Bothe-Napa Valley Campout

The Bothe-Napa Valley campout was an interesting experience. It was definitely something that took a lot of effort and scouting skills. We learnt the importance of knowing and memorizing knots, preparing for rain, and other scout skills.

When we first got there, the first thing we did was set up our tents. Our two campsites were small, but we managed to have the two adult leaders were in one campsite, and all the scouts in the other. Almost immediately after we got there, it began to drizzle. As the campout went on, the rain fell harder. After setting up tents, we set up the dining fly. We had to re-learn lashings and knots to tie the rope to the tree and secure the main stick holding it up.

We went on a 3 mile hike in the rain. It was muddy and some people’s rain jackets were wet. Everyone was already done with the campout by this time. After getting back, we started dinner. We were missing some ingredients but we were able to make due with what we had. Dinner was cheese quesadillas and chips with enchilada sauce.

After dinner, we started to head to our tents for the night. The rain was pouring and thunder was heard every once in a while. In my tent, (Tanvi A. and Ritisha) we could hear a raccoon or small rodent outside of our tent, clawing, and trying to get in. It was mortifying; our souls had left our bodies that night. A branch had also fallen on our tent in the middle of the night; it taught us that we should be more careful about our tent placement. Everyone was tired in the morning, but we were able to pack up our tents. We skipped breakfast because everyone was soaking wet and miserable. We stopped for breakfast on the way back.

I think overall, camping in the rain is a good experience that helps prepare scouts for a difficult situation.