THE GEAR
FAQ's
Q: Will my son have enough to eat?
A; Yes. And the troop will likely have a pizza night too as a break from the mess hall. Spending money can be used to purchase ice cream or other treat as an afternoon snack.
Q: Will my son take a shower and brush his teeth?
A: He will be encouraged to do so but nobody will do it for him. At a certain point in human male development (usually within the scouting age range), boys realize that hygiene is a good thing.
Q: How many badges should my scout sign up for?
A: New scouts will participate in a special program and may have the opportunity to earn Swimming and one other badge too. Experienced scouts may sign up for 4-6 badges, depending on scheduling and difficulty. Be sure to leave some time for open sessions for climbing, swimming, boating, shooting, etc.
Q: Should I encourage my son to drink a lot of water?
A: Yes. New scouts especially can forget to drink throughout the day. This, coupled with lots of activity in the heat, can cause heat exhaustion and we want everyone to stay healthy and happy. Scoutmasters and our senior scouts will encourage the same.
Q: What happens if there's a big storm?
A: Camps are well-prepared with sheltering procedures for unique situations such as strong summer thunderstorms.
Q: Is it a good idea to text with my son throughout the week, asking him to send pictures of all the great things he's doing?
A: No. In Troop 10, camping trips and summer camp are times when we want the boys to unplug and focus on each other, tasks at hand, and grow up a little bit each trip on their own. There will be plenty of stories to hear upon pick-up.
Q: Is my son in good hands?
A: Yes. There will be 4-5 Troop 10 leaders throughout the week, including those who have led our summer camp for several years. In addition, camp is fully staffed and trained to handle all situations, regular and irregular, that might come up.
Q: What if my son gets homesick?
A: He might be a bit sad and even cry a little. Then he will likely go swimming, ascend the climbing tower, learn first aid, sing camp songs, shoot archery, goof around with about 40 other Troop 10 scouts going to camp, etc. He will be supported by Troop 10 scoutmasters and fellow scouts. Scientific studies indicate that every Boy Scout has survived homesickness during camp.
Q: What are merit badge prerequisites?
A: Sometimes camps offer merit badges but do not have time to complete all the requirements at camp. They often call these requirements prerequisites. It is an option for a scout to communicate with our Troop 10 badge counselor in order to complete prerequisites prior to camp. Otherwise, the scout may still take the merit badge at camp and finish with a partial, thereby needing to complete remaining requirements after camp.
Q: What's this thing called a "partial"? Why didn't my son complete all of his merit badges?
A: Sometimes scouts do not complete all requirements for a badge for numerous reasons. If this is the case, they will receive a partially completed requirements card. They then have the opportunity to complete the badge after camp by working with the appropriate Troop 10 merit badge counselor, which we are blessed to have for most of the popular badges.
