Summary - Summer Camp 2013 (Kings Meaburn)

Summer Camp 2013 was wonderful and gave people memories that will stay with them forever. There was fierce competition to win the camp trophy, the Scouts needed to battle the changeable weather and everyone loved the variety of activities which happened both in camp and out of camp over the course of the week.

View the Photos from Summer Camp 2013 here: http://sdrv.ms/1bfvxCR

Read the Summer Camp edition of the 8th Mag here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/160231050/8th-Mag-Issue-2

Summer Camp 2013 - Day 8

Depressed and disappointed were some of the feelings and emotions sweeping through camp on the last morning in Kings Meaburn. There was a simple breakfast of croissants and cereal which allowed kitchens to be dismantled by 9am. The food tents had been taken down the previous night and inspection had stopped happening the previous morning so camp could be packed up swiftly and the van could pick us up early.

Lunch was at midday in the Senior/Rover shelter because it was the only tent still erect (every other tent including the marquee had been taken down). Anth and his new van arrived at 12:45 to take all the kit back to the Scout HQ.

Mid afternoon - Scouts, Seniors, Rovers and leaders returned to the Scouts HQ in dribs and drabs and after all the kit had been packed away there was a final flag in the main hall. All the leaders commented on how high the standard was in all of the kitchens however one patrol came out on top. The Walri won the camp trophy by 5 points over the Giraffes! Ecstatic PL (double times winner of the Summer Camp Trophy), Liam Pape, went to the front of the hall to receive the cup on his patrols behalf.

Just before everyone was allowed to go home and get a bath there was a quick going up ceremony where Liam and Maverick moved up from Scouts to Seniors.

Overall, Summer Camp 2013 was brilliant and anyone who didn't enjoy it is either mad or wasn't awake for anything. The variety of people, activities, meals, personalities and ideas makes camp what it is and Summer Camp 2013 was definitely no exception with so many high points and not many lows (apart from the weather).

Summer Camp 2013 - Day 7

In costume for PL's choice

Friday was a day of Sports, starting to dismantle camp and the long awaited PL's choice. After miraculously lighting fires from inflammable wood the Scouts enjoyed a breakfast of bacon grill, beans and egg. John then conducted a thorough inspection which was one of the toughest inspections he has ever had to do, knocking points of for literally crumbs - the standard was that high!

The biggest sporting event since the Olympics took place at Kings Meaburn on Friday August 2nd. It was the Scouts Sports Morning where 3 teams battled it out to win a prize of sweets. There was a simple relay race which wasn't as simple as it sounds, a wheelbarrow race which provided the leaders with lots of laughs and even a marathon. The Walri won the morning however not the prize since all the teams lacked sportsmanship and all 3 patrols ended up cheating terribly in the last race disgusting all of the leaders.

The rest of the morning was then spend dismantling gadgets so the group could have a quick get away the following day and not waste time.

After a ‘camp soup’ for lunch the Scouts departed camp and went to Penrith to do their shopping for PL’s choice and restock on sweets/chocolate.

At 6:15 PM, panicked PL’s served their starters to the leaders they invited:

Walri - Mark, John

Giraffe - Tom, Erica

Seniors/Rovers - Alec, Lynne, Mike

All the dishes were of a high standard and entertainment was first rate despite all the Walri ingredients being Morrison's own and the Giraffes only catering for 6 people. The Walri even wrote a song about the leaders they got for PL's choice.

The Giraffe's Palma Ham and Melon

Everyone embraced the chance to dress up for PL’s choice and the costumes varied from Animal Crossing Villagers to Football players.

After the vast amount of washing up had been done it was the Camp Fire. Usual favourites were belted out including Cow Kicked Nelly, American Railway and a Lion Hunt which took the Scouts a very obscure route to find the lion. It included travelling through smelly tents and doing the ‘time warp’ again.

The amazing day ended with a game of night Reliv-O where there was lots of shouting and cheating however all the Scouts enjoyed it.

Walri Summer Camp Song:

It's PL's choice and it's Friday evening,

We're dicing vegetables and also peeling,

The sky is clear, the ground is dry,

but we're not serving Apple Pie,

We got John and Mark,

Let's hope he doesn't fart,

They weren't our first choice but they'll do,

So thank-you Mark - and John.

The mince is overcooked and the onions are raw,

The billies are dirty and all over the floor,

But the sky is clear, the ground is dry,

but we're not serving Apple Pie,

We were declined by Tom ‘coz he's a gimp,

But it's ok 'coz we got John and his limp,

We served Chilli and Garlic Bread,

It must have been good 'coz we're not dead,

But the best thing was the Rocky Road Pudding.

