Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The following notes about RC
have been collected over the years by prior Cubmasters. I know that this is
longwinded,
but hopefully youll find it helpful.
Here are the biggest changes from years past:
* BRING A TENT!
* Arrive 1 pm.
* Boys 10 and older need a $5 fishing license, even if they only want to catch crawdads.
If anyone has questions (or suggestions for additional notes!), please contact brett.carlson@gmail.com.
Payment
Full payment is due by May 15. You can no longer pay on arrival , so please settle up with the council
soon if you still have a balance due. You can make online payments through
http://www.doubleknot.com , or you can call the council office at 602.955.7747 .
Medical Forms
Remember that both scouts and parents need to have recent physical exams signed by a medical
professional, and you need to have completed health & medical record forms with you upon arrival. You
should have received blank health & medical record forms with your RC
confirmation email that you can
complete and bring with you. I will attach another copy to this email.
The form requires a signature from a medical professional. If you arent able to see your regular doctor
before camp, you can get a walkin
camp physical at Walgreens or any urgent care.
The rules say that you are not supposed to have any meds at all in the campsites . If the signed medical
form indicates that you or your son regularly take medications, the nurse might ask about them at checkin.
Technically, the nurse is supposed to keep them and bring them to you at mealtime.
That said, the nurse has always been more than reasonable about working with parents on meds. If you or
your son regularly take medications, please do not stop while you are at RC.
Its a physically
demanding environment away from home, so its a terrible time to go cold turkey on your meds.
Cell Service (or lack thereof)
ASSUME THAT YOU WILL BE COMPLETELY OFF GRID WHILE YOU ARE AT CAMP. Phone and data
service is improving year by year, but its still spotty in the camp. Last year a few people had service in the
campsites, and a few more had service in the parking lot. Boys may not use electronics at all during camp,
though, and its a great opportunity for all of us to put the phone away for a few days. Even if you do
have service, you will not have electricity to charge your phone, so please leave it in the car or in the tent. If
you use your phone as a camera or compass (as I do), please leave it in airplane mode while you are
around the others. I find it greatly relaxing to be away from the news for a few days, and nothing ruins the
mood more than a bunch of people texting, Facebooking, web surfing, etc.
Food
Food is adequate cafeteria fare (corn dogs, mac & cheese, etc.) oriented toward a Cub Scout palate. Its not
great, but its not bad. Kids and adults get the same prescooped
portions of the same food, and there is
very little room for customizing (e.g., couldn't get pasta without sauce). If you or your kids are very picky
eaters, you might want to bring some backup food or snacks.
Every meal had a hot entree of some sort. Every breakfast had hot and cold cereal available. Every lunch
and dinner had a nice salad bar and soup available. Fruit and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are
available 24/7 at a separate table. Water, coffee, tea and hot chocolate are always available.
The food is prepared and served by a commercial catering service, so they are very aware of allergens
and safe food handling practices. While they do discourage special food orders for picky eaters, they will
try to accommodate special diets for allergies and other medical conditions. If you have a specific concern, I
would encourage you to contact the camp director directly.
Camp Attire
They ask that boys be in Class A uniforms at checkin,
while performing flag ceremonies, and at dinner
every night. Adults do not need a uniform or any other special clothing. Adult leaders are not required to be
in uniform, but we typically bring our uniforms and wear them when the boys are wearing theirs.
I like to see the boys in full uniform (including pants, neckerchief, hat and socks) when they do the flag
ceremony in front of the whole camp. Otherwise, though, I recommend leaving the neckerchief in camp so it
doesnt get lost.
Scouts who just graduated from Bear to Webelos can wear either the blue uniform or the tan uniform. If you
wear the blue uniform, you can still wear your webelos neckerchief and hat.
The camp staff will give you a tshirt,
hat and totem (necklace) at checkin,
and everyone is supposed to
wear at least one of those items when they are not in uniform for security reasons. I burn through at least
two tshirts
per day, but they seem to use the same shirt design every year, so I bring all my old camp shirts
to reuse
while Im there. (Im not wearing the same shirt for four days, I promise!)
We typically wear our yellow pack shirts for the RC
Challenge on the last day. Our pack has shirts for sale,
you can get one from Scott MacPherson.
Camp Geography
The camp itself is at the base of the Mogollon Rim in the pines, on the shore of Christopher Creek. Its a
great setting, but it is rugged. There is a lot of walking involved, including a lot of hill climbing and walking
on gravel and dirt paths. Kids (and adults!) are typically very tired at the end of the day.
