Boy Scouts from Troop 83 catch their breath following morning class Wednesday before attacking the next chore on their itinerary n lunch! The Scouts are part of six troops spread out over the Alan Faye campsite in Kokee, enjoying ownership
Boy Scouts from Troop 83 catch their breath following morning class Wednesday before attacking the next chore on their itinerary n lunch! The Scouts are part of six troops spread out over the Alan Faye campsite in Kokee, enjoying ownership in the site they’ve used for years.
The parcel was deeded to the Boy Scouts earlier in the year following a land swap with the state, and scouting officials were quick to note some of the long-term plans for their wilderness camp which includes trying to establish a program that would make the facility available year-round.
This week’s camp marks the first of two weeks when scouts from island troops converge on the facility to enjoy and learn during a week’s “roughing it” experience, living in tents and cooking over campfires while learning to depend on each other for familial needs.
Kaipo Kealalio, the executive Scouting director at the camp, said that this year’s camp involves two new activities for the scouts – a mountain biking program as well as an extensive Hawaiiana offering. These new activities are in addition to the normal itinerary involving both education and hands-on experience in the various merit badges and special awards Scouts can earn during the outing.
Each troop is assigned a campsite which is headed up by a Scoutmaster and his staff overseeing the various scouts. The site is home for the scouts during the week’s wilderness stay, and as such, non troop members need to ask permission to enter the individual campsites.
To help provide some of the comforts of home, a special Trading Post is located in a central location within the campgrounds offering primarily Boy Scout materials, tools, books, and equipment, but as many scouts discovered, the Trading Post is also a handy place to pick up small snack items and a coveted cold drink.
The overall campsite is headed by Kealalio who gets assistance from five other adult staff members and six youth staff members whose responsibility centers around supervising the safety and well-being of the scouts as well as helping in the classroom instruction phase of the camp.
Adult leaders are housed in a cabin situated away from the main campsite, but in close proximity should an emergency arise. Next week’s camp also involves a troop visiting here from Maui.
