August has came and gone and Troop 89 embarked on many cool adventures from going to Summer camp to Trap Pond. Read on to learn about the interesting things Troop 89 did in August.

1. Summer Camp at Forestburg Scout Reservation is Article by Scribe Sahishnu Y.
2. Omkaar B.'s experience as a CIT (Counselor in Training) at Forestburg
3. Trap Pond trip led by Life Scout Andrew T.
   
4. An overview of our annual road cleanup led by Outdoor Ethics Guide Ojas S.
5. Hilarious Scout jokes by Arnav C.
6. Pool Party summarized by Noah R.
7. Krishiv's Scout Experience 2023
8. Detail on Round Valley Backpacking trip by Omkaar B.

Below is an article about everything Troop 89 did during summer camp at Forestburg Scout Reservation. The first thing we did when we got to camp was meet Mark and Kevin. Mark and Kevin were our tour guides who showed us around the camp and our campsite. After we set up our personnels, we immediately changed into our swim trunks and took the swim test. Later, we had our first dinner at the scout camp and then, Ojas and I got lost. Later, Yatharth and I found a tarantula in our tent and it had laid eggs. Monday morning we all had breakfast and did our merit badges until lunchtime. Lunch wasn’t great because later we found out that there are basically 0 options for vegetarians. Monday evening we had opening campfire but it was interrupted by a bunch of wasps. Monday night we discussed roles and events during the week. The next morning we had breakfast and did merit badges until lunchtime. The lunch was the best one by far; it was chicken tenders and mac and cheese. That evening we went on the monkey bridge and later Samarth built a nice campfire that lasted 2 1/2 hours. Wednesday morning we did polar bear swim at 6:30. That afternoon was the boat regatta. We built the biggest boat in the whole competition and it stayed afloat the longest out of all the other boats. Unfortunately, it sank after 10 seconds and it was too heavy to swim with properly. This resulted in us getting last place. It was a great experience even though we came in last. After the regatta, we played tetherball and it broke. This was sad because it was our main source of entertainment during siesta. Wednesday evening, we deep fried Oreos and they were ok. Regular Oreos taste better. During the deep frying, Darsh and Prajwal took part in the chess competition. Darsh won and he got a gold painted king and queen as his prize. That night we watched Jurassic Park 1. Thursday morning we didn't have tetherball so it wasn’t very fun. Thursday afternoon after merit badges and lunch, we took a hike to a waterfall and we all had fun. Thursday evening Omkaar, Yatharth, Prajwal, and I went to 3d pen drawing and came back to the campsite where we built a nice and toasty fire. Everyone sat around the fire and we all did skits. Friday morning we woke up and did merit badges until lunch. During siesta, we went on the monkey bridge. After that, we all went on the zip line and it was really fun. Friday night the staff held closing campfire. Saturday morning we checked out of the camp. All in all, it was a great experience and summer camp was amazing.

Experience from being a CIT at Camp Forestburg Article: Omkaar Bharadwaaj

We arrived with an open mind, ready to experience camp from another position. Today, we became staff. Everyone was ecstatic to meet us. We went down to our cabin, and our opinions of being staff immediately soured. The horrible stench was unbearable. Pranet and I exchanged looks and started sniffing around to find the source of the smell. It all led to one area of the cabin: the messiest and dirtiest parts. Once settling down, we headed with our other buddy to the Dan Beard Camp (DBC) Parking Lot, which is almost a mile out.

Later that day, we started getting ready for the opening campfire. We were rehearsing the skits and songs in Scoutcraft and Handicraft, and we didn’t know any of them. We joined in a few, and that’s when we truly became scouts.

The campfire began smoothly. The opening songs and skits started, and we were up. We did a couple of basic skits and songs, and another one I did was almost completely impromptu. As soon as we finished scout vespers, we did our own staff songs, which was fun. As our own staff songs concluded, all the older staff were furious at our performance during the opening campfires. When we were walking back from the campfire area near Darlington Falls back to our staff cabins, Peanut Butter informed me that I was going to Aquatics for the next two days, not Tech, which was my preference.

The next morning was day one of camp. We woke up, changed, brushed our teeth, and headed to the Parade Field for morning flags. We had our announcements, and the flag-raising, and headed to breakfast. Since the troop I hosted was staying in DBC, Pranet and I found another table that was being used at the time by Troop 123 from Turnersville, NJ. They let us sit, and we had a good time. The food was the same, but tasted better, most likely because we got used to it from when we were campers.