Campsites have water nearby, but not electricity. Each site has an outhouse nearby; more modern facilities
(including showers and running water) are always available near the dining hall.
The sites have fire pits, but fires (including oil lanterns and all other open flames) will almost certainly be
banned by the USFS for the whole month of June. The camp has a gaspowered
fire pit for the large
campfires, but I would not expect to have fires in the sites. We should be able to build fires when we family
camp in September.
Driving to Camp
Camp RC
is just over two hours away on Highway 260 east of Payson, near mile marker 271.5. It's
about 2 miles past Camp Tontozona on the right hand side of the road. Last time I was there, construction
forced all traffic into the westbound lane just before the turn. It's pretty well marked even during
construction, so just watch for the signs. The camp is on the south (right hand) side of the road. Proceed
down the gravel road to sites 7 & 8, as noted below, and check in as soon as you arrive. If you get to the
"Christopher Creek Loop" turnoff, you went too far. Watch out for the two photo radar stations as you pass
through Star Valley unless you want to spend a Saturday in traffic school.
Checkin
is now at 3 pm . Theres really no need to get there early, but in 2014, early arrivals were allowed
to go directly to the site and begin setting up. Last year there wasnt anything on the schedule until the 5
pm orientation hike, so if you arrive at 3 pm or even a little bit afterward you should have plenty of time to
check in and set up without missing anything.
Note that there is a Walmart just past the 87/260 intersection in Payson in case you forgot anything, like a
fishing license. There is also a Walmart on Shea Blvd. in Fountain Hills on the way out of town.
Stuff to Bring
The camp confirmation letter that you received has recommendations about what to bring on the back. In
addition, weve collected the following recommendations over the years regarding other gear to bring:
You will need to bring your own tent. The camp form says to bring a 2 man tent, but I have no desire
to spend three nights with another person and all our gear crammed into something that small. A four man
tent is much better. I plan to use a fourperson
7x 8 dome tent that can accommodate two cots; you can go
bigger or smaller as you prefer. Lots of tents that will match all budgets are available from Amazon,
Walmart, Big 5, REI, etc etc etc. If you need help selecting a tent, just ask.
If you buy a new tent, I strongly recommend putting it up once at home so you can verify that all of
the parts are there.
Jacket, fleece or sweatshirt . It gets colder at night especially for star gazing. Last year the temps
were about 90 by day, 55 by night. Kohls Ranch is probably the nearest weather station, and its a good
idea to check the forecast before you leave.
Cots are highly recommended (if your tent is big enough). If you buy a new cot, make sure all the
parts are in the bag before you leave for camp. In lieu of or addition to cots, you can bring an air mattress.
Air mattresses can and do puncture, though, so I prefer cots.
Garbage bags . I like to bring a giant garbage bag for laundry, and a smaller garbage bag for trash in
the tent.
Squirt Guns(???) . In the past, the last day was an allout
squirt gun battle, and people definitely
brought some heavy firepower. This year, the rumor is that BSA policy no longer allows squirt gun battles. I
havent heard anything official, so I plan to bring a supersoaker to leave in the car just in case. Last year
they sold really nice Super Soakers for $1020
at the camp.
Cooler . I like to bring an ice chest with a big block of ice to keep some drinks and snacks cold. They
do have a trading post that sells drinks and snacks, including Coke and Pepsi products, Icees, candy, chips,
etc. Last year I brought two big blocks of ice that lasted through Saturday night. You can buy ice at the
trading post for $1.50/bag.
Coat hanger for class A uniform. Scouts have to put their uniforms on every day for flags, so there's
lots of changing in and out, and a hanger helps keep track of all of the parts. ***HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED!!***
Lawn/Camp chairs . There are picnic tables in the sites, but camp chairs are more mobile and more
comfortable.
Fishing licence and fishing gear for the stream (see below). Adults and boys 10 or older need a
fishing license, even for catching crawfish . Kids 9 and under do not. Youth licenses are only $5, and you do
not need to buy a separate trout stamp anymore. You can get a license online here , or at any sporting
goods store. You can get a fishing license at Walmart in Fountain Hills or Payson (along with bait ) if you
forget to get one in advance. They do not sell fishing licenses at camp, so be sure to get one ahead of
time.
Water bottle or pack . Drink and pee, drink and pee, its what you do at RC.
Lots of people use a
day pack or fanny pack or a Camelback (water pack) for walking around all day. I use a Camelbak, but they
do provide ice water at all the activities, so if you just have a bottle, you can refill frequently and be just fine.
