Submitted by Michelle Merritt, National Venturing Vice President and New England Base Camp Program Director

Over the past four summers, I have had the privilege of being outside on the hottest days of the summer, wrangling elementary aged kids into activities, sleeping in a cramped cabin, and not having access to the internet; and I have enjoyed every second of it. Camp staff know that the hottest days are those when the camp gets free swim, kids will love the camp program, the cabin is full of five of your best friends, and a lack of internet means that we can take a break from summer homework and internet.

**Apply to be on 2017 camp staff**

Being a camp councilor provided me with life experiences that I never could have dreamed of. I have the skills to be a lifeguard, work with kids, provide customer service to adults, manage and lead other staff members, and create a program that will keep kids entertained and learning for days on end. A unique facet to being a camp councilor is the responsibility placed upon you. I was trusted to teach kids sports and swimming, to guard their swimming activities, and to ensure that they got to bed safely. This level of responsibility caused me to rise to the challenge and become more mature. Not many other summer gigs can get you life skills and experience like camp staff.

Every time I go back for one more year of camp, I always get asked “Why do you want to go back to camp again?”. I go back because nothing is more fulfilling than having a homesick camper stay at camp because you talked with them. Nothing is more fun than sharing the experiences of the day with other staff members back in the cabin late at night. And nothing can stop me from smiling during a heartfelt performance of “The Invisible Bench” skit. Yes, it is a lot of work, I’m always sunburned, and sometimes I can’t tell if I’m covered in dirt or bruises, but none of that matters if I have made a difference. There is a famous quote that reads “One hundred years from now, it won’t matter what car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much I had in my bank account, nor what my clothes looked like. But, the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child.” Many summer camps, including Lone Tree Scout Reservation, have this posted somewhere in camp to remind staff (and others) what is truly important. I know that I have helped keep kids in Scouting, inspire a love of the outdoors, discover a new passion, and feel accomplished.

Helping people is a great part of my job but I gain a lot from them as well. Camp staffs have to overcome unique challenges and this causes them to quickly develop into “camp families” with surrogate brothers, sisters, moms, and dads. My camp family always has my back and I have theirs. The relationships that started four summers ago have developed into lifelong friendships. Camp enabled me to develop a sense of confidence. I promise, if you get up in front of a large group and sing a songs about bears, moose, and red wagons enough times, any fears of public speaking will disappear. The responsibility that I felt for the campers and for the camp also instilled this confidence.

I could get an internship, a more typical summer job, or sit and watch Netflix in the air conditioning all summer but instead I work on camp staff. I am the person I am today because of the experiences I have had at camp and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Someday I will probably have to stop working at the camps I love so much but I know that while I was there I made a difference and learned something new. If you are looking for the experience of a life time and a way to grow as a person, I would suggest you apply to be on camp staff in the coming year.

Submitted by John Iler, BSA Climbing Instructor, former Scoutmaster of Troop 103, Burlington, MA, and dad.

“OK, I’m going to do this exactly once in my life.” That was my daughter Sarah as she prepared to rappel down a 40′ foot rock face at Quincy Quarries. Climbing/rappelling is just one of the many ways to ‘play outside’ provided by New England Base Camp at Camp Sayre.

Sarah leads a busy life with many high school activities, but she was never really a big outdoors person. However, her Eagle Scout twin brother Luke was very active in his Boy Scout Troop. Sarah enjoyed Luke’s stories of adventure and misadventure as he returned from campouts. She wanted a taste of the camaraderie with good friends, the fun of a campfire and outdoor cooking, and a little adventure. When Burlington’s Venture Crew started two years ago, she jumped at the opportunity to be a founding member.

One of the first adventures the Crew had was the Quincy Quarries rock climbing trip mentioned above. Shortly after that trip, the Crew enjoyed the Venturing Klondike at Base Camp in February 2015. In the abundant snow, Venturers hiked about in snowshoes, went Ice Climbing, and practiced making climbing snow anchors, all within Base Camp. One station embedded in Sarah’s memory was the simulated crevasse rescue. As the first volunteer ‘victim’, Sarah began to lower off the edge of a very real ice and snow covered cliff being used to simulate a crevasse. She gasped slightly, exclaiming, “this is a lot higher than I expected!”. Fortunately, her Crewmates working with the instructors set up the rescue rope and pulley system and hauled her back up over the edge.

