Chisholm Trail Adventure

[eagle90 125]

Leaving the heat of Illinois for the heat of Texas tomorrow morning and the Chisholm Trail Adventure. Will report on the Adventure when we return. Have a good Scouting week everyone!

 

Dale

[eagle90 125]

We are back from the Chisholm Trail Adventure at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch in Bridgeport, TX. What a great time, and a great program. In spite of the intense het (near and over 100 every day), we all survived with lots of water and sun screen! The Longhorn Council does a great job logistically in putting on this program. There are 8 adventure areas of which you pick 5 for the week. Evening and mornings are spent there, with the afternoons being spent at a water activity (Thank God!) The water activities can be sailing, kayaking, tubing, wind surfing, wakeboarding, swimming, and playing on two "blobs". You move from area to area on your own 22' pontoon boat. Our scouts did Covert operations ( Finding an objective at night out inthe woods using night vision goggles, gps units, computers, and radios) Texas Rangers (We shot black powder rifles, rode horseback, and had a "shootout between the adults and scouts!), Comanche Village (slept in teepees, threw hawks and knifes and spears, archery, war canoes, and native Indian games), US Cavalry (drilling, loading and shooting cannons), and Texas Cowboy Cookin' ( cooked our own steaks, potatoes, corn on the cob, cobbler, breakfast burritos) Meals were fairly authentic to the adventure area you were in. Lunches were cold, and left a little to be desired. Overall, it is a great program, with a lot of diversity. Something for everyone. The staff was very friendly and accomodating. I would definitely do it again int he future. Now ten days till Summer Camp!

 

Dale(This message has been edited by eagle90)(This message has been edited by eagle90)

[SemperParatus 1]

Thanks for the scouting report. Our troop has been talking about possibly making the 1,500 mile journey to this camp. Glad to hear you had a good time.

[eagle90 125]

I'd highly recommend the program. As I said, there is something for everyone. Even this old Scouter did new things - never slept in a teepee before, never blobbed, never tubed, and never camped in 100+ degree heat!

 

Dale

[Lynda J 10]

Thanks. Longhorn Council and Richardson are my home ground areas. If anyone is wanting to to CTA

let me know. I would be more that willing to send you a DVD on the program. Or if you have any questions I would be more than willing to answer them, and if I don't know the answer I will find out. My DE just was moved to the position over all High Adventure activities at all Council camps.

[OneHour 11]

eagle90 ... Blob ... that, in itself, is worth the trip to Sid Rich! Loved those canons! The dark cotton, Civil War outfit under the 98+ degree Texas sun can get mighty warm! Great feedback from our older boys as well on the Chisholm Trail. We had 18 older boys enjoyed that trip thoroughly!

 

One complaint on the base camp side that our younger boys (24 of them) observed ... the activities are very far apart ... some of them are a good 1 - 1.5 mile hike. If you were to have archery and then having to go to horsemanship and then to the climbing mb ... you might have hiked about 2-3.5 miles easily! Our first year scouts were dying by the end of the day. It seems that out-of-council troops get the prime real estates ... yes, we got the one that is out in the booney ... (~.8 mile). We were there 3 years ago.

 

As for weather, we had 96+ first 3 days and 72+ at night, great thunderstorm on the fourth day and then the weather dropped to upper 60's at night, but the day still in the mid 90's. Great sleeping weather for the remaining 2 days.

 

We'll be back to Sid Rich. Great mb programs (not too many short cuts ... okay ... maybe the give me's like basketry, Indian Lore, leatherwork, etc) and the Chisholm Trail! Personally, I liked Sid Rich, but my vote doesn't count since I'm an adult!

 

1Hour

[Lynda J 10]

Hour. We took our boys bikes with us to camp. It worked out great. Only problem was that we had to do some flat fixing. But we went prepared for that.

They have changed the first year program. It is all done in one group. Boys didn't have to go very far this year. All work was done in the area just outside the trading post and them just down t he hill toward archery. I helped with knots and first aid for a couple of days. Sure had fun.

Makes me proud to hear that boys enjoyed our camp.