On November 12th and 13th we had our November outing at Anthony Chabot Regional Park and the Chabot Gun Club. We spent Saturday afternoon at the rifle range learning about gun safety, parts of a rifle, and how to shoot a .22 caliber rifle at a target 50 feet away. 13 scouts shot accurately enough to qualify for the shooting portion of the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge.
After we were finished shooting we went to the Puma Point campground to setup camp. We were fortunate that the campground was nearby as dusk was approaching quickly and setting up camp and cooking dinner is more challenging when it is dark. The scouts prepared some of the most delicious meals I have seen on a campout. Cheesesteak sandwiches, orange chicken, spaghetti, chili dogs, kept our hungry scouts satisfied. During the campfire which was hosted by Ryan T. (who was working on his Communications Merit Badge) we had some pretty entertaining skits. On Sunday we woke up to a clear and cool morning. Before long the scouts were cooking again. Bacon, eggs, bagels, cereal, oatmeal, and fruit got us off to a great start in the morning. After breakfast, we cleaned up, prepared our bag lunches, and broke down camp (including a sweep of the campground in accordance with our Leave No Trace principle). Scoutmaster Yuen gave an inspirational Scout’s Own message and then we departed for a 3.5 mile hike down to the lake and stopped at several geocaches on the way as well as a lunch break. We were back into camp by the early afternoon and were soon on our way home. After the outing ASM Steve Shissler worked with the scouts who had qualified to complete the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge.