.

Other events included making a personalized decorated walking stick, fishing in the lake, visiting the Scout Museum, and a great fur display and trapping demonstration by representatives from the North Carolina Trappers Association. The day was a great success an

Image via Wikipedia

d I anxiously await the next event.