Sunday, April 26, 2015

Cave Run Lake - Twin Knobs Campground - April 24 to 26, 2015

Location - Cave Run Lake - near Morehead Kentucky
Mileage - 226 round trip. Filled tank in Georgetown KY.
Weather - 44 at night - 53 during the day - rain started early Saturday morning - ended early Sunday morning
Clothing - quick-dry convertible Scout pants/shorts, tshirt, fleece mid-layer, Bass Pro Shops raincoat (I need a new raincoat!) - it didn't keep me dry.
Shoes - Keen Sandals Friday night to Saturday afternoon. Also Sunday morning - Merrell Waterproof hiking boots and wool socks Saturday afternoon to Saturday night.
Tent - Coleman Lakeside 6 - I've had this tent for 15+ years.  I have broken poles and missing pole pegs on the sides, but I still make it work.  This may be the last I use this tent until I can repair it.
Sleeping bag - Slumberjack XL Bag - 0 degrees.
Camping pad - Thermarest Prolite
Main Activity - Grubmaster - I made Sausage Grave, bacon for breakfast Saturday with biscuits that I had made from home on Friday, Tortilla Soup & Ham&Cheese Quesadilla for lunch, hamburgers & fried potatoes for supper.  Sunday morning - leftover sausage gravy and biscuits.  TOO MUCH SODIUM.  Next time I'm grubmaster, I'll make something better.
Extra Gear - Dad's Coleman Lantern (early 1970s) that still works perfectly, my cheater heater (i wasn't the only adult with one on this campout, hammock.
Nights Camping - 2


Thomas had a KMEA band competition at SCHS after school on Friday.  He was supposed to be out at 6:30.  I stopped at Spade to pick up Noah and Cody just before 6, and I also dropped off the cooler because it wouldn't fit in the back of my truck.  I borrowed Monty M's cooler, and had all the cold food for the campout inside it.  Luckily it had been in my office at work already.  I picked up the two scouts who joined me and Tyler in my truck.  I drove directly to SCHS to pick up Thomas.  His band was done with the competition, and everyone was loaded in the school bus except Thomas, the band director, and a couple of band parents.  Mr Nunn asked me if I had trouble finding the high school.  I smiled and said, "I graduated from this high school."

We drove to Mom's house so we could keep the trumpet and competition clothing there for the weekend.  It took Thomas a few minutes to change.  We then drove to Subway restaurant since no one except Noah had eaten.  I have been refusing lately to eat at McDonald's during campout weekends.  It is too easy to make McD's the eatery of choice on trips to and from campouts.  You have to work hard to not eat there if you get into the habit.  Last campout Thomas and I made sandwiches from home, put them in ziplock bags, and ate on the road.  After Subway, we then drove directly to Twin Knobs Campground.  We got there shortly before dark.  I mostly set up the tent in the dark, but I also had my lantern.

Twin Knobs Campground

We had all of Loop I to camp in.  I think last year we were in Loop F.  Cave Run Lake is an awesome place to camp.  Each camp area has a shower house that doubles as a storm shelter.  Each shower house has two restrooms and two restroom/showers - 4 rooms total.  I set my place in Campsite 5.  There were three Scout patrols plus 3 areas where adults set up campsites.  I had the camp kitchen in my campsite since I was grubmaster.  I had the only tent in my campsite.


I set up my tent first and put all my gear in the tent.  I then set up the camp kitchen.  After that I decided to hang my hammock.  By that time it was past 11.  I think I went to bed, but not until I spent about 20 minutes in my hammock.


I set my phone alarm for 6:30.  I went immediately to the camp kitchen to start work on breakfast.