Summer Camp 2013 - Day 6

 
Although eggy bread and beans was for breakfast (a camp favourite), breakfast seemed to take forever because of the poor weather again. During the night the beck had raised so Scouts were unable to get washing up water from there or wash on its banks so they used fresh water from their kitchens.

Following breakfast was a quick inspection of personnel before the whole camp (apart from Alec) ventured out to Trotters World of Independent Trading Animals which had disappointingly changed its name to the Lake District Wildlife Park. Whilst the group were out Alec did a thorough inspection of kitchens, tents and the general area and after long last the Walri took over the Giraffes by 4 points.

Meanwhile, the charged group were lost. Mark and the minibus of Scouts did several laps around a lake followed by Tom and his car of Seniors. Finally, using modern maps on smartphones (something I doubt Baden Powell would approve of), they found the Zoo. On arrival they had lunch and then went to watch a variety of shows. There was everything from reptile shows to lemur shows. Maddie even got the opportunity to chuck a pepper at a Brazilian Tapir whilst John was being threatened by a Vulture which ate old people.

After the Zoo, the Rovers went for their annual meal whilst corned beef hash was for tea at camp. Invites were starting to be handed out for PL's choice and although there was lots of delight amongst Scouts, Seniors and leaders there was also a lot of disappointment.

Just before bed ex-Scout Leader, Mike Campbell, turned up just in time to participate in the final round of the volleyball competition. The Seniors somehow managed to thrash the Walri and the Leaders wiped the floor with the Giraffes. This meant the final result looked like this:

1st - Seniors

2nd - Leaders

3rd - Giraffes

4th - Walri

(Although for some reason the leaders decided they should take the trophy)

Just before bed, the perceptive PL of the Walri realised that his tent had been sabotaged. The Giraffes, unhappy that they were now coming second in the race to win the camp trophy, had let down the guys on the back of the Walri tent hoping they wouldn’t notice. Since they did though both tents spent the next 45 minutes on a stakeout waiting for the other patrol to retaliate or act again. Thankfully nothing happened. The Walri did the mature thing as they didn't want to sink down to the same level as the Giraffes. They knew they could win without cheating.

Summer Camp 2013 - Day 5

Wednesday was a day of positive things for the Walrus patrol. Not only did they even the inspection points after the Giraffes got an early advantage, Poppy also lost her voice!

The winning streak had ended for the Seniors and Rovers though as proved during flag break when pants fell on Roxy and they lost points during inspection because a can of sweetcorn had mysteriously appeared down their dry pit. Luckily they could escape their curse by leaving camp and going to Appleby for a dip in the pool and a wash in the showers.

Back at camp the Scouts were enjoying building ovens and doing some micro-pioneering where miniature bridges and towers were constructed. The morning was topped off when the Seniors and Rovers returned from Appleby with a selection of pies for lunch.

After lunch the Scouts (and most of the leaders) set off to the Appleby Baths for their annual scrub. The Scouts had around 1 hour in the pool before they were told to get a shower and return to the mini bus. Sam was debatably over friendly in the swimming pool however most of the Scouts didn't mind this.
PL of the Walri, Liam regrettable got himself stuck in one of the shower cubicles. The latch snapped off the door when he closed it and despite spending 10 panicky minutes trying to reattach it Liam thought that he would rather not spend the rest of his life encaged in there and he decided to slide under the door. Thankfully his svelte figure allowed him to do this, where a larger person may have had difficulty!

Over the course of Wednesday evening there were around half a dozen visitors to camp. Ben and Christopher's parents came to pick the two boys up from camp and take them home. Holly's mother, father and sister came to observe how camp worked and reminisce on time when they were in Scouts and Louise and Graham Warren along with their kids came to visit. The rhapsodic children even helped the two Scout patrols relight their fires for tea. The overly moist weather meant that the ovens which were going to be used to make Lasagne were useless. Instead, the Scouts cooked Garlic Bread and parts of the Lasagne around the fire. They were then forced to dine and do the washing up in their food tents.

'Washday Wednesday' concluded with one of Neil's legendary quizzes and scrumptious scones. The intellectual Walrus patrol won the quiz closely followed by the intelligent Giraffes and the insightful leaders however the dazed Seniors came in last. Outside, the rain rolled rapidly from the roomy marquee however that didn't stop Maverick and Sam from going for a run straight after the quiz to stretch their legs.

Summer Camp 2013 - Day 4

The Seniors and Rovers climbing Helvellyn

Ben and his Beans

Marshmallow like clouds sheltered Kings Meaburn from the scorching sun as the camp awoke on Tuesday. For the first time that week the Scouts were able to wash in the Beck because the water had finally descended to an almost normal level.

