BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Scout summer camp in Colorado

By Jonathon Marsack, age 13 | September 27, 2022

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Jonathon Marsack, Jack Badgwell, Cameron McNulty

SMOKEY BEAR’S BOYS Lanier eighth grader Jonathon Marsack (left), with fellow BSA Troop 211 scouts and Pershing eighth graders Jack Badgwell (center), and Cameron McNulty (right), learned all sorts of skills at scout camp. Here, they are working on their service project clearing brush from the forest floor to help prevent forest fires.

This year BSA Troops 211 (boys) and 1211 (girls) spent a week at San Isabel Scout Ranch in Colorado. We had 29 scouts and 14 adults on the trip. We woke up bright and very early on Sunday to get to Hobby Airport at 3 a.m. The flight to Denver let most of us sleep, but we still had to make the long drive to our campsite. Once there, we rallied our spirits, attended the opening campfire, and prepared for a week of fun.

Monday was our first full day at camp and it was a blast. Earning our merit badges, which teach life skills, was at the top of our to-do list. Fishing, camping, wilderness survival skills, arts and crafts, Indian lore, and leatherworking were just a few offered this year. After dinner we prepared to have another full day of merit badge classes on Tuesday.

Wednesday was one of my favorite days at camp because we had the chance to go sandboarding. We woke up early and went to the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado. Once we got our sand boards and were ready to go, we made our way up to the top of the dunes. After an amazing time surfing the dunes, we headed back to our cars for tailgate burgers and hot dogs. After a sandy day, we came back to camp and went to bed. On Thursday and Friday, we had more merit badge classes, plus a troop service project and social time.

Then came Saturday – our last day in Colorado. We woke up early and left camp at 9:30 a.m. On the way to the Denver airport, we stopped at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs to walk around the interesting rock formations. In total, Troops 211 and 1211 earned a ton of merit badges and returned having strengthened our friendships with our fellow scouts. We are looking forward to next year’s summer camp!

If you are in 6th-12th grade and this sounds like fun to you, visit the troop website for more information: boyscouts211.wixsite.com/troop211.

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