Pack 135

Camping

Map of Campsites

(If you decide to print these maps please bring and leave in the Map Box at the end of the weekend for future visitors)
DIRECTIONS: Click for Google Maps (click on “Terrain” for cool view) or better yet Cub Scouts! put these coordinates in your GPS: N 42°30.100′ W 71°23.235′ (There is no “address” for the entrance to Camp Acton. From Carlisle take Pope Road towards Acton. About 250′ After Spencer Brook Road, there is a small dirt road on the Right and a “CAMP ACTON” sign deep in the woods.) Parking is quite limited and other groups may be using the sites we have not reserved. Park tightly, and double park those staying.

Weather guideline: Dens may decide at point of purchase for food, once committed to food purchase please support your dens cost even if you decide to change your plans. Review the guide to safe scouting and BALOO training for more details.

2:00-3:00 Official Arrival & Setup (If you want to arrive early please see Campsite Assignments and Map)
3:00-5:00  Pack Activity – Create kechains
5:00 – 6:00 Pack Hike
6:00-8:00 Den Dinner & Cleanup & S’mores
8:00-9:00 Camp Fire & Songs & Skits
9:00 Lights Out

Dens are responsible for planning skits to deliver around the camp fire.

8:00-9:00 Wakeup: Breakfast Den Activities
9:00:11:00 Clean-up & Camp breakdown

 

The parking lot at Camp Acton will hold about 25 cars if everyone parks really really really neatly. We expect 35 or more for the campfire. Please make every effort possible to carpool and join ranks with others if you can be “parked in”. For instance if you are there for the duration let someone know they can double parked.

Please do not park in front of the emergency access road gate.

General Information:

  • Den’s buy and prepare food as dens.
  • The Boy Scouts can lend us equipment if your den needs it (see below).
  • Den’s must have a BALOO trained representative.
  • Pack pays for Port-a-Potty and permits.

Pocket Knives: At their parent’s discretion, and only Boys with the Whittling Chip Patch ATTACHED to their uniform, scouts may carry a pocket knife at this event. Not all activities are appropriate. Any parent/leader may confiscate/hold a pocket knife from any scout not practicing proper usage and return it to the scout’s parent.

Please be environmentally conscious. Reduce plastic and disposable gear. Practice Leave no Trace.

See notes at bottom of page and refer back to the Guide To Safe Scouting

Equipment Guidelines:

  • Boys Families, and Adults should bring: (Note if your stuff does not fit in a pack/duffle you have too much stuff!)
  • Tent – Can be borrowed from Boy Scouts
  • Sleeping bag
  • Ground cloth
  • Pad
  • Rain coat
  • Sweater or light jackets!)
  • Water (Drinking/Teeth) 1 gallon of water per person
  • Insect repellent/Sunscreen
  • Compass (if you have one)
  • Personal first aid kit/medications
  • Flashlight
  • Toothbrush/Toiletries

The pack will provide the following:

  • Menu
  • Food
  • Water (cooking)
  • Dishwashing pans/materials
  • Cooking Grills – Can be borrowed from Boy Scouts.
  • Tarps – Can be borrowed from Boy Scouts
  • Some Pots and Pans – Can be borrowed from Boy Scouts
  • Camping shovel
  • First Aid kit
  • Cooking Utensils – Can be borrowed from Boy Scouts
  • Saw
  • Skills Planning (Requirement/Elective Activity)

Pack will Supply:

  • Equipment borrowed from Boy Scouts (if you don’t have any of the above)
  • First Aid Kit
  • Port-o-Potty (Includes Toilet Paper) – Glow Stick
  • Permits.
  • One Hand Saw
  • Water Jugs (for fire control)
  • Campfire Prep and Treat

Please do NOT bring:

  • No Nintendos etc.
  • No Cell phones in the “on” position (if you want your son to smell the roses you need to too)
  • No noisy man-made things like Coleman gas lanterns that sound like trains, or radios
  • Pets

Campsite Assignments:

Based on groups sizes (larger groups, larger sites) and age of boys (younger boys, closer sites) Please use the following sites. See Map for more details.  However, the sites are flexible and if space runs out in a given site, feel free to use an alternative.

  • Site 2 – Wolves
  • Site 1 & 3 – Bears, Webelos I and Webelos 2

Firewood: There is a lot of fallen timber in the back sites and off the paths in sites 1 and 2. Cooking aficionados might want hardwood but any scout can find plenty to burn.

Administration

  • The Committee will need to secured the port-o-potty, permits and authorizations for use of Camp Acton.
  • The Dens should have a menu and internal list of campers. If you do not, you should organize this NOW (last month of school is treacherous for planning!)
  • Dens should let me know by June 15th what equipment they need to borrow from the Boy Scouts.
  • Families (siblings etc.) are encouraged.
  • Family radios (Channel 8) are used by select leaders through-out this trip. You may bring one for communication, but not for boys to play with. – Channel may change at event if bogies are present.

Safety/Fires

  • Basic reminders are there must be lots of safety conscious adults actively helping the boys on this trip.
  • Adults manage the fire at all times. Boys are not allowed to cook or stoke the fires. Bring fire water and our permit allows the use of the established pits only.
  • With managed, close and reasonably controlled boys, they may make marshmallows for s’mores and dough wraps (see your handbooks!)
  • Webelos may be involved in light cooking skills per the Outdoorsman Activity Award.
  • Follow youth protection training.
  • Remember bug/sunscreen and any plant insect allergies etc.

One simple example of putting the “light-saber” in the fire helps to quell the flaming marshmallow games of catch.

Dinner considerations:

  • Dinner is harder to cook over an open fire than you might remember.
  • Keep your menu simple and try to involve the boys as much as you can (requires good menu planning)
  • Start the fire early; it is much easier to add a few sticks at 4:15 to keep it going than to be fighting with wet wood and hungry boys at 6:15.
  • Have two families help with acquisition and two with prep/cooking and it goes like clockwork.
  • Try to stay away from using plastic and paper plates etc. we are Scouts!

Activities:

  • The Committee is arranging some pack activities but dens may also use the non-meal, non campfire time at their discretion. Camping trips are not “elective universities” – let the boys run around instead of force feeding them with the handbooks.
  • All dens should prepare at least two skits and one other element for the campfire. These are cub scouts, the skits must be age appropriate for all grades (and siblings) and non frightening or exclusionary. Ghost stories are discouraged.
  • Anyone is welcome to contribute to the activities list and then we can offer choices.

Camping Skills:

  • More experienced campers, please help out the parents/kids whose tent is in a rocky ditch, under dead tree limbs next to the fire pit secured with duct-tape.
  • Keep food out of tents.
  • Don’t let boys “play” in their tents once pitched so the tents stay clean and mosquito free.