Erie KOA/ Presque Isle Days Campout

We are so thankful to the Erie KOA Campground for hosting our upcoming camp out this Friday July 24th, 2009. Thanks KOA from our troop to you! Thanks for offering this great weekend at a great price for our wonderful scouts. We are looking forward to camping at this beautiful campground and spending the weekend with your staff. This will be our first camp out at the KOA since learning of their great offers to Scouts and their Scout program. See below information taken from the KOA website, a little of what they offer to Scouts. Check your area to take advantage of these great deals for your Scouts and plan your next camp out with your local KOA. Click on the title for this post to be directed to the Erie KOA website for more information. Here is briefly what they offer.

Participating KOA campgrounds are offering Scouts and their leader's special discount rates, as well as free use of group pavilions and other facilities. KOA Scout Program discount rates include:

• A $5.00 per Scout/Troop leader rate on camping fees, as well as free use of group pavilion facilities. The $5.00 rate applies to RV or tent sites with a minimum of 5 Scouts and 1 Troop leader.
• A 10% discounted fee will apply to all Scout usage of KOA Kabin, Kottage and Lodge accommodations.
• The Scout rate is available only when reservations are made directly through the campground.

Custaloga Town -French And Indian War Encampment- Part 1

Here they are, our great little guys. Happily drudging their belongings to their camping area. Isn't it great. Just about the best spot ever. Hand picked by our fearless Scoutmaster Steve and his Assistant Scoutmaster Joe. These little guys are happy anywhere, they do not care if you put them in a tree, as long as they are camping. Thats what scoutings all about. The fun and adventure. Notice the trees behind them. On the other side of the trees a babbling creek. This will prove to be the greatest weekend ever. Camping beside a stream, think of the adventure. Playing in the stream. 2 of our older scouts decided to camp right along the creek. Now that's brave.

Number One Reason For The First Aide Merit Badge....Injuries

Why do we get a First Aide Merit Badge? Why do we have a nurse in our troop? Why do we try to avoid danger at all times? Because we have boy scouts...key word...BOY! Where there are boys there are bound to be accidents. This was just a little one. Thank you lord. Mat only did it for the smiley face. He was so excited by the bandaid he emailed it to all his friends....that's pain folks! Who's son....the nurse!

The Campfires...The Memories

Our favorite is by far sitting at the campfire and reminiscing about our past camp outs over the years, making memories like this weekend. We will always remember and recall this just like all the rest. We so much enjoy our weekends with the boys. It is a privilege and honor to have a part in these young men's lives. That's scouting. That is why I do this blog. I hope in the future our guys will always look at this and say I belong to that family also....my scouting family. It is an extended family. We feed, protect, care, nourish the spirit, pray and laugh with our boys. We love each and everyone of them for who they are. They are all individuals and each are different and each are special. It doesn't take long to learn what makes them tick. And it doesn't take long to know and fall in love with each of them. So many boy's have come and gone. Many have stayed. We always stop at some point to remember the ones that are no longer with our scouting family. Maybe someday hey will wonder back and maybe not but when we see them we know they will always remember the time they spent with us .....making memories, just being boys.

Nature..The Wonder....The Water

Need I say more. The water was now approaching vehicles......time to move along. Notice the boys happily playing in the background. Being boys. I love scouting. Notice the big boys moving the smaller boys out of the water....party poopers. Oh well.

The Custaloga Town French And Indian War Encampment...Flood

Well they were telling the truth. No joke folks it was a real flood. It rained so hard over the night and early morning the beautiful creek over flowed its banks and whalah.......flood. The camp that took 2 hours to erect took 5 minutes to carry to higher ground. Really about 10 minutes. All we could do was basically watch it rise. The boys really just absolutely loved it. Playing in the water was just he coolest thing. So we moved to higher ground and all was well. Oh notice the tent of our 2 brave campers their tent did not survive. It is now a tarp. Oh well life goes on.

Custaloga Town- French And Indian War Enccampment- Part 2

Everyone is looking forward to nightfall. The sounds of nature. Don't forget that beautiful creek lulling you to sleep. Smores and roasting marshmallows and football in the dark. Its a scout thing. Never do the obvious. Like attempt to catch a football with the sunlight in your eyes. Go for the moonlight, its just better light you know. Anyways it took a few hours to set up camp maybe a little less. Then it was fire time. And that's always another story. Thank our dear lord it wasn't cold that's all I can say. The boys always work so well together as a team. And they have a great team. They do what needs to be done to accomplish their task. Their camp is always neat, tents another story. But thats what zippers are for. Poof it's gone. Anyways there is so much more to our story so we must move along. Everything was just perfect......then....oh my!

Custaloga Town -French And Indian War Encampment- Part 3 (The Great Flood)

Well sometimes ...even with perfect planning and absolute perfection, you get an OOPS! Maybe that wasn't the perfect spot, possibly for some reason, maybe I should have not picked that area for mere FLOODING reasons.

