Boy Scouts compete and eat in the great outdoors
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

Scoutmaster Randall Ackerman serves stone soup to Vincent Hall, Pete Oppliger, Jacob Horejs and Michael Hohl during Troop 99's annual Fall Camporee at Greencastle Sportsman Association.

Approximately 42 Boy Scouts from Pack 99 and Webelos Pack 13 met for their annual Fall Camporee the weekend of Nov. 9 to 11 on the grounds of the Greencastle Sportsman Association.

Their agenda included events typically expected of Scouts: sleeping in tents, making fire from flint and steel, and orienteering. It also included physical contests in tomahawk throwing, two-man crosscut sawing and building miniature rafts.

But perhaps tops on the schedule was eating.

Saturday at noon the boys and their chaperones ate stone soup.

"We practiced unity in creating a meal," said Jacob Horejs, 16, one of the senior patrol leaders who helped organize the weekend.

Each Scout brought one ingredient to be added to the two stones that really were in the 15-gallon cast iron kettle. In order to make sure the beef-vegetable soup was tasty, Scoutmaster Randall Ackerman went 'high tech'. He created spreadsheet and assigned 37 items, including tomatoes, carrots, green beans, meat and salt. They also ate bannock bread with butter and honey.

In the afternoon, between skills competition, the boys baked pies in Dutch ovens.

"There will be every variety a mother can think of," said Raymond and Norma Ackerman, who came down from Mercer County to judge the entries for their son.

For the evening Court of Honor, the boys served a 200-pound pig that had been roasting all day, three turkeys, side dishes brought by parents and the pies for dessert.

Horejs, Vincent Hall, 15, and Michael Hohl, 14, who finalized the details for the Camporee, were pleased with events despite the weather. Fires were difficult to start and the flag couldn't be raised.

"It's good experience to get out and camp in the rain (Friday night). It makes us appreciate the warm campouts," said Hall.

Daniel and John Klink, both 12, and Ryan Ebbit, 11, enjoyed the activities.

John said his tent stayed dry. "It was cold, but only wet from the dew."

His twin brother liked the hatchet throws, which were conducted in a controlled environment.

Said Ryan, "We were a little worried on that with a few people."

When Sunday arrived the troops took down the 20 tents along the Conococheague Creek and cleared the pavilion.

"Boy Scouts practice 'leave no trace'," explained Hall. "We like to leave an area cleaner than we found it."