Blue Ridge Mountaineer
Blue Ridge Scout Reservation’s Living History Encampment
About Camp
Along the Little Laurel Trail, step back in time and enter the world of Blue Ridge Mountaineer. This primitive skills, living history camp gives scouts unique opportunities to experience the by-gone days of the Rendezvous era. In the 18th century, the mountains where our camp now rests were trapped and hunted by long-riflemen who spent months at a time in the wilderness. Along the Wilderness Road, explorers and settlers reached the nearby towns of Newbern, Radford, and Christiansburg. As the New River Valley filled up with farms, our mountains held families of lean, tough, Scots-Irish and Germans who cut timber, trapped game, and developed a rich culture among the Appalachian mountains.
Scouts and scouters who participate in the Blue Ridge Mountaineer Program will:
- Develop an appreciation for the life skills of the 19th-century settler
- Cook as a patrol over an open fire using cast iron
- Use blacksmithing tools at Clark's Forge
- Build a fire using flint and steel
- Build a Russell Green River knife and sheath
- Safely shoot a .50 caliber muzzle-loading rifle
- Learn about survival, traps, snares, tracking, and edible plants
- Plus many other primitive skills
Frequently Asked Questions:
Scouts aged 13 or older by the time of camp. Provisional scouts are welcome and will be assigned to a patrol. Campsites hold approximately ten scouts, so larger groups may be split up between sites.
Mountaineer is remote. There is NO connectivity to internet in camp and the nearest landline is 1.5 miles away. Prepare for primitive living! Showers and flush toilets are mile walk from camp. Mountaineer has potable water spigots and hand wash stations, as well as several famous latrines. The Whipporwill Tavern trading post and purveyor of fine goods offers snacks, camp provisions, and ROOT BEER!
The purpose of Mountaineer is to offer a unique camping experience. We do not offer merit badges, but scouts will complete some of the requirements toward cooking, metalwork, leatherwork. Venturers may also quality for some requirements in hunting, outdoor living history, and shooting sports.
Units sending three or more participants must also send an adult leader. Units sending twelve or more scouts must also send a second adult leader.
Merit Badges:
While Mountaineer does not focus on merit badges or advancement, there are a few requirements that can be completed in working toward those badges.
Evening & Extra Activities:
- Root Beer nights at the Whippoorwill Tavern
- Special Visitors throughout the week
- Historical interpreters on eastern & western mountain regions
- RENDEZVOUS!! Scouts will show what they have made throughout the week
Adults:
Ya’ll can kindly relax on the porch with Possum.
