We participated in our first West Point Camporee (their 54th such event), an event larger than most of the jamborees we have been to in recent years. We had 5 Boy Scouts, 2 leaders and 3 parents participating in this trip.
This camporee featured some complicated logistics, so our equipment vehicle had to enter at a different location from our other vehicles. Those cars got to the parking area around noon on Friday and took a shuttle bus to the trail head. The four mile hike, including the side trail to the peak of Bull Hill and getting to the camp site took 2.5 hours, ending a bit after 3:00 PM. See our GPS tracked trail:
The weather held up until we got the site put together, then it rained on and off, dousing the camp pretty thoroughly over the first night. During the day on Saturday, it was cool and clear, and then at 5:00 AM on Sunday the rain returned and kept going for the duration.
This camporee is so well-known that in addition to lots of troops from NY, we saw troops from MA, NH, RI, CT, PA, MD, OH, IN, FL and CA.
Activity on Saturday kicked off with United States Military Academy (USMA) cadets coming to each of the troops to take the Scouts out for about 30 minutes of physical training. The opening ceremony featured demonstrations by a USMA tactical team (lots of gun fire), the a team of Army precision paratroopers dropping onto the parade field, followed by their helicopter landing on the field.
The activity stations included 16 stations where participants, working as patrols, could earn points toward awards. Some stations, such as Knot Tying, were typical camporee activities. Others, such as the TAC Challenge, revolved around military gear and technique . These and other non-graded stations were spread throughout the camporee area, which was centered around Lake Frederick. Out Scouts liked practicing kicks and punches at the non-graded self defense station. The participation of well over 100 USMA cadets in running the event and the stations really placed this event in a league of its own.
The closing ceremony included the usual awards to troops placing in the various stations, in camp setup and overall. The main feature was a parade review of all of the participating troops, with the reviewing stand including Commandant and Command Sergeant Major of the USMA. We marched to music by the Hellcats, the West Point Band's field music group. We did our best to march in step.
Facebook members can view the Drone Video taken during the campfire - a pretty awesome production.
This was the troop's eighty-eighth consecutive month with at least one overnight camping trip.
Page updated 3/4/17.