Breakfast was my favorite meal to make. Made from scratch sausage gravy.   I brought biscuits from home that I had made on Friday morning.  After breakfast I took a hike with 1 crossover scout and 4 or 5 scouts who crossed over with Tyler, and then 4 of the older scouts (1st Class and maybe 1 Star Scout).  All of the Philmont Crew Scouts stayed in camp and worked on cooking for Philmont.  With the crossovers and the younger scouts, we did plant identification.  This is a Second Class Scout Requirement.  We also did some animal identification which is a First Class Scout Requirement.  After the hike was over, I went to the kitchen to start lunch.  I made some coffee, and I didn't have any sugar.  Robert and Tyler decided they wanted some coffee to warm themselves up.  Robert didn't like it, but Tyler claimed that he did.


It literally rained all day.  The 2nd year Scouts (Tyler's group) started fighting.  It took a little bit of intervention on my part after supper to get them to stop.  After they all hugged and made up, they were all fine.  I think some of the attitudes came from the crappy weather.   Thomas was wearing his new Marmot Precip Raincoat, Columbia Convertible quick dry pants, hiking socks and Keen hiking boots.  He was dry as a bone.  I have been buying new gear for Thomas since he will be going to Philmont in about 7 weeks.  Tyler and I didn't fare so well in gear. 

Saturday evening there was a thunderstorm.  The younger scouts were scared.  The Philmont crew didn't care.  Not being scared of the storms comes with years in Scouting.  Sometimes it rains on Scout campouts.  Sometimes it storms.  Sometimes it is a beautiful weekend.  You never know what you'll get.  All of it is the best because we're outside!

The storm ended about 9:30.  I went to the campsites to alert the scouts that the storm had passed, and all we were expecting was rain for the rest of the night.  First campsite - Tyler's.  Out of the 8 scouts in the campsite, only 3 were still there.  Tyler, Robert, and Landon.  I went to the next campsite.  Out of the 6 scouts in the campsite, only 2 were still there.  I went to the Philmont Crew campsite.  Out of the 8 scouts who were in the campsite, all were there.  I then went to the shower house.  There were about 7 scouts in one room, and 2 in the next.  Most eventually went back to their tents.  A couple of them stayed in the shower house and read books all night.

After a while, I went back to my campsite.  I was in my sleeping bag by 10:30.  I woke up twice during the night for nature's call.  I was only out of my bag for less than a minute each time.  Both times I woke up, it was still raining.  My alarm was set for 6:30.  When it went off, I turned on my cheater-heater to let my tent warm up before I got out of my bag.  I went to sleep for another hour.

Sunday morning had great weather.  It was beautiful.  I tore down my campsite after I made breakfast.  I put up a clothes line with rope from my truck and hung up my tent.  I'm pretty good at knots, but I only tied a few different knots this weekend.  Artillery Hitch, Two Half Hitches, and Taut-line Hitch.   I took down the camp kitchen last.  About 30 minutes before we left, I checked my tent to see if it was still dry.  Not quite as dry as I wanted.  I put my tent in my truck without rolling it up.  I hung it again when I got home.  

We had the Scouts Own Service at the end.  To me, this is the best part of the campout.  Most of the scouts are worn out, which means for the most part, they're listening.


After the Scouts Own, we drove home.  I still had Noah and Cody in addition to Thomas and Tyler.  We listened to Radiohead's In Rainbows album.  It was the perfect soundtrack to the ride home.  Thomas and Tyler loved the music as much as I did.  Noah and Cody both fell asleep.  It took about an hour to get home.  I set the Cruise Control on 72, and coasted all the way home.  By the time we got close to Lexington, I put in the Yeah Yeah Yeah's CD that I had in my truck.  It isn't as good as In Rainbows, but it's ok.

I think I've put my 0 bag away for the last time until late Fall.  

Next Campout - Kawida Lodge - Order of the Arrow - Spring Ordeal - May 15 - 17 at Camp McKee.  Thomas and I only need 13 hours to complete the OA 100 Year Service Award.  All the other requirements have already been met.  Ordeal is worth 12 hours.  We just need to find 1 more hour, and we will be finished with the requirements for this patch that will go on our OA Sash.



