Webelos Den Campout Questions

[WDL Mom 10]

Hi All,

 

I am taking my Web. I den cabin camping at the end of January. We are thinking of rolling into camp Saturday morning, sledding, cross country skiing, building forts and snow forts of course. We would stay overnight in the cabin and head out Sunday morning.

 

As I start planning this, I have a bunch of questions, and I need your input!

 

Meals: What type of meals work best in a setting like this? One of my Dads has a couple of camping stoves that we will be using.

 

Restroom facilities: All of the cabins have a latrine located nearby. One cabin is located near the dining hall that has an indoor facility. Are Web. required to have indoor plumbing available??

 

Water: Do you need to bring in your own?? I am wondering if the outdoor water lines freeze up...

 

Activities: What type of indoor activities do you do at night?

 

Please share any additional items that I need to consider as well.

What has worked well for you in the past?

 

Thanks for all your help. Now all I need is to make sure we have snow....

[Lisabob 13]

I would contact the ranger or site manager to ask these questions about water, access to the indoor plumbing (just because it is there doesn't mean they'll let you use it) and if/how the cabin may be heated (is there a fire place? gas or electric heat? nothing?). If there's a fire place, are you expected to supply your own wood or use/purchase theirs? Some places have bans in effect on moving firewood to try to impede the spread of various bugs and even though in January you might think this wouldn't matter, it is worth asking about. With regard to gas/electric heat, is it turned on? Will you be expected to pay extra and if so, how much?

 

Make extra double triple sure that both the boys and their parents are well aware of the type and amount of clothing and sleeping gear they ought to have and be sure you have a stash of extras of some of the vitals (hats, gloves, dry socks, etc.). Maybe encourage some boy scouts with winter camping experience to visit with your webelos to talk about "tricks" for staying warm (like, avoid heavy, wet, cottony jeans! or at the minimum, pack extras so they can change into dry ones as needed).

 

Indoor games and activities - could be a mix of board games, "classics" like charades, and things to build/make, depending on your boys and their personalities/likes/dislikes. Anything non-electronic, right? Half of them will probably be amazed that you can have fun on a winter night without a tv, gameboy, xbox, etc.. Consider incorporating a couple of craftsman and/or artist pin options. Maybe do a couple of "chain" stories where each boy adds a few sentences before handing the story off to the next boy for whatever unexpected twist he comes up with. We did some fun things with optical illusions one night with some of our webelos guys at a lock in. On another occasion the boys made winter bird feeders and then hung them the next day before leaving - both relatively quieter activity but still enjoyable, though if you use peanut butter on the bird feeders make sure they have a way to clean up afterward if there's no warm running water. Heck, teach them to play marbles (most have probably never played). Have them work on a skit or show for your blue and gold banquet (usually in February so good timing here). Options are only limited by the amount of stuff you want to haul with you and your creativity.

 

 

 

 

[eghiglie 10]

Hot meals that are easy to prepare such as meals that use one big pot, like a casserole, sloppy joes with biscuits in the same pot. Also hobo chicken.

 

Cold meals would work as a snack, but usually the hot meal in the cold weather makes the folks comfortable after playing in the cold.

 

Breakfast could be a hot cereal like Quaker Oats.

 

Lunch could be a soup and hot dogs, like tomato soup. Grilled cheese sandwhices work great also.

 

Our Den campouts try to minimize the number of cooking pots so we spend only a little time cleaning and more time on fun.

 

The restroom facilites have to provde the campers privacy while they are being used. Porta potties that lock are acceptable.

 

Indoor facilities are not required but are preffered. Many adults prefer to take a daily shower so that might have to be factored in.

 

Water is tricky, its better if there is running water. Although you can carry in water, water is heavy. I think you need 3 gals per person per day.

 

Board games at night are great. On one campout out we had the DVD version of Family Fued. Although its electronic it was a participation game, try to stay away from game boys.

 

Verify that your local Council has approved the place. This usually means that Council taken all the aspects of the location and made a determination.

 

[Lisabob 13]

With regard to the stoves, will you be cooking outdoors then? Will the dad who has the stoves be present and/or are you certain that others who are attending know how to use his particular stoves if he won't be there?

 

Will the boys be cooking (with help of course) or will the adults? Especially if the boys will be involved in cooking, think simple, quick, and hot. Make sure to consider who will wash the dishes and how, esp. if you don't have access to running water on site.

 

Soup is both easy to do on a stove and hot. Pasta is simple, filling, and only requires boiling water (plus heating up some sauce). One-pot meals where you can pre-cook some ingredients prior to the campout to speed things along (esp meat) are good (chicken and rice, stew, chili). For breakfast, scrambled eggs in a bag work and are very simple. Someone can bring pre-chopped veggies, crumbled up sausage or bacon, and/or shredded cheese to throw into the eggs for variety (mainly your adults will appreciate this.) Pancakes are also simple and you can even buy liquid batter in gallon jugs where all you need to do is pour it onto the griddle/pan - one less bowl to wash up.

 

Make sure the boys (esp the picky eater types) understand that eating a decent lunch & dinner is important in terms of their body's ability to generate heat through the rest of the day/night. Here's a place where having boy scouts deliver the message might be more effective than mom or dad or DL saying it!

 

 

[WDL Mom 10]

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

It is our Council camp, so I know it is on the "approved" list.

 

The camp director retired last month and the Council is in process of hiring a new director, so I may need to do some calling around to get the answers to some of the facility questions.

 

As far as the stoves go, I was assuming that we would be cooking outside. My Dad that owns the stoves is planning on attending as well. Some of the cabins have wood stoves for heat and one near the dining hall has propane heat.

 

Ok, dumb question here... when washing up where does the dish water go in the winter?? I know the latrine is a no-no and that during milder weather you can dig a small pit...

 

You guys are great... thanks!

[John-in-KC 311]

In addition to the Camp Director, there should also be a ranger: Member of the professional staff who is the facilties guy for your camp. He should be one of the go-tos for many of these questions.

 

Another resource, if you Council uses them, are the Campmasters. These are experienced volunteer Scouters who supervise operations of the camp during the off-season, so the Ranger can have a weekend off! Your council camping department will know how to contact them.

 

Sewer lines do not often freeze up. If the camp kitchen drains are in service and available, dump the grey water into them.

 

With wood stoves/fireplaces, I would want two-deep adult leadership in each cabin ... and adults sharing the duty to be up throughout the night. Unless ventilation is adequate, carbon monoxide poisoning is a risk.

 

The carbon monoxide above is also the reason you want to cook outdoors. In our homes, we have range hoods to vent natural gas fumes to the outside; in a camp cabin, you have to plan that level of ventilation.

 

BTW, one activity the kids can do indoors in the evening, depending on when you have your PW derby: Work on derby cars!

[MarkS 11]

If the camp kitchen drains are not in service or are otherwise unavailable, strain the dishwater and put the food particles in your trash and dispose of properly or a sealable plastic bag and pack them out. Broadcast the strained dishwater over a wide area at least 200 feet from the nearest water source, campsite, or trail. Scattering dishwater in a sunny area will cause the water to evaporate quickly.

 

If you have separate buckets for washing and sanitizing, be sure to dispose of the dishwater first and pour the sanitizing water into the dishwashing bucket before disposing of it--to sanitize the dishwashing bucket.

 

I recommend that Webelos Leaders get a copy of the Boy Scout manual. It documents a lot of the camping basics.

 

My council requires pressurized fuels training before you're allowed to operate camp stoves on council property. You might want to check the training requirements of your council for such equipment.(This message has been edited by MarkS)