After breakfast, Pranet and I parted ways. I headed to Aquatics, and he went to Handicraft for the next two days. Aquatics was simple, yet boring. The whole morning I was up in the tower, looking out into the lake. After lunch, an adult leader took my spot and I went down to help out Swimming Merit Badge and Lifesaving Merit Badge. I explained a couple of concepts in Safe Swim Defence, and in Lifesaving, I helped in a lesson demonstration in the lake. After dinner, Pranet and I headed to the tower, watched the vessels, and rang the bell.

After spending two days in Aquatics and Pranet in Handicraft, I moved to Handicraft and he moved to Tech. In Handicraft, I helped out with a couple of merit badges, even earning a couple myself. There were many breaks, which unfortunately led to boredom.

The last day, was the most interesting one. Most of the day was spent in work groups to break down campsites, like folding the cots, taking down the bear boxes, and taking down the dining flies, which we had been doing in siesta in almost every day of the week. I was in Tech the last day, due to heavy understaffing. The programming merit badge instructor was sick, which meant Pranet and other adult staff tried helping out. After a day of understaffing issues, it was time for the closing campfire, which was held in the dining hall due to a storm brewing outside. As a result, smoke was everywhere, and I couldn’t open my eyes. After vespers and the staff songs, we went back to the cabin and then headed to the staff lounge, where the ice cream was. There was a staff party, and we decided to join. There was a Foosball table, several couches, a TV, a fridge, a microwave, and much more. We stayed there for an hour and then headed to sleep.

It was finally Saturday, the day we left. The days felt long, but the week felt short. We quickly packed up our bags and set out for work crews. We went from campsite to campsite, folding everything up, and packing it away for next year. Then, it was time to go. We left, and Sahishnu took our spots.

Becoming a staff at a camp is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience, and is something I highly recommend. It’ll give you a new perspective on how things are run in camp, and many camp songs and skits too.

With eight scouts and 14 adults we went on a hit trip, Trap Pond, led by Andrew Thompson.

Andrew's words go as followed, "In August, Troop 89 tried a new camping spot: Trap Pond State Park in southern Delaware. It's famous for its Bald Cypress Trees that grow in the pond; this is the northernmost part of the U.S where those trees are found. We went kayaking to weave around the trees and we went on a boat tour to explore deeper into the swamp part of the pond. At the park, we also enjoyed the volleyball court with teams made of scouts and adults. The scouts loved playing so much that they wanted to return for a second time but unfortunately we couldn't fit it in before dark. This camping trip escaped the Troop 89 curse of rain and instead, we all loved the blue, sunny skies and warm, but not too hot weather. We even had enough time to do scout skills like pioneering, lashings, and firebuilding. Last, we had a big campfire Saturday night with a lot of scout spirit as we played games and performed skits. I think we all hope to come back to this place again."

To view more photos click the button below.

On August 23, 2023, Ojas S. led several Scouts and adults to clean South Branch road. From my perspective (Yatharth) we did very well with a few setbacks.

The road cleanup was organized by me, the outdoor ethics guide. We started our road cleanup by the soccer fields and went down South Branch road. The road cleanup helped remove a good amount of litter in the Flagtown and Hillsborough area. I did this road cleanup as a way to show that a scout is clean, helpful, kind and courteous. The cleanup was a success thanks to the hard work of the adults and the scouts who came. We worked together to pick up trash along the roads, making it a cleaner and more beautiful place.

To lighten the mood and take a quick break from reading here are a collection of jokes put together by Arnav C.

Why did the Boy Scout always carry a pencil?

How does a Boy Scout answer the phone?

Why don't Boy Scouts ever tell secrets in the forest?

What did the Boy Scout say when he finally mastered fire-starting?

Why do Boy Scouts always carry a compass?

How do you know if a Boy Scout has been in your neighborhood?

The pool party happened on June 29, 2023 and was organized by Ms. Thompson at the Roycefield swim club. The swim club was a great experience for all scouts that came. There was a large pool that all scouts could fit in allowing everybody to relax or have fun playing games or basketball using the mini hoop. Furthermore, at the pool there was a small water slide that all scouts enjoyed going down again and again for a while. After a while we had a small potluck with great food. There were chips, cookies, chicken, and a lot more great and delicious food. we had a great interacting with people learning more about this about tradition and activities troop 89 does. Overall, it was a great experience organized by Ms. Thompson that allowed the scouts to meet up and have a great time together as a boy scout troop.

Hello, I am Krishiv. I recently joined Boys Scout Troop 89 in Hillsborough NJ. I wanted to be a scout when I read about it and found out that one of my dads friends' son is also a scout. I also learned about Boys scout of america from one of my favourite book series Diary of the Wimpy Kid. So I decided to ask my dad to let me join boy scouts and he said yes. He then took me to a scout shop and bought me all the scout stuff that was needed and what I asked for including uniform, hat, scout handbook etc. I was so excited that I went ahead and read the entire scout book before my first scout meet on Thursday, July 27th, 2023.