Then at 5AM all your worst fears come true. Nothing like 2 boy scouts bright and Early in the am, on a day when you really don't have to be up at 5 AM, running around like chickens with their heads cut off screaming.....there's a flood everyone up! Something in your mind says darn now that's a real nightmare and something says....I need to respond. Then there is the 40 something body saying ....well don't respond real fast there is plenty of time. Then you continue to sleep ignoring the impending...Flood!

Yes folks it was the great Custaloga Town Flood 2009! Who would have thought. I would like to send a shout out to Drew and Mat for basically saving us from mere devastation and an early morning swim.

Pole Dance

Now this is really going to make you smile. We love the wildlife especially bears. Our boys got to see a few 2 years ago at Calumet in Bradford, Pa. A few of the troops got to see them really up close and personal. That is they were personal with their doughnuts that were raising while the troop enjoyed their activities. Needless to say, they never saw those doughnuts. It is very important to respect nature and to respect our wildlife. Also to remember what they are capable of. Personally there are times I myself would tear up a camp for a crispy creme but that's another story for another day. So for now just remember to....Leave No Trace. That includes DOUGHNUTS!

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Dutch Oven Cobbler- Sure To Be A Hit At Your Next Campout

Dutch Oven Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 can of cherry pie filling 
1 can of crushed pineapple 
1 box of yellow cake mix (not the pudding-type) 
1 cube butter 
1 small package of chopped walnuts 
Directions:

Dump both cans of fruit on the bottom of a foil-lined 12″ dutch oven (spray with pam cooking spray before lining with tin foil). 
Spread the yellow cake mix evenly on top of the filling (just pour it right out of the package). 
Dice the cube of butter in small chunks and drop it as evenly as possible on top of the cake mix. 
Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top of the mix. 
Cover and bake around 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes – you want the top of the cobbler brown and bubbly, and not too dark. (I use 22-23 briquettes, with around 9 underneath the oven. I don’t replace them during cooking). 
Rotate the oven AND the lid every 15 minutes. 
The butter melts into the cake mix and it comes out so good. As you can see it’s a very easy dessert to make. While it’s baking the scent of pineapple and cherry starts to flow around you. I think I’ve had a request to make this at every campout I’ve been on.

Instead of cherry pie filling you could add a can of blackberries – it tastes good with them too. And you can try different fruits to suit your taste, even fresh fruits. (If you use fresh fruit you should mix them with a little sugar first.)

Top it off with some whip cream and you are set for the evening! And if you can smuggle some vanilla ice cream to the campout, this is great a-la-mode.

De-Un-Da-Ga Pow Wow May 2009 Video

This was a great weekend. Plan it for your Troop in the future.Well worth it.
Remember to pause video player anytime you want to view one of our Troop's videos. Thanks for stopping by our blog. God Bless.

Troop 51 Campout At The De-Un-Da-Ga Memorial Day Pow Wow

35th Annual De-Un-Da-Ga Memorial Day Pow Wow At Custaloga Town



What a great weekend. The Wow describes it. These individuals are trully dedicated to the art. They did a wonderful job of presenting Native American Dance each and every one of them. The boys had a wonderful weekend. This is a yearly event hosted by Custaloga Town Scout Reservation and sponsored byLangundowi Lodge #46. A truly beautiful setting for the event. At nightfall the dancers just come alive and knock your socks off. Each are dressed in Native American costume that are beautifully done. If your troop has not attended this event you will have to attend. This is one of those you just got to be there. Located at 7 Boy Scout Lane; Carlton, PA 16311. http://www.langundowi.org/CTSR_Directions.htm Directions are provided by clicking on the link. You will not be disappointed. Our troop had a great fun filled weekend. Here are a few pictures of the Pow Wow. Hope you enjoy. Happy Memorial Day from Troop 51.

What a spectacular weekend. All and all it went fairly smoothly with only a few small glitches. I may be partial to our young men but most times I can only sit back and smile, you just can't help it, these boys are awesome, no tremendous. They trully make us so proud as leaders.

Its Time For Camp Chickasaw

Yes its time once again for the 2009 Camp Chickasaw Season to start. This has become a favorite place with our troop. We love going there but are not always happy to leave. We will really miss our old friend Mr. Marquardt this year. It will never be quite the same without him. We are left in very great hands though with our Eagle Scout Tyson who we have become equally as fond of. We are really looking forward to another great camping season. This is a Scout and Scoutmasters dream. Beautiful acres of land, hiking as well as camping spots.It is close to fishing, church and nature. It costs you an hour of camp service. Of course any donation I'm sure would be greatly appreciated and well deserved. Tyson is an awesome camp host and has become someone we like to call friend. So here is a link go ahead and check it out. Make some reservations and I'm sure you will visit for years to come with your scout troop.

http://users.zoominternet.net/~chickasaw/