Winter Camp

Troop 81 left for Winter Camp at Camp Cherokee on December 26, 1998, one day early trying to get a good campsite. However, when we got there, most of the campsites were full. So, we claimed the best site we could find and set up our tents and the huge army tent. By this time, the sun had set, so we had dinner and got to bed pretty early.

The next day, the whole camp had the opening flag ceremony, opening festivities, opening campfire, and lots of free time.

On the third and fourth days until lunch, we had merit badge courses. In the afternoon, everybody had free time or continued some merit badges. In our free time, we could visit the patch museum, go to the rifle and shotgun ranges, go to any other area for show-and-do, go to the trading post, or relax.

Then on the next day we had the Polar Bear swim. The Polar Bear swim is when lots of people get up bright and early in the morning and go swimming in the freezing lake. Next, everyone had their last day of merit badge courses. After that there was plenty more free time. In the evening, Troop 81 attended the campfire where we doused several staff members (including one from our troop) with more freezing water.

On the last day, we packed up early and left as soon as we were ready and our campsite was clean, arriving in Richardson at about 1:00 P.M.

Throughout the campout Troop 81 did some pretty fun stuff. We had an intertroop football tournament, an intratroop football tournament, and a frisbee golf tournament.

Scott Steger