Firestone
Explorer Base
Firestone
Explorer Base
Resica Falls Scout Reservation
20-22 February 2009
Seven Scouts and three adult
leaders from Troop 461 braved the cold winter weather for an outdoors weekend
camp at the Firestone Explorer Base at Resica Falls Scout Reservation in the
Pocono Mountains during the weekend of 20 through 22 February 2009. The
theme of the weekend was cold weather camping and the hearty group included most
of the Troop's older Scouts.
The Adirondack shelters at Firestone are quite a bit more spartan than their counterparts at Ockanickon Scout Reservation, which are considerably larger and boast six (6) bunk beds. Rather than pitch tents on the frozen ground, the Scouts chose to occupy one of the two Adirondack shelters in our campsite. Seven Scouts in a small shelter makes for cosy sleeping, but can be a pain if you toss and turn during the night -- it might annoy the people to your right and left. A tarp hung from the front of the shelter protects from the wind and actually kept a significant amount of heat in the shelter. None of the Scouts complained about the cold either Friday or Saturday night.
An enclosed pavilion at our campsite served as our
headquarters and mess area. A kerosene heater was utilised to keep a chill
out of the pavilion when we weren't cooking and served as an area for the Scouts
to warm up when they were uncomfortable from the cold.
The
photo below left shows Scoutmaster Tim Wile
tending to a fire in the pavilion's fireplace to supplement
the kerosene heater while the photo below right pictures ASM Ernie Gambone
reviewing the fixings for one of the weekend meals. The pavilion included
two nicely sized picnic tables that made eating meals much more comfortable than
sitting on a log in the cold. Of course, getting the Scouts to clean their
eating gear after meals wasn't a problem as it provided them with an excuse to
get their hands in warm water.
Firestone is rather deserted in the fall and
winter months and when camping there you essentially have the area to yourself.
Our campsite was located right near the Bushkill Creek and evidence of recent
snowfalls was clearly visible when one walked around the site and down to the
Creek.
The Scouts kept themselves busy during the
daylight hours hiking around the base and exploring for signs of wildlife in the
snow. The downtime back at camp allowed the adult leaders some time for
rest and relaxation prior to the next meal or event. The photo below left
shows ASM Ernie Gambone and ASM Tom Isban relaxing in the pavilion during the
Scouts' absence. At night, the relative warmth of the pavilion provided a
gathering place for the group to catch up on things or to swap stories before
turning in for a much needed rest.
Sunday morning brought a pleasant surprise with
the arrival of snow. A light snowfall began shortly before we woke up on
Sunday morning and by the time breakfast was ready, approximately an inch of new
snow had fallen. Snow continued to fall as we enjoyed a hot breakfast of
pancakes and sausage and began the process of cleaning up and packing our gear
for the trip home.
Since the Scouts slept in one of the Adirondack
shelters and the adults slept in the pavilion, there were no tents to take down,
which made packing gear much easier. Once the Troop gear was packed into
ASM Gambone's pickup truck, it was time to load the Scouts' personal gear.
With everyone helping, the cleaning up and packing up went quickly and we were
packed up and ready to head for home once the Campmaster arrived to check us out
of our campsite.
The downtime coupled with the falling snow led to
the inevitable - a snowball fight. Most of the participants were willing,
some less so than others. Finally, the Campmaster arrived, looked over our
campsite, determined that we were leaving it in better shape than it was when we
arrived, and we were on our way home -- almost. On the way out of the
campsite, ASM Tom Isban's mini-van got stuck in the snow and several of the
older Scouts had to come to his aid and push him over a rather small hill.
Once we got Mr. Isban's minivan over the hump, the remainder of the trip home was rather uneventful. The snowfall had turned to a light rain by the time we reached Interstate 80 at Stroudsburg and the rain stopped completely by the time we reached Souderton.
This page last updated on Sunday, 15 March 2009