On Friday, February 25, 2023, Troop 542 Scouts left for a weekend of cabin camping and friendly competition at Camp Mack, a Scout reservation in Bridgeville, PA. The Scouts bunked in cabins with firepits, and each Scout was assigned an hour-long “fire watch” shift to feed the fire. Some cabins were more successful than others at keeping the fire burning through the night.
On Saturday, Scouts woke and left their cabins to cook breakfast with their patrols. Despite the frigid temperature, the Scouts managed to brave through with little complaint. After breakfast. the first-year Scouts worked on advancement requirements, while other Scouts played a game of ultimate frisbee. After two hours, the Scouts returned to the pavilion and prepared lunch.
At 1:30 p.m., the STEM Olympics kicked off at the Blair Cabin. This afternoon competition features a variety of challenges involving physics, programming, engineering, and leadership skills. Patrols tackled challenges included constructing a DaVinci bridge, carefully balancing nails, separating Skittles and M&Ms, controlling a robot, and much more.
At 8:30 p.m., Troop 542 assembled under the central pavilion for its Saturday night campfire. Xavier Tubio and Bryan Xu hosted the campfire that featured an array of skits, traditions, and songs performed by Alex Allemang and his father. At the end of the campfire, the STEM Olympics winners were announced. The Eagle and Python patrols tied for first place with the Lightning patrol trailing behind in second. Members of the winning patrols were awarded with slices of cobbler.
On Sunday morning, the Scouts began to load their coolers, propane tanks, and other items onto the truck. After an inter-faith service led by Troop Chaplain Aide Andrew Seigel, Troop 542 began its return to Supplee Presbyterian Church to unload and store equipment.