After 7:30 Mass on Sunday, June 7 at SVDP, we loaded the trailer and left for Camp Pirtle at 9:30 a.m. Lunch was at Wendy's in Nacogdoches. In Mr. Lauten's truck, the "horse" game wasn't decided until we pulled into the last road to the camp. Upon arrival at 1:15 p.m., we did medical checks, got our meal bracelets, passed the swim test in the pool, and unloaded our gear after the short walk with troop guide, Trenton, to campsite #14. We were able to group our tents by patrol and the adults had their own site as well. Some of us used the wood tent platforms as a front porch. We shared the site with a troop from Longview. We had flag ceremony and dinner in the dining hall at six p.m. Mr. Lauten and Senior patrol Leader Trevor L. attended the Leaders' meeting. We met all the staff at the opening campfire. They had a fantastic speaker system and light show. The best skits were Titanic reenactment, Star Trek: Chigger and the brown pants, and the "Singin' in the Rain" sing-along. Lights out every night was at 10:30 p.m. Reveille every morning was at 6:30. The mile swim participants, Trevor L. and Mr. Lauten, had to be at the pool every morning at 6. 

A typical day was Chapel at 7, flag ceremony and breakfast at 7:30, rest period before the three morning merit badge sessions, lunch at 12:30, two afternoon merit badge sessions, a free period, closing flags and dinner at 6:00 p.m., followed by the camp's evening program. 

Monday:Trevor L. went to the health lodge to get eye drops for his eye because of a scratched cornea. Mr. Jallans and Jared J. did their swim test before breakfast. We had a conservation project for our free time that involved cutting back brush on the trails from the trading post to the archery range. There was a fire drill in the afternoon. In the evening, Jared J., Trevor L., Chris S., and Herby L. competed in the 3 on 3 basketball tournament, the Hobo patrol and Spartan patrol played Ultimate Frisbee, Gunther S. played 4-square, and there was a kickball game. Mr. Lauten, Mr. Jallans, and Mr. Campodonico teamed up with the other leaders in camp to soundly defeat the staff in volleyball. The pool and slide was open until 9 p.m. 

Tuesday: The troop attended Chapel with Brother Tom at 7 a.m. We had popsicles after lunch. We had an ice cream party after dinner.

Stephen F. Austin State Park

This was the first time Troop 505 camped at Stephen F. Austin State Park since I joined the troop 5 years ago. We were able to secure 3 campsites together and close to the rest rooms, thanks to Mr. Campodonico having gone to the park earlier in the day. The troop went on a 5 mile hike in the morning and played 9 or 18 holes of golf in the afternoon. The course was in great shape. We seemed to lose a lot of balls in the one large gorge that traversed the golf course. We played a best ball scramble format, which made play a lot faster. The foursome of Mr. Lauten, Trevor L., Juan A., and Daniel C. were attacked by bees at the 8th hole. There were a lot of great shots, bad shots and ricochets during the day. At campfire that night, all the foursomes handed out awards for their golf play. On Sunday morning we had a nine-hole putting tournament, closest to the pin contest and a Scout's Own service. The return trip to the scout house took less than an hour.

Service Project - George Bush Park

On February 28, 2009 Troop 505 planted, mulched, and staked sixteen trees along the entrance road to the George Bush Park meeting room. Hal Hilton, Precinct 3 Park manager, remarked that the work was excellent, the trees were aligned well, and the workers were very efficient. Special thanks go out to Harris County Precint Three and Commissioner Steve Radack for supplying all the necessary trees, materials, and tools to complete the project. With all the available help on hand, we were able to finish the project ahead of schedule. After the first hole was dug (I thought my dad was digging a swimming pool!) we became very good at outlining the hole to the proper measurements of the tree's root bed (Mrs. Debo applied her educator's knowledge to this) and planting the trees with ease. We learned that a wind-aided styrofoam plate will travel a long way, wheel barrows can tip over, a shovel can cause you to lose your balance, and trees like these Live Oaks don't just plant themselves.

Eight scouts (Trevor L., Addison S., Jared J., William M., David R., Christopher S., Eric B., and John W.) and five adult leaders (Mr. Lauten, Mr. Jallans, Mr. Wolz, Mr. Watson and Mr. Bailey) participated in the campout at Huntsville State Park. Because it was a wilderness survival weekend, each of us was instructed to bring a sleeping bag, ground pad, and whatever we could pack into a two pound coffee can as well as our pockets. Everyone was very resourceful in packing food items, ropes, tarps, and personal items (no ipods) for the three day trip. We constructed solo shelters and three person shelters. All were very effective in keeping us warm when the temperature dropped to 35 degrees on Saturday night. 

Saturday was a very fun-filled day with trips to the Huntsville Prison Museum and a tour of the big Sam Houston statue. Everyone had fun at the museum.

We saw a model of a prison cell, Bonnie and Clyde's "thank you letter", and the famous "Old Sparky". Everyone was also amazed at the size of the Sam Houston statue. Did you know that it is the second tallest statue in Texas? Afterwards, everyone ate their lunch. Trevor L., Mr. Lauten, and Mr. Jallans went on a four mile hike to the dam and back. While that was happening, the rest of the troop was starting fire with knives, magnifying glass, and batteries. After dinner, Mr. Wolz read us the story, "To Build A Fire", just before we all went into our shelters for the night. 

Sunday, we ate breakfast from what we had left in our coffee cans. We did our "Leave No Trace" program and cleaned our three sites before we left the campgrounds at 9:30 AM.