Marbridge Boy Scouts camp in the cold

“Be Prepared” is a pillar in the Boy Scout motto, and it is the key to winter camping. On the weekend of January 18, the Marbridge Boy Scouts experienced this firsthand when they camped at Lost Pines Scout Reservation (LPSR) in Bastrop, TX.

“That training we did two weeks ago was on the money” said one of the Scouts as he put on his second pair of socks. The first rule of survival in the wilderness is staying warm by dressing in layers.

Despite the cold, the 10 Scouts that went on the camping trip were pleasantly surprised by the benefits of winter camping. “Where are all the mosquitos and ants” asked one of the Scouts, “This is great!”

LPSR is the perfect place for Boy Scouts to visit, not just for the pine trees and wildlife, but because of all the activities at camp. This was the first winter camping trip the Troop has ever taken and LPSR was the perfect spot for this inaugural winter camping introduction.

“We were lucky to get a campsite equipped with cabins and bunk beds–not the Ritz-Carlton but cozy and comfortable,” said Suzanne Johnson, Marbridge’s Development Associate and Boy Scout Troop leader. “We enjoyed BB gun shooting, archery, and several nature hikes where we tried to identify animal tracks.”

The Scouts also made some new friends at a night around the campfire with another troop. Songs and skits filled the camp as the fire roared. The Troop rounded off the evening with a traditional ‘cracker barrel’ with a warm bowl of award-winning Dutch oven peach cobbler and cup of hot cocoa.

The Scouts have already been asking, “When can we go back to Lost Pines?”