“Picture” one of your scouts here !

Imagine, the story when they get home from Fish Camp and tell the folks they made it to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s Big Fish web page !  http://fishandboat.com/bigfish.htm

However, the first step is to sign-up !   Fish Camp is open this year during weeks #2 and #3  (the weeks of July 8th and 15th) to all.   Come to camp with your troop and head over to Fish Camp for a week of fishing the various environments of the Pocono Plateau.  Or, snag a buddy and the two of you sign-up for Fish Camp.  Either option may get you on that Big Fish web page !

Fish Camp is part of the Minsi Trails High Adventure Program.  Check out our other high adventure offerings at www.minsitrails.com\camping.   Already have a full summer planned?  Not a problem!  There is always next year.   Invite us to your troop for an overview of our various programs when you begin your 2013 planning.

 

River Adventures – in “two flavors”

The Minsi Trails High Adventure Program offers two levels of river trips this summer -

River Trails of the Delaware - A close to home experience through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.  Retrace the path of the local Lenni Lenape.  Hear your voyager certified guide explain their culture.  This is an easy stretch of river suited perfectly for those looking for that first 5-day river trip experience.  Swimming, fishing, floating, abound.

Trapper John’s Maine Canoe Expedition – Now ratchet it up a notch.  Go for the W-W-W :  Wildlife-Wilderness-Whitewater.  Follow Trapper John (a real person !) through Maine’s Allagash wilderness area.  Spend the better part of two weeks putting those camping and canoeing skills to the test on a “life memory” journey.  Are you up to a “up close and personal” moose encounter?  Like we said … life time memories made to order!

Visit www.minsitrails.com\camping for details on these and other high adventure programs offered by the Minsi Trails Council.  We also offer two renown Boy Scout summer camp programs.  What differentiates us from other options?  Your unit can do both!  Your older guys can pick from the high adventure programs while your younger guys enjoy summer camp working on First Class and merit badges.  Come check us out !

 

GOT WEBELOS ADVENTURE?

 WEBELOS 2:  BRIDGE TO ADVENTURE.   It is high adventure for Webelos.

Exclusively focused on those Webelos who will be Webelos 2 in September, the Bridge to Adventure introduces life at a Boy Scout Camp – and begins the transition to Scouting, for Cubs, Leaders and Parents alike.   Quick Facts -

• Where is Bridge to Adventure held?  At the Council’s Camp Minsi in Pocono Summit, PA, along the shores of beautiful Stillwater Lake, and near the intersection of I-380 and I-80 at PA 940.
• When is it held?  Bridge to Adventure is held “week 6”, Sunday afternoon, July 29 through Saturday morning, August 4th, 2012.
• Attendance can be by den, individuals as provisional campers or a couple of buddies going together.

Click  HERE  for a promotional brochure that you can use at your next den meeting.

 

BMX Bike Pump Course Taking Shape

A new addition to the Hawkeye Action Center (HAC) activities is under construction.  For the 2012 season, a BMX Bike Pump Course is being added to HAC.  What is a pump track course?   Here is an example of one.  Check out this video from the BSA: 

 Here’s where the construction on our pump course is now:  the DESIGN  sketch; and picture. Hawkeye Action Center is part of the Minsi Trails High Adventure Program.  It is available to Scouts and Venturers 14 years old or older.  Participants can be from Troops/Crews attending either of the Council’s two summer camps:  Camp Minsi in Pocono Summit, or Settlers Camp in Jonas, PA.   HAC is located at the Trexler Scout Reservation in Jonas.   Transportation will be provided for participants based at Camp Minsi.

 

Got High Adventure?

We do here in Minsi Trails !

Greetings camping blog subscriber.   If your troop is like most, you are likely right now dealing with those 4th year campers or “been there, done that, not going back” Scouts. We’ve all struggled to keep those older Scouts engaged with the troop during summer camp. This experience is precisely the reason we have implemented the Minsi Trails Council High Adventure Program  the way we did.

To help you out considering one of these programs this year (or even in 2013 if you are planning ahead), we have a brief presentation you can use at a PLC meeting or at your Annual Planning Conference meeting. The presentation focuses on the highlights of the programs, and provides links to the details if they wish to learn more.  Click here for a copy of the  High Adventure PLC promotion .

From a leader-to-leader perspective, I believe we have designed the program to address several adult needs. Here’s why -

We offer a “one stop shop” – While your younger scouts are in merit badge camp, your 2 or 3 older guys can launch themselves into one of the high adventure programs.

We’ll do the transport – While both of our base camps, Camp Minsi and Settlers Camp, support the high adventure programs, you do not have to worry about what happens where. Pick your base camp of choice, and if the high adventure program is hosted at the other camp, we’ll transport you Scouts over Sunday afternoon and return them Saturday morning.

