This morning at breakfast, the 2011 Camp Raven Knob staff, said goodbye to all us campers. With arms over each other's shoulders, the staff sang:
So long, it's been good to know you,
So long, it's been good to know you.
So long, it's been good to know you,
It's been a mighty long time since we've been home,
And we've got to be drifting along.
With a twinge of sadness, we left Camp Raven Knob, happy to get home to see our families.
Congratulations to Will Janke who started the week as a beginning swimmer and ended the week with Swimming merit badge!
Congratulations to Thomas Schmidt who won an NRA Rifle Shooting award this week in camp.
Congratulations to Alex Chen, winner of the 6th Annual Troop 28, 424, and 451 Raven Knob Chess Tournament!
Congratulations to Aaron Sumner who was elected as our Raven Knob Honor Camper for 2011.
Congratulations to Troop 451 for earning the Raven Knob Honor Troop award for the second year in a row!
Congratulations to Troop 451 for earning over 150 merit badges!
Thanks to REW Wilson and Mike Millward who repaired a couple of Raven Knob camp vehicles during the week on their vacation!
Thanks to Mike Millward for conceiving and leading our conservation and camp improvement project.
Thanks to Mike Millward who drove Raven Knob Scouts on their Forestry merit badge field trip on Wednesday.
Thanks to Karen Hassett, Heather Harden, REW Wilson, Mike Millward, and Greg Rakauskas who stayed in camp with the Troop all week. Thanks also to Jim Smith who spent Wednesday evening to Friday evening with our Mountain Men contingent at Cripple Creek Village. Thanks to Scoutmaster Jim Salamon who also drove up and back with the Troop and spent part of the week at Raven Knob.
Lastly, special thanks to Karen Hassett who led our Troop contingent, and spent many hours planning and working on our successful week at camp.
On a personal note... ..it was a privilege to spend the past week with the Troop at camp. Raven Knob was my boyhood camp that I attended while a Scout in Boone during the mid-seventies, and fond memories were stirred deep down.
There were many fond new memories during this week. One that I think I'll always remember was a conversation that I had with Henry K. during Friday breakfast. When I was asking him about his Wilderness Survival merit badge overnight, he mentioned that he spent it at Cripple Creek Village. I asked him how our Troop 451 Mountain Men were faring there. Henry responded that "They are really happy." I asked him how he knew that? With a big smile he said that he could tell that they were happy "...because their eyes were glowing."
In my short tenure as a Boy Scout leader, I don't think it gets any better than moments like this one.
--Greg Rakauskas
