Raven Knob 2004

Troop 1131:

We're on the home stretch; a few people will leave camp today to make it to swim meets and other commitments, and the rest of us will leave camp tomorrow morning around 9:30 a.m..We should arrive back at St. Stephen's around 3:30 p.m., depending on traffic. Some of the dads who came to camp yesterday said there were a lot of truck traffic and some construction to contend with both on I-77 and I-81.

Yesterday, scouts taking Wilderness Survival Merit Badge, Stuart Haight, Jay Miller, and Timmy Galvin spent the night in shelters they built. By the looks of them this morning, I don't think they got much sleep. The scouts taking Mountain Man and Camping Merit Badge also spent the night out, but it was not nearly so difficult for them. The Mountain Man group cooked some very tasty venison for dinner.

We were also asked if we could spare an adult to help with the Raven Knob Off Road Expedition, RKORES, into the back country last night, and Mike Tiffany volunteered to go along with Eddie Passarelli, Nathan Frederick, Sai Iyer, Bobby Orlick, and Brian McShea. They did some off-road night driving and even got to ride in the Surry County Sherriff's Hummer. They slept in the log cabin that the scouts at camp had built in the back country as part of the Mountain Man program severals years ago.

With so many people out of camp, we only made one Dutch oven full of Phil Sternberg's famous "Black Forest Cobbler" topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream. The people remaining in camp ate every bit of it so clean up was easy! This cobbler has a long history, and secret recipe that only scouts in our troop learn about. Calvin Sauerbier and Thomas Watson helped cook the cobbler.

Our Patrol Leaders' Council selected John Jaskot, the Senior Patrol Leader, to get the Raven Knob Honor Camper award at the closing campfire this evening. John has done a nice job this week, and the PLC made the right choice, in my opinion too. Both Matt Abbott and John Jaskot completed youth evaluation forms for the camp, and several adults also had a chance to write their own evaluation of the camp this week. My only criticism was that I would have liked a bit more selection at the salad bar in the dining hall. Other criticisms included a discussion of improving customer service at the Trading Post where many young staff members work and are just learning how to do their job. Overall, the boys and leaders like our campsite, which despite the hills, is fairly central to most merit badges and the dining hall. The troop has scored well on our daily inspections getting a 95 the first day and three 100's thereafter. The scores means we have kept the place clean, and have done our job cleaning the shower house and latrines.

Ned Wolfe took a dozen scouts to the new Wobble Shotgun Range last night. Everyone seemed to enjoy the experience. The camp has start working on the Old Dining Hall. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the camp and they hope to have a huge indoor climbing tower that extends through the roof of the Old Dining Hall. They also plan to have an indoor rifle or BB Gun range in the basement of the Old Dining Hall, and more class rooms for handicrafts.

Each week the camp hosts visiting scoutmasters and adult leaders at a luncheon in their training center. It's a good time to hear about plans and to talk about the experiences that people have had during the week. All of our adult leaders attended the luncheon. Nathan Sherrard and I sat across the table from a math professor from Duke University, Louis Blake. Nathan will be a senior at Duke next year.

Among other topics, we discussed how efficient the registration system is at camp. Nathan and I compared college registration systems too. My college registration system consisted in long lines of people waiting at tables in a big gym. Nathan's is on line, of course. Louis Blake recalled an intermediate telephone system that Duke had installed. The athletic department paid several hundred thousand dollars for the system after a particularly good football season many years ago.

Our Texan, Ian Dulaney, told us to let him know when we come back to Raven Knob next year. He wants to join us at camp again! He has been really impressed with the camp and the troop, and that's nice to know. I hope he makes Eagle, his goal in coming to camp was to complete Eagle required badges, and he seems to be right on track.

Next week, the troop will visit the new Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum near Dulled International Airport. We're meeting Wednesday morning, around 9:30 a.m. at St. Stephen's. I need parents to help drive. Parking will cost $12, but there is no entrance fee. Scouts should bring sack lunches or money to buy a "Subway" meal and drinks. There are simulator rides and an IMAX theater in the museum, and I recommend both. The cost of these two activities is probably around $15-$20, but may be less for young people.

The Patrol Leaders' Council is also going to Cape Henlopen, DE, next weekend for our annual planning camping trip. If there are any scouts who wish to go and have not signed up yet, please let me know. There is a limited amount of space in the dormitory. Remember to bring sun screen, insect repellant, boogie boards, and small fans. Video Gaming equipment is OK. We leave for the beach Friday morning, 10:00 a.m., from St. Stephen's.

Until next summer . . .

Philip Sternberg
Scoutmaster