August 21-24, 2019
Another amazing tri-ward camp at the Tanner Camp facility. This year they were sporting a new Zip Line, and there was the beginnings of a new obstacle course. As always, the water facilities were awesome. We had some interesting Service work putting up Bat Houses, a small pest control issue, and some weeding of non-indigenous plant species. The culinary teams pulled off the most scrumptious meals, all with the challenging constraints of Costco sourced ingredients. Could you pass me that 2nd gallon jug of Catsup please? Lots of great adventures had by all.
Note on the movie night blowup.
Screenwriters always weave an underlying message, usually some moral virtue, but not necessarily. The theme I was picking up on was one of Nihilism. It was frustrating the purpose of having agency. The movie pitched that it didn't matter what you did in this life; some "random" algorithm was going to determine if you stayed on or evaporated. In the Lord's plan, you choose who you want to be. If you follow His plan, he will help you make the most of yourself.
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Josh, Jack, Hudson, Ephraim, RJ, Michael, Uwana, Ashton, Bowen, - Scouts |
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Mason, Logan, Evan, Evan's bother, Jeff, David, John, Caysen, Caysen's brother... - Scouts |
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Karl, Jade, Will, Bishop Shaw, David, Ryan - Leaders |
| Packing up and heading out | We devised this ingenious plan that would save vehicles space, and maximize occupancy. Don't get the groceries until you hit Edmonton. Costco was recommended as cheap for large group quantities, and of course free samples. Just what we needed, we thought. Then complete the remaining 30 minutes with boxes of groceries piled on our laps. | ||
If only your wife keeps the Costco card, challenges start right up front. |
After significant substitutions and best alternative like spaghetti noodles
for lasagna, we got what we needed. |
Now for the optimum packing strategy. Can't waste an inch of space here. |
Just because you're in the front seat, doesn't get you any more room. |
Oh, we've got a lot more stuff to go here!!! |
I think I can get my legs around this. |
Middle section good. Bit more for the back... |
We did it. It's all in. Don't crush the baguettes closing the door. |
Slight detour getting back on the hi-way, but we eventually made
it. There's the kitchen guys, lets unload... |
Whoa, looks like they wax the floors around here. |
Always a helping hand for a man down. |
Just like we remembered it. But look, new bigger freezers and fridges. And
the running water now comes with Hot, and it doesn't drain into a bucket.
Now this is a modern kitchen. Look out Chef Ramsey! |
Chefs kick into Lasagna prep mode. |
Some dividing up of the tasks. |
Meat sauce crew ready for the onions. |
Add some of the Costco large format secret spice. |
Pasta crew getting ready in the background. |
Review of the rules for some of the younger cooks |
And No frozen desserts until after the main courses. |
Lasagna is done. Get your tables setup. |
Costco inspired Spaghetti Lasagna. Individually woven spaghetti mats that
resemble lasagna noodles. What's that motto "A boy-scout is wise in
the use of his resources" |
Dish up! |
Not bad. |
Hey, Lasagna with slurpable noodles. |
| Now to burn off some energy while we wait for the others. | |||
Bit of Catch the Football |
With some long stretches. |
Switch to soccer and boost participation. |
Player down, opposing teams takes the advantage.. |
| Other arrive and we check out the water front. | |||
Swim out to the Royal Rumble stage |
With that last round on the Rockit, it seems to have unanchored itself. |
Test out a kayak. |
More kayaks... |
Scuba Will's got the wrench and carabineer to re-anchor the Rockit |
Attempt 1 |
Attempt 2 |
Attempt 3 |
Slide challenges |
Race all the way to the dock. |
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| Just so many opportunities to get a great workout. You don't even need a gym membership... | 
Will tries to send the others flying by doing leg squats... |
2nd Attempt... |
3rd Attempt... |
Kind old Will helps the little guy feel stable and not worry about getting
wet. |
Just need to check out the port and starboard stability. May get a bit wet
here... |
Yup, ya lean too far here this is what could happen. So careful! |
Now if you lean back too far you could begin to sink like this... |