The Seniors and Rovers had a rushed breakfast and wash that morning as they were climbing Helvellyn. Admittedly some were more eager to climb it than others nethertheless they started their steep trek at around 11.15am. They all had a packed lunch especially Ben who unknowingly carried 4 tins of baked beans up with him. Unfortunately for Ben, he had forgotten to pack a tin opener and also didn't have anywhere to cook them, luckily the space in his stomach was filled with fish and chips which they got from Appleby for tea.

Back at camp, Scouts spent most of the day working towards badges and taking part in an incident course organised by John. The Scouts with clay minds ready for moulding learnt lots about the country code, highway code, health and safety and making woodcraft trails however other Scouts minds were unable to be moulded as they were just mush.

The incident course which took place on the afternoon involved using common sense - something which the leaders thought many of the Scouts lacked however the Giraffe patrol proved them wrong by successfully completing all 3 tasks given to them. The Walri were less successful as they were more interested in learning each other's middle names (Elizabeth, Grace, Samuel, Ross, Bob and James if you were wondering). The PL of the Walri, Liam was also distracted nursing his sunburnt neck from when he was cooked the day before on the hike. He had an ingenious idea though: by wrapping a tea towel around a cap he could shelter his glowing neck from the sun. It also made him look like an Arab.

Anyway, the incident course tasks were:

· Get a radioactive bottle out of a 4 meter diameter circle only using basic equipment and not entering the circle.

· Flip a 2 x 1 meter piece of carpet whilst the whole patrol stands on it.

· Pitch a tent whilst blindfolded and being guided by your PL and APL whom were the only people able to see. The PL and APL weren't allowed to touch anything.

To conclude the course, the leaders invited the PL's and APL's over to the Marquee to discuss what they did well and what they could have improved on.

There was no tuck shop that evening because all the Scouts were already hyper and to give them more sugar would be like giving a billionaire a £20 note. It would just be unnecessary and wasted.

Sadly, like the day before, the day before that and the day before that - the weather was unstable and at 8pm the heavens opened. This resulted in the night games being cancelled and the X-Fire needing to take place in the marquee. Although the weather was wet, spirits were not dampened and everyone still managed to belt out songs varying from American Pie to Mama-Mia!

Summer Camp 2013 - Day 3

Sam admiring the amazing view from the 'cockpit'

Despite the damp conditions, Monday got off to a quick start with a hasty flag break by the Giraffes, a nimble yet scrumptious breakfast of bacon and egg and a prompt personal inspection by Mark before clambering onto the minibus and departing to Pooley Bridge for a hike.

The eager Scouts set sail on a steamboat called ‘Raven’ across Ullswater to Howtown where they walked back along the top of the hills looking across on the amazing scenery which surrounds Ullswater. The hike was many Scouts highlight of the week because they got a chance to talk to one another and learn different things. Sam enjoyed it because he was photographing everything from the weather to the tiniest rock. At around 2PM the Scouts arrived at their destination which was the 'cockpit' - an ancient stone circle. Unfortunately some Scouts were expecting to see Stonehenge instead of a circle of boulders however the disappointment soon vanished when they looked at the outstanding view.

Finally, the Scouts walked back down the bank to Pooley Bridge for an ice cream. Although the day had started of cloudy the sun was now shining at full force. The Scouts were so hot they even jumped in the river as soon as they returned to camp! They left the river later with numb feet and a numb Maverick.

A sheep

The Seniors/Rovers had not attended the hike, instead they stayed at camp and made an altar fire, prepared tomorrows campfire, collected wood for the 2 Scout patrols and made a huge amount of 'camp-doughnuts' which would be available for supper.

Unfortunately, Monday came to a sad end for most people on camp as Tracey and Matthew set of home at 7PM. Scouts were weeping, Seniors were tearful and the leaders were sobbing because of their departure. 

Spirits were raised again when the second round of the Volleyball tournament was played. The Mallory team played the Giraffes and came out on top and the leaders swooped victory over the Walri. The light drizzle at around 10PM sent everyone off to their warm, dry sleeping bags.

Summer Camp 2013 - Day 2

Leaders woke up early the next morning to asses the campsite after the monsoon which happened during the night. The Lyvennet Beck was almost bursting her banks and flowing as fast as rapids.