I may encourage Tyler at some point in the next few weekends to set up a tent in the area across the street from our house to have a campout in the fashion that I had as a child.  It wasn't a production like seems to go into a lot of campouts for scouting.  No gear other than a tent and a sleeping bag.  The kids my age from my neighborhood camped a lot like this.  Some of my best childhood memories is from campouts like this.  Bryan E, Bryan W, Phillip W, Me, and a few others.  I'm glad I had those campouts!  I think they made me who I am today.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Camping again this weekend

Our Scout Troop will be going to Cave Run Lake near Morehead Kentucky this weekend (April 24-26, 2015) .  We camped in the same campsite in April 2014 as well.  I took this picture from the campout last year.
This was just down from our campsite.  We will be in the same location this year.  The Philmont Crew will have a 2 day hike around the Lake while the younger Scouts and leaders will be in the campsite learning Scout Skills.
Thomas playing frisbee with the new scouts.  They aren't new Scouts this year!

Order of the Arrow SR-6 Conclave - April 17-19, 2015

Location - Camp Buck Toms - Tennessee
Weather - 45 at night - 60 to 63 during the day - rain only on Saturday evening
Clothing - shorts - raincoat
Tent - Slumberjack 4 man - double wall - dome tent
Sleeping bag - Slumberjack XL Bag - 0 degrees.
Camping pad - Thermarest Prolite
Shoes - old tennis shoes and Keen Sandals
Main Activity - hiking
Nights Camping - 1
Mileage - 513. Filled tank in Midway KY on way there, and Knoxville TN on way home.

We left Frankfort on Friday afternoon by 4:15.  We arrived at Camp Buck Toms (west of Knoxville TN) by 8 PM.  It had just turned dark.  We had to drop our gear outside the dining hall, drive up to a place above the camp called the Pennacle, and catch a shuttle (provided by Pellissippi Lodge).  We went back to the dining hall, checked in with our medical forms, and then found our way to the campsite so we could set up.  Thomas didn't want to stay in the Adirondack Shelters that were in the campsites.  He has had a few experiences of staying in Shelters, and didn't like any of them.  Since he doesn't know many people in Kawida Lodge yet, he felt uncomfortable.  In his defense, we went to sleep around midnight.  I woke up around 1 or 2, and I could still hear adults being very loud.  Scouts were loud also.

I set the tent up on the clearest ground I could find.  I didn't know until I laid down on my camp pad that I had put my side of the tent on a tree stump about the diameter of 3 inches.  I put my backpack on top of the stump, and scooted the sleeping pad over toward the middle.

I did not sleep with the sleeping bag zipped up. It wasn't that cold.  I used my zero bag as a blanket, and stayed plenty warm.  I was awakened by 5:45 AM by boats on the lake.  The lake at Camp Buck Toms is not private to the camp.  It is a huge lake.


Breakfast started by 7:30.  We arrived on time.  I hung out with the leaders of Troop 281 out of Frankfort while I was there.  Larry L, Hugh, George C.  Todd is also a troop leader of Troop 281, but his purpose at Kawida events is as Lodge Adviser.

This is the inside of their dining hall.  It has a name, but I don't know what it is.

That morning, Thomas and I took classes.  This is what they do at Conclave events.  The first class was BSA and OA History (I knew more than the person who taught.  The second class was SR-6 History, and the third was Effective Listening and Speaking.  Listening and Speaking class was taught by a Lodge Adviser from Michigan.  When he was a Scout, he was a Section Chief.  It was a good class.  I talked to him after it was over about eye contact and communicating to your audience while you speak.  I told him that it drives me crazy when Scouts look at the ground when they shake your hand at Courts of Honor.  I told him that I hold the hand of the Scout until they look me in the eyes while they receive the rank advances or merit badges that I present.

Lunch was after the classes, but Thomas and I decided to put on our Scout uniforms and OA Sashs for the rest of the day.  I took this selfie of me before lunch.