| First dinner together with the whole crew... | |||
Hamburgers hit the spot. Especially when dinner is at 9:00pm |
Getting into some evening games now. |
Boy, show up late for dinner and all's you get is an orange. |
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| Beginning Day 2 | |||
Early risers from Lion's Den. Who's on for making breakfast this
morning? |
Fox den boys are up. They have red curtains, so they see everything
through rose colored glasses. |
Same upgrades to this kitchen as well. Bonus. |
The Sous- chef works his eggs magic. |
Sipping OJ while basking in the streams of pink sunlight. Hard to get better
than this. |
Of course the scent of bacon somehow makes that even better. |
No rush around here. |
Fox Den pounds back a serious breakfast. |
| Service opportunities abound | Pulling Tansy. An invasive non-indigenous weed | ||
Getting our introduction to the weed Tansy. |
Gettin gloves on now, say goodbye to those weeds... |
After we finish here there's a bunch more over by the ranger's lodge. |
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| Swimming and other things they have rules for. | |||
Bishop holding the post as Super Life Guard. Oh, and don't read that
2nd last rule. |
This is how you look when you're really cold. |
or you could wimp out with wearing a wetsuit. Cold, that's not cold. |
Then there's other guys that must be part fish. |
John and Josh tackle the slide. |
Summersaults? |
Stairmaster... |
The Springboard... |
Upper body workout... |
Look mom, no hands |
Tag match. |
Wrestle match roll... |
Kayaker's bringing it home |
Ram that shoreline! |
Guess it could have used a bit more speed. |
Last man in yet? You made it how far off the shore? The other
side! |
Still in pajamas and loving it |
Locust and Honey anyone? |
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| How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? | |||
I always keep a razor sharp axe. |
Splits it like paper. |
Whole stump now... |
Ready for the power splitter? |
You got your Axe permit? Yea, want your power splitter permit? |
Hydraulics sure make things easy... |
Yup, just like going through butter. |
No more logs left? That's disappointing. |
| Water balloon activity - Compliments of Dave | |||
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Hey, where did you get those? |
Ambush... |
I'm out of here. |
The big cannon is loading up. |
Not that easy to aim and launch at the same time here. |
Big cannon guys are an easy target... |
OK, scrap the cannon. |
We could pelt a few of these into the Fox Den and rattle up their card
game. |
You guys hear a splat on the window? |
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| Burgers & Corn for Dinner with Turnovers for dessert | Now Costco did not have cherry pie filling, or any kind of pie filling for that matter. Then we thought maybe frozen cherries would work. Only found one type of frozen berry, Strawberries. | ||
Hits the spot after a full day of activities. |
Some guys slow down after 3 burgers... |
Buttery corn, mmm. |
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Burgers served up fast. Dessert crew is ramping up. |
Any chef worth his salt, taste tests the dish as it progresses. Yea, that's
good. |
Fold into triangles, sprinkle on some course sugar, and voila! The perfect
Strawberry turnover is ready to bake. |
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| Dinner at Fox den | |||
Hey guys we still got the mess from breakfast... |
Making the case for a pre-dinner nap at 8:00 pm. |
OK, boys have moved to the group kitchen. Baked potatoes with all the
trimmings tonight. |
Gold platted potatoes. nice touch. |
Some boys are ready for games, with a choice of bacon and turnovers to
nibble on. |
Rest of the guys come over and dabble with the Baked Potatoes and fixins. |
Nothing like a smoking hot potato. |
This is the potato with major extra cheese and then heated again in the microwave. |
Scamming a couple more paddies. |
Discussing the days hilights |
New game rules discussion, you lose, I win. |
9:00pm. The meal that keeps on giving and giving and ... |
| Evening Campfire and time for Bishops discussion. | |||
Oooo, was that log soaked in gas? |
Sometimes when it's dark and you bite into something that kind of throws
you... |
You could try figure out if you could see what it was... |
But it's probably better to shrug it off.. |
and just say how good it is. |
Should we tell them what we did with those grass hoppers we found earlier?
