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Before you go
The 6 things that matter most
Your SPL job at camp
- 1AHMR A/B/C for everyone — Part C physical dated within 12 months. No form, no camp.
- 22 registered adults per troop, ≥1 female 21+ if female scouts. Each troop covers its own two-deep (1804's female = Jakawich) — no charter-org letter needed.
- 3Arrive Sunday 1:00 PM with 3 roster copies + medical forms + any unpaid fees.
- 4Water shoes + 2 water bottles — rocky oyster-shell beaches, rain-shadow heat (can hit 90s).
- 5Wednesday = cook in campsite — bring stove, pots/pans, 3-basin wash setup, mess kits.
- 6Propane campfire ring (burn ban likely) + collect scout phones on arrival.
- 1Water shoes + 2 water bottles. Beaches are rocky and it can hit the 90s.
- 2Pack a sack lunch for Sunday — the first camp meal is dinner.
- 3Mess kit + utensils for Wednesday's campsite cook-out.
- 4Scout Handbook + blue cards — blue cards go to instructors Monday morning.
- 5$50–$100 spending money for the Trading Post.
- 6Modest swimsuit (no bikinis, briefs, or competitive suits) — keep it at the top of your daypack for the swim test on arrival.
- 7Wear your Class A (field) uniform for travel to camp on Sunday.
- 1Nightly SPL meeting, 6:45 PM (Sun–Thu). This is where you sign up for the next day's Troop Time. Miss it and you get leftovers.
- 2Come with a plan. Talk to your PLs first; bring a first choice + 5 backups per block — popular activities fill and have size caps.
- 3Monday is different — Monday's Troop Time is locked by the Scoutmaster at the 10 AM Monday meeting. Get your picks to your SM early.
- 4Blue cards to instructors Monday morning — filled out and SM-signed.
- 5Wednesday = campsite cook. Assign cook + cleanup crews by patrol at Tuesday's meeting; the last block (4:00) becomes dinner prep.
- 6Drive Hullabaloo + Honor Troop. Flag & baton making early in the week, practice the relay/canoe legs, and build the 12-point checklist into every day with your SM.
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Ask the Camp Guide
Camp Guide
Knows your Session 3 prep kit
Unofficial helper for Troops 1564 & 1804 — grounded in the prep kit, but it can be wrong. Confirm anything official with the camp office (360) 796-4427.
02
Troop Time playbook
Mornings are fixed merit-badge classes. The afternoons are yours to run. How good the week is comes down to how well you plan Troop Time — that's the SPL job at Parsons.
The nightly SPL meeting don't miss
- Every night at 6:45 (Sun–Thu) — this is where you sign your troop up for the next day's Troop Time. Miss it and you get leftovers.
- Before the meeting, talk to your Patrol Leaders and decide what the troop wants. Bring a first choice plus 5+ backups per block — popular activities fill and have size caps.
- Monday is different: Monday's Troop Time is locked by the Scoutmaster at the 10:00 AM Monday meeting. Sunday night / Monday morning, get your picks to your SM early.
The blocks
- Mon–Thu, three ~1-hour blocks: 1:40 / 2:50 / 4:00.
- Friday has no Troop Time — the afternoon is the Hullabaloo (Patrol Competition → Relay Race → Octopus Cup).
- Watch the two-block activities — the Dabob Bay Guided Tour and the big/small sailboats each eat a full afternoon. Plan the day around them.
Wednesday — we cook in camp plan ahead
- Every other day all meals are in the dining hall. Wednesday is the exception — lunch and dinner are cooked at our campsite (no waiters, no mess hall).
- Camp drops the food: lunch ~11:30 (hot dogs), dinner ~4:30 (walking tacos). We provide the cooking gear.
- You decide who cooks/cleans — assign cook + cleanup crews by patrol at Tuesday night's SPL meeting. Return only the coolers.
- Impact: merit badges (9–12) are normal, but the last Troop Time block (4:00–5:00) becomes dinner prep — plan that block as a campsite/light activity.
Critical callouts
- Rifle shooting needs a token bought at the Trading Post before your block. No token, no shooting.
- Tie-dye: buy the blank-shirt ticket at the Trading Post first, redeem at Craft Lodge. Great for Thursday's Beach Bonanza.
- Plan Hullabaloo prep into Troop Time — use Craft Lodge flag + baton making early, and practice the relay/canoe legs. Don't wait until Friday.
- Honor Troop Award is the SPL + SM's job — grab the 12-point checklist from the commissioner on Sunday and build points in all week.
- Thursday 5:50 Retreat is an OA Retreat — OA members wear your sash.
