Written By: Kian Gramzow Troop 12 Historian
It's a Trap! Catching our Dinner
Troop 12 has done it again. Add another Troop 12 adventure to the history books.
Early in the morning twilight, we braved the cold November weather and drove to the Oregon coast. Our Destination? Winchester Bay. Our Goal? To catch some crabs for a delicious crab-feast.
But this crabbing expedition was not just for Troop 12 scouts. The Pack 12 Webelos Scout den and their leaders joined us -- showing us they have the right stuff to become Boy Scouts.
Most of the Troop, along with the Webelos, brought crabbing pots to trap crabs off the public fishing pier. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was opposed to the idea at first and sent a cold November downpour. The scouts and Webelos had to seek shelter in their vehicles -- but the scouts and leaders who were crabbing in the bay were not so lucky.
Braving the Storm
Mr. Frome, Mr. Gramzow, Wyatt, and Kian used a small crab boat to set pots further out in the water and hauled them up every once and a while to empty them of crabs. It was all going as planned and then -- a big storm hit. They could barely see through the downpour as the waves violently rocked their boat, but they never gave up. It was challenging but they kept tossing and retrieving traps throughout the onslaught of cold rain. Eventually, the storm blew over and things became easier. They must have been doing something right because they caught nearly 40 crabs!
Cheerful and Brave
The unforgiving wind and rainfall made crabbing mighty difficult -- but this is Troop 12 we're talking about. “I’m glad I remembered my raincoat,” laughed Wyatt, our Senior Patrol Leader.
All our Scouts, whether on the pier or the boat, lived up to the Scout Law, showing Troop 12 can be cheerful and brave throughout the storms of life.
Crab Preparation on the Waterfront
Catching a break in the rain, the scouts reunited at a crab cleaning station to gut their catch. Mr. Gramzow showed the scouts how to prepare the crabs before boiling them.
We set up four large pots in the gravel and plopped the cleaned crabs in the boiling water. Scouts huddled around the burners to stay warm and thaw their numbed hands.
At last, it was time to load the crabs into a cooler for transport to our final destination, Camp Baker.
Service and Fun at Camp Baker
After setting up camp, the scouts quickly began to improvise a game of baseball using a wooden plank for a bat and a pinecone for a ball. It made us wonder if scouts in the 1950's did the same kind of thing.
But scouting isn't just about fun -- it's also about helping others in need. We offered to help Stan and Ann, the camp rangers who take care of Camp Baker, with a project that was too big for the two of them. Our scouts hiked down the muddy trail to another campsite that was being worked on and carried large sheets of plywood up the inclined trail, finally placing them in a trailer.
As the sun began to set, the scouts and Webelos got to work setting up the kitchen area to prepare for their glorious meal.
Feast and Fire
Finally! It was the moment everyone had been waiting for.
Patrols furiously cracked open their crabs, blissfully eating as they worked. In addition to succulent crab dripping with melted butter, we ate chili and pot roast made by our lovely grubmaster, Mr. Gramzow.
After the wonderful feast, the scouts built a campfire and gathered around it for warmth and camaraderie as stars began to peek through parting night-time clouds.
Patrols performed skits and sang songs together in the flickering light, a truly magical moment shared.
After the campfire, the boys gathered in their adirondacks to play a few rounds of cards and share some laughs.
And finally, after a long day of work and fun, it was time for us to go to sleep.
Duty to God
Patrols cooked their breakfasts before packing up camp and heading off to church.
The Troop stopped at St. Mary, Our Lady of the Dunes church, in Florence, to honor our duty to God -- because a scout is reverent.
We snapped a few pictures for Mrs. Long and went off to go home to our families.
This was a wonderful, fun, and delicious trip that everyone appreciated.
We were grateful to be able to share this campout with the Pack 12 Webelos scouts and look forward to them crossing over into Troop 12 in the Spring of 2024.
