Adirondack Trip: Camp Massawepie

While I was a Cub Scout, and earned my Arrow of Light, I now regret never having followed through and become a Boy Scout. Things are different now, and there are better transitional types of things built into Cub Scouting that creates a path for boys to involvement in Boy Scouting as part of the prequisites for the Arrow of Light. At any rate, my son was himself a Cub Scout, but stopped going after finishing Bear. My stepson, on the other hand, has earned his Arrow, and this past Spring, joined a local Boy Scout troop, one, which like many, is steeped in local tradition. I've always liked the idea of an organization helping young boys become responsible men.

The reason Anne and I travelled to the Adirondack Mountains this summer was retrieve my stepson from Camp Massawepie. Camp Massawepie is the traditional Boy Scout summer camp and as a first year Boy Scout, he attended for one of a possible two weeks. This was his first time away from home and I was proud of how well he handled the experience, especailly as he had never been away for so long without any communication with either his mother or father, save a few postcards. You see, at Massawepie, you are beginning on your path to Boy Scout-hood, and manhood, and sometimes that means you can't call home all the time. You try to do the mature thing. He did that, and it was probably not easy.

When we went to pick him up last Sunday, I took some pictures of the camp... but not too many as to protect exposing the camp secrets! Below is the sign which greets campers on the main drag just past Tupper Lake.



The first building you come to would be the camp leaders office. This is where the mail is picked up and delivered. It takes quite a while to receive mail from the camp: Anne received the postcard her son "mailed" the day he arrived a week before she got it. He did, however, recieve the letters we sent before leaving camp.



We arrived just as the boys were returning from their trail hike--they were singing a song as they made their way up the trail. In a wierd way, I felt like I was intruding on them. Notice to the left of the pic the fine bathroom accomdations!



My stepson's troop designation, Highlanders, was represented by the banner below. There was also a smaller banner which would be brought out and presented during meetings.



Some of the "veterans" will be staying for two straight weeks, while the majority of newer Boy Scouts are preparing to leave after one week of horse flies, spiders, whittling, stories, swimming and fun.



I don't recall exactly what this is, but I suspect it is part of the most important part of all camps--the campstore, home to Slushies, candy, badges, and, apparently, a hatchet that Anne's son really wanted... lucky for us it was $27.



The Scouts who ran the camp, all younger than I or Anne, did a good job filling us in on how the experience went for the troop and Anne's son. Other than the normal bumps in the road that come with a first time camper, things went pretty well. After collecting his things, finding a stray sneaker and saying goodbye, we all bade farewell to the Adirondacks for another summer. I suspect we'll all be back next year.

Breathe in, Breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!