The last 3 days of camp were filled with excitement and Christmas beetles. These largish beetles, about the same as Canadian June bugs, emerge around Christmas (hence the name) and go about their activities at night. Around the camp, there appeared to be millions of them. They had to be cleared from the entrance to the activities building with a broom. It was impossible to go to the toilet at night without being hit by them. They were interesting though a minor annoyance.
The first activity of the new year was the camp Olympics. The scouts were divided into several teams, each one representing a decade: the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The games were all collaborative efforts and involved various teamwork exercises. I was in charge of a challenge that required the scouts to disassemble and reassemble a tent as fast as possible. The Olympics started with a procession through the camp and then the games were underway. I could only see my portion of the games but I imagine that fun was had by all under the blazing sun. In the end, it was the 1980s that took home the gold.
The last full day of camp involved a short hike around the Penrose area but first, I learned about another Australian tradition, the nutbush. This is a dance, something like the macarena but done to Tina Turner's Nutbush City Limits. It seems to be a very popular children's dance and is even taught in school. Even the adults recognized the dance. It's a bit curious as Nutbush City Limits is a well-known song outside Australia but it seems that Australians are the only ones to have this particular dance. I'd certainly never heard of it before.
At any event, in the afternoon we got underway. The weather had taken a turn and before long the temperature was dropping and we could hear distant thunder. We marched through wooded areas and along logging roads. Eventually we reached the outskirts of the town of Penrose and turned towards camp. By this time, a thick fog had rolled in and you could see the mist swirl above the trees. I was at the rear and I remember talking to Julia Manchester, one of the scouts, about the finer points of the Harry Potter series. In my opinion, she knew everything there was to know.
The final day was pretty miserable and it seems that the camp ended much like it had started --- with rain. After breaking camp and packing up the gear, we made our way to the meeting building and had the closing ceremony. There were the usual speeches and awards conferred but the treat was at the end. After the camp was officially closed, the scouts got together and performed the nutbush outside; I even have it on video.
I was very happy to have participated in this year's camp and I look forward to next December when the national jamboree will be held in Canberra. I wonder if I'll be asked to fill any particular roles.
Well, that was my camping adventure but I didn't have time for rest. After returning to Canberra I had 1 day to prepare myself as I was about to embark on a truly great adventure, perhaps my greatest to date. If you promise to keep coming back, I promise to tell you that story of adventure and misadventure.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Cool Dale: Part 2
The highlight of any camp should be the hike, I think. It's a chance for everyone to get to know each other and get some exercise. It's also nice to really get out into the wild. For this camp, the trek would be a canoe trip starting at Tallowa Dam and heading up the Shoalhaven River near Kangaroo Valley.
The weather in our region finally turned in our favour and we were greeted with a sunny and warm day with temperatures climbing nearly to 30C. We set off from camp in a bus towing our canoes behind us in a trailer. We rode through some very mountainous terrain before descending into the Kangaroo Valley and on to Tallowa Dam. There wasn't much time for rest as we unloaded our canoes, split and packed up the gear and set off down the river. I was paired up with a young scout named Luis who had a similar love of knowledge as myself. We had a great time talking about a great many things along the way.
Canoeing to our campsite took a few hours but we reached it without much trouble. Along the way we passed under some wonderfully sheer cliffs. Our campsite was a good spot up a small, but reasonably steep and sandy hill. Luckily there was no one else around and there was enough room for all of us. We settled in and set up a fire pit for the night. We'd brought food but Luis decided to do some fishing anyway. He was about to surprise us all.
Luis had grown up in the area and was very knowledgeable about local flora and fauna, particularly fish. He'd fished often with his father and knew what he was doing. He said he'd catch something but none of us really believed him so we were all dumbfounded when he ran up the embankment carrying a rather large carp in his hands. He showed it to us and then, without blinking an eye or skipping a beat, he drew his knife, killed the fish and immediately started scaling and gutting it. He managed to cook it but found it rather tasteless. By the end of dinner he'd caught 3 fish in total, although some he threw them back. He definitely showed us up.
As this was only an overnight hike, we started back the next morning. The hills were shrouded in fog but that eventually cleared to another fine day. Going back, Luis decided to trail a line behind our canoe and manage to snag another 4 fish, although he also put them back. At least one of them was an Australian Bass, which he said was his first native fish. Many fish species in the river are foreign and once caught, like the carp, cannot be returned to the river even if dead. Returning to camp was fairly uneventful although we did go across the wonderful stone bridge at Kangaroo Valley.
