March 23-24 : Guadalupe River State Park
Spring Campout sign up is now open. Deadline to sign up is Monday, March 18. Keep reading for full details. Sign up link and instructions at the end.
WHERE: Guadalupe River State Park in the Hill Country west of New Braunfels, a 1.5- to 2-hour drive from NW Austin depending on traffic.
WHEN: Opening ceremony will begin at 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 23. You may arrive as early as noon to set up your family's tent. Closing ceremony on Sunday morning should wrap up around 10-10:30 AM.
FRIDAY CAMPING (optional): We have several campsites reserved on Friday night for families that would like an extra night of camping. If interested, add both nights (separately) to your shopping cart before checking out on the Pack Store website. The tent fee is $20 per night (includes parking and park passes for all participants). Don't forget to bring your own meals for Friday dinner and Saturday breakfast and lunch.
FOOD: The Pack will provide Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast, thanks to our Bear and Tiger dens who are organizing the cooking. Food fee will be $10 per person, age 5 and under free. If anyone has special food needs, let the Bear or Lion den leader know at least 1 week in advance. It is also permitted to bring your own snacks and drinks, but please be discreet (or generous) if any items could be perceived as special treats by fellow Cub Scouts.
PARKING PERMIT: When you arrive at the state park, tell the gate attendant that you are with Cub Scout Pack 421 and that the Pack leaders already have your parking pass. They should wave you through. When you get to our camping area, immediately find a Pack leader to get your parking pass and tape it to the inside front windshield of your vehicle. We will be in the Cedar Sage camping area; exact campsite numbers will be shared closer to the campout date. All campsites have water and electric.
ACTIVITIES: Will include hiking, fishing, stargazing, and working on adventure requirements with your den. The river is nearby, but we will not be getting in the water for swimming, paddling, or tubing; if you or your Cub Scout would like to engage in those aquatic activities, please do it as a family only before opening ceremony or after closing ceremony. The park pass is valid all day Saturday and Sunday.
CAMPFIRE: We'll do den skits and jokes (max 2 per Scout), as always. Be thinking about what you'd like to do. In addition, if any adults, Cub Scouts, or families would like to volunteer to lead a favorite campfire song, special skit, magic trick, or stunt, please reach out to the Cubmaster in advance to discuss what you have in mind. All ideas welcome! C'mon, don't be shy.
PACKING: Refer to our standard Packing List on the Pack website for suggestions of what to bring (and also what not to bring). Scouts are expected to wear their Class A uniform for opening and closing ceremonies. The pack T-shirt should be worn at all other times (with a jacket or long-sleeve shirt over it if needed). Each person should bring their "outdoor essentials" (water bottle, snack, personal first aid kit, sun protection, etc.) in a small backpack for day hiking. Closed-toe shoes must be worn in camp and when hiking (no Crocs or sandals except in the showers). If you would like to fish (optional), bring your own fishing gear; a fishing license is not required in state parks.
MEDICAL FORMS: Every youth and adult participant must have a BSA Medical Form (Parts A, B1, & B2) on file with our camp medic. If you turned in forms for the Fall campout, we still have them on file and they are good for 12 months. Otherwise, bring a hard copy of the completed med forms for each person and turn them in to a Pack leader upon arrival at the campout.
YOUTH PROTECTION: All adults staying overnight must complete online Youth Protection Training (YPT) before coming to the campout. This training must be repeated every two years, so if you have not taken it recently log in to My.Scouting.org to make sure your YPT certification is still valid and take or retake the training if necessary. There are additional new YPT requirements for adults staying overnight if they are not the parent or legal guardian of a Cub Scout (e.g., grandparent, aunt/uncle, sibling age 18+); if this applies to anybody who will be attending with your Cub Scout, please inform Pack leaders at least one week in advance so that we can take care of those additional requirements.
WEATHER CONTINGENCY: If we decide to cancel the campout due to weather, we'll let everyone know by Thursday 5:30 PM. We do not have alternate rain dates for the Spring Campout on the calendar, so in the unfortunate case we have to cancel, we will probably not reschedule. In any case, there is the option to attend the Council's Eclipse Extravaganza campout, April 6-8; see my previous email for details. (I was wrong about eclipse day passes being sold out; camping and day passes are both still available but don't delay because they are going quickly.)
SIGN UP INSTUCTIONS:
1. Go to the Pack's online store at https://cub-scout-pack-42...uare.site/
2. Find the "Meal Fee" store item and add it to your cart, increase the quantity for every person over the age of five, $10 each. Fill out additional questions as required.
3. Find the "SATURDAY NIGHT ONLY" tent fee store item and add it to your cart, $20 per tent. Fill out additional questions as required.
4. Optionally add the "FRIDAY NIGHT ONLY" tent fee store item to your cart, $20 per tent.
5. Navigate to your shopping cart and complete payment.
Make sure you get a confirmation email after you complete your order, and check that it includes the meal fee for each person and tent fee for each night you're camping.
That's it! If you have any questions, reach out to me.