During the recent Christmas break, Venturers of St. Paul’s LCMS Venturing Crew 1785 teamed up with Scouts of Mt. Zion UMC’s Scouts BSA Troop 1785, both of Mechanicsville, to head out to t
he Boy Scouts of America’s Northern Tier High Adventure Base in Ely, MN for a week of winter fun.
Originally planned for 2020 but rescheduled for 2021 due to the Maryland Governor’s COVID-19 travel restrictions, the crew of youth and adult advisors finally got to experience a variety of winter sports and activities out on the snow-covered forests and lakes of the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area, a mere six miles from the Canadian border. Scouts enjoyed snowshoeing, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, building and sleeping in quinzees (a kind of snow shelter), ice fishing, downhill sledding and broom ball iduring BSA’s Okpik Holiday Stay program. ‘Okpik’ is an Inuit word for snowy owl.
Temperatures bottomed out at -32F overnight one night and there were two continuous days where they remained below zero. Participants all brought basic cold weather clothing and gear and were outfitted with additional excellent heavy-weight cold weather clothing, gear and high energy food by the staff at Northern Tier to enable us to “Be Prepared” for the conditions.
After nearly two years of planning and fundraising, everyone was excited to finally realize the fruits of their labor and see in the new year on an adventure. “Cold but very fun. We didn’t feel cold because of what we did,” said Scout Brice M.. Scout John O. enthused “It was awesome to be out in such extreme weather. I want to go back next winter and work there.”
Scouts ready to attend National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) are encouraged to sign up early. Recent courses have filled quickly. Registering as soon as the site opens could ensure a slot on the course of your choice.
This will be Eric’s first summer as Goshen’s Reservation Director though he is no stranger to camp with this being his 25th year on camp staff. He has held a number of positions spanning three different camps. In 2019 Eric was selected to be a National Camping School Course Director.
Avery first came to Goshen in 2009 as a cub, and Bowman as a Scout in 2011. Avery joined staff as a CIT in 2014, and has lived and worked 9 summers at Camp Bowman. They’ve filled positions in almost every area around Camp, including Shooting sports, Bowman Vets, Aquatics, and Scoutcraft before becoming an Area Director in 2017 where they’d go on to run Bowman’s Handicraft, Scoutcraft, and Aquatics areas, as well as founding and Directing Bowman’s Culture Craft area in 2018. Avery’s humbled by the opportunity to represent the best staff in Bowman’s history, eager to welcome scouts and venturers new and old. When not at Camp, Avery works and goes to school in Baltimore, Maryland.
This will be Talbot’s seventh summer working at Goshen Scout Reservation and second year as the Camp Director at Marriott. He has been a lifelong scouter having been involved in Cub Scouts and later Scouts BSA where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout while camping at Goshen in the summers. Outside of Camp Marriott, Talbot is completing his B.S. in Computer Engineering at Boston University where he also assists in research on campus. Talbot is excited to be returning to camp to give scouts the same fun and exciting summers he had while attending.
This summer will be Tom’s tenth year on the Goshen staff and his second as the Olmsted Camp Director! During his time at camp Tom has worked in Ecology and Scoutcraft and was previously the Bowman Program Director. He has also served on the National Camping School Ecology staff. Tom lives in Maryland and is an avid birder. Tom’s favorite Goshen memory is the Astronomy merit badge that he took as a camper; the group went on an Astronomy Hike which was the first time he saw the Milky Way galaxy and a lifelong interest in astronomy was set in motion. Working with Scouts is a deeply gratifying experience for Tom and he looks forward to using the methods of Scouting to positively impact the lives of young people this summer.
Richard attended Ross as a scout, and joined the Camp Ross Staff as early as he could. Since Richard’s first Summer in 2011 he has worked in various positions at camp, learning what it means to be part of the Ross Staff. This will be Richard’s twelfth Summer working at Ross and third Summer as Camp Director. When Richard is not at camp he attends Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and is studying for a Bachelors in Mathematics with a Minor in Environmental Science. Richard is excited for the new challenges the position will bring, and is looking forward to working with Scouts to have a great Summer and introduction to Scouting!
This is Elisabeth’s 6th summer at Lenhok’sin, and second as Camp Director. She started her Goshen journey as a Venturer in 2014, and earned her Ranger Rank in 2016. When she’s not hiking the Lenhok’sin trails, Elisabeth is pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.A. in Theatre at Dickinson College, and hopes to make her career in forestry and conservation. Elisabeth is looking forward to an adventurous summer and is excited to watch Scouts grow in confidence on the trail.
Camp Ross is Goshen Scout Reservation’s dedicated Webelos camp, open to rising Webelos and rising AOLs. Our six-day and night camp prepare your Webelos to be fully successful in Scouts BSA. We offer an array of Adventures interspersed with outdoor activity to help Webelos become well-rounded.