Firestone Explorer Base

Resica Falls Scout Reservation, Marshall's Creek, Pennsylvania

19-21 September 2008

        Troop 461 began its new Scouting year with an inaugural weekend camping trip in the Pocono Mountains at the Firestone Camp, formerly Firestone Explorer Base, at Resica Falls Scout Reservation.  You couldn't ask for better weather for a weekend camp - highs in the low 70s during the day and going down to the 40s at

night, for great outdoor sleeping.  Of course, no weekend Scout camping trip would be complete without some time spent sitting around the fire. 

          Friday night began with a rather unusual snack - spaghetti and meat sauce.  Three of our Scouts are members of the Souderton High School cross-country track team and put on a "pasta party" for the group.  Apparently, the cross-country runners have these pasta parties the evening before a competition to load their bodies up with carbohydrates and provide their bodies with fuel for the coming run.  It apparently worked as the Scouts were pretty active on Saturday.

          Most of the campsites at Firestone have small enclosed shelters with a small fireplace, such as the one pictured here.  We used the one at our campsite as our main kitchen and eating area.  In colder weather it provides a place where the Scouts can warm up and dry off in the event of wet or snowy weather.  We had neither and it was just a convenient place where we could gather and set up our kitchen gear. 

          For Saturday lunch, the Scouts had planned on some utensil-less cooking by making foil-pack lunches over the campfire.  In the past, we had done foil-packs for our evening meal but the Scouts decided that it would be better if it were used for lunch while there was plenty of daylight to see what they were doing.    The

nice thing about utensil-less cooking in general is that cleaning up is a snap!  Since it had been some time since we had done foil pack cooking, some of our newer members needed to be instructed on the finer points of preparing their foil packs and some of our veteran members needed a refresher course.  Still, no matter how much or well prepared a Scout's foil pack is, the toughest part about foil pack cooking is sitting by the fire hungrily waiting for it to finish cooking.  Patience, however, is a virtue and none of the Scouts complained about the food that lunchtime.

          The afternoon saw the temperatures climb into the 70s and most of the Scouts took a short hike to the Bushkill Creek for a bit of swimming at Firestone's swimming hole, appropriately named "Cool Dip."  Their trek left the adults some free time to read, explore the area, or simply relax.

          While the Scouts brought tents in which to sleep, the nice late summer/autumn weather prompted some of the Scouts to stay in one of our campsites two Adirondack shelters.  Only one of the Scouts elected to set up his own tent, but he was toasty warm at night when the temperatures dropped into the 40s.  The three adult leaders on the trip had no such problems -- they stayed in ASM Scott Forwood's pop-up camper trailer, which was set up on the edge of the parade field at Firestone.  The only hitch in the adult leaders' well laid plans was an electrical problem with the camper that prevented using the heater -- so they were not much better off than the Scouts!!  (Serves them right, eh?)

          Firestone was originally built in the late 1950s as an Explorer Base and for the first decade of its existence, it was used exclusively by Explorers.  The Explorers were the older age group of the Scouting programme, ranging from ages 14 to 18.  This programme is now called "Venturing" and is open to boys and girls ages 14 years through 20 years.  The camp received its name from the fact that it was paid for by a grant from the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Foundation.  The former Explorer Base headquarters is now called "Firestone Lodge" and can be utilised by Troops for weekend camps.  It has indoor heat and plumbing as well as a fully equipped kitchen and sleeps forty (40) persons.   The main hall area has a nice fireplace, which used to be the main hall and the trading post for the former Explorer Base is now used for an activities room and dining area for the groups which use the lodge.  It still bears many of the signs of its original use as the headquarters of the former Explorer Base.

        Meanwhile, back at our campsite, the evening meal got underway with the preparation of soft-shell tacos and salad.    The enclosed hut provided a nice cosy

backdrop for the evening meal and made clean up a breeze.  However, it was not the preferred gathering place as once the meal had been eaten and cleaned up, the Scouts were back to the fire ring to enjoy just sitting around the camp fire and enjoying a night in the woods.  The crackling of the camp fire was punctuated every now and then by the distant call of a coyote.  The evening snack consisted of individual fruit pies made over an open fire -- something enjoyed by all as the temperatures dropped back down to the 40s.

          Of course, Sunday morning found our chef, ASM Scott Forwood, starting the fire in the hut to get the chill out before getting the morning coffee on for the adult leaders. 

This page last updated on Sunday, 19 October 2008