- Every morning: 6:30 Reveille, waiters report 7:15, Assembly 7:50. Keep the troop on time; assign table waiters (1 per 9 scouts).
Full activity menu with size caps is in the Troop Time menu under Quick reference below.
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Quick reference
Packing list pack now
✅ Interactive checklist (tick & print) → · official PDF (p.19)
Mark each scout's name + Troop # on any gear of value. Sections/order match Leader Guide p.19.
Clothing
- Scout uniform (1)
- Sweatshirt or fleece (2)
- Poncho or rain gear
- Hat or visor
- Pants (2)
- Shorts (3)
- Hiking boots/closed toed shoes
- Pajamas
- Towels (2)
- Swimsuit * (in top of daypack for swim test on arrival)
- Water shoes / old tennis shoes for the beach
- T-shirts (5)
- Shower Shoes/Water Shoes
- Pair of socks (6/7)
- Bag for dirty laundry
- Sunglasses
- Underwear (6/7)
Gear
- Backpack (daypack is nice to have)
- Scout Handbook **
- Notebook
- Pencil/Pen (4)
- Watch
- Flashlight / headlamp (+ spare batteries)
- Totin' Chip
- Scout Knife
- Water Bottles (2)
- Camp Chair
- Mess kit
Misc.
- Sack lunch for Sunday
- Spending Money ($50–100)
- Mess kit
- Sunglasses
- Instrument (optional)
- Hammock (optional)
- Sleeping gear
- Sleeping Bag
- Pillow
- Foam sleeping pad
Toiletries (shoe-box tote)
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Towel/washcloth
- Comb/brush
- Soap/shampoo
- Deodorant
- Waterproof sunscreen
- Bug repellent
- Feminine hygiene products
- Prescription medication (in original container)
Leave at home
- Electronic games
- Fireworks of any kind
- Personal firearms (rifles, hand guns, bows, sling shots, ammo)
- Alcohol or Drugs
- Pets
Troop gear (p.19)
- Alarm clock, troop flag, patrol flags, lanterns, rope, pushpins
- Clipboard, First Aid Kit, program reference + merit-badge book library
- Cooking equipment for pack out, troop accident insurance policy
- Medical Forms for each participant
Troop 1564 / 1804 additions
- Class B uniform (troop t-shirt)
- Cot (optional) — Mt. Anderson tent sleepers may bring a cot instead of a pad
- Extension cord for any CPAP · deck of cards for downtime
- Wednesday cook kit (stove, pots/pans, 3-basin wash), propane campfire ring
* Swimsuits must be modest — no bikinis, briefs, or competitive/gym suits. ** Bring the Scout Handbook but not into the Scout Skills area. ⚠ No water floats/inflatables (guarded swim beach).
Day-by-day
SUN · JUL 19
Arrival — Mt. Anderson
Gate opens 1 PM (early = wait on Bee Mill Rd). Swimsuits at the top of every daypack — swim checks come first. Flow: parking attendant → staff guide → med checks (grab daypack, don't unpack; SM's check first) → office check-in → swim checks or camp tour. 7 PM Orientation, 8:45 PM Opening Campfire.
Arrival — Mt. Anderson
Gate opens 1 PM (early = wait on Bee Mill Rd). Swimsuits at the top of every daypack — swim checks come first. Flow: parking attendant → staff guide → med checks (grab daypack, don't unpack; SM's check first) → office check-in → swim checks or camp tour. 7 PM Orientation, 8:45 PM Opening Campfire.
MON–THU
Program days
7:50 flags & breakfast · 9–12 merit badges · 12:30 lunch · 1:40–5:00 Troop Time (SPL plans night before) · 6 dinner · 7–9:30 evening program. Leaders: 10:00 Roundtable daily.
Program days
7:50 flags & breakfast · 9–12 merit badges · 12:30 lunch · 1:40–5:00 Troop Time (SPL plans night before) · 6 dinner · 7–9:30 evening program. Leaders: 10:00 Roundtable daily.
WED · JUL 22
Campsite cook (packout)
Staff drop lunch ~11:30 (hot dogs) & dinner ~4:30 (walking tacos). Cook in-site; return only the coolers. Last Troop Time block becomes dinner prep.
Campsite cook (packout)
Staff drop lunch ~11:30 (hot dogs) & dinner ~4:30 (walking tacos). Cook in-site; return only the coolers. Last Troop Time block becomes dinner prep.
FRI · JUL 24
Hullabaloo + wrap
Patrol Competition → Relay Race → Octopus Cup canoe race. Beach Bonanza + Parsons Production. Break camp after dinner, before campfire.
