The Boys of Summer

For more than 45 years, Boy Scouts from throughout the nation have been making their way up the mountain to Camp Whitsett, located some 200 miles northeast of the San Fernando Valley.

The camp--with its tall pine trees and cool, stream-fed lake--sits high above the desert floor in Sequoia National Forest. Operated by the Western Los Angeles County Boy Scout Council, it attracts more than 2,000 boys each summer.

This year, 16 youths from Troop 246 in West Hills traveled up the mountain for a week they will never forget. Boy Scout camp takes on a different flavor than most summer youth camps as boys learn such skills as how to turn their shirts into life jackets and how to raise and lower the American flag.

The rugged terrain and beauty of the Sequoias offer an ideal setting for a Scout to learn about environmental science or wilderness survival.

For most of the West Hills Scouts, the week is filled with hard work as they try to earn as many merit badges as possible, getting up early in the morning and working on reports until late at night.

But there is also a chance just to have some fun. A high point of the week is a trip down the Kern River in a two-person kayak, which winds and twists its way toward the community of Kernville.

For the 16 boys who made their way up the mountain, it was a rewarding week. Collectively, they earned more than 50 merit badges and rank advancement.

It also was a time that they will never forget--even 12-year-old Garrett Shorr, who was overheard the first day saying, “This is just like school with all the writing I have to do.” After the kayak trip down the river, Garrett is ready for another year at Boy Scout camp.