After lunch, Thomas and I decided to hike and explore the camp a little bit.  The first hike was supposed to be from the dining area toward the Pennacle.  It was a very badly maintained trail, although it was marked on the Camp Map.  The trail suddenly disappeared, so we had to turn around and make our way back to the center of the camp.
After the first part of the hike, we did some patch trading.  It was about 3 PM.  I ended up with all of the patches below after the Conclave.  I traced for maybe 4 of them, purchased a few, and received one for registration.

The one that is our favorite, although it doesn't make a lot of sense is the one below.
We called this the ILLUMINATI PATCH.  This is supposed to represent E. Urner Goodman (in black) at the first Induction of OA Candidates in 1915 on Treasure Island.  The guy in the middle I think is supposed to represent Carol A Edson.  We think this patch is funny since we wonder which one of them started the huge fire behind them.  We figured it was the scout in the middle.  We named him B.C. who was a member of our troop who just Eagled not long ago.  He had a reputation of having a bit of PYROMANIA.

We hiked the other side of the camp after the patch trading.  Supper was huge.  I had baked chicken, masked potatoes, mixed vegetables, salad, corn pudding, roll, bug juice, and after supper we had cobbler and ice cream.  Conclave events feed the participants VERY well.  I was stuffed after that meal.

It started sprinkling before supper.  Luckily Thomas and I stopped at our tent before supper to get our rain gear.  After supper we heard Todd (Kawida Lodge Adivser) talk about the rain we were expecting over night.  Since I knew I would get soaked that night (my side of the tent was not pegged down very well since the groud was wet), I decided to take the tent down and move into an Adirondack Shelter.  Thomas was not happy about it.

We arrived to the Campfire Program on time.  This was the 100th Anniversary Conclave, so it was going to be special.
At the end of the award - Kawida Lodge ended up with the Golden Arrow Award this year - there was a rededication ceremony.  It was VERY COOL!!  Pellissippi Lodge did an amazing job!  We rededicated ourselves to the Ideals of the Order of the Arrow.  I was surprised at the beginning of the ceremony when the chief of the ceremony said, "METEU, SATISFY YOURSELF THAT ALL PRESENT ARE ARROWMEN."  It freaked me out since that was an echo of something you would hear in a Masonic Lodge.  Order of the Arrow was founded by Freemasons, so it is no surprise, really.

Thomas and I decided to leave that night.  He had a ton of homework that took 4 or 5 hours, and if we drove home early, he would be sure to get it done.  We left camp at 11 PM.  By 1 AM we were very sleepy.  I just finished reading UNBROKEN about Louie Zamperini.  In the book he talked about the time when they were in the raft.  The way they took their attention away from being so hungry was by keeping their minds active.  Louie would talk about is mother's cooking.  They would talk about different events of each others lives.  The conversations would go on and on.  Each memorized a lot about each other.  I decided to use this technique.  Thomas and I talked about every part of what we did on the campout we just left starting with what time we woke up, the food we ate, etc.  IT WORKED!  By the time we stopped for coffee in London KY, neither of us were tired.  The coffee, on the other hand, made us deliriously slap happy.

We laughed most of the way home after a mad coffee rush by Thomas.  By the time we arrived home at 3:30, we were both dizzy from laughter and delirium.

We slept until 11 AM.  I hated to miss church again.  There is no way I would be able to do this amount of camping if I was still the youth director at church.  The way I see it, the boys will only be this age ONCE.  I'm going to cherish every moment they want to spend with me.  When I am to "old and feeble, and can Scout no more", I will be able to go to church every time the doors are open.  Until then, I am going to teach Scouts how to be reverent, and have a Scouts Own Service at every campout I attend.

