Troop 31 - Boy Scouts of America St. George’s Church 4715 Harding Road
Nashville, Tennessee 37205
Troop Historian Report
Blue Hole Campout 2007
The Blue Hole Campout of 2007 took place on the weekend of the 20th- 21st if January 2007. the group set out from Saint George’s church on the
morning of the 20th at 10:45 AM. The trip to the site where the cars were parked took approximately 40 minutes. The hike into the campsite was
approximately two and a half miles and, because the groups of boys set off in successive waves, the campsite was not completed until around
12:45. At around 1:30 some of the more brave/crazy scouts participated in the polar bear plunge. the blue hole, whose depth is yet uncertain, provided a new challenge for the
reckless scouts. TJ Calwell offered his view of the subject: “Holy____, that water’s cold.” While Mrs. Casey snapped pictures of scouts with looks of
shock and breathlessness, 19 boys and adults braved the freezing waters of the blue hole. Most scouts remained in the hole for less than twenty seconds but by the end
of the campout a rumor was floating around that one scout a late arrival, had braved the cold water for more than a minute. After the polar bear plunge, the
scouts were given duties to perform such as collecting firewood and helping late arrivals set up their tents. While the new scouts were taught how to purify
water, the older scouts tirelessly combed the hills around the campground for dead limbs and dry tinder. As evening arrived, the scouts set up their fires and cooked dinner. Culinary
experiments were carried out with great enthusiasm. Pam Casey commented on the subject: “My newest favorite dessert is smores biscuits.”
After their meals the group sat around their campfires and engaged each other in conversations and in some and in some cases, the identity of the legendary monster of blue hole, Slugtor.
Around 7:30 their was a small shower of small hailstones and the scouts moved their firewood under the many dining flys that dotted the campground.
However the shower was short lived and many scouts stayed up until 10:00 or later. During the night a fairly heavy rain storm battered the campsite and the
campers woke up the next morning to a celestial deluge. Grant Glassford shared his views on the subject with a highly intellectual, and very truthful sentence of three works; “It rained again.”
the scouts hurriedly made breakfast and hiked back to the cars. The party was at St. George’s by noon on Sunday. Robert Papell had one last comment on the
campout that just about summed it up 100%: “Very wet, but still fun.”
