The Venture Scouts of 6th Meadowvale Scout Group resumed summer camping on August 19-21 at the Kelso Conservation Area in Milton, Ontario. The two days of adventure consisted of hiking and Canoeing. The two-act activities brought back all the camping memories and the fun of being outdoors for both Venture scouts and leaders.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, this was the first summer camping activity and brought lots of excitement during the planning stages and when arrived at the camp. Upon arrival at the campsite on the evening of August 19, Venture scouts and leaders worked together in teams to set up the tents skillfully. After dinner, the Ventures couldn’t wait any longer to build a campfire, roasted marshmallows, potatoes, corn and even apples with fun, chatting and laughter, and friendly competition of whose marshmallows roasted nicely and did not burn immediately.

A tight schedule had been planned for the whole day on August 20. Starting from breakfast preparation, and cleaning were all well-organized chores assigned during planning. After breakfast, the Ventures headed to Kelso Lake for canoeing. Everyone put on their lifejacket and carried their paddles to pick up their canoes. When in the water, the paddling techniques of some groups were not perfect and canoes at first kept spinning in the same place or going in the opposite direction, but after a few strokes, everyone had control of their techniques and was able to canoe smoothly. In the final minutes, the three boats ended up joining side by side to return to the shore.

After the morning activity, the Scouts were all just chatting, folding origami, or playing cards at the campsite in the hot weather. At three o'clock, all hiked to the lake, some swam and some just played in the water until it was dusk. After dinner, with another bonfire and more roasting, ended the itinerary of the day.

In the middle of the night, there was torrential rain and some of the tents leaked. Some found that they had water pooling under their tents. After breakfast, the group packed their belongings and tents ready to go home. Despite the rain, everyone had a goodtime and looking forward to the next adventure.

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