We’re having a heatwave here (we made the CBS evening news!). So naturally I spent 3 days without air conditioning in scout camp last week – Thursday through Saturday. I had a good time and I sleep better every camping trip I go on. Normally I try not to sleep on my back because I tend to snore in that position but given the Dad Symphony around me I rolled over onto my back at 2:30 AM Thursday and slept there the rest of the trip. Nobody complained in the morning, and I slept like a middle aged fat man — I only woke up to go to the bathroom.

Summer camp at S-F is like stepping back in time, since the equipment is the original from the mid ’60s and the tents have a feel of such antiquity you feel like you’re at a civil war encampment. But on a hot summer night, a tent that becomes only a roof is pretty handy, although by the end all the boys were sleeping out under the stars:

I know a lot of people think Missouri is just another boring midwestern state without majestic scenery, but I find the scenery here to be wonderful in an elegant yet understated way. The centerpiece of the S-F ranch is Nims lake (at least for the campers) which not only is beautiful, but fun:

Each patrol has it’s own area in the overall troop campsite, and the dining table with fly above is the nerve center of the operation. So here’s a picture of the Eagle’s nerve center, with the Old Goat’s (the adult patrol) area in the background, marked by the presence of the troop trailer, source of many good things. My son was happy to see me when I got there, but I of course wanted to capture the moment on film. Or CCD, as the case may be. 

The campsites at Camp Sakima are arrayed in a horseshoe fashion around a cove of Nims lake; the two sides of the mouth of the cove are connected by a long pontoon bridge (very long under the hot Missouri sun). Campsite Dilling is located on a hill at the end of the bridge.

Thursday night was the tapped out ceremony for the Order of the Arrow, the real secret society that runs the world. Or at least the scouting world. We made our way to the parade grounds were the camp director gave a good talk about what the OA is all about — cheerful service (It’s just one of the reinforcements of good behavior the Scouts provides). And it was better for the fact that he wasn’t chosen the first time he was eligible, so he talked about the importance of looking within at your motivations, and looking without at your actions. Then we were led by guides back along the shore or lake Nims where we lined up, shoulder to shoulder (a phrase often used to pack us in at camp) for the ceremony. It’s a very cool ceremony, involving lots of fire, several Indians, and the choosing of members for the Order of the Arrow. I thought it poor form to take pictures of the ceremony itself as I was a participant, so sadly I have no really cool pictures. I do have a group shot though, just before the boys and parents separated and we made our separate ways to the start of the ceremony.

It really was a good time.

The weather this year has had an unusual pattern – nice weather on the weekend, lousy weather during the week. Normally it’s the other way around, although last weekend the weather wasn’t nice. I ought to know, I was out in it camping with the scouts again. I may have to keep going until we get a nice weekend. It could have been worse – the rain came after the tents were up on Friday night and we are safe and snug in our, err, sleeping bags. It seems to be a tradition that we pitch our tents in the dark, which leads to surprises in the morning — our worse, in the night.

Here the new scouts are getting instruction from the Senior Patrol Leader the night we arrived:

Read on for more fun filled photos and exciting adventures…

Those home improvement shows have designers always going on about bringing the outdoors in. Well, look at a picture of the scouts kitchen and tell me if we succeeded or not:

What’s cooking? Pancakes? I think those are more like fried dough balls, but good!

We were at Pere Marquette state park, and this is the Boy Scouts, so we hiked. We came across a tree recently blown over right on the trail (yes, we did manage to get through):

Along the way every now and then you could glimpse the river and its plain through the trees:

Eventually we made our way to the twin shelter, which was a nice place to rest and admire the view:

Although the site itself was gorgeous:

But that wasn’t our ultimate destination, just a waystop along the way. So we pressed on, upward, onward, excelsior! At last we made it to McAdam’s Peak and the view from there is quite nice:

This park is famous for the Bald Eagles you can see in winter, but we weren’t there in the winter. So it was back down to the visitor’s center via the ravine trail (I’m glad we went down it, not up it):

That night we had a fire – and there are few things nicer than a fire on a cold spring night (especially when you don’t have to help gather the wood):

The weekend was exceptionally windy, which made the cold much worse. Several of the tents were blown over, including mine. Here we are Sunday morning making ready to leave. That’s my tent on it’s side – I tipped it over to dry the underside which was still wet from the night before:

The drive alongside the rivers home was pretty, and the bridge at Alton is a sight worth seeing all on its own. But the best part was the long hot shower at journey’s end.