Hello Troop
It was a weekend to remember at the 2014 Four Peaks District Camporee! Our troop attended the annual district Camporee held at a new Grand Canyon BSA facility. Â Located about 6 miles west of I-17 outside of New River, Little Grand Canyon Ranch was recently bequeathed to the Council. This beautiful facility is a working horse ranch situated in the desert along the Agua Fria river in a canyon setting. Â 2 1/2 weeks ago 12 scouts in the district were registered for the Camporee, but the flood gates opened and over 420 ended up attending! Â Great job and kudos to the planning committee.
The Camporee is a celebration of scouting skills and showcases two competitions.  The Ultimate Scout competition emphasizes the basic scouting skills necessary to earn First Class and is applied in a series of high-adventure activities in the field. The three-mile, multi-event course requires teamwork, cooperation, knowledge and skill.  Drum roll please…our Ultimate Scout team placed 2nd overall!  Well done T648!
The Patrol Competition evaluates scouts on their demonstration of scouting skills, teamwork, leadership, and scout spirit. This competition features a variety of events the scouts rotated through during the day and included campsite inspection, first aid, knot tying, scout trivia, tomahawk throw, archery, chicken launch, orienteering, shotgun shooting, fire building and more.  The result? Troop 648 — first place! A fantastic job by the troop!
Finally, our troop was given the honor and distinction of performing a U.S. flag retirement ceremony during Saturday evening’s campfire program. The troop performed a moving, beautiful and respectful retirement showing honor and paying respect to our flag and country. It was the best retirement we have performed in a long time and the scouts are to be congratulated for the work they put into it. Very proud of our scouts and the results showed how committed they are to excellence.
Up next? A backpacking trip on December 5-7.
Scoutmaster T648
