MARSH'S FARM 2007

By Rafael Suarez

Marsh’s Farm has always been the hardest trip for me. On any other trip, you can be a little less careful with the preparation, and a last minute packing job will get you through the weekend, albeit uncomfortably. With Marsh’s Farm however, preparation must be delicate, time must be taken to ensure you have three hats, eighty pairs of socks, and enough blankets to get the entire population of Siberia through the winter. Seven years ago, when I went on Marsh’s Farm as my first campout, this was quite a hassle. I did not know half of what to pack, and what I brought was ten times too heavy for me. However, a lot has changed in seven years. I now know what to pack, and I can carry it all with strength to spare. In addition to a stronger back, I came back to Marsh’s Farm this year with something special, a spot on the staff.

There is one thing the Troop hopes for on this campout above all others, snow. There wasn’t a flake on the ground when we got there. Instead, just wind, cold, and a bit of ice on our hike down into “Coffee Hollow” where the campsite is located. At the camp, there are three sites we always use. At the far end of the site, down by a small river is the traditional Stag site. Up the path from them is the Fox site, and slightly farther along, across two streams is the Staff site. The patrols took up their positions and I got to do something I’ve never previously done at Marsh’s Farm, sit back and relax for a little while.

            However, the trip proved to be more eventful than anticipated. Upon returning to the site after lunch, I found that one of the tent legs of my tent had been broken by the wind. This was rather surprising, as the leg is made out of aluminum tubing. John and I attempted to splint it, but the splints refused to hold. Finally, Manuel and I gave up on our tent and decided to sleep in a low shelter that had been made years ago in the bushes above the staff site. There’s about two feet of room at the tallest point, so you have to enter in a prone position. We realized it was not going to be fun, but it would be a point of pride to say we did it. We pulled the tent fly over it and tied it down, and hoped it would be ok at night.

"Unfortunately, someone had had a moment of unclear thinking and had made the drink with river water so we had to dump it. "

"The wind came right through the shelter, and while the fly helped a bit, it did not keep us warm. "

Then, Manuel and I began to implement the plan for the afternoon’s activity. We decided to test the Scouts’ knowledge of knots by doing a knot relay. Up, at the lip of the “hollow’ is a small cabin. Each patrol would send one Scout up to the cabin, where Manuel would have them demonstrate one knot and come back to tag the next guy. To keep Manuel warm, we built a fire in the cabin stove. When the fire was going strong, I went back down to the staff site and rallied the Scouts. They were fairly competitive, but the hill is pretty steep and several people ended up walking slowly instead of walking briskly (because we all know that there is no “running” in camp). However, the disappointing part was the knot tying, since few Scouts knew their knots as well as they were supposed to.

            I then asked the Patrol Leaders to do knot instruction and gather wood until dinner prep. Then Manuel and I came up with an idea. We borrowed a pot from the Stags and took some water up to the cabin. We then brought the adult staff up for hot chocolate. Unfortunately, we underestimated the heat of the stove. It took twenty minutes to even come to a boil. Still, it was warm in the cabin, so we just talked, and in one case, napped until the water was ready. Then we made coffee for Steve and hot chocolate for the rest of us. Thus Marsh’s Farm received its first coffee house.

Dinner took forever, but it was good. I had a nice, chunky stew with the Stags. Unfortunately, someone had had a moment of unclear thinking and had made the drink with river water so we had to dump it. Good thing the stew had enough liquid to be satisfying. The best part was I did not have to clean up afterwards, one of those great perquisites of being staff.

At the after dinner campfire, among the normal variety of bland skits and out of tune songs, Manuel tried to surprise me by announcing that I had a skit. I was rather unsure of what to do, so I just started talking. I began at my beginning, and how Marsh’s Farm was my first trip. I went on about how fun Troop 100 is and why they should stick it out till the end. When I was done, John declared that it was my first Scoutmaster Minute.

            It was a hard night. After the campfire, Manuel and I climbed under the small shelter, laid out our bedding, and curled up in our sleeping bags. The wind came right through the shelter, and while the fly helped a bit, it did not keep us warm. In the morning, it took a long time to get dressed because my limbs were so cold. Luckily, the coals of the campfire were easy enough to kindle again and we had a nice fire to warm up at.