Summer Camp - Camp McKee - June 21 - 27, 2015

Location - Camp McKee - Levee Rd, Jeffersonville, KY (Between the cities of Mount Sterling in Montgomery County and Clay City in Powell County).  Camp McKee is the Council Camp for the Bluegrass Council.

Mileage - 147 miles round trip.  I didn't actually keep up with mileage during this trip.
Weather - 60s at night - mid to upper 80s during the day.  It was VERY HUMID!  That is normal for summer camp.  Thunder storm on Friday morning at 3 AM  We had scattered rain on Friday morning after 7 AM, and then rain again on Friday night.  It threatened to rain all day Saturday, but it didn't.
Clothing - quick-dry convertible Scout shorts, tshirts. I took my rain coat, but I didn't use it.
Shoes - Keen Sandals.  I brought my tennis shoes, but only wore them on Friday morning after a thunderstorm the night before.  I switched back to Keen Sandals by 11 AM.
Tent - Camp McKee's A frame tent.
Sleeping bag - Coleman bag. I used it like a blanket.  It was warm at night, but since I used a fan, my tent got kind of cold by 2 AM, so I pulled the bag over me.
Camping pad - Thermarest Prolite.  I also took my own cot.  I use a Slumberjack cot.  I've had it for years, but I can only use it during camp from now on since the tent that I own that it fits inside is maybe beyond repair.  It certainly was better than the cots that the camp provides, but mostly because it is mine.  I slept very comfortably!
Main Activity - Keeping up with the scouts, helping around camp, and an occasional nap.  Kawida Lodge Ordeal on Saturday.
Extra Gear - I took my hammock, and I was in it EVERYDAY!  I took my dad's 1970s Coleman lantern, and I used it!  I took a few extra things like a knife sharpener that I didn't use.  I took a lot of rope that we used for clothes line.
Nights Camping - 6

We were half-sized for camp this year.  The older scouts from our troop left for Philmont Scout Ranch on the Thursday before we went to camp.  That group included 8 Scouts and 3 Scouters, and included Thomas.  

Troop 215 prior to leaving for camp.  This is the hillside behind Spade Corporation in Georgetown.

Troop 215 Scouts and Scouters at Philmont Base Camp.

Troop 124 prior to leaving for camp in 1985.  I am the one with a red canteen attached to my belt. I'm standing in the front row.  Picture taken at Great Crossing Baptist Church.

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A site of Camp McKee from the dam.  Lake Vough, Stamler Lodge on top, and waterfront area on the right.

Lake Vough from the bridge leading to Stamler Lodge.  Early morning during camp.

We ended up staying in campsite 1 because of a mix up in the number of scouts that we had with our troop.  There weren't enough tents in campsite 9, so we were moved to campsite 1.  I liked it better anyway since I didn't see a SINGLE raccoon during the time I was at camp.  It was at least a half-mile walk from our campsite to the dining hall.  Looking at this picture, you can't really tell if it was taken in 2015 or in 1985.  I decided at camp this year that scout camp has changed so little over the years.  Scouts arrive at camp and (mostly) leave behind their electronics.  We had a few scouts who brought their cell phones.  The scout in this picture is working on his knots.  

We were originally scheduled to be in campsite 9.  This is the campsite known as Skunk Knob.  Exactly 30 years ago this summer, my boy scout troop went to Camp McKee for the first time with me in the troop, and we stayed in campsite 9.

This is our campsite at night.  We only had a campfire in our campsite on two of the nights we were at camp.  The bright white light is a headlamp on a scout, and the bright yellow light is a lantern with a propane tank attached.

Speaking of campsites, I spent a lot of time in my hammock while the scouts were in their merit badge classes.  It was very nice!

We had a bunch of hammocks in our campsite this year.  There are at least 2 other hammocks that were hanging in our campsite that cannot be seen in this picture.

Please don't think all I did at camp was take naps in my hammock.  I received this patch because of the service I did around camp. I also helped teach a couple of merit badge classes, and I participated in the campfire program with the rest of Troop 215.  When I showed this patch to the scouts in my troop, they were convinced that Camp McKee made this patch because they saw me in a hammock.  This patch really is what I looked like in the hammock.

This is most of our troop lined up for lunch.  Someone else was taking a picture of them at the same time.

The young man in the middle didn't like for his picture to be taken.

On Wednesday night of camp, our committee chair brought us watermelon and a treat.  We also had pizza in our campsite because the dining hall had the night off.

Troop 215 really did have a good time at camp this year.  We brought 15 scouts, and they earned 32 merit badges during camp.  We also had two OA members become Brotherhood members, and we had two scouts who became ordeal members of Kawida Lodge.  

One of the new brotherhood members stayed for the Ordeal, and he helped as a drummer during the Brotherhood Ceremony and as a ceremonialist for the Ordeal Ceremony.

I arrived home from camp on Saturday night.  I had a really good time at Camp McKee this year.  Our troop has had a long tradition of attending camp at McKee every OTHER year since it is our council camp.  Next years camp will be incredible too!

The scout in the UK hat is in Troop 215, and the scout in the yellow hat is his cousin who lives in a different city.  They were at camp at the same time, and they picked on each other all week.  It was good to see them having fun together at the end. 

I'm absolutely proud to call myself a scout leader!  I can think of nothing else that gives me as much happiness as to see my own boys growing up in scouting!  Not every scout achieves the rank of Eagle.  In fact, it's only bout 4 to 6% of scouts who enter scouting that ultimately achieve the Eagle Award.  But that is not a problem.  These are memories that these scouts will carry for the rest of their lives, and I am happy that I was able to be part of those memories.

I have no idea when the next time is that I will get to go camping again.  I know that the second summer ordeal for Kawida Lodge is the third full weekend in August.  Hopefully I won't have to wait that long before I get to camp.  I know it will be at least another 340 days before I get to go to summer camp again.  Every scout leader needs to go to summer camp at least once.  It is a different style of camping than the normal troop campout.