Scouts ‘dig’ camp trip
?Boy Scouts Pierce and Grant Lima of Uniontown literally 鈥渄ug鈥� a recent trip to Camp Conestoga in Somerset County.
The week-long camp, which ran June 19-25, gave the Scouts an opportunity to earn their archaeology, wilderness survival and first aid merit badges. Douglas Giles, Scoutmaster of Troop 111 in Uniontown, accompanied the boys on the trip.
鈥淭his was their first time at the camp and they accomplished a lot,鈥� said Giles.
鈥淭he archaeology merit badge is rare for a Scout to earn considering that it requires a Scout to participate in an eight-hour archaeological dig under the supervision of a certified archaeologist.鈥�
Dr. Theodore Davi, Venture Scout director from Greensburg, heard about Giles starting the new troop and invited him and the two boys to join him for some hands-on exposure to an excavation at Camp Conestoga.
The boys also participated in a program called Pathfinders, which is a week-long program for newer Scouts that covers most of the requirements up to the rank of first class.
鈥淭his is a great program that helps new Scouts,鈥� said Giles. 鈥淚t teaches them some of the basics, such as fire building, cooking, hiking and first aid.鈥�
The wilderness survival merit badge required the Scouts to spend the night in a shelter that they built in the wilderness.
Giles started Troop 111 a year and a half ago and he said that it is slowly growing. He currently has 10 Scouts in his troop ranging from ages 11 to 17. Pierce, 13, and Grant, 12, have been members since its inception.
鈥淚t was a challenging and exhilarating experience to accomplish this task, considering their age and lack of experience,鈥� said Giles. 鈥淚 was extremely proud of how well they did.鈥�
The boys were unable to be reached for comment, but their mother, Jewel Lima, said that her boys had a wonderful time.
鈥淭hey came home dirty and smiling ear to ear,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey had a blast.鈥