Boy Scouts Troop 26 meets at IS 318 in East Williamsburg during the school year. Eleven lucky Brooklyn boys went to summer camp near Narrowsburg in upstate New York. Hear from Matthew Franklyn, the newest Scout, about his first experience at Ten Mile River Scout Camp.
Matthew’s Story
I had the most amazing experiences of my life this August. For seven days, I rappelled, hiked, and more at Boy Scouts Camp Ranachqua at Ten Mile River.
One night, my mom went to an outdoor movie at WNYC Transmitter Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with her good friends, Susan and Brad Anderson. They told my mom and me about the Boy Scouts camp at Ten Mile River (TMR). I was very skeptical about joining Boy Scouts, but my mom was determined to send my older brother, Rocco, and me. She was convinced that we would have a good time. I was afraid that I would be the only 14-year-old at the camp. I was afraid that I would have a terrible time. Was I wrong.
DAY 1
On the ride to TMR, the only thing I was looking forward to was going home. Immediately after arrival, I picked a tent and put my stuff inside it. We then went on a 5 mile hike to the TMR Museum. The museum was full of artifacts from the history of TMR and Sullivan County, such as old Boy Scout uniforms, weapons, tools, and many other things. Honestly, it was amazing. Inside were replicas of guns and tools used by military troops and former scouts. The hike back was easier than the hike going there. I never thought that I would hike 10 miles in one day; I doubt many teens these days would expect to hike that much. If I wasn’t at TMR, I would’ve probably been at home playing videos games. At this point, I still didn’t want to be at TMR, I wanted to be home.
Day 2 & 3
We were all up by 7:30 AM. I normally wake up early but most teens (like my brother) hate waking up that early. We went to the lake for a swimming test as part of the swimming merit badge. I didn’t even want to get into the lake. I purposely failed the swim test so I wouldn’t have to go in the lake again. After the swim test, we went back to our tents to prepare for breakfast at 8 AM.
After all the troops checked into the dining hall, 6 staff members raised the flags as the rifle director, Tom, fired his rifle and another staff member played the bugle. Everyone stood straight and saluted. There is a special salute mandated by the Boy Scouts of America. You form a circle with your pinky under your thumb and stick your other fingers straight out like a normal salute.
At breakfast, we sang songs, made up chants, and so much more. It was more fun than I could have imagined. After singing songs, everyone cleaned up after themselves. The mess hall was always very clean. We all took turns being “waiters” for each other.
After breakfast, I went to the LEAF program where I learned basic Scout skills, such as tying knots in many different forms and using tools. I also signed up for music. In music class, we learned about all different types of music and common misconceptions about music and the instruments. Lunch and dinner were just like breakfast: we sang songs, shouted chants, and competed to answer a question to win a free slushie prize! In the evening, we had flags again, just like breakfast. Typically, after dinner ended, I hung out in the mess hall until around 7 PM. Then my brother and I would walk up through the forest to the tents. A big rule in TMR is the buddy system. No matter what, you always need a buddy to walk with. This ensures that if something were to happen to you, your buddy would be there to help and get help.
At the end of each day, our Troop leader, Brad Anderson, gave a First Aid workshop. After we finished learning about first aid, our troop played a game called “Eagle Eye” where one person stands at the top of the hill while the rest of the players go down and try to hide behind trees and logs. Then, the person at the top of the hill must try to find everyone. It was way more fun than I expected.
DAY 4
After breakfast on my fourth day at TMR, I realized how amazing the camp and the staff were. I realized I was having so much fun that I didn’t want the week to end. We had followed the same schedule each day until the night of Day 3 when we had a camp-wide competition. All the troops at TMR competed in different games such as catching animals, tug of war, and a lot of other fun activities.
I retook my swimming test and passed. After the test, I went to a water trampoline at the lake and it was so much fun. The staff member who took us to the trampoline, Alex Wright, was so much fun! He was only 16 and by far one of my favorite staff members. The next day, I made my first friend outside of my troop at lunchtime. I was sitting outside when a guy named Nick asked if I wanted to throw a football. Nick and I even made plans to hang out when we got back. I started making new friends in all areas. Even just walking to my tent, I made friends. I even became friends with a few staff members.
DAY 5
On Thursday, Mr. Anderson took the troop over to the shooting range. The troop got to fire shotguns at designated targets and it was an amazing experience. After we fired the shotguns, the troop split apart. Most of the troop went back to LEAF, and the higher ranked scouts went to the class of their choice. That night, we did not sleep at the campsite. Instead, we pitched tents by the waterfront for the night. It was so much fun.
DAY 6
On Friday morning, all the LEAF Scouts woke up at 5:30 AM, and went to the lake to try to complete one of the hardest challenges for the swimming merit badge: you have to surface dive into the lake or pool and pick up a brick that weighs ten pounds. It turned out to be easier than it sounds. After we all passed the brick challenge, we did something that may have been the best experience of my life: we went rappelling off Indian Cliffs. I’ve always wanted to go rappelling and I finally got to do it. One of the scouts in our troop is terrified of heights; it took him over 20 minutes just to take his first step off the cliff. But he faced his fears and, when he finally got down, he was so happy and proud. We all were! Afterwards, we went back to our campsite and played board games until past 1 AM.
DAY 7
By Saturday, TMR felt like my home. We started off the final day by doing the last requirement for our swimming merit badge: the dead man float. If you were to fall out of a boat into a large body of water, the dead man float will help conserve heat and prevent hypothermia for a longer period of time. I then said goodbye to all my new friends and the amazing staff.
TMR was the most amazing experience of my life and I would’ve missed so much if I hadn’t gone.. My friend Nick said, “TMR was so much fun, I’m definitely coming back next year!” As Jason Wu, a Scout in my troop and classmate of mine put it, “This was way more fun than playing Fortnite all day.” TMR taught me so much. Everyone should have this experience. You’ve made it this far through the article, now go and sign up with Brooklyn Boy Scouts Troop 26! I promise you’ll have an amazing time. Till next year, TMR… who knows? I might even apply to be a counselor so that I can spend my whole summer at camp.
By Matthew Franklyn, Brooklyn Troop 26 Scout and 9th Grader at High School for Health Professions
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For more information on Boy Scouts Troop 26: [email protected] | 347.559.1410. Or come to tonight’s weekly Troop 26 meeting.
