The Personal Blog of Carol Davis
This past weekend we went to Troop Adventure Camp at Camp Archbald with the Girl Scouts. A lot of the girls were looking forward to getting out on Lake Ely to do some kayaking. One of our girls even tried paddle boarding. Here are some of my favorite photos.
My photos from the last 3 days were all taken at Camp Archbald while at Troop Adventure Camp with the Girl Scouts. These photos are just a small sampling of the fun we had. Stay tuned for more photos from Camp Archbald.
This week takes us back to June of 2011. This was our Girl Scout troop’s very first camping trip. It was a mini camp run by the amazing Girl Scout Phil who organized this camp just because she loves Girl Scouts. To this day, that first year was my favorite year of camping with Girl Scouts. It was the best organized and Girl Scout Phil made sure to include all of the tried and true Girl Scout camp traditions. We took 6 girls (3 of those girls are still Girl Scouts) camping that year and we had a blast. Truth be told, the troop camping weekend we go on each summer is my favorite part about being a Girl Scout leader and I look forward to our troop’s camping trip next month.
One of my favorite things about Troop Adventure Camp at Camp Archbald is getting to swim in the lake. I love lake swimming. This year the girls really loved swimming in the lake too. Jumping off of the dock was a troop favorite.
Archery is a very popular activity at Troop Adventure Camp. Everyone had fun at the archery range and a few of the girls went to the range twice.
Horseback riding at Camp Archbald was a lot of fun. The girls went on a twenty minute trail ride which they all enjoyed. They also enjoyed seeing the new barn and visiting the horses not going on the trail ride.
Our Girl Scouts had a lot of fun boating at camp. They used the canoes and kayaks and spent a good amount of time out on the water.
While we were at Camp Archbald last weekend, the girls had a blast boating. They spent a fair amount of time on the lake in canoes and kayaks. While they were in the boats, I was finding the beauty in the boats themselves and took these photographs. Stay tuned for another post showing them in use.
This year at Troop Adventure Camp we got to stay in the houseboats in the Mariners Unit. The girls were so excited to finally get the houseboats! In order to stay in this unit at Camp Archbald, Scouts must be Cadet level or higher. We really, really enjoyed staying here. There are 2 houseboats that sit out on Lake Ely. There were 3, but one is currently removed for repairs. The houseboats have bunk beds to sleep in, cubbies for storage and a bit of open space. There are 2 doors, one to go in from the gangway and another that opens onto the deck, which wraps around the boat. At night, these boats cooled down nicely and during the day it was so peaceful sitting out on the deck and just taking in the view. We also enjoyed sitting up in the troop house playing cards at night. All in all, it was a very pleasant stay.
Our Girl Scout troop went to Troop Adventure Camp this weekend. We were all glad to be going back to Camp Archbald. Camp Archbald, the second oldest Girl Scout camp in the USA, was closed last year so that a new dining hall could be built. We were all apprehensive about this new dining hall because the old one had such character and we did not want to lose that. The old one had these cool shutters that lifted up to reveal screens. When the shutters were open, it was very light and airy. The old dining hall was very old fashioned and comfortable.
We arrived at camp excited to be back and looking forward to seeing the new dining hall. The new dining hall is modern, but it fits right into this camp that was established in 1920. The front of the building faces the lake which is the opposite of the old one. It has a big front porch which makes it very inviting. The inside is gorgeous. It has nice light colored walls, lots of windows and a super high wood ceiling giving it a nice outdoorsy vibe. The nicest surprise in this new building is the décor. The shutters from the original dining hall were removed, restored and hung on the walls of the new hall. This nod to the past is perfect. Of course, the best feature of this new building is the bathrooms with indoor plumbing! Our troop is very pleased with this new modern building.
