Camping at West Point

April 26-28 Randy and Alex went to the annual Boyscout Camporee at West Point.  They had a great time!!

There were a LOT of people there (around 5000 campers).  This gives you a little idea of how close everyone's tents are.  (There's Alex getting out of his tent.)

Bright and early everyone got up at 5:45 to be ready to start their run and exercises at 6.

Alex getting out of his tent.

Tossing the football around. 

There was a camo -face painting contest, judged by the West Point cheerleaders. All these boys painted this one boy's face. (Alex's group didn't win, maybe next time.)

This is a Lakota helicopter.  The boys got quite a bit of time to look in it, sit in it and ask questions.

In the helicopter.

There was time for patch trading too. A lot of the boys in Alex's troop are into this. Alex seems to enjoy it too. The boys trade patches from camps they attend. No one trades badges they earn.

There was HUGE bonfire that night. Big enough the fire department was there and had to spray it down to control it.  The pile of wood was about 15 feet tall and the fire was probably 30 ft.

After the jamboree was done, Alex's troop got a tour.  A leader that had been part of their troop now teaches at West Point and got the boys an inside look at the campus.  This is General George Armstrong Custer's grave in the West Point Graveyard.

Alex's troop.

Here the boys are  holding a chain that was used during the Revolutionary War.  This is a portion of a chain that was stretched across the Hudson River at West Point to stop British ships. It was never put to the test, the British never came up that far up the Hudson.

The dinning hall where all the students eat lunch, at one time, in 25 minutes.  ( I thought Randy had said 45 min., but he's sticking with 25 either way it seems you'd learn to eat fast.)  Randy and Alex got home about 10 Sunday night.  Tired but excited with a lot to talk about after such a fun weekend.