Girl Scouts survive Camp Castaway

What do arrows, fire, and boats have in common? No, it’s not another episode of Game of Thrones but rather a few of the items needed to survive Community 637’s Camp Castaway Encampment at Camp Conowingo this past weekend, this annual Encampment takes place after months of planning by the girls themselves. The girls pick the activities, theme, patch design, menu, and evening entertainment.

Troops traveling to Encampment this year braved torrentialrains to make the hour and 30 minute trek to Camp Conowingo. Cars were unloaded and tents set up in the rain and mud while others moved into their Tipis or Yurts or rustic cabins. After drying off and claiming a sleeping space, the girls were all smiles as they prepared to get a good nights rest before the long day ahead.

Saturday morning started with breakfast at the campsite, this year the girls decided that troops should do their own cooking instead of the group meals that were done in the past. Some troops took the simple option using vagabond stoves while others stoked up the fire to cook eggs and sausage. The smell of coffee wafted all over camp as the Troop leaders and chaperones prepared for a day with 150 curious, excited Girl Scouts.

After breakfast, the girls started onto their varied schedules of activities. Walking around camp you could find the younger girls learning to tie cobra knots to make a water bottle carrier while older girls learned how to use square lashing to build a ladder.

As the day progressed, girls moved on to team building games at the low ropes course, canoeing in the camp pond, and archery on the range. Returning to their campsites for dinner, girls took the lessons they learned at fire building & campfire cooking to prepare dinner for their troops.

Once dinner was finished and cleaned up, the girls made their way to the amphitheater to close out the day with a traditional campfire program. They sang songs, performed skits, shared reflections on their day and closed out the program with S’mores! As 9 pm rolled around, troops made their way back to their campsites to finally rest their tired but still excited selves after the long day.

As the sun rose on Sunday, troops moved slowly around their campsites preparing breakfast and getting packed up to head back to civilization. While another year of Encampment has come to an end, the girls take with them stronger friendships, skills to use in the future and memories to last a lifetime.