Hullabaloo + wrap
Patrol Competition → Relay Race → Octopus Cup canoe race. Beach Bonanza + Parsons Production. Break camp after dinner, before campfire.
SAT · JUL 25
Checkout
Breakfast delivered 6:30 · collect forms, records, patches & Honor Troop award at office 6:30 · Closing 8:30 · pickup 8:45 · camp clear 10:00.
Checkout
Breakfast delivered 6:30 · collect forms, records, patches & Honor Troop award at office 6:30 · Closing 8:30 · pickup 8:45 · camp clear 10:00.
Check-in paperwork Sunday
📁 Troop shared drive — forms & docs →
What the Scoutmaster hands in at the office on arrival. Tick as you gather it (saved on this device).
- Troop roster — 3 printed copies. Scouts & adults listed separately, alphabetical, attendees only; note any partial-week adults.
- AHMR Parts A, B & C for every scout + adult. Part C must have the doctor's signature ON the form (missing / separate sheet = rejected).
- Dietary confirmed in BlackPug (before camp — they cook to the count).
- Meds in original labeled containers + a med log.
- ATV waivers (if any scouts registered): signed ASI waiver + Hold Harmless + e-course cert — paper copies or emailed to atv@campparsons.org.
- Scuba (Jade) forms + prereqs done (if any).
- Any unpaid fees — ours is $0 / paid.
The roster becomes the camp's fire roster — adults get a blue "registered adult" wristband once checked against it. The Part C signature is the #1 check-in slowdown; verify every one. The SM does their own med check first, then checks the troop in at the office. A charter-org authorization letter is only needed if you pool adults across 1564/1804 to meet two-deep — not required here, since each troop keeps its own 2 adults (1804's female leader = Jakawich).
Campsite — Mt. Anderson confirmed ✓
✅ Confirmed by the Camp Director — both troops are in Mt. Anderson. Near the parking lot, just across Bee Mill Rd (use the tunnel). At check-in each troop gets a map with its assigned bunks circled.
Our sleeping assignments
- Troop 1564: 1 tent + 3 bunkhouses.
- Troop 1804: 2 tents + 3 bunkhouses.
- Tents sleep 2 (sleeping pad or cot); bunkhouses sleep 4 (sleeping pad — bare wood, no mattresses).
The site
- Central cook shelter with electric lights.
- Shared KYBO, scout showers, single-use leader bathroom.
Location
- Near the parking lot, just across Bee Mill Rd — one of the closest sites to arrival. Always use the tunnel to cross, never the road.
Plan for
- Bring a sleeping pad for everyone; tent sleepers may bring a cot instead.
- Power is in the cook shelter — bring an extension cord for any CPAP.
- Inspect cabins/tents on arrival and report damage to the ranger (troop is billed for new damage).
Troop Time menu
SPL picks at the 6:45 PM meeting (Monday's block is locked by the SM at the 10 AM Monday meeting). Bring 5+ backups — activities have size caps.
Medical & forms check-in
AHMR — the #1 check-in slowdown
- Everyone (scouts & adults) needs Parts A, B and C — including adults staying <72 hrs.
- Part C = physical within the last 12 months (valid through end of that month). Physicals are not given at camp.
- Director's rule: Parts A & B need no signature, but Part C must have the doctor's signature ON the form itself — missing, or on a separate sheet = rejected.
- Insurance carrier + policy number required; parent signature within 12 months.
- Staple each person's pages. No plastic sleeves. Bring copies, keep originals at home.
Roster
- 3 copies at check-in; scouts & adults listed separately, alphabetical; note anyone splitting the week.
Medications
- Original labeled containers; troop stores & administers. Bring a med log + custodian. Lockbox available at health lodge.
Dietary (submit in BlackPug before camp)
- Accommodated: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian/vegan, pork-free. Nut-free kitchen (not allergen-proof). Not accommodated: keto, paleo, carnivore.
Report ≥2 weeks ahead
- CPAP (bring extension cords), ADA task-trained service animals only (no ESAs).
Daily special events
- Mon — Sip & Paint 6:30 AM · Music Fest 9:15 PM
- Tue — Canoe Trip 6:00 AM · Troop Night
- Wed — Pier Jump 6:30 AM · campsite Cook Out all day · Friendship Fires
- Thu — Nature Hike 6:30 AM · Beach Bonanza · CP Production 9:15 PM · OA Retreat at 5:50 — wear your sash
- Fri — Camp-to-Cove Run 6:30 AM · Hullabaloo · Closing Campfire
Music Fest (Mon) & CP Production (Thu) start 9:15, not 8:45. Musically talented scouts → tell the program director early.
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