Older Girl Campout Training

Look at me!  I'm back to blogging!

Let's start with our Older Girl Camping Training.  It's as good a place as any.

The back story: Many of our mom's say that we don't camp enough (despite the whining of the girls!!) so we planned two troop camp outs for this year-in addition to the service unit camp outs which are usually cabin camping.  The first being a single night to "train" the older girls on how to teach the younger about camping.

We got up to The Montrose Service Center around 8 am on Saturday morning.  It is probably the most beautiful Girl Scout facility within a reasonable driving distance from us.  It is a nice, very large, "back yard" behind a large community building.

So after we unpacked the truck-thank you Helen!-and Gloria's car, we got to making good time and setting up camp.  The girls that were there had no idea what to do or where to start.  Gloria couldn't believe that not one of them remembered basic camping skills from the last time we camped.  We had to walk them through each. And. Every. Step.  Thank goodness we scheduled a Practice Training Session.

Step One: Tarps:

 Step Two: Laugh at girls as they take over an hour to figure out what the heck a tent is:

Step Three: Victory!

And the rest of the tents were a similar process.  So, about two hours later the girls were finished setting up sleeping quarters and wanted to know what was next.  We inspected all of the tents:

And then let them practice chopping wood.

But it was really Carolina's excellent knife skills that really took top prize for fire building, while everyone was good, her ability to make kindling is top notch!

Now, with a big pile of firewood, we were ready to start on lunch.  Yea for lunch!!  What's that you say, Gloria?  No way to start the fire??!?!?!!!!  Jessi's supplies haven't arrived yet!!!!????!!!!!  Whaaaa?  Uh oh.  Ok, so no need to panic, we are literally across the street from a 7-eleven but how Girl Scout like is that?  I am gonna fix this-and have so so much fun in the process.  There was a troop there the night before.  And they had a campfire, so I took the remaining hot ashes, and Carolina's kindling and tinder and built a fire from that!  I was totally proud of myself!

Now, with fire going, we managed though lunch: hot dogs over an open fire.  See how pretty our mess kit line was?

And on to dinner, a lovely meal of tacos and salad...

...and for desert?  Marshmallows over our campfire of course!!

 Ok, maybe "someone" had a bit too many marshmallows!!!

A little song and dance, cause what is a campfire with out Girl Scout Songs:

And by 9, we were having trouble keeping them awake!

Sooooo it was off to bed.  Well for all except Helen Gloria and I who were going to hang out until the fire was safely out.  We sent the girls to brush teeth and got to work putting out the flames, but our "Little Friend" had different ideas for us:

Yeah, that's Pepe Le Pew there, coming to check us out!!  Gloria says "hey something is moving over there, what is it?  Oh My God it's a skunk, run!"  You have never seen three people run so fast!  It was funny-and of course, woke up the girls from their sleepy walks back from the bathrooms.  So now we have a camp full of girls shreeking about a skunk and boy it was the easiest lesson all day!  Remember the NO FOOD IN YOUR TENT RULE??  This is why!  Critters like to come right up to the tents and help them self.  So three girls quickly emptied their snacks from their tents and put them with the rest of the food and everyone went to bed.

Ahhh the lovely sound of the little pond....so peaceful.....so soothing......wait?  So off??  NOT FAIR!  The trickle turns off at 10 and signals the real "lights out."  Bummer!

Next morning a lovely breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and juice before evaluation of what we can do better and then clean up.  All the girls wanted to chop more wood, so of course, more hatchet time (after learning the differences between a hatchet, an axe, and a hand axe/camping axe). Then Lunch of "freeze dried foods" (well in an emergency, we wont starve-we now know which ones taste half decent!) more clean up packing and finally it was time to go home.  Ahhhhh showers, warm beds and a long night of sleep. ZZZZZZZZZ


Hugs,
♥♥ Julie