HooverMarch2007

Hoover

March 16-18, 2007

Hoover, a 408 acre (CFL is 450 acres) camp, was owned by the Chicago Area Boy Scout Council. It was sold to Kendall County and will be converted to a Forest Preserve. The Council will continue to operate Hoover for now.

The Baden Powell is a traditional cabin designed to sleep 24 people in a large bunk room. There is one bathroom with 2 toilets and 1 shower. The kitchen has a refrigerator, gas stove and a sink. Instead of an indoor fireplace there is a fire ring outside of the building.

The troop decided to travel to Hoover for the first campout since the sub. This turned out to be one of the more fun and relaxing trips we've had. It included the essential ingredients for a great campout, namely good food, time for games, fire, water and a brief exciting field trip.

Friday Evening

Upon arriving Friday evening the Troop enjoyed a very filling Spaghetti dinner. The scouts built a nice campfire. Later on in the night they settled in for a few friendly games of cards.

Saturday Morning

The Saturday morning sunrise really brightened up the kitchen area. The scouts prepared very tasty pancakes and sausages for breakfast.

The scouts walked down to the river at the North edge of the Hoover Scout reservation. This short hike ended up lasting a while because we all enjoyed brailing the Fox River shoreline so much.

The scouts hiked back toward the cabin along one of the western trails. A gravel road along the way had some fairly large ice covered divots. The scouts had some fun with that ice.

Saturday Afternoon Farm

After a filling Grilled Cheese & Chicken Noodle Soup lunch, the scouts headed over to visit a nearby farm.

Mr. Pearson asked the farmer to give the scouts an hour tour and quick lesson on the art & science of farming. We saw barns loaded with hay, this farmer's primary crop. We learned that not all bales of hay are the same. Younger horses need a rich complex hay with a variety of plants while older horses need simple pure hay. Different seeds need to be planted at different times on the same field so that all the plants that make up the bales of hay are ready for harvest at the same time. Customers then stop by to purchase the big round bales from one of the barns ($40 each, no matter which mixture). Another barn contains rectangular shaped bales which are eventually transported out for sale.

When the scouts asked for permission to climb on the bales of hay, the farmer smiled and gave a nod of consent. The scouts climbed all way to the top of the round bales and discovered crevices between the bales. From there they could slip down between the bales appear at the bottom. It took much longer than an hour to hunt and retrieve all the scouts from the haystacks. Pure and simple, they had a blast! We were so tempted to just leave them in the haystacks for the rest of the campout. We all learned much and had a great time.