New Year's Eve proved especially hot. Daytime temperatures approached 40C and although we were glad of the change, it did make things interesting. The order of the day was mostly teaching and the scouts were given instruction on bush cooking --- an important skill, surely, for anyone. However, as the temperature rose through the day it became clear that some outdoor activities would have to be cancelled. Australians have experience in this type of thing and always have a backup plan. In this case, the scouts sat down to watch a film about the American food industry. They sat mesmerized as the facts and figures were rolled out and many said it would make them think about where there food comes from and what they're actually eating. It wasn't all serious though as the scouts were taken to nearby Bundanoon for some swimming. It's a good way to cool down and let the kids have fun at the same time.
The last activities of the day, of the year, and of the decade for that matter were a camp-wide bonfire and a New Year's Eve party. At the bonfire the scouts and the cubs each presented skits, some of which were groaners, other which were hilarious. There was even one skit where some of the scouts got dressed like ABBA and got people dancing around the campfire to Mamma Mia. It was after the bonfire that the party started. As the scouts made merry, the new year rolled in and the scouts then retired to their beds contented, exhausted and ready for the Olympics.
The weather in our region finally turned in our favour and we were greeted with a sunny and warm day with temperatures climbing nearly to 30C. We set off from camp in a bus towing our canoes behind us in a trailer. We rode through some very mountainous terrain before descending into the Kangaroo Valley and on to Tallowa Dam. There wasn't much time for rest as we unloaded our canoes, split and packed up the gear and set off down the river. I was paired up with a young scout named Luis who had a similar love of knowledge as myself. We had a great time talking about a great many things along the way.
Canoeing to our campsite took a few hours but we reached it without much trouble. Along the way we passed under some wonderfully sheer cliffs. Our campsite was a good spot up a small, but reasonably steep and sandy hill. Luckily there was no one else around and there was enough room for all of us. We settled in and set up a fire pit for the night. We'd brought food but Luis decided to do some fishing anyway. He was about to surprise us all.
Luis had grown up in the area and was very knowledgeable about local flora and fauna, particularly fish. He'd fished often with his father and knew what he was doing. He said he'd catch something but none of us really believed him so we were all dumbfounded when he ran up the embankment carrying a rather large carp in his hands. He showed it to us and then, without blinking an eye or skipping a beat, he drew his knife, killed the fish and immediately started scaling and gutting it. He managed to cook it but found it rather tasteless. By the end of dinner he'd caught 3 fish in total, although some he threw them back. He definitely showed us up.
As this was only an overnight hike, we started back the next morning. The hills were shrouded in fog but that eventually cleared to another fine day. Going back, Luis decided to trail a line behind our canoe and manage to snag another 4 fish, although he also put them back. At least one of them was an Australian Bass, which he said was his first native fish. Many fish species in the river are foreign and once caught, like the carp, cannot be returned to the river even if dead. Returning to camp was fairly uneventful although we did go across the wonderful stone bridge at Kangaroo Valley.
New Year's Eve proved especially hot. Daytime temperatures approached 40C and although we were glad of the change, it did make things interesting. The order of the day was mostly teaching and the scouts were given instruction on bush cooking --- an important skill, surely, for anyone. However, as the temperature rose through the day it became clear that some outdoor activities would have to be cancelled. Australians have experience in this type of thing and always have a backup plan. In this case, the scouts sat down to watch a film about the American food industry. They sat mesmerized as the facts and figures were rolled out and many said it would make them think about where there food comes from and what they're actually eating. It wasn't all serious though as the scouts were taken to nearby Bundanoon for some swimming. It's a good way to cool down and let the kids have fun at the same time.
The last activities of the day, of the year, and of the decade for that matter were a camp-wide bonfire and a New Year's Eve party. At the bonfire the scouts and the cubs each presented skits, some of which were groaners, other which were hilarious. There was even one skit where some of the scouts got dressed like ABBA and got people dancing around the campfire to Mamma Mia. It was after the bonfire that the party started. As the scouts made merry, the new year rolled in and the scouts then retired to their beds contented, exhausted and ready for the Olympics.
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