Mohican Campout

The Mohican campout is a first in a long time where we left during the day time.  Not only that, but it was light when we arrived also.  Although the trip had no unexpected stops, it was not uneventful.

When we got to within a few miles of Mohican, we were transported from boring flat Ohio, to a place where dirt and stone roads went straight up and then straight down.  The roads were also exactly one lane wide.  A scout is brave.

Camp was setup and we had some snacks.  A few card games were played, some frisbee, and I think a football was tossed around.  Right across from our campsite was a huge grassy field.  It seemed to have been made just for boys to play.  The sun went down and the sweatshirts and hoodies came out.  It is 80 during the day, but the nights still get chili. 

We had to be at the canoe livery at 9:45 so breakfast was started early.  That meant an early wake up time for the cooking crew.  The boys were up at 6:30.  By 7:00 most of the food was cooked and the rest of the boys were up.  We ate some french toast, sausage, and bacon then were on our way.  Well, our cleanup crew had some dishes to do first.

After a bumpy van ride we put the canoes in the water.  I was one of the last ones in and saw that there were no tips.  I was sure that we were in for a pro canoe like trip down the river.

The river was beautiful.  The sun was shining, the river had a steady current, and the birds sang a sweet song.  Also, there was splashing, laughing, and at one point AC/DC music drifted in from shore.  Like I said, the river was beautiful.

There were few boys who learned how to steer a canoe.  A few boys learned how to get back in a canoe after it tipped.  A few boys just got wet.  5 miles later we dragged the canoes up on shore.  There was a swinging bridge where you could watch all the boaters go beneath you.  Many of the boys just hung out in the river, waiting for the word to head back to camp.

Back at camp there were various games again.  Some folks kicked back and relaxed, and some played games, and some explored.  I asked all the boys to come and make candles, and most joined me.

A few quick lessons and all the boys were expert candle dippers.  If you are wondering what will bring a chattering bunch of teens and preteens to church like stillness, the answer is making candles.  I was amazed.  Even after I told them they were suspiciously quiet and tried to engage them in conversation, I got one word answers and their focus returned to their candle.  Wow.

We got a couple of blazing fires going and Ryans patrol worked hard to prepare all the food for our foil packs.  We ate well, with multiple extra foil packs, and extra pot of potatoes, and a pot of cinnamon apples.  After supper was finished and cleaned up we went on a hay ride.

There were a few songs sang, and a bit of hay chewed.  I saw a fox scurry of the side of the woods.  The sunset was fantastic, and the hum of the tractor was hypnotizing.  It turns out that at the end of the hay ride, there was a playground.

The boys had just as much fun playing on see-saws, jungle gyms, climbing ropes, merry-go-rounds, and trapeezes.  They played until it was pitch black outside.

Back at camp we built a fire, we had smores, and each of the patrols performed skits.  As you might imagine, we lost a few boys to sleep along the way.  Not all made it through snacks, and not all could stay awake to be in the skits.  After all were told it was time for bed, the boys headed for their tents.  Within minutes conversations stopped, and silence fell.  These were some tired kids.

In the morning we got off and headed back.  We used our new texting system to let folks know that we were on schedule for our f.o.e. arrival.  We later learned that we did not have all of the parents on the text list.

Thank you for sharing your boys with us.  It is a pleasure to watch them as they learn skills and build character.