Scouts arose on Thursday morning to horrific news; overnight, the mysterious ‘tent lifters of Hexham’ had dismantled both of their food tents whilst they were sleeping! They had also littered Scout’s kitchens with rope, filled fire pits in with grass and ladles, and filled wet pits with heavy logs. Before the Scouts had even awoke, the leaders had been courteous enough to inform the police however they said that the criminals responsible were so devious there was no chance in them ever being caught however they make return to cause more havoc at Summer Camps in the future.
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| Scouts: Dressed like the Victorian working class |
To help the Scouts recover from the traumatic experience Nutella and croissants were dished out for breakfast before the whole group headed off to Killhope Lead Mine.
On arrival, they met up with tour guides and split into two groups. Both groups started in a two story building neighbouring the mine. The building was where the mine manager’s office was and where some of the lead miners used to live when the weather was too bad for them to leave the site – which is surrounded by hills.
Intrigued, Scouts listened to every syllable of every word spoke by the tour guides. Stories about miner’s were told, the unhygienic conditions of the living quarters were analysed, and then, for the grand finale, the Scouts were allowed to dress up in attire similar to that which the miners would have worn over a century ago.
Later, equipped with a temperamental dim light wired to a battery pack which needed to be worn over their shoulders, a hard hat, and wellies, the Scouts descended into the eerily dark mine. Natural springs erupting inside the mine sent fresh water gushing around the floors of the mine - a good 10cm deep which the Scouts waded through attempting to splash water into the wellies of the person in front of them.
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| Scouts equipped and ready to go into the mine |
The shaft was narrow and the roof was low making the long walk into the heart of the mine an interesting experience for some Seniors and Leaders. Inside the marvellous mine, the Scouts got to see a reconstructed vein of galena (lead ore) which was the prize the miners hunted for. They also got to hear the gut wrenching sound of a ‘thunder box’ slamming shut and experience the same lighting that the miners would have had (by turning off their torches and walking through a section of the mine unable to see their own hand in front of their faces. Their only guidance was clinging onto the shoulder of the person in front of them).
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| Inside the mine |
Buzzing from their time in the mine, the Scouts devoured their packed lunch and then set about finding their own galena by a process shown to them by the tour guides.
The evening following the day at Killhope was one of the most enjoyable evenings you can get a camp. Not only was the sun shining, a new recipe was on the menu for tea (Coca-Cola chicken) and Mike, ex-leader, had arrived for his usual two days at camp. The only drawback of the evening was the departure of Hannah. Everyone mourned the loss of Hannah from camp by having the time of their lives continuing the volleyball competition which was refereed by Sam MacKenzie. He was put under enormous stress and pressure from competitors which lead to some controversial decisions being made. The winner of the tournament was unclear – anyway, the only thing that matters is that everybody had a good time.
After doughnuts for supper, Scouts and Seniors psyched themselves for the last part of the Stalker badge. The mission was similar to the other part of the badge where they needed to silently sneak across the field to the leaders without being spotted – only this time, they were doing it in darkness. The preparation for this ranged from handfuls of ferns and long grass being tied around dark clothing and balaclavas being worn, to simply putting on a jacket so they wouldn’t get cold and then hoping for the best.
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| The Seniors taking camouflage debatably too seriously |
The fun came to an abrupt, disturbing ending when leaders realised that one of the most popular members of the 8th, who had come to summer camp, had gone missing. Lishman, the group bear, had been kidnapped out of his sleeping bag and replaced with a ransom note. What made the unexpected act even more alarming was the fact that nobody knew who was behind such an evil stunt. Distressed, Neil immediately started complying with the kidnapper's demands such as adding more inspection points onto Seniors for some suspicious reason, plucking a single hair from Tom’s head and leaving over £500 in a safety deposit box. It soon became clear to Neil that the excessive demands could not be met. So the leaders united and retaliated against the terrorists aggressively. They wrote a letter to the suspected culprits explaining to them that if Lishman was not safely returned within the hour there would be extreme sanctions.
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| Taken hostage: Lishman |