The following year (February 2016), Base Camp hosted another Venturing Klondike in
decidedly less Klondike-like conditions. The Base Camp staff and Ice Climbing instructors adjusted the program to deal with the balmy weather and snow-free conditions. The Crew particularly enjoyed the fat-tire bike riding and Base Camp’s High COPE course. When Sarah walked along the COPE course’s 50′ high ‘Burma Bridge’ cable, she let go of another fear.

As Sarah and the Crew prepares to go to Philmont this summer, I know their various Base Camp experiences were a good part of giving them the confidence to try any challenge.

In parallel with the Crew’s growth, I was also able to have some of my own. Just before the Crew formed, I was a student in a BSA Climbing Instructor’s course. This led to me becoming a rock and ice climbing instructor in the council, which allowed me to help provide many of the Crew’s experiences above. I am fortunate to have worked with so many scouts and for my new friends in the instructors’ community.

Are instructing and participating in Base Camp’s climbing opportunities right for everyone? You will know as soon as you try.

#letsPLAYoutside

Submitted by Rob McLaughlin, NeXus Counselor-in-Training Co-Director

Everything is getting shaken up this summer at the Northern NeXus of Adventure including our new approach to Counselors-in-Training. All aspects of the Northern NeXus are being re-evaluated, including the CIT program that has been historically offered. Beginning this year, CIT’s at T.L. Storer and Wah-Tut-Ca Scout Reservation will become more a part of the camp staff than ever before. Now 14 year-olds will have the opportunity to experience a full summer learning at camp by participating in all staff activities from Staff Week all the way through take down, at no cost to the CIT. Also as part of the new CIT experience, all participants in the program will attend the exclusive Staff Training and Growth Course (STAG) which will teach CIT’s leadership and team working skills through the Rare Adventures of T.L. Storer and Wah-Tut-Ca. The opportunities presented by the NeXus make this program unique in Boy Scouts.

When I was fourteen I would have loved an opportunity like this. During my own summer as a CIT at Wah-Tut-Ca Scout Reservation I had a lot of fun but this course was built to surpass that experience in every way imaginable. As a former staff member at the National Youth Leadership Training Course, a participant at Philmont’s National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience and a veteran of five years of camp staff at 3 camps, I was able to draw from a large box of involvement to develop a program that applies to the type of leadership needed not only for camp, but also for life. Some activity examples are Search and Rescue Training, Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience challenges, a youth planned backpacking outpost to a mountain in the NeXus and much more.

Another great benefit of this program stems from its change in the role of a CIT from a learning-camper to an apprentice staff member. By attending and participating in Staff Week, CIT’s will learn all the staff specific trainings and integrate fully into the camp staff. Following the completion of the STAG Course during the first week of program, CIT’s will apprentice in program areas for the rest of the summer, learning skills by being additions to the general staff members assigned to that area. As stated before, unlike previous summers participants in the program can spend their whole summer at camp for free, including the STAG leadership training course. They will even get the 25% Staff Discount at Spirit of Adventure Scout Shops to buy their summer uniforms and any other gear at the store. No other Boy Scout camp in New England offers a program like this for 14 year olds.

To apply to be a participant in the STAG Course and a CIT this summer all you have to do is fill out this electronic application. There will be two participant information meetings (both starting at 7:00 PM):

1. May 17th in Chelmsford, MA, at Trinity Lutheran Church (170 Old Westford Rd)
2. May 19^th at New England Base Camp (411 Unquity Rd. Milton, MA)

Don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity to live the adventure at the Northern NeXus.

Submitted by Joe Dailey, Northern NeXus Rare Adventures Director

As an avid camper myself, I’ve always been an adventure seeker. Philmont, Sea Base, mountain biking, skydiving, dirt biking, ice climbing, snowboarding, you name it, I’ve probably tried it! I love being at the center of the action, and when some friends told me about the plan for an all-new adventure base for our council, I knew I had to be a part of it.

