Camp Chawanakee

Camp Chawanakee is nestled in the Sierra mountains on Shaver Lake.  Every summer it becomes the home for Boy Scout Summer Camp offering offering 64 different merit badges and other courses to 3,381 Scouts and 793 Scouters in 210 Troops. The week of July 1-7, 2012, 20 scouts from Troop 606 called Camp Chawanakee home.

The long drive (7 hours with multiple stops and LA holiday traffic) was picturesque.  Once you got out of the city and through the grapevine you are greeted with grape and fruit orchards.  After a trip through Sierra National Forest I finally made it to camp.

The view from the campsite was breathless

Fron behind my tent

Especially the sunsets

The boys participated in a variety of skill earning merit badges in Handicrafts, Scoutcrafts, water sports, High adventure and rank advancement.  Even the adults were able to take classes in training and high adventure.

DImitri Worked on four merit badges and advancements towards his Second and First Class Ranks.  He completed the Pottery and Reptile and Anphibian Study Merit Badges and hes one one requiremtn left to complete both Leatherwork and Basketry.

Jeff participated in the C.O.P.E. (Challenging Outdoor Physical Education), when included low and high challenges and a Zip Line.

You have to first climb up to the challenge

The telephone pole looks larger in diameterfrom below

Cables, at least I have something to hold onto this time,

Planking on the way down

After the COPE event Dimitri had the chance to practice his first aid and take out the splinters from Jeffs hand.

We even did an overnight under the stars on the opposite side of the lake.

Waiting in line for the boats

And were off

Canoeing/rowing at sunset, will we make it in time?

Finding a spot to sleep under the stars

At least it was a full moon

Rowing back at sunrise

We were able to celebrate the fourth of July while we were there, just no fireworks.

And of course, time to play on the camp pioneering projects.

Scoutmaster Tested

Kid Approved



100th Anniversary of the Eagle Scout

Arthur Rose Eldred was born in Brooklyn, NY on August 16, 1895. Raised in Oceanside, Long Island, NY, and joined Scouting in 1910.  His Troop was one of the two local troops, selected by Chief Scout Executive James E. West to serve as honor guard for General Robert S. Baden Powell. “BP”, the founder of the Boy Scout movement, multi-city lecture touring on January 31, 1912.

Arthur earned his first class badge in March, 1911. Like many of the first few Eagle Scouts, Eldred did not receive either a Life or Star Badge (Life proceeded Star until 1922), but went straight to Eagle. At this time, First Class was considered the highest rank in Scouting, but Scouts could be “Merit Scouts” by earning the required merit badges to become a Life Scout, Star Scout and an Eagle Scout. In the early days of the BSA, these awards might be likened more to super merit badges rather than ranks.

Eldred completed the required 21 merit badges for Eagle in April of 1912. In the August 1912 issue of Boy’s Life, Eldred was listed in the Honor Roll section as having received the following merit badges: Civics, Cooking, Cycling, Electricity, Firemanship, First Aid to Animals, Gardening, Handicraft, Horsemanship, Interpreting of French, Life Saving, Painting, Pathfinding, Personal Health, Poultry Farming, Public Health, Swimming, Chemistry, Dairying, Business, and Plumbing.

In a letter dated August 21, 1912, James E. West formally notified Arthur Eldred that he had the honor of being the first Eagle Scout of the Boy Scouts of America. In this letter, West informed him that the Eagle badge would be presented at a later date. A primary reason for this was that the dies for the badge had not yet been made. Eldred received the actual badge on Labor Day 1912.