October 2023 - Dark Sky Campout

10-13-2023 to 10-15-2023

On the weekend of October 13-15, Troop 46 had a Dark Sky Campout at the Kickapoo State Recreation Area in Oakwood, IL. The weather was forecasted to be very rainy. We were concerned that the rain would ruin our chance to see the stars. We selected the weekend because it was in the middle of the Orionids meteor shower, there was no moon, and there was a solar eclipse. It was important to time this with no moon for the brightest viewing of the stars.

We picked a good, safe spot to setup our tents. There were a lot of beautiful fall colors, and the grounds had a lot of open space. There was a nice, easy-access trail to enter the woods where we built shelters.

We arrived at the campgrounds at 8:30 PM and setup in light rain. The forecast called for a chance of clear skies between 2 AM and 4 AM. We set alarms to wake up at 2 AM. When we got up the stars were bright and incredible. The troop spotted 7 meteors and viewed the stars for about an hour before going back to our tents. We slept in until 7 AM, rather than our typical morning start at 6 AM.

The next morning, we setup rain flies so we could keep dry during our meals and skill reviews. The weather was cool and somewhat rainy. It was perfect for setting up rain flies, playing in the woods, and building structures using branches and lashing. We got a lot of practice in on lashings, especially on bowline knots and taut line knots.

The forest was filled with vines and lots of great building materials for temporary structures. Our troop built two structures. One was a lean-to and another used poles and lashings. For the lean-to, we peeled bark from fallen trees to create shingles for our structure.

The patrols had a good time practicing outdoor meal preparation. Some lessons were learned, and some good food was prepared. Not every meal was perfect, but we are making progress.

This is a good example of how our campsites appear. A chuck box and stove from one of the patrols is on the right. On the left is the KP table where we clean up after meals according to the KP method. Our tents are situated on high ground safely away from dead trees or loose limbs, and we are close enough to the out houses…but not too close if you know what I mean.