A Weekend of Building and Bonding

By Lukas Ruocco: Troop 12 Historian

This October, Troop 12 headed to the hills for our annual Pioneering Campout -- a weekend all about teamwork, creativity, and a whole lot of rope work!

The Pioneering Challenges this year?: Use blueprint drawings to create a free-standing swing and a giant catapult, using nothing but poles, knots, and scout skills.

Our Troop's favorite Camp: Camp Kitson

It rained the whole hour-long drive from Springfield to Camp Kitson. But as we entered the campsite, the clouds miraculously parted and we were left with clear skies for a majority of the day.

There is something magical about Camp Kitson. Tucked into the hills outside of Oakridge, OR, beside hot springs and a fast-flowing stream, this was where Troop 12 held our first ever Summer Camp in 2020, during the Covid pandemic. Camp Kitson is one of our top places to camp as a troop!

Engineering in the Woods

Eager to take advantage of the dry weather, we got straight to work.

The Troop split into two teams. One team worked on the swing. The other the catapult. The team building the catapult started off with an early lead. They worked well together. Very fast and efficient, with older scouts helping younger scouts with knots and lashings. To be fair, the swing was a larger structure, requiring extra-secure lashings, as it needed to be safe to hold scouts of all sizes. Although it had less moving parts than the catapult, it took significantly more man power.

Older Scouts used the EDGE method of teaching (Educate, Demonstrate, Guide, Empower) to teach the newer scouts "the ropes" of pioneering.

Mission Accomplished!

With a lot of hard work and a little trial and error, both the swing and catapult were completed and operational. As scouts laughed and swung on the swing, other scouts where shooting off footballs and Soccer Balls with the aim of hitting the other side of the nearby stream(they were unsuccessfully sadly).  Both pioneering structures were fun, but the swing was far-and-away the fan favorite. 

By the Light of the Campfire

Everyone agrees: Saturday night’s campfire was one of the best highlights of the weekend!

We sang songs, told jokes, performed funny skits, and talked about what we’d built that day.

The glow of the fire and the constant sound of laughter made it a night to remember.

On Sunday morning, we packed up our gear and had a spiritual reflection about the beauty of God's creation we are blessed to Scout in.

The weekend taught us a lot about teamwork, problem-solving, and perseverance -- and reminded us how much fun Scouting can be when you put your skills to the test