Listen to the interviews with Garrett McMillan, Jonathon Seeley and Jordan Day
MANISTIQUE – Are you tougher than a Boy Scout? That was the theme of the Red Buck Fall Camporee held over the weekend near Manistique.
Based on the reality TV show with that name, Scouts faced various challenges. Leadership and teamwork were cited by the Scouts as characteristics needed to successfully meet the challenges.
Garrett McMillan with Troop 411 in Escanaba said it took teamwork to build a fire and cook a pancake for the judges without burning it.
“We made a log cabin style fire with kindling in the middle. You light the kindling and once it’s coals all along the bottom you put down the griddle on top of the coals and you start cooking the pancakes,” he said.
Jonathon Seeley’s group with Troop 400 in Manistique had to rescue a fellow Scout with a broken leg that had a compound fracture.
“It was a fun challenge,” Seeley said. “It made me think back to my First Aid merit badge and lessons I learned over the years with Boy Scouts to do it correctly.”
He said there was more to the challenge than just saving the victim.
“It’s the leadership that you have to do to make sure that everyone is working together to make sure the person is safe after,” he said.
On the obstacle course, Jordan Day with Troop 466 in Gladstone scaled a tall wall after using a rope to jump a pit, zig zagging on a balance beam and going through a tunnel.
“There were a few boards going here and there going up,” Day said. “you got up there and then you had to climb back down. I thought the course was pretty fun.”
Other challenges included physical fitness, crosscut sawing and pioneering.