2013 Summer Camp Note

-- Ashwin T., Historian, First Class, Oct. 2013

I have already been to some summer camps in the houseboat and at camp Chawanakee, so this year when I learned about the camp at June Lake, I was a bit apprehensive. We started the trip with my dad driving, Ankit’s dad in the front seat, and Ankit and I in the back seat. Our trip was pretty smooth, although we were a bit concerned when we saw smoke as we crossed mammoth mountains. We got lucky due to wind direction.

Once at the campsite, it was familiar activities setting up our tents, the flag and a gate for our camp. I played cards with some scouts till late in the night. The adults were sitting around the fire and chatting.

We were woken up the next day and had to get ready to attend merit badge classes. This went on till noon.

We had lunch and then went on a hike. It was a nice hike where we started near a lake and gained about 1000 ft and encountered another lake. Some scouts and adults stayed at the lake and had fun; some of us kept hiking and reached a peak. It was a fun hike. We came back and had our dinner; the adults were cooking chicken and vegetable curry. There was plenty of food and the scouts were able to enjoy adult food as well. We started a fire and roasted marshmallows.

The second day morning was similar, we had lunch and went to see Lake Mono. We spent some time in the visitor center. Mr. A made it interesting by challenging scouts to pay attention since there will be a contest between the patrols when get back at the campsite. There ended up being no competition. Lake mono is several times saltier than ocean water. We went into the water, and it was an interesting experience. The salty water made us float with no effort. We were desperate for a shower when we came out because we were covered in salt, and really enjoyed swimming in the fresh water lake even though it was evening and was getting cold.

Near mono lake, we climbed on top of volcano crater and picked up pumas and obsidian rocks. It is interesting how from the same source the stones come out from, one is so light and porous and the other one is brittle and sharp. Mr. A told us that in the old days, obsidian rock was used as a weapon and was attached at the top of an arrow. We also saw tufa rocks at lake mono. These are made of calcium carbonate and are now exposed due to reduced water level in the lake. When we came back, the adults had caught fish and made dinner out of it. Mr. A made cake using Dutch oven, and it was really good.

Last day was time to pack up. It took several hours and we were on our way back by noon. We made sure to cool off in the lake and have lunch before driving back. Some scouts were staying back and went on the sierra backpack with Mr. A. Ankit, Hemal, Michael and I had good time while my dad was driving and Michael’s mom was in the passenger seat. We had dinner at Del Taco and were home by 9 PM. Overall, it was a good trip and I had a lot of fun.