Why join the Campmaster Corps?
By: Lori Kendrick
I had a friend who was a “campmaster”. I wasn’t sure what that was, but he spoke of being at camp with few people around, being in nature, and he took lots of beautiful photos, which he shared with me. Fast forward a few years…. my friend Dave has since passed away. I will never forget his stories or pictures.
When I heard there was a “campmaster” training, I jumped at the chance (and dragged my husband along). This would give us more Scouting stuff to do together!
The training weekend came, and we were busy! From Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, we didn’t stop. There were about ten of us in the class. We did almost everything in the CTC except the tour of Ottari and Powhatan. We had CPR/AED/First aid training, Leave No Trace for beginners, met the Rangers who talked about certain “what-to-do-if…” scenarios. We got a camp map with trails marked for hiking. We had to take lots of notes! By the time we got home, we were exhausted and excited, brains on overload and ready to get started.
I got a call from R. Dot asking if we could serve that weekend. YES! We put the tent in my usual spot (IYKYK). My husband needed camping nights, so we didn’t mind. Although the Ranger, Stevie, says his campmasters shouldn’t have to sleep in a tent. There were a few units using the camp so we went to find them to make introductions. We quickly settled in with a campfire and dinner. Stevie mentioned the kitchen floor in the Dining Hall needed mopping. We spent about six hours deck scrubbing that floor. We didn’t move the rest of the weekend.
Not all weekends are like that, though. We’ve cleaned the cooks’ cabins, checked all the campsites for problems to let the rangers know about, fixed a few leaky faucets and checked a toilet issue that was a quick adjustment, fixed a lock. I served a solo weekend and de-limed the Hobart. There are always small tasks to be done to help the rangers, and we got a great sense of accomplishment knowing we could help.
If you are looking for ways to help, join the Campmaster Corps. Take the training in the spring and get on the rotation list. We can also serve at Ottari, so be on the lookout for service days there. It’s a great way to be of CHEERFUL SERVICE!
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For more information about the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation Campmaster Corps or to sign up for the next training session, visit our webpage here.