Na, it would spoil the moment. |
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| The 2nd Annual "Signs" Playoff game | |||
Boys start to gather for the evening competition. |
Almost midnight and still holding strong. Snack bowls have diminished
substantially though. |
I think it ended around 3:00 am... | |
| Friday AM challenge - Bats in the Belfry | The request was to put up alternate housing for bats in an effort to get them to relocate out of the attic. Inject some pepper spray into the attic, and detect if any bats exit to determine holes that need to be boarded up. | ||
Setting up the tools of the trade |
1st bat house offers a seaside view. |
Ex-Painter takes the ladder challenge. |
A little lesson on bats and their habits... |
The official bat guano |
Here it's applied at the entrance of the bat house. |
There, the 1st house is up, complete with the welcome mat. |
Hmmm, this stuff is a bit slimy, and not coming off very easily. |
2nd house is close enough for the bats to flee from the attic to the new digs. |
OK, well, maybe just a bit more to the left, and then maybe a bit higher,
no lower, now if you tilt it a bit counter clockwise, there! Oh no, maybe
a bit clockwise... |
Lots of Formans on the job site today. |
Get some police experience for rapid facility evacuation. In case people
or bats or both need to flee. |
Anyone want to experience what pepper spray smells like? |
Hey, it seems to do what we'd expect... |
Ahhh, I can't breath... |
Do you think locking them in there is a good idea? |
OK, Now it a challenge... |
Enlisting more bat house installers. Got the gloves on for his part. |
Seems its best to do it as a tactile experience. Just lather it on. |
Tripping way out to the last location. |
There, now when you come out of the teepee for that middle of the night
pee, you can get dive bombed by bats. |
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| The new ZZZZip Line | |||
Requires some assembly... |
and height matters. |
The initial weight test. Will his butt be skidding along the ground when
only exceeding the weight limit by 75 kg? |
Discussion relating to the proportion of pain relative to how well you
following safety instructions. |
It's going to hurt this much! |
Michael zips down |
Hudson races down to meet the welcoming party. |
Nervous chatter amongst the guys. How hard could it be? What's the worst
that could happen? Strike that thought. |
RJ suits up... |
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| Lunch and maybe a swim... | |||
Some have a healthy meal, some have a tasty sugary soda... |
and then crash. |
Amazing how comfort expectations are relative. |
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One crew scrambles to get on top of the Rockit, another contemplates the
100 meters from shore rule. |
The slow dip off the dock... |
Things are heating up... |
How you fall off... |
A few victors emerge |
Getting ready to dredge the bottom of the lake for a dead body. Oh, no
body, it's Uwana's glasses. |
After an hour of hypothermia, with the group applying the grid
pattern, the rake pattern wins the day. |
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| 1st Dinner and the bottle flip | |||
Nice healthy looking taco. Oh wait, that's not ground beef, its chocolate
chips and marshmallows. |
The bottle flip challenge... |
Reigning champion RJ gets in to the game. |
Laigo boys are feeling confident one of them will land it. |
Oh, what an upset, a Crammer take it. |
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| Evening service project | Building an obstacle course | ||
Auguring down for anchors |
Might still need some more weight... |
Grounds a bit dry, but it's working. |
So how come we have to do our's in the middle of this big puddle? |
Heave guy, heave! |
Should we be able to hit oil? |
Yea, it's pretty muddy here guys... |
Job done! |
| Hoodoo Scramble | |||
Hey guys, look, there's a rope. Wonder where it goes? |
Wait for me. |
Cool guys don't need a rope... |
The actual Hoodoo climb. |
Gets a bit tougher here.. |
Need more arm strength. |
This is getting so high. |
Simba looks out over Pride rock. Sees the majestic lake in the distance. |
Inadvertently drops one of his favorite gloves, plunges down to rescue
it... |
Safely grasping the plummeting glove, he arduously clings to the
"rope for wimps" and makes it back on top. |
OK, now back to the Simba on pride rock theme. Wow, what a view. |
How did I get here? Am I on a different path? |
So now you want me to go down? |
I'm definitely a fan of this rope. |
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| 2nd Dinner | |||
Watch my vice-grip hands pop open this super sealed jar... |
The excitement of getting water to boil. |
Look, tiny bubbles are starting. |
Think we should stir it? |
OK, this time if I win, I get your hamburger. |
That wasn't a big flake of pepper I just ate? |
Ahhh, Nope. |
My plate of spaghetti looks better than yours. |
These guys just don't use enough spice. |
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| Bishop's Campfire | Some of the boys when out to play "Get Scared" where leaders and total strangers would pop out of bushes in the total dark and then vanish. Some of the strangers were actually good looking girls. Too dark to take pictures, sorry. | ||
A round of kumbaya while holding hands around the fire. |
Hey guys, flatulence burns |
Back at the lodge to a round of new games |
Really got this one figured out. |
| Last day... | |||
Another morning after another late night |
Almost 10:00 and someone's starting to rise. |
Breakfast of Champions... |
Last stroll by the residence. |
All tidied and packed up. Ready to go. |
WP boys cooking up the leftovers. |
The 3 paddy hamburger... |
hits the spot. |
Deep in though, contemplating the awesome camp. |
and then there's the awesome food experience that it was. |
The final happy dance. |
Till next year everyone... |