Camp Pioneer
No matter what else anyone says about Scouting, the summer camps are great. I never went to scout camp when I was a kid - I went to a nice little Methodist MADD camp (Music Art Dance and Drama) instead. There were great things there, and Camp Magruder is a wonderful place on the beach, but being at the beach is nothing like camping in the Mt. Jefferson wilderness.
The Camp Pioneer grounds are just south of Mt. Jefferson, on the slopes surrounding a cold alpine lake. There's a beautiful view of the mountain, easy and more challenging hiking nearby, and llamas. See here, here, and here, for more pictures of the camp.
One of my favorite things to do is go hiking out from the camp to the series of small lakes about a mile away. This picture is me jumping a little stream that feeds one of the lakes. It was a warm August afternoon; the bugs were buzzing, but there was little else to hear. I was out with a few other scout leaders, and we were all escaping the noise and hubbub of the kids' afternoon activities.
This is one of the perks of being an adult at a scout camp - during the day, the kids are busy with the camp staff, and you get to have some time to yourself in the wilderness.
back home
Last update: