Camp Royaneh 2023
By Desmond H
Following one of our long held traditions, Troop 42/4042 attended Royaneh Summer Camp again in 2023 as it has always been a central piece of the scouting experience. Sure enough, Royaneh delivered both educational and excitement activities for the scouts. A total of 30 Troop 42/4042 scouts attended summer camp for weeks 1 and 2; 4 of them spent both weeks there. Even though the attendance rate was lower than past years, it was higher than anticipated considering other competing scouting events that took place during the summer as well, like NYLT, the National Jamboree, Camp Oljato, and Philmont. Further, many families were looking to do some post-COVID revenge vacation travels. For the scouts who elected to spend part of their summer vacation at Royaneh, they were able to build some memorable experiences.
Week 1
There were over 600 scouts at camp! Normally, only about 300 scouts in total attend camp in week 1. Never has there been this many scouts at Royaneh before. That is because another campsite, Camp Wolfeboro, was shut down due to the amount of rain the area received this year, so many of the affected scouts ended up attending Camp Royaneh as an alternative. There were so many campers that many of them had to eat their meals outside the dining hall in a separate area. For the first half of the week, food was also scarce. Food would run out during meals, so scouts would end up making PB&J sandwiches, or eating salads, which doesn’t normally happens, to supplement their appetites. The food supply returned to normal levels in the second half of the week. Because of the unprecedented increase in campers, another troop with 8 people ended up sharing our Lion’s Den campsite with us. It was fun having guests.
The week started with a bang as we were awarded the ‘Spirit Stick’ on the very first day by camp staffs. Everyone was so thrilled by the recognition because it was a collective achievement by the troop. This also meant that Troop 42 got to lead the entire camp in Reveille and Evening Colors for the next day. The SPL, Ethan, lead the color guards, which included Austen, Braden, Brandon, Calvin, and Chris. Not only did they look sharp during the color guard ceremonies, but Troop 42 was the only troop at camp to have done so with a bugler!
On Friday, after having already won the ‘Spirit Stick’ earlier in the week, Troop 42 arrived at the parade field early for Evening Color. With only a small handful of scouts of other troops present, Troop 42 played “California Girl” song through a portable speaker and everyone did a silly dance to it. They completed the silliness with the formation of a human pyramid right on the parade field.
Week 2
In week 2, the fun continues with another group of Troop 42 scouts. Compared to week 1, week 2 was more quiet, but everyone was still thrilled to be there. There were about 400 scouts in total at Royaneh. Unlike the prior week, the quantity and quality of the food were much improved. Now, scouts did not have to rely on PB&J sandwiches and salads anymore!
To show camp spirit, Troop 42 scouts wanted to create a new yell. So, with some help of ChatGPT, they formed a new yell called, “Buckle My Shoe” which is based on the song, “1-2 Buckle My Shoe.” After some practicing, on the next day, the scouts were all eager to use the new yell at the dining hall. Other troops and staffs took notice. Perhaps “A Brand New Yell” will be incorporated into future yells of the troop.
On Troop Campfire night, Troop 42 had one of the most attended campfires at Lion’s Den in recent years. Troop 42 scouts were joined by a neighboring troop, Troop 2123, a girl’s troop who was staying at Rifle Camp next door. In addition, other guests include several members of Troop 14, camp staffs/counselors and Troop 42 alums. There were many people and Troop 2123 shared some yells and skits. Troop 14 even shared some yells, and the camp staff even performed a very funny skit too! Everyone had a fantastic time! Troop 2123 returned the gesture and invited Troop 42 to their campfire later in the week. The display of camp spirit at its finest.
The yells at Royaneh was deafening — so much louder than other years. First of all, yells in the dining hall weren’t allowed last year due to COVID precaution measures, and Royaneh was cancelled the year before that. So, Troop 42 as well as other troops came prepared to let out their lungs. Troop 42 went toe-to-toe with other troops in yells. However, something very unique happened during the yell rituals at the dining hall this year. In prior years, once in a while, one troop may choose to join another troop in a yell. So, two troops maybe doing a yell together. In week 1, EVERYONE did a yell all together! Just imagine, a dining hall full of scouts and staff members, several hundreds in total, doing the same yell in unison. The roaring sound was so deafening. Needless to say, many Troop 42 scouts developed raspy and hoarse throats by the end of camp.
One of the most fun parts of camp is the gladiators competition! Troop 42 was very into the festivities. Scouts were prepared and wore fake blood and black chalk on their faces, arms and legs! Adrian and Brandon played the song from the Rocky movie with their trumpet and bugle as the troop entered the grass field. They were so excited and they tried their best in all of the competitions. At the end of the day, they all had so much fun and were all exhausted.
Some notable individual accomplishments
include Dash winning 3rd place in the shotgun competition, Desmond making the mile-swim under 30 minutes, and Simon, a new scout, winning the Rock-Paper-Scissors game during competition night. Shotgun is normally a difficult activity to master, even for scouts who are taking the merit badge class. Dash has never shot a shotgun before and was able to achieve success in his first try. As for Desmond’s achievement, by being able to complete a mile swim under 30 minutes, he will get his name painted onto a board by the pool. The board has all the names of scouts who had earned this achievement for the last ~30 years or so. It appears that Desmond may only be the 2nd Troop 42 scout to have earned such an accomplishment. Desmond completed the mile swim under 30 minutes again in week 2.
Notwithstanding all the great achievements mentioned above, perhaps the one achievement that Troop 42 is most proud of is Quinn saving another scout from falling gravely ill. This scout wasn’t feeling well after he attempted to do the mile swim. He was disoriented and couldn’t stand up. By this time, he was all by himself near the shower room and everyone had already left to the amphitheater for the Competition Night event. Quinn spotted him and sensed that there was something wrong. He immediately alerted camp staffs who summoned help from local first responders. The scout was taken to the emergency room at a local hospital. After he recovered, he was released at 2am the following morning. The camp staffs wanted to thank the good samaritan but didn’t know it was Quinn. Quinn didn’t initially tell anyone nor brag of his kind act, so even Troop 42 adult leaders didn’t know even as words were out that people were looking for him to thank him. Quinn didn’t think it was a big deal. Quinn was a quiet hero.
During the 2 weeks at Royaneh, Troop 42 took on a meaningful service project which involves replacing a wooden fence barricade that is nearby the entrance of Lion’s Den. Without any power tools and with only very limited hand tools, replacing the six wooden posts took over 50 man-hours. Everyone pitched in some help whenever they had some free time. They managed to complete the service project before the end of camp. Now, future campers will be able to benefit from the hard work of Troop 42.
Finally, Troop 42 book-ended summer camp by winning the ‘Spirit Stick’ on the second to the last day of camp. It was welcoming as the troop had worked tirelessly all week to display camp spirit and didn’t let up. Everyone was excited about the achievement. As a reward, Troop 42’s SPL, Tor, lead the color guards, which included Brandon, Chris, Ryan, Tristan and Vincent in the flag ceremonies. They performed flawlessly and the bugler had become a distinct Troop 42 signature at camp.
