From: golden cliff (c60clg1@CORN.CSO.NIU.EDU)
Date: Thu Sep 07 2000 - 14:25:57 CDT
We camp at Assateague Island every 4 years on Jamboree years.
I hesitate to say this on this forum... but I must confess I don't always
go exactly by SSD standards at public beaches. It's not our area, so we
don't rope off things.
(When we snorkel in the ocean in the keys we don't rope things off either.
They don't at Florida Sea Base either, at least not last time we were
there.)
I usually stay on shore as lookout. I don't bother with gallon jugs, the
surf would obscure them. I wouldn't put cinder blocks in the water. I
just use common sense and prudence.
If the boys get too far out they are called back to shallower water. If
they can't do that, it's out of the water. That is explained up fron
before we go in. I don't do buddy checks. I am continually doing head
counts instead. If I don't see them all, they all come out. We keep our
group size small on these trips, usually 6-9. If you have a larger group
you might need to manage things differently.
As for camping, there is the Assateague Island State Park, and the
Assateague Island National Seashore. We usually do the national seashore
group camp, which has a parking lot, water spigot, and a small shower.
We love going there.
YIS,
Cliff Golden
Scoutmaster Troop 33
DeKalb, Illinois
> Our guys want to kick off the year with the first camping trip being a trip
> to the beach -- Assateague Island (9/23-24). Beach camping is something
> this troop has not done in known history, but several who came back from
> SeaBase this summer want more! Two questions for the list...
>
> #1 - Any recommendations on implementing the Safe Swim Defense at the beach?
>
> #2 - For any of you familiar with Assateague, do you have any location
> specific recommendations? It's been years since I was last there camping
