Winter Camp

Winter Camp has come and gone.  It was a great time.  Mostly.

The camp is located overlooking the St. Croix river just north of Stillwater.  We arrived Saturday morning and got settled into out cabin.  It was actually a dormitory, with a bunch of 4-person bedrooms.  The Tiger Cubs (1st graders) got the dormitory, the other dens were in cabins.

We started off with sledding down a pretty wicked hill.  Lots of fun, but a few bumps and bruises as well.  It was particularly hard on the parents and the Tiger Cubs.  :-)

After sledding we had a nice lunch in the camp dining facility.  One of the nice things about this camp is they have a dining facility and the parents don't have to do the cooking.  Sloppy joes and chicken noodle soup were perfect after a morning outside.

After lunch we had a nature hike with the Tiger Cubs where we collected a variety of pine needles, pine cones, bark, and leaves.  We also found a bunch of animal tracks down by the river.  After the hike, the boys did etchings of the things they found, which they enjoyed quite a bit.

Next up was a big game of capture the flag with the whole pack and the parents.  The game was played in the middle of the woods and was tons of fun.  Nick really got into it after he learned the rules and I really enjoyed it too.  We stayed out there until everyone was too exhausted to go on.  Running around through the woods in deep snow really takes a lot out of a guy.

After capture the flag, the boys practiced a skit to perform after dinner.  Dinner consisted of barbecued chicken, au gratin potatoes, and green beans.  It was pretty good.  Or we may have been famished after the afternoon activities.

After dinner there was a bonfire and s'mores.  After the bonfire, everyone returned to the dining hall for skits and a special appearance by Mini-me.  Mini-me is a Pack 22 tradition that goes back for years (from before any of the current pack leaders were involved).  It is the act where two people stand one behind the other.  One person is the head and legs, the other person stands behind and provides the arms.  Mike, the cubmaster, was Mini-me and I, as the assistant cubmaster, was the arms.  I can't tell you how much the kids love this act and how much they look forward to it.  The ones that had been to winter camp before were chanting for Mini-me back in September.  Anyway, Mike did a great job.  We tried to drink a few glasses of water and since I couldn't see what I was doing with my arms, you can imagine the results.  We also tried to eat a whipped cream pie with hilarious results.

After we cleaned up Mini-me, we got all the boys to bed.  I was in the bunk underneath Nick's.  He fell asleep quickly.  Just as I was just about to drift off, I heard a gurgle from Nick and then he threw up all over the place.

The situation was irredeemable, so I called Allison and she was gracious enough to come get us.  Nick was sad to leave, but the only thing we were missing in the morning was breakfast and cleanup, so that made it easier.  We thought Nick might be getting sick, but he seems fine today.  He ate pretty well yesterday, so it wasn't a case of too many s'mores.  Just his powerful gag reflex, I guess.

Anyway, it was a great time and we're both looking forward to summer camp.

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