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.
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