Scouts were awoken slightly later than usual and they were told during a swift flag break to get a wash in their food tent whilst a breakfast of bacon sandwiches was cooked by Alec in the marquee. Almost all of the Scouts were depressed and some even wished they could just go home. The food tent was stuffy and there was no room to move about however things got slightly better when the bacon sandwiches arrived. Unfortunately because of the weather and time, the campers were unable to attend the Kings Meaburn church service they were planning to go to so Mark put together a Scout's Own in the marquee. The service included a number of songs and inspirational stories implying that people should try their best (and make Mark their role model). And after 2 renditions of ‘I like the flowers’ the Gods were pleased and the rain came to a much anticipated end. By lunchtime the sun had come out so the Scouts, Seniors, Rovers and leaders had an opportunity to play rounders!

The mood on the site immediately changed. Nobody cared who was winning the game, they were just embracing the warmth and sunshine whilst it lasted.

A long and dreary inspection took place after a lunch of sandwiches. John thoroughly checked, double checked, triple checked and then quadruple checked everything from the biggest tea boiler to the smallest piece of cutlery to make sure the whole camp maintained the standard expected every year. When inspection points were stuck up on the notice board the Senior/Rover kitchen was leading closely followed by the Giraffes and then the Walri traipsing at the back. They were over half a dozen points behind the Giraffes and Liam, the PL, thought all hope of winning the camp trophy was lost.

Maverick and his table

The three kitchens focus for the afternoon was constructing gadgets. There was the return of old favourites like the traditional billy rack, frying pan holder, washing up stand and mug tree however there were also many fresh and original gadgets emerging too such as the Mallory's plate dryer, the Giraffe's wafty plate holder and the Walri Can holder and plate warmer holder which wasn't only useful - it was also a work of art.

Each kitchen had approximately 8 gadgets when the call for tea was made; burgers and sausages had been barbecued on the Mallory's fire. They were served in pitta pockets (so there was less washing up) with onions and salad and they were delicious with most of the camp returning for seconds.

The rest of the evening consisted of tuck shop and a Volleyball tournament where the Giraffes beat the Walri and the Seniors/Rovers edged it over the leaders. The evening got slightly damper before it was time for bed at 10PM.

Summer Camp 2013 - Day 1

Summer Camp 2013 was a week of squelching crocks and sunburnt necks. The weather on the first day foreshadowed the moods, atmosphere and the weather for the rest of the week.

Saturday July 27th started off beautiful as enthusiastic Scouts, Seniors, Rovers and leaders packed the van and the 4X4 for a week at Kings Meaburn near Appleby however as the day went on the weather slowly deteriorated.

The minibus full of loud Scouts departed from the Scout HQ at 9:50am and arrived at Steele's Mill at around 11. The 2 Scout Patrols which had been decided one Thursday night set about pitching their tents and food tents. There was the Walrus patrol lead by Liam Pape and Poppy Milner and there was the Giraffe Patrol lead by Maverick and Sam Wears. Both patrols were evenly made up of experienced and inexperienced campers - some had never even been to a weekend camp before!

The Giraffe patrol took slightly longer to set up as they needed to re-pitch their tent and realign their guys a couple of times however it became hard as the day got warmer and warmer. Eventually, everyone stopped and was allowed to have their packed lunches.

Refreshed and re-motivated Scouts and Seniors alike started building their kitchens; digging fire pits, wet pits, dry pits and putting the freshly painted food boxes on pegs. When the day was at its hottest (around mid afternoon) the PL's and APL's decided to lead an expedition along the path and past the ford to a wood where they had been wood collecting last time they were at this site 3 years ago. Poppy thought it would cool her feet down by wading through the ford however it only took her one small step into the Lyvennet Beck before she slipped onto her back and smashed her head of the road. Luckily she only got bruises however everyone then decided it would be best to use the bridge. It was good to see how everyone in the Scouts and everyone around the ford relaxing showed concern in Poppy's injury and nobody laughed at all. Even the woman who sounded like Janet Street Porter didn't run to her rescue.

Anyway, the wood past the ford was neither useful or practical. The walk there took at least 10 minutes from camp and all the decent wood was amongst nettles. There was also a swing which distracted most of the Scouts. Fortunately, the Scouts did find a huge amount of wood in a pile so they decided to half it and fill their tent bags.

By the time they returned to camp it was time for tea. The 3 kitchens cooked a sausage casserole with pasta before the sky started to leak. It gradually got heavier until everyone was forced into a shelter. The leaders watched the Scouts from the marquee like it was Big Brother as the Scouts played cards and sung in their food shelters to keep themselves amused before an early bedtime.

Everyone laid in their sleeping bags that night listening to rain bounce of their tent and the deep clatter of thunder. John Newton's early birthday present of solar powered fairy lights did raise the mood a little as they gave the marquee a homey feeling (that is if your house if a fairies grotto).