by Chuck Mahaleris

The date was September 26 when several cars and trucks rolled into Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge, in Baring. The vehicles were filled with 150 youth and leaders of Scouting America ready to take on the challenges that lay ahead in the 63rd annual Moosehorn/Cobscook International Camporee. The theme of the camporee was Zombie Apocalypse.

That evening Scouts from all over Maine set up their campsites and made it home for the night. The following day scouts roamed the refuge field near the YCC building going from station to station completing various skills including first aid, archery, tomahawk throwing, citizenship, and emergency preparedness. The fan favorite for the weekend was the obstacle course where each patrol had to rescue a victim of a zombie attack who was hurt and in a cave. At the starting point, the team would have to carry supplies needed to assemble a makeshift stretcher, through the obstacle course. Once inside the pretend cave, assemble the stretcher at which point they had to carefully place the victim on the stretcher, in this case, the victim being a 2×4 constructed dummy with full articulating limbs and a Styrofoam head with wig for dramatic effect. At this point the team would have to work together to carry the dummy/victim back through the obstacle course to the start point. The youth attending rapidly nicknamed the victim “Franky” for looking like something that might have come out of Frankenstein.

Other stations included “pathogen identification” where youth learned about pathogens that affect wildlife. “Build a bug out bag” which teaches youth how to build an emergency preparedness bag. In the “cross the river station” youth learn how to build a bridge using minimal supplies. “Early warning” was a station where youth used random items commonly found in a campsite to build a makeshift trap style alarm just in case a zombie wanders in their campsite in the middle of the night. “Feed the Zombie” was a station where youth tossed fake brains into a zombie mouth for accuracy and points. “Primitive fire building” taught youth old style flint and steel fire building. “Zombie-a-pult” allowed youth to launch golf balls at empty water bottles. The “zombie blockade” taught youth how to build a makeshift real fence using their lashing skills. “Move the zombie head” was a station where youth had to move a tenpin bowling ball (the zombie head) approximately 20 feet with rope, bungee straps and what they could find in their bug out bag all while not touching the ball. Teamwork rules the day in all of these events.

Park ranger Maurice Mills and the local HAM amateur radio club supplied a station where youth learned Morse code and how to talk on a HAM radio to individuals all around the world.

Every scout and scout unit participated in a service project for the Moosehorn Refuge. This was a maintenance project on the handicap fishing pier, where the scouts scrapped the old paint from the pier and painted it with a new coat of brown paint. The project was completed in good time and helps to preserve the pier for future use. According to the refuge the pier is used quite often.

In the evening, all of the participants gathered for a common closing campfire where the youth performed skits, dances, cheers and songs. A few of the performances included “The world’s biggest conga line”, “Augh! Zombies! Skit”, “Jet to holiday skit”, “Zombie invisible bench skit” and “3-legged pig skit” just to name a few. The campfire was closed out with a song from Camporee Campmaster (self-proclaimed “Head Beagle) Chris “Montawagon” Bernier, of Winslow, called Fade Away on his 12- string guitar, a long tradition at this event, and a ceremony of ashes lead by long time staffer Mike “Ranger ML” Locke. “In the Ashes” ceremony a container of campfire ashes are added to the fire. These ashes are from many previous campfires from all over the world as well as several national and international jamborees. Scouts are encouraged to take the ashes the next morning and mix them with ashes of campfires in the future. Thus, carrying the legacy of Scouting through their journey through the program and life.

Scouts from the following units were in attendance: Troop #433, Winslow, Pack #2123, Holden, Troop #2019, Ellsworth, Troop #139, Cherryfield, Troop #72, Old Town, Troop #125, Machias, Troop #102, Bucksport, Troop #482, Pittsfield, Troop #86, Ellsworth, Troop #1, Eddington, Troop #213B, Damariscotta, Troop #41, Hampden and Pack #454, Oakland. Unfortunately, this year no Canadian Scouts were in attendance of the camporee. However, we did have two Canadians in camp during the weekend who helped keep the tradition of the international event.

On Sunday the September 28, there was a closing ceremony and then prizes were handed out for the various competitions over the weekend. Troop #125, Machias, received the Bob McVicor Award for best exemplifying the Scout Oath and Law during the weekend.

The following youth received the Mike Bonvie Honor Scout Awards during the weekend:

Jace Patterson, of Troop #76, Ella Rhyne, of Troop #433, Ian Aldrich, of Troop #76, and Anika Varnum, of Troop #2019. This award is given to individual Scouts who most exemplify the Scout oath and Law at the event.

Best overall for competitive events, first place was awarded to Troop #254 and Troop #1, who worked together through the weekend to earn first place. Second place went to Troop #2019, third place went to Troop #125 “Pick up patrol”, and a tie for fourth place went to Troop #76 and Troop #428.

A gateway competition was also held. Troop #433 took first place in the gateway competition with Troop #125 taking second and Troop #86 taking third.

After the closing ceremony and awards, the camporee ended with a statement from Campmaster Chris saying, “Safe journey home to all of you and may the great scoutmaster be with all of you until we meet again” and the attendees replied in kind “Until we meet again”. The crowd slowly made its way back to their vehicles and left the refuge better than they found it, all the while excited to return in a year for the 64th annual Moosehorn/Cobscook International Camporee in 2026.