Boy Scout Troop 145

Troop 145 traveled north to Camp Kern for this year's summer camp. Located on the southern shore of Huntington Lake above Sequoia National Park, Camp Kern provided a classic summer camp experience. There was a lot to do at camp from rifle shooting to basket weaving and everything between. During the week we spent there the weather was pretty good, but also pretty cold. After we settled in to our wood floor tents, we enjoyed the opening campfire with cheesy staff skits and campfire songs. The next day we had our swim test. Man that lake was cold!

A typical day at Camp Kern started off with the strict morning inspections by our commissioner. Then we went off to staff announcements with a "Goooood Morning Camp Kern!" from our camp director Jon Banes and daily messages from activity leaders before a hearty breakfast and flag ceremony. After changing out of our uniforms (they had to last all week) we went up or down the mountain to our various merit badge activities. Then after lunch we had the day to ourselves. We had a large amount of freedom to do as we wished from sailing to exploring camp to working on our merit badges and a side trip to the trading post to satisfy our sweet tooth. Next it was back in uniform for dinner and the evening flag ceremony.

Special events of the week included Mountain Man games (Troop vs. Troop), a sailing regatta, hike day to the Indian Pools, and participating in The Honor Trail. The Honor Trail was a more serious part of camp where we were reminded of our responsibilities to our country, each other, and ourselves. Troop 145 made an excellent showing and received many acknowledgements for shotgun shooting and rifle marksmanship.

When it was time to go, some of us wished we could stay the whole summer and some of us wanted to go home and get some sleep, but we all could agree that it was a week well spent. From the fun to the serious, by the end we all had learned a little something about scouting, the outdoors, and ourselves.