Cherokee Summer EncampmentDespite having to cancel our traditional week long summer camping program we are excited to be providing four weekend encampment opportunities. The questions listed below provide a wealth of information about the weekend encampments. Please continue to check back here for the latest information and registration details as they become available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the dates for Cherokee Summer Encampment? The weekends of July 10-12; July 17-19; July 24-26, and July 31- Aug. 2 What is the weekend camp fee? $90.00 per scout What do I get for my fee? Plenty of outdoor fun, a merit badge program, a limited-edition camp patch (2020 summer camp patch), time with your troop, an awesome campfire show, and a trained and energetic camp staff. Additionally, the Cherokee Scout Reservation has several million dollars invested in program area facilities and materials for this camping experience. Is there an additional fee for ATV? Yes, the add on fee is $25.00- the price for an ATV participant is $115.00 What Merit Badges/Programs are offered? Swimming, Kayaking, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, First Aid, Emergency Preparedness, Chemistry & Nuclear Science (a combination), Robotics, Geocaching, Automotive Maintenance, Archery, Rifle Shooting, and ATV PowerSports. How long will the merit badge session be? The sessions begin promptly each Saturday morning at 9 AM and will run through 5 PM. There will be a 30-minute lunch break in the program area. How do I register? There are two ways to participant in Cherokee Summer Encampment. You can come as a camper with your troop or as a Day Camper. Troop Registration Links
Day Camper Registration Links
What is the camp's COVID-19 Mitigation Plan for the encampments? You can review the Cherokee Summer Encampments COVID-19 Mitigation Plan here. What will a scout or leader need for a medical form? Each person who attends camp should have a current Annual Health and Medical Record (only need parts A and all of part B); you do not need part C, but it is Ok if you have it. You also do not have to have a doctor’s approval to attend camp. We ask that if you have had or knowingly have been exposed to COVID-19 you should stay away from others, and stay home. Where will I sleep? Scouts my use the adirondacks in the campsites. Adirondacks will sleep two Scouts in order to maximize distance and minimize the spread of COVID-19. We highly encourage Scouts to bring their own tents and sleep one person to a tent. Scouts may sleep in hammocks. Hammocks must be at least 6' apart. What will meals look like? Meals are up to your own troop to plan and cook in the campsite. Day Campers should bring their own prepared lunch. Everyone will eat their lunches in the program areas. * Unit leaders please pack a lunch and send with your scouts for lunch on each of these Saturdays. Will there be any camp-wide activities? Yes, and no… We ask that each troop do their own flag, vespers, and in-troop activity programs in the campsite. However, with this new weekend encampment effort we can distance ourselves enough to have a campfire. Can parents attend the campfire? No, we are planning our campfires for participants and their leaders only. How will COVID affect the camping experience? Scouts are asked to bring their own personal protective equipment (PPE). Face coverings should be worn when in close proximity, so if in a program or merit badge you should wear a covering when closer than 6’ from another person. We will wash our hands often and use hand disinfectant. Review the COVID-19 Mitigation Plan here. What is the camp doing to make sure that it is safe? Cherokee Scout Reservation is an accredited Scouts BSA Camp. All safety measures have been taken to assure the safety of all participants from not only Coronavirus but any other safety issue that may arise. Specifically, for COVID-19 we will disinfect all program areas. What should a scout bring to camp? Bring your own personal tent or hammock, a day pack/book bag, hand disinfectant (alcohol based), your medical form parts A & B, camping chair, water bottle, and some extra money for supplies in the trading post. What will the Trading Post offer this summer? Ice Cream, knives, paracord, cold drinks, candy, hammocks with straps, Slush Puppies (all new Baby Yoda Slush Puppy), Cherokee Cups, and turtle necklaces- just to name a few of the many items we have for sale. Will there be camp patches? Sure! We have limited items with the 2020 camp logo available, you will want to come to the Trading Post and check them out. Additional patches beyond registration will be on sale in the camp trading post. The patch for this encampment is the 2020 Summer Camp Patch, it is not special to the encampment by name. So, in this way it is a limited edition and will be very special as years go by. Is the staff prepared and trained? Yes, the staff has engaged in one full weekend of training already. Each staff member completed a full range of on-line training programs this spring. There will be spot training for specific jobs upcoming as the weekends unfold. Does a scout have to spend the night? Scouts either camp with their troop for the entire weekend or attend as a Day Camper. Day Camper drop off will be Saturday from 8:00 to 8:30 AM and pick up will begin at 5:15 PM. How will campsite assignments be made? When the unit leader registers the troop on DoubleKnot, they will list the unit's top three choices for campsites. The camp leadership will do its best to honor the unit's wishes, but may not be able to. Campsite assignments will be made to increase the distance between units. All campsites feature electricity and running water. All campsites have a shelter (sizes vary). All campsites are close to a shower house. How will twilight programs work? Twilight programs such as campsite games, totin’ chip, fireman chit, and the camp orienteering course are possibilities. Will the scouts and leaders have opportunity for a swim check? Yes, we will have a Friday night swim check. Swim tests for rank advancement can also be arranged as a twilight program for Saturday night as a whole troop sign-up option. Can I take my swim check before camp? Yes, please use the following forms. Link to Swim Check Guidelines Link to Swim Test Classification Form Can visitors attend camp on these weekends? No. The Covid-19 plan for Cherokee Summer Encampment is designed for participants only. Will there be Gaga Ball, Basketball, or team sports? No. Physical distancing prevents us from offering these activities this summer. Is this encampment open for a scout to come more than once? You bet! A camper could come all four weekends if they wish in any combination of troop camper or day camper. What should a troop bring for the encampment weekend? Troop gear, food, and any troop activity planning that would be delivered in the campsite. Bring hand disinfectant and help assure that each scout has their own personal protective equipment (PPE), and hand disinfectant. Should my troop bring an American flag? You can, however we have US flags here for troop use in the campsite. What happens at a socially distant campfire? We sit further apart, but other than that we have skits, songs, cheers, stories, recognitions, and special ceremonies. Best of all we have FUNNNNN! How much money should a scout bring to send in the trading post? Scouts will have about 5 opportunities to go the trading post, and we ask troops to help our operation by allowing scouts to purchase items several times during the weekend. We suggest $35.00 which should cover most any desire for drinks and cool treats, we have quality merchandise in our trading post as well. Will there be a Health Officer present for this event? Yes indeed! Our health officer is highly trained and helps lead our efforts in the fight against Covid-19. In addition to this our entire camp staff has become certified in the BSA’s COVID-19 Sanitation Training. How many merit badges can a scout take in one weekend? One. How will Scouts enroll in merit badges?
