August 4, 1999

Camp Greilick teaches scouts life-long lessons

By Garret Leiva
Herald editor
       For some, it is hitting a bull's-eye with a single round from a .22 caliber rifle. Others it is sleeping beneath the stars with a roof of fern leaves and sticks over your head. Then there are times when just eating canned ravioli means as much as a merit badge.
      Nestled in the woods off Hobbs Highway and the shore of Rennie Lake, the 500 acres that comprise Camp Greilick have been providing area Boy Scouts leadership and learning opportunities for more than 60 years. During these six decades, thousands of young men have learned how to tie Lark's head knots, build fires and find magnetic north. They have also learned about something not taught in any guidebook - themselves.
      "There is a saying that most of the kids will learn more in a week at Boy Scout summer camp then they will the rest of their scouting year," said Mark Ewing, camp director.
      This summer, hundreds of scouts from the 13 county Scene Trails Council have lived up to that statement during the week-long wilderness camp where activities include daily adventures in archery, kayaking, wood carving, first-aid, camping, swimming and hiking. With morning, afternoon and evening sessions, these 11 to 17 year-old scouts can work toward any number of merit badges. Or they can simply have fun; many times unwittingly learning a valuable life lesson in the process.
      "The camp promotes citizenship, character, values and physical fitness and we disguise a lot of that in having fun," Ewing said.
      Sometimes, what it considered fun at summer camp would be met with eye-rolling and grumbling back home. For starters, revelry is at 7 a.m. sharp each morning. During mealtimes, scouts must take turns at KP, or kitchen police duty. And although there are hot showers, camp sites have pit latrines and wash stands shared with mosquitoes and June bugs.
      Surprisingly, Traverse City scoutmaster Bill Bryan said he doesn't hear complaints about roughing it. Instead, some scouts can't seem to get their fill.
      "I've got one scout that has asked to do KP two or three times this week. He says he gets a head start by seeing what is for lunch or dinner," said the leader of Central United Methodist Church Troop 36 of Traverse City.
      Overall, Bryan said the week-long camp is a tremendous "growing experience," with the occasional growing pain. "You do deal with a few cases of first year campers being homesick, but after the first day they're all right," Bryan said. "They'll talk about this (camp) all year long."
      For Herb Morris, the continual success of Camp Greilick is indicative of the viableness of Boy Scouts. The Scenic Trails Council camping chairman noted that even with ever-increasing schedules of extracurricular activities and summer jobs, scouting has stayed a relative part of many boys' lives.
      "You really see how a kid grows, even from the first day of camp to the last. I saw that in my grandson just this summer. He's a very finicky eater but when he went out to complete a hike, he ate ravioli. I think that's the first time he's ever eaten it," Morris said.
      Whether it is their first time at Camp Greilick or their last as a camper, those attending this week-long rite of summer walk away with something that can't be pinned or sewn on a uniform.
      "We shake hands with each scout as they leave the bowl area at the closing night camp fire and I don't know how many guys I've heard say they're coming back next year," said Nick Killian, camp program director and Eagle scout.
      "Even for those who have been with scouting for years, this camp rekindles a spark that we all had when we entered scouts."
      - Garret Leiva