You see, while I loved summer camp, sometimes it just didn’t provide enough adventure to quench my thirst…. I would return every year, but eventually, the normal routine lost a bit of its magic.

That’s why when I was asked to be the Rare Adventures Director, I knew that with the help of the Northern NeXus leadership team, we could make this something big. Being the adventure junkie that I am – but unable to pull myself away from the summer camp that had raised me – this was the perfect role for me to use my knowledge and love of the outdoors to bring those same experiences to scouts of all ages.

Along with the rest of the leadership team, I promise every scout that enters a NeXus camp that they’ll get to enjoy a unique High Adventure experience, guaranteed!

My vision is that, together, we can build a new standard for summer camp experiences, the likes of which has never been seen, and show all the other Boy Scout camps and councils that here in the Spirit of Adventure Council, Scouting Truly Does Thrive!

Varying in length and difficulty, the Rare Adventures will provide new experiences to scouts of all ages and skill levels. Some examples are:

• Learn advanced sailing techniques on the Craig Ryder, exploring the beautiful and expansive Northwood Lake!
• Grab a friend and take on the allnew Vertical Caving Tower at T. L. Storer, climbing, crawling, and rappelling through a vertical maze!
• Gather your patrol or troop and head out to Parker Mountain for an overnight survival simulation!
• Units will even have the opportunity to work with the NeXus staff and build their own Rare Adventure.

Whatever your path, you’re guaranteed a one-of-a-kind experience, only available at the Northern NeXus of Adventure.

In addition to this incredible new program, scouts will be able to earn points for participating in Rare Adventures, which can then be applied towards earning the all new Spirit of Adventure Camping Award! Multitiered and comprising a number of different components, this award will be offered on the individual, patrol, and troop levels, giving scouts the chance to challenge themselves not only individually but also as a team, working together to obtain the never before seen Spirit of Adventure Troop Award! Scouts will receive patches and awards as they progress through the various levels.

Submitted by Darrin Johnson, General Manager of New England Base Camp

The first time I went rock climbing was at summer camp.  You had to be 13 years old and they only offered it on Thursday morning.  I skipped Reptile Study Merit Badge to go and to give it a try.  After all, I had been waiting to try rock climbing for 3 years.  My response was an instantaneous love of the sport.  A love that would stick with me for almost 30 years.  We went back to the campsite and tested out our new skill using bailing twine and the cliff next to our tent.  Needless to say, that did not go well.

The next 25 years I would go climbing with the Scouts at summer camp, weekend climbing with friends and worked in the industry for a while.  When my oldest came home from a school trip to the local climbing gym and wanted to go climbing all time, was when I determined that I needed to refresh my best practices.  Even though I had learned new skills along the way, I knew that I needed to get better and safer.

Picking the right climbing course (or any course for that matter) is not easy.  I did not want one that was too basic.  I also did not want one that was way over my head.  I looked all around, and in the end I decided on the Spirit of Adventure Climbing Course.  For me, the reason was convenience.  The timing of the course worked and the location was right for me.  I was not sure what to expect, but my goal was to refresh my skills.

I sat by two people that I did not know.  On my left was a person who had never gone climbing before in her life and just wanted to “give it a try.”  To the right of me was a former White Mountain Guide who wanted to get his certification to take his Scouts climbing.  I was pretty much right between the two of them in my skill level, so the seat was perfect.

The course succeeded with something that is not easy to do at all- they managed to relate and to teach at all the different levels.  The person who had never climbed before, now takes her Scouts climbing regularly, helps out at Base Camp and is planning on taking her COPE certification.  The former guide added a ton to the discussion during the course, helped everyone, learned several new safety skills and now teaches Climbing Merit Badge for units, districts and at Merit Badge University.

I got something out of the course that you really cannot put a price tag on.  I did learn a ton (more than I ever thought that I would) and it did help make my best practices a whole lot better.  The biggest thing though, without question, is that I feel safe taking my daughters climbing.  We have gotten closer by climbing together on the weekends and bonding over the difficult climb that they managed to climb.

Come join us at New England Base Camp to become a Climbing Instructor and learn how to impact not only your life, but those of countless youth as well by registering HERE