Leaders included - Take this either way. You as a leader can join the activity as a participant if you’d like. Or you can read this as you do not need to send leaders along, we’ve got two-deep leadership covered. (Note – For mixed Venture Crews, we look to the Crew to provide the over 21 female leader.)

Planning done – Never planned a high adventure troop trip for the older scouts? We’ve got it covered. We’ve done it for you, and you’ll be able to learn from the experience and take it home with you.

Just do High Adventure - Just want high adventure? Not interested in a base camp experience? You Scouts can just participate in a high adventure program – either as an individual/provisional scout or with a patrol/crew.

Whatever your plans are for 2012, the important thing is your guys are out living scouting while camping.  I would ask that you give us a look during your 2013 planning. We are making improvements in all our camping programs – Cubs through Webelos II, through Scouts through Venturers – each and every year. 

Need more information?  Contact Todd Heyn, Director of Support Services with the Council (tHeyn@minsitrails.com) or Walt Witucki, Council Camping Committee Chair (walt_witucki@msn.com).

Watch this blog, and encourage others to subscribe, for more exciting Minsi Trails Camping news.

 

Construction Ahead !

The calendar says spring and some camp work is already underway.  A few words on our camps now,  and then some exciting program reminders on the way….

• BMX pump course - A course has been designed and construction should be starting this week (week of March 5).  This represents the second element of the Hawkeye Action Center (HAC) located at Trexler SR.  Conversations have started regarding the addition of ATVs to HAC for 2013 as the third element.  Within a few years, HAC will be a full week, self-contained program.  If you are interested in the ATV discussions, please join us  over at our Council Camping Committee blog site: www.minsitrailscc.wordpress.com. 

• Camp Minsi Campmaster Cabin - Construction continues.  Come out and help on Minsi’s Beaver Day (May 11-13).  This facility will help anchor our Camp Minsi-based high adventure programs during the summer season.  The combination quarters and camp museum/meeting room is located on the left side when entering camp, between the Adirondacks (home of Fish Camp) and Wytrex Lodge.
• New  campsite at Akelaland – Great news for the Cubs!  A new campsite is being developed for use at Akelaland.  It is located along the northern end of the loop road, across from the Minsi site.  Rumor is it will be called Mohican.  As you know, Akelaland attendance numbers continue to fill this camp.  This new site will offer more Cubs the opportunity to enjoy Akelaland each summer.

 

Camping Committee Looking for Volunteers

New initiatives requires new volunteers.  The Minsi Trails Camping Committee has some exciting initiatives that will need assistance in order to reach fruition.  If you would like to learn explore volunteer opportunities, please email Walt Witucki, Camping Committee Chair, at wwitucki@gmail.com or visit the Camping Committee’s news blog at:  minsitrailscc.wordpress.com.  All subcommittee meetings, generally conference calls, are announced on the committee’s news blog site.    Sub-committees in need of assistance:

1.  ATV Sub-committee – This committee will explore what would be required to add an ATV program to the Hawkeye Action Center in the 2013 season.  The committee currently has 4 active members.

2.  Saturdays @ Camp (SAC) team - This committee has not started, despite several attempts.  The goal is to offer Saturday programs at each of the three camps, once a month for starters, during the “off-season” – September through April.  This group needs a hand full of people to coordinate the programs that others have offered to conduct at camp.  Coordination involves, collecting the program details/requirements/fees, dates, camp, camp facilities, etc.   It does not involve running a program, but could involve recruiting programs and program leads.  Programs could include:  waterfront, COPE, ice fishing, winter backpacking, geocaching, etc.

3.  Merit Badge Program Hints & Tips Sessions - Not really a train the trainers (a.k.a. summer camp merit badge staff), but a pre-staff week session to provide the three summer camp staff instructors with hints and tips on various merit badge or activity pin programs.  Example, in teaching the eye splice, there is that “trick” of keeping the third strand down or under which makes for a cleaner splice.  Or, there is that “little push” on the J-stroke that makes teaching solo canoeing a snap.  This small group would organize the program and recruit “seasoned” merit badge instructors who would then pass their hints and tips along to the staff.    This committee has had a few false starts and really needs a small core to take ownership of the initiative.   This initiative does not replace the traditional camp staff week training, but optionally provides supplemental training the weekend before staff week.

4.  North Winds Adventures - Are you a snow sports advocate?  We need you !   This committee is still in the “vision phase”.  It is somewhat like the Saturdays @ Camp program mentioned above, but focuses solely on winter weekend activities at Camp Minsi, Lake Stillwater, and the area ski destinations.   It compliments our exciting Camp Minsi  Winter Camp program by exposing more scouts and venturers to winter fun, and ultimately expanding the number of kids taking advantage of Winter Camp.  What is needed is to identify a small group of individuals who could build out the vision into a viable program offering for winter of 2013.