On February 21, 36 Scouts from Troop 542 departed Supplee Presbyterian Church for a weekend of cabin camping at Hawk Mountain Scout Reservation, a 700-acre expanse of land in Schuylkill Haven, PA.
On arrival, everyone unpacked, set up camp and turned in for the night. The Scouts rose early Saturday morning and cooked breakfast. After the meal was cleaned up, first-year Scouts completed a one-mile orienteering course using a map and compass. Then, they joined many of the older Scouts in a game of frisbee. After a break for lunch, the Scouts split into their respective patrols to compete in the troop’s annual gourmet cooking competition.
Six patrols competed to serve up the most sumptuous repast using traditional methods of campfire cooking. Each patrol was judged on preparation, menu submission, nutritional content, teamwork and cooking methods.
The Raven patrol edged out the competition by a mere two points. It prepared a Seder dinner for its first-place feast. The team of eight scouts slow cooked a brisket in a Dutch oven over a charcoal fire for approximately five hours. It was served with grilled asparagus and latkes. A tablecloth was spread on the table before the Scouts donned yarmulkes and blessed the meal with Hebrew prayers. Grape juice was served in lieu of wine and hamantaschen was a treat at the end of the meal.
The Eagle patrol finished in second with a total of 298 points for its ocean/beach themed meal. The patrol members showcased their camping and culinary skills by grilling salmon with lemon slices over a Dakota fire hole. This type of fire pit is created by digging two adjacent holes in the ground connected by a tunnel. A fire is lit at the base of the fire pit hole. As the hot air rises, it sucks fresh air from the second hole down through the connecting tunnel and feeds the base of the fire. The result is a hotter fire that requires less firewood and produces less smoke. The salmon was served with couscous and a vegetable stir fry prepared in a Dutch oven. For dessert, blue gelatin and Swedish fish represented an ocean and vanilla pudding with graham cracker crumbles represented a beach.
The Lightening patrol rounded out the top three. Its meal was homemade chicken soup. A whole chicken was boiled and shredded. Then, the carcass was used to create chicken stock. A variety of raw vegetables were diced, wrapped in foil packs and tucked in the fire to cook before they were added to the soup. Desert was monkey bread made in a Dutch oven. A clear night sky gave the Scouts a perfect opportunity to star gaze and point out constellations.
The evening concluded with skits, songs, and cheers around a campfire. Troop 541 was also camping at Hawk Mountain and joined the festivities. On Sunday morning, the Scouts woke early, made breakfast, and ended the camping adventure with an inter-faith service with Troop 541. Then, everyone packed up and headed home.
Categories: Troop Trips