Click on the galleries below to see all the photos in a larger format.
Order of the Arrow staff and flag ceremony gatherings
Troop campsites and activity rotations
Campfire and Order of the Arrow fellowship
Camporee Report by Troop 258 Historian Zach A.
On a Friday evening, Troop 258 arrived at Smilin V Scout Ranch for Camporee. The theme for this camporee was “Blast Into Scouting”. We unloaded our gear from the trailer and set up camp for the weekend. Then, every patrol set up their dining fly and kitchen, and we enjoyed cracker barrel snacks. Many of us were tired, so we went to bed. The next morning, we got up, cooked breakfast, and walked out as a troop to the field for morning flags. After flags, every troop at camporee went to watch a presentation about explosions, supporting the “blast into scouting” theme. Once we got back to our campsites, we all set up our stations, and started them shortly after. This was the activity for the day. Our troop set up bottle rockets for the other troops, and switched between patrols controlling the station. Some other interesting stations we visited were hatchet throwing, and throwing mentos into a Coca Cola bottle. Stations stopped for lunch, and continued after we all finished cooking and eating our delicious meals. During the second half of stations, an unfortunate mishap occurred where some scouts took apart a piece of our bottle rocket’s launcher and lost it, resulting in our station closing early.
After stations concluded, we helped clean up, and had free time until dinner in the evening. Every patrol cooked awesome meals that were enjoyed by every member. After dinner every troop walked out in a single file line to the flag field, for evening flags. After, we immediately walked to the campfire area for evening campfire. Every troop came up with skits, and we enjoyed every one of them. Then, campfire MC’s presented awards for the weekend. Our troop won the “Cleanest Camp Award”. Before campfire concluded, an Order of the Arrow callout was presented, calling selected members of many different troops, including ours, to be an candidate for the Order of the Arrow. The callout consisted of OA members carrying torches, and speakers, and a searcher looking for candidates. Around the end of the callout, an unfortunate mishap occurred, and a lit torch slid off its pole, causing a small fire on the grass. Fortunately, that event was put under control and the rest of the induction carried on. After campfire, OA candidates and members stayed behind, while the rest of the troop walked back to the campsite to clean up and go to bed.
On Sunday morning, our troop took down our camp, ate breakfast, and walked out in patrol lines where we had morning flags. Once morning flags concluded, we finished packing up, did a trash line, gathered in a circle for our Chapel service, and did thorns, roses, and buds. At the end, we were cleared to leave, and were the last troop to leave Smilin V. Troop 258 had a great time at Spring Camporee.
