Everything You Need/Want To Know About Summer Camp 2012

When:

Sunday July 15, 2012 - Saturday July 21, 2012
We will leave Sunday around 12 noon and return Saturday morning.

Where:

Cherokee Scout Reservation
3296 Boy Scout Camp Road
Yanceyville, NC 27379

Cost:

The camp fee is about $250 per Scout (the camp has not set the final fee for 2012 at this time)..

Accommodations:

There are large tents with wood floors to be shared by two boys each. The tents are equipped with metal cots with mattresses. Bring your own bedding (sleeping bag or sheets/blanket + pillow). It is also a good idea to bring a camp chair. We will be staying in the Mohawk campsite this year (see camp map).

Clothing & Gear:

Scouts wear their Class A uniforms to breakfast, dinner and evening flag ceremony each night. Bring enough clothing for a week, and don't forget your swimsuit and towel. Scout T-shirts are appropriate daytime wear. Mark every thing you bring with your name and "T59" (nobody will know what Troop to track down if they find something with just your name on it). There are a few coin operated washers/dryers, so bring detergent & quarters if you want to do laundry. Instead, the Scoutmasters gather up all the uniforms at mid-week and help the boys wash them together.

As always, bring your Boy Scout handbook. Also the usual gear such as flashlight, pocket knife, compass, first aid kit, rope, toiletries, medicine, camera, entertainment (books, cards, balls, games, etc. but no electronics). During the day, boys go to their merit badge sessions or other program activities in small groups or individually (not as a Troop), so a watch is necessary to be on time. For a list of clothes and equipment suggested by Camp Cherokee, see the Leader’s Guide on the Camp Cherokee website.

All your gear (except for bedding, chair, daypack, fishing gear & shared drinks) should fit into your footlocker. For ease of transportation, everyone uses the same type of stackable footlocker (see photos below). We special order these footlockers from Lowe’s Home Improvement for a cost of about $30 each. Contact Mr. Workman if you would like to buy one.

Padlock

Get a padlock that will fit your footlocker. Put a spare key or your combination inside of a sealed envelope with your name on it and give the envelope to the Scoutmaster at the beginning of the trip. This will save you if you lose your key or forget your combination. Use a lock that is not a long shank lock. The long shank lock still allows the truck to open enough for someone to reach inside.

Health & Fitness:

To attend camp, you must have a completed BSA medical form. Note that there is a new form this year. Always keep the original (in case we lose your form), and mail a copy to Mr. Workman.

On the first day, everyone takes a swim test in the lake as part of the camp tour. Passing the test allows you access to all areas of the waterfront. Passing the test is also a requirement for the First Class rank. The test involves jumping into water over your head, swimming 75 yards (3 laps) of crawl, breaststroke, sidestroke, etc., swimming 25 yards (1 lap) with an easy resting backstroke, and then showing that you can float on your back. Scouts who do not pass the test can participate in the Cherokee Catfish program to improve their swimming skills.

You will be living outdoors for a week, and walking everywhere (see camp map). Scouts typically walk several miles a day between the campsite, mess hall, and various program areas. Be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes or boots (broken in, not new, to avoid blisters). Bring a daypack to carry around anything you need. Bring sunscreen and insect repellant for protection.

Lots of physical activity in July heat means that dehydration and heat exhaustion are real concerns. Fortunately, they are easy to prevent. Bring a water bottle and be sure to drink lots of water all day long.

To assist with hydration, each Scout should bring a box or bag of 20 100% fruit drinks (NOT soda) to share with the Troop. We keep the drinks in a cooler in the campsite for Scouts to take as they wish (the numbers work out to 2-3 drinks/person/day). Sharing in this way is much cheaper, easier, and healthier than buying drinks at the Trading Post, and provides a nice variety.

Shower facilities are available near each campsite.

Food:

Three meals a day are provided in the mess hall. Seconds are typically served at each meal, so no one will go hungry, in spite of burning a lot of calories during the day. There are more campers each week than can fit in the mess hall, so meals are served in two shifts, which means you have to be on time if you want to eat. Each Troop provides a few waiters for each meal who arrive at the mess hall 15 minutes early to help with set up, and also clean up. Every boy will get a chance to act as waiter.

Thursday night, July 19, is Family Night. The camp does not provide food this evening. Families are invited to bring a covered dish supper for the family and the boys. A parent or parents to be designated will coordinate the potluck meal and carpooling. Please plan to stay and experience a wonderful campfire program. We ask parents to arrive around 6:00 pm and start eating at 6:30 pm. The campfire starts at 7:30 pm. Bench seating is available for the campfire.

Program & Activities:

On Sunday, there will be a camp tour and swim test in the afternoon. In the evening, we will meet the merit badge counselors and attend an opening campfire. There are a variety of twilight activities to choose from on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings. Thursday evening is a potluck supper and campfire program with our families. There is a closing campfire on Friday night, with Troops providing skits (so think of a good one).

The daily routine includes three trips to the mess hall for meals, as well as morning and evening assemblies of all campers between meal shifts for flag ceremonies and announcements. Our troop will have an opportunity to perform a flag ceremony (a requirement for the Second Class rank). During the day, merit badge classes and other program activities are scheduled during three morning and three afternoon periods of 50 minutes each (with 10 minutes travel time between classes). Scouts participate in appropriate activities individually or in small groups, along with Scouts from other Troops. Thus each Scout will have an individual schedule for the six period day. Camp is supposed to be fun, not school, so no more than four periods should be scheduled with formal activities. At least one period should be reserved for rank advancement within the Troop (see below), and another period should be reserved for free time.

Except when we attend activities as a Troop, you can generally go to various activities all over Camp Cherokee on their own, provided that you first get permission from an adult leader and go with at least one buddy.

Camp staff provides instruction in various skills required for rank advancement, but does not actually sign that these requirements have been passed. Scouts need to show older boys or Scoutmasters in Troop 59 that they have learned the skill in order to pass the requirement. There will be opportunities every day to do this, but the Scouts need to take the initiative to ask someone to help them learn a skill or sign them off when ready.

First year Scouts will participate in the FROGS program during all three morning periods. Note that you will need to bring a daypack, Boy Scout handbook, pocket knife, compass, paper and pencil, bandana, poncho or raincoat, and personal first aid kit. Assembling the first aid kit is a requirement for Second Class rank. Look in the Boy Scout handbook for an example. For Scouts who take FROGS, one of the handicraft merit badges (basketry, leatherwork, or Indian lore) would be an appropriate choice.

Mr. Workman has arranged with the Scoutcraft staff to provide instruction in the knots and lashings required for First Class rank. This will take one period (time not yet determined).

A listing of all offered merit badges and a description of each (including any prerequisites, age limits, cost of materials, length of class - some are more than one period long, and times offered) is available here (PDF). Email your choices to Mr. Workman (workman AT med DOT unc DOT edu).

The Camp Cherokee website has been substantially revised. Much of the information previously available on the website, such as descriptions of program activities (Cherokee Catfish, FROGS, twilight activities, merit badges & schedules) and a suggested list of equipment for campers to bring has now been consolidated into the Leader’s Guide (PDF).