There is drinking water available in each campsite.
Flashlight for you and your son. You dont need anything fancy, the cheap LED lights that you can
get in checkout lines are perfectly fine.
Pajamas, pillow and blanket . Some people like a light blanket for on top of the sleeping bag. It will
get down to about 50 degrees or so at night, so exposed skin can get cold. I generally believe in travelling
light, but this isnt backpacking, so if you need something to be comfortable, go ahead and bring it.
Earplugs . Ive never heard it myself, but Im told that we have some snorers in our pack. And there
are occasionally odd noises from the nearby campground. Light sleepers might want to consider earplugs.
Pocket knife (Bear scouts & older only). Tigers and wolves may NOT carry knives at all, and camp
staff will confiscate them if they see them. Other boys may carry knives if they have earned their Whittlin
Chip card. The knife safety class that they provide is woefully inadequate, so please watch your son and
ensure that he knows how to use a knife safely if you let him carry a knife.
Sun screen and bug repelle nt. We didnt have bug problems last year, but sites closer to the creek
did. I dont know where we will be located, so I plan to have repellant with me. Sunscreen is a necessity.
Coffee mug . If you're a coffee drinker, bring a thermal coffee cup with lid for transporting coffee from
dining hall to camp. If you want to be the most popular person in camp, bring a stove and make coffee to
share!
Small broom for keeping tent clean. The amount of crud that accumulates on the tent floor by day 4
will amaze you. (Another good reason to use a cot....). If you dont have a broom,you can probably just
borrow one from someone as needed. Some folks also bring a small carpet to use as a welcome mat and
thereby control dust outside of tent.
Sunglasses
Lantern (batterypowered!)
or similar flashlight, optional but very handy for the tent at night.
Long pants It
gets cool at night, and you're supposed to have long pants to wear horseback riding. I
think they let someone ride with shorts one year, but just in case...
Wristwatch . Each day has a fairly tight schedule of activities. If you normally rely on a cell phone as
your clock, you probably wont get any reception in most parts of the camp, and there is nowhere to
recharge batteries. So I prefer a wristwatch.
Shoes . The flyer says bring an old pair of tennis shoes. I'd say bring a pair that you don't ever want to
wear again. Ever. Open toed shoes are not allowed in camp, but I like to have a pair of sandals or crocs for
wearing around camp or in the creek.
Swimsuit, water shoes and towel for fishing . There is no pool at camp and the creek is pretty
shallow for swimming, but fishing for crawdads involves wading in the creek. Some kids get really into it,
and it is much easier to clean them up if they are in a swimsuit.
Fishing
***Note that the state laws changed in 2014, and everyone ten and older now needs a fishing license,
even for catching crawfish! Ive never seen a game warden in camp, but the fine is expensive if you get
caught, so I wouldnt risk it. You can get a license online here , or at any sporting goods store. If you
forget a license, you can get one at Walmart in Fountain Hills or Payson en route to camp. Youth licenses
are only $5, adult licenses are $37. All licenses now last for a full 12 months, and they include trout, urban
fishing and multipole
privileges, so it's a pretty good deal. Kids 9 and under do not need a license. You no
longer need to purchase a separate trout stamp or multipole
stamp.
One of the most popular freetime
activities is crawfish catching. A simple stick or pole (we used a piece of
PVC one year) with 58
feet of fishing line and a hook will work, or you can use a regular fishing pole. I just
tie a swivel leader to the end of the line and then use a small trident hook for holding the bait.
More important than the pole, though, is a net with a long handle (maybe 3 feet long) and a fine mesh that
doesnt allow the crawdads to slip through. Think butterfly net (or pool skimmer!) rather than a traditional fish
net. Once the crawfish grabs the bait, you can hoist them out of the water and catch them in the net; most
times the bait will still be on your hook.
The best bait I saw last year was bacon, but crawfish aren't fussy; anything greasy will work. I usually bring
a bag of jerky to use as bait. If you forget bait, you can always buy Slim Jims at the Trading Post.
Trout were plentiful in 2013, but nonexistent
in 2014. If you want to catch trout, I recommend getting up
early before the kids start tromping through the creek looking for crawdads. The guy at the fishing station
once told me that he uses #8 hooks for trout, and he alternates between PowerBait and salmon eggs
depending on what seems to be working for a particular day. He says trout bite best just after sunrise, then
it trails off throughout the warmer parts of the day.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. See you all there!

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