Kawida Lodge - Spring Fellowship - March 20 - 22, 2015

Location - Camp McKee, Kentucky
Weather - 35 at night - 55 to 60 during the day - no rain
Clothing - moderate warm clothing
Sleeping bag - Slumberjack XL Bag - 0 degrees.
Camping pad - Thermarest Prolite
Shoes - old tennis shoes
Main Activity - hiking
Nights Camping - 2

Kawida Lodge - Spring Fellowship 2015 was nice.  Thomas and I arrived at Camp McKee around 6 PM on Friday afternoon, March 20.  On the way there, we had a deep discussion about why we camp, and our purpose of attending OA events.  We both cried a little bit.  Right before we pulled in to the Camp McKee Campground, I talked to Thomas about how I feel like I'm creating memories in him that he will cherish long after I'm dead and gone.

We used the Blue Tent.  I last used the tent at 2014 summer camp at Camp Friedlander in Ohio.  I had forgotten that I broke a part of the tent.  One of the pegs is missing on the front part of the tent.  This is the part where the tent pole goes in to make the tent stand up.  We set the tent up in front of Stamler Hall.

The temperature got down to about 35 degrees that night.  We both put cots in the tent.  I also used a little trick that I won't be using very often.  I had my gas heater with me, and we used it in the tent to warm the tent up at night before we got in our bags, and in the morning before we got out of our bags.  The bag I use in the beginning of the year.

After breakfast Thomas and I decided to go hiking.  He was missing a 10 mile hike with his Philmont Crew that day, so I decided that we would hike 10 miles so he could meet that requirement.

This is behind Stamler Hall.  We collected our gear before the hike, and made sure we had everything we needed.  10 essentials are important for a hike.  We had all of them with the exception of a map.  We didn't need a map since we have been to every corner of Camp McKee many times.

This was the part that we called "Our Summit" on Pioneer Mountain Trail.  The trail was extremely muddy since it had rained a lot in the previous week, so this was as far as we hiked on this side of the trail.

This is the other side of Pioneer Mountain Trail behind the Offutt Shelters.  We did not cross this creek.  See the PMT marker on the tree?  Those are along the trail.  When I was in Scouts in 1984, I hiked this trail.  The markers were painted on the trees.  Some of these markers are still visible on the trail.  Thomas and I took over 22,000 steps on this day - 15 miles total.  10 mile hike followed by 5 miles general waling around.


This is near the end of the morning hike.  The OA Slab is behind us.

The night ended with a Brotherhood Conversion at Alowatt's place that hasn't been used since the late 80s or early 90s.  If I had been inducted into the OA as a youth, it would have happened there.  After the Brotherhood Ceremony, there was another ceremony, but I volunteered to make sure the fire was completely out.  I had no idea how to get there, so I asked the two Scouts who went through the ceremony to lead me to the spot.

Thomas and I slept the second night in the tent same as the first night.  In the morning, we left before breakfast.  We arrived back home in Frankfort by 11.



Introduction to Tent Camping Addict

I've been camping outdoors since I was about 10.  I'm now a 42 year old Assistant Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout Troop in Georgetown Kentucky, although I live in a different city.  I camped 21 nights in 2014.  I'm planning on camping just as much in 2015, so I would like to keep a record of the camps that I've done.

This is me at age 11 before I went to Camp McKee for the first time.  This was likely the summer of 1984.  I was a member of Troop 124 Chartered by Great Crossing Baptist Church in Georgetown KY.  I still have this uniform shirt.

This is me at SR-6 Conclave, Order of the Arrow, on Saturday, March 18, 2015.  I will talk about this campout later.

My plan is to talk about the different campouts starting with the first one of 2015.  I hope to describe the weather of each campout, the tent used, sleeping bag used, clothing, purpose of the campout.  There are different styles of camping, and I hope to talk about all of them.

Who I am:

AF. Baker
Executive Director - Access Soup Kitchen & Men's Shelter - Frankfort KY
Assistant Scoutmaster - Troop 215 - Georgetown KY
Wood Badge - Antelope Patrol - SR-204-12
Order of the Arrow - Brotherhood
Hiram Lodge #4 - Grand Lodge of Kentucky - Master Mason - Lodge Chaplain
Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels

I am married and we have two sons.  Both sons are involved in Troop 215.