Boy Scouts from Coppell Troop 840 have had several opportunities this summer to travel and have fun while earning achievements in rank advancement, with some older scouts attending a six-day wilderness canoe expedition out of Northern Tier High Adventure Base near Ely, Minnesota.
In June, 72 scouts and 15 adult leaders from Troop 840 attended camp at Camp Constantin on Possum Kingdom Lake near Graford, Texas under the leadership of Chris Wilt, who served as Scoutmaster for the week-long camp. New scouts participated in the first year camper program, while older scouts worked on various merit badges required for rank advancement. Scouts were able to choose from a wide variety of classes, including aquatics, boating, handicrafts, and shooting sports.
In July, a group of 31 scouts and eight adult leaders from Troop 840 attended summer camp at Camp H. Roe Bartle, located in Iconium, Missouri with Renee Hediger serving as Scoutmaster. Camp Bartle offers a variety of classes and workshops to help scouts advance in rank and earn merit badges. Camp Bartle is also home to the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, an honor camping program in which nine Troop 840 scouts were either newly inducted or advanced in level at this year's camp.
As in years past, Troop 840 welcomed scouts from other units to join them at summer camp. This year, 23 scouts and adults from other area troops attended the two summer camps with Troop 840.
In June, three scouts and two adult advisors from Troop 840, along with two scouts and one adult advisor from Coppell Troop 845 experienced the rugged wilderness of Minnesota's Boundary Water Canoe Area and Ontario, Canada's Quetico Provincial Park. Building upon basic scouting skills, these young men were stretched in new ways as they traveled over 50 miles by canoe and portage. Everything the scouts needed for the expedition, including personal gear, tents, cooking equipment, and food was carried in large packs that were loaded into three canoes daily. A staff member known as an Interpreter traveled with the crew and helped them plan a customized itinerary for their trip.
The crew utilized low-impact camping techniques to maintain the wilderness and camped in a new site each night. Each day's journey was approximately 10 miles as the crew navigated by canoe and portage, carrying their canoes and gear over land between bodies of water.
Additional Troop 840 summer activities included a July outing to Group Dynamix in Carrollton and an August canoeing and kayaking trip to Beaver's Bend near Broken Bow, Oklahoma.
Troop 840, which is led by Scoutmaster Phillip Morse and Sr. Patrol Leader Anant Kanugo, meets weekly at Valley Ranch Baptist Church.