What new facilities could we expect at camp this summer? Since our time together in 2019, our facilities have grown. We now have 16 new flush toilets in four different locations around camp. We have installed electricity in each campsite for you. And let’s not forget our new ATV program, trails and building. |
What will the schedule look like?
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What are the completion expectations and any pre-requisites for each merit badge offered?
Swimming- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb014.asp. Be mindful that the scout must pass the swimmer’s ability test, there are no further pre-requisites for this this badge.
Kayaking- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb149.asp. Be mindful that the scout must pass the swimmer’s ability test, there are no further pre-requisites for this this badge.
Citizenship in the Nation- Scouts will receive a partial on this badge at encampment. Due to COVID-19 mitigation strategies, requirement #2 cannot be completed at camp. Here is Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb003.asp. Be mindful that scouts will benefit from access to a wireless capable laptop or tablet, there are no pre-requisites for this this badge.
Citizenship in the World- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb004.asp. Be mindful that scouts will benefit from access to a wireless capable laptop or tablet, there are no pre-requisites for this this badge.
First Aid- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb008.asp. Be mindful of requirement #1, scouts must demonstrate their knowledge of First Aid found in advancement, there are no pre-requisites for this badge.
Emergency Preparedness- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb006.asp. Scouts should bring with them a family emergency kit or Scouts may bring photos of their family emergency kit along with an inventory of items in the family emergency kit. They must earn First Aid Merit Badge prior to taking this merit badge.
Chemistry/Nuclear Science- Scouts should complete these badges at encampment. Workbook links: Chemistry: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb034.asp and Nuclear Science: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb024.asp. There are no pre-requisites for these badges. Scouts will need a notebook.
Robotics- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb146.asp. There are no pre-requisites for this badge. Scouts will need a notebook.
Geocaching- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb145.asp. There are no pre-requisites for this badge.
Automotive Maintenance- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb127.asp. There are no pre-requisites for this badge.
Archery- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb019.asp. There are no pre-requisites for this badge, however having the physical strength and stamina to draw back the bow is needed.
Rifle Shooting- Scouts may or may not complete this badge due to Requirement #2 which requires the scout to qualify with a given score for completion. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb123.asp. This badge is not recommended for the younger scout, minimum age is 11, there are no further pre-requisites for this badge.
ATV PowerSport – Please see the ATV PowerSport page for complete info and important items required to bring.
Swimming- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb014.asp. Be mindful that the scout must pass the swimmer’s ability test, there are no further pre-requisites for this this badge.
Kayaking- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb149.asp. Be mindful that the scout must pass the swimmer’s ability test, there are no further pre-requisites for this this badge.
Citizenship in the Nation- Scouts will receive a partial on this badge at encampment. Due to COVID-19 mitigation strategies, requirement #2 cannot be completed at camp. Here is Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb003.asp. Be mindful that scouts will benefit from access to a wireless capable laptop or tablet, there are no pre-requisites for this this badge.
Citizenship in the World- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb004.asp. Be mindful that scouts will benefit from access to a wireless capable laptop or tablet, there are no pre-requisites for this this badge.
First Aid- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb008.asp. Be mindful of requirement #1, scouts must demonstrate their knowledge of First Aid found in advancement, there are no pre-requisites for this badge.
Emergency Preparedness- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Here is the workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb006.asp. Scouts should bring with them a family emergency kit or Scouts may bring photos of their family emergency kit along with an inventory of items in the family emergency kit. They must earn First Aid Merit Badge prior to taking this merit badge.
Chemistry/Nuclear Science- Scouts should complete these badges at encampment. Workbook links: Chemistry: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb034.asp and Nuclear Science: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb024.asp. There are no pre-requisites for these badges. Scouts will need a notebook.
Robotics- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb146.asp. There are no pre-requisites for this badge. Scouts will need a notebook.
Geocaching- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb145.asp. There are no pre-requisites for this badge.
Automotive Maintenance- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb127.asp. There are no pre-requisites for this badge.
Archery- Scouts should complete this badge at encampment. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb019.asp. There are no pre-requisites for this badge, however having the physical strength and stamina to draw back the bow is needed.
Rifle Shooting- Scouts may or may not complete this badge due to Requirement #2 which requires the scout to qualify with a given score for completion. Workbook link: http://usscouts.org/mb/mb123.asp. This badge is not recommended for the younger scout, minimum age is 11, there are no further pre-requisites for this badge.
ATV PowerSport – Please see the ATV PowerSport page for complete info and important items required to bring.
