The Troop’s annual trip to the beach is a favorite of many Scouts because it takes place right after the end of the school year. There is no worry about what homework is lurking at home and no rush to be at the beach at a specific time because the beach and the ocean will be there all weekend.
This year’s trip had a few twists. First, the destination was Assateague State Park in Maryland, rather than Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. One of Assateague State Park’s main attractions is that the beach is just a short walk over the dune from the youth camping area. This meant that little quality time was devoted to walking from the campsite to the beach and then back again.
Second, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, with clear skies and unseasonably mild temperatures. These conditions made it much easier to cope with the sun and the lack of shade trees in the campsite.
Third, thanks to a departure time on Friday morning, most of the crew was able to spend two nights at the park and make three leisurely trips to the beach and swim in the ocean, play in the sand, watch the airshow taking place in Ocean City, or spy the occasional dolphin splashing in the distance.
As usual, the food was really good. Grubmasters Adam, Adem, Christopher, and Rohan prepared a variety of dishes, ranging from Troop standards, such as pasta with marinara sauce, sandwiches with cheese and luncheon meat, and walking tacos, to food not usually served on our outings, such as jambalaya, grilled cheese sandwiches, kabobs, and cookies and biscuits baked at home. Fruit and vegetables were even part of some meals.
Three BSA Units were our neighbors at the youth camping area—including Troop 2119, the Troop of female Scouts chartered by the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. This was Troop 2119’s first overnight beach campout, and we look forward to several joint trips with them in the coming Scouting Year.
Many thanks to Anna Fernau for organizing this year’s beach campout. Our plan is to return to Assateague State Park next year, and we have already reserved the entire youth camping area for Troops 1916 and 2119 for the first weekend of summer vacation in 2020.
If you want to see the photos, click here.