This is a hike we took on the second day, looking for the bigger Venturer-level obstacle course after our boys had sailed through the Scouts course on the previous day.
This picture shows the grade much better. When climbing on this kind of terrain, particularly with rain-slicked leaves beneath our feet, the footing could get quite dodgy at times.
Dishwashing detail! There was a small shelter on the campsite, which we did not sleep in but which came in handy for preparing meals and washing dishes.
A close-up of our scaled friend.
Another Scout with the same snake. I (Scouter Mike) actually caught this one by quickly jumping on him before he slithered away. He was surprisingly fast given the cold weather and the fact that he\'s a cold-blooded animal, but I suppose he thought he was fleeing for his life. But don\'t worry; after capturing him and posing for pictures with him, we let him go unharmed.
One of our Scouts holding what appears to be a yellow garter snake. We caught this little guy while on a trip to get water. The campsite had no nearby water source, so we had to hoof it a few hundred metres to a water reservoir, and carry the bottles back. To their credit, the boys carried out this task with few complaints.
Milkweed pods!
Our Scouts beginning our first hike of the camp.
John (one of the boys\' fathers) took these pictures with his own camera, and E-mailed them to me afterwards (that\'s why they are out of sequence with the other pictures). This one shows part of the camp site with the tents up.
The boys forming a line and checking the campsite for garbage, prior to lunch on the last day of camp. We were already well into the process of preparing to leave at this point. All the tents were already packed up, which is good because it had started to rain while we were at the obstacle course.
Inaugurating our campsite by hoisting our flag. We were unable to do this on the first night because it was pitch-dark and raining by the time most people arrived, so we had this ceremony after breakfast on the second day.
This is the Scouts obstacle course. You can\'t see it very well because of the underbrush getting in the way, but I like the way this picture looks anyway.
The Scouts standing in front of what we nicknamed the \"Mortal Kombat\" area, so named because its strictly geometric rows of planted trees are reminiscent of a scene in that movie.