Caleb is a Star Scout (2012)

Since I'm on vacation, I'm trying to catch up on old posts.  This is a photo of Caleb receiving his Star  Scout award in the fall.  He was able to go toPeaceful Valley scout camp in Elbert in July, and he earned several merit badges and was able to advance.

Caleb had mixed feelings about going to scout camp, but he ended up kind of enjoying himself.  There were a couple of problems with camp:  it was scheduled so that it overlapped with an all-star baseball tournament that Caleb had dreamed of being invited to for years, and he was the only scout from our ward  to attend, so he was all alone:  no friends, no leader--just Caleb.  Luckily, Caleb is social & confident and was unfazed by the situation.  His scout camp began on Monday, July 9 and ended on Fri. (or Sat) . It was in Elbert, CO (not for from CO springs, smack in the middle of CO) and his tournament was in Lamar, about 325 miles southwest.  So when Caleb left for scout camp, he was uber-focused on getting to his tournament 4 days later, and that conflict prevented him from getting as involved as he could have at camp.  

That said, he really seemed to enjoy certain things about camp.   He didn't complain about having to fill his schedule with basketry (no onehad  told us that shooting cost money or given us the sign-up info. in enough time to be able to schedule that for Caleb; he loves shooting and would have had a blast doing that). Mostly he was glad to be able to work on his required badges and get closer to earning his Eagle.   He also really enjoyed his leader, Bro. Dunn.  I'd never met him before but I could tell immediately what kind of man he was, and I was extremely grateful that Caleb had spent his time with such a good man.

Although the drive from Haxtun to Elbert was long, it was a place I'd never been & a route I'd never taken, so I enjoyed going to get Caleb. (Elbert was pretty--Mountains, pine trees...)  Getting home, packing, and then being on the road to Lamar the next day.