To tell you the truth, I found out being a new scout is not that easy. I can tell you first hand that it seemed very chaotic for me the first couple of meets, but after the first few scout meetings and specifically the first camping trip, it got me hooked up to the troop and started becoming very exciting yet puzzling initially.

My first scout camping trip at Trap Pond in Delaware was a great experience and here's how it went.

On the very first day, we assembled at the scout meetup area (Hillsborough fire station - the sponsor of troop 89) and loaded the camp essentials for the trop in our cars. We started our drive to Delaware Trap Pond camping site estimated to be ~3 hrs drive. We drove to Trap Pond and I got very hungry during the drive with my Dad and so we took a detour to get some McDonalds. When we arrived at the campsite, we were the second people to reach there after only the troop leader (almost 2 hrs delayed as scheduled). My dad and I started helping to unload and organize the stuff with our awesome troop leader Karry. It was dark and hence we turned on our head laps there and I learned how to pitch a tent and set several tents before the rest of the troop came, so I set up my sleeping bag, put all my stuff in the corner, ate a few oreos and went to sleep with my tent buddies. It took me until 11:00 pm to fall asleep. However, surprisingly, all my tent buddies woke up around 4 AM and started having chit chat that disturbed my sleep and I got involved in the chit chat. My dad came and warned us to get to sleep. We learned our first lesson.

On the second day, we woke up at 6:30 AM and did all the normal stuff you do in the morning using the buddy system. After breakfast, I did KP. Oh, I know, you are wondering what this KP is! Ah, nothing, it's just cleaning your dishes (a.k.a Kitchen Patrol). After that, we packed our lunch and went straight to Trap Pond state park to do some kayaking where I got soaked but had a lot of fun kayaking with the troop. After kayaking, we went on a pontoon tour and was surprised to learn about the history of the trap pond that it is man-made. Then we ate lunch in the same area. Someone fed a squirrel (against the outdoor ethics of scouts or anyone for that matter), soon there were many so I aborted lunch and wanted to play volleyball that I brought in my car but my dad gave it to someone while we were on the pontoon tour. They locked my volleyball in their car so we were bored and could do much until they came back from the pontoon tour after us. We went to the museum there and after they came back, we played volleyball together. It was very fun. We then headed back to the campsite. I learned how to whip and fuse a rope, although I cut my finger a bit. We did learn and sign some requirements as scouts, cooked dinner and then also had a campfire with some games etc. In the night when we headed to our tent, I found a daddy long legs (spider) above my stuff (sleeping bag). I tried to remove it but needed help and so called my Dad and he helped to get rid of the monster :) and went to sleep again with my buddies. Surprisingly, they did not wake up this time at 4. Guess what, we all were extremely tired.

On the last day, Sunday morning, we prepared our breakfast, packed our stuff and loaded it into the car and we learned and performed leave no trace together and headed back to our troop 89 location i.e. fire station at hillsborough. We unloaded the cargo and we were assigned different items to clean and participated in roses and thorns.

Finally, it was an amazing experience and to this date, I try not to miss any meetings unless my dad gets late from office to pick me up for the scout meet every thursday. I also got to experience my first PLC (Patrol Leader Council, I guess) meeting last Sunday, the 3rd september. That's where I was assigned to write my experience as a new scout. Hope you liked it. I am now all ready for my next backpack trigger coming weekend. Will share my experience again...

The Round Valley Recreation Area is a beautiful and diverse park that offers a range of outdoor activities for visitors. It is home to the second-deepest lake in New Jersey, which is surrounded by forested hills and wildlife. We will be hiking around 3.5 miles to get to our campsite, and another 3.5 to get back to the parking lot, all with all the gear necessary to make this happen. It may not look fun, but after the trip is over, you will look back and say, “That was a fun trip!” At its deepest point, the Round Valley Reservoir is 180 feet. The lake is also a popular spot for scuba diving, as it has clear water and underwater attractions such as a submerged town and a railroad bed. You can explore the diverse natural environment of the park, which includes forest, meadow, wetland, and rocky outcrop habitats. You may also encounter various wildlife species, such as deer, foxes, coyotes, bears, eagles, hawks, and owls. You can experience the challenge and reward of wilderness camping, which is only available at this park in New Jersey. You can also enjoy the solitude and scenery of the natural setting, away from the crowds and noise of civilization. Of course, you should also be aware of the difficulties and risks involved in this trip, such as carrying your own water and equipment, dealing with weather and terrain conditions, and following the park rules and regulations. You should also make sure to plan and prepare well for the trip, such as packing your essentials and trash bags, and checking the weather forecast and trail conditions before you go.