Portsmouth Girl Scouts have Successful Camp, Archery Included

From the Portsmouth Girl Scouts

Sixty-five Portsmouth Girl Scouts set up camp and experienced the outdoors at Glen Park this past weekend. For many girls it was a series of firsts: camping, archery, hiking, learning pocket knife safety, and, of course, roasting s'mores.

The campout is an annual tradition, and archery is one of the highlights of the weekend for the older scouts. With special permission from Portsmouth Town Council, Girl Scouts in grades 4 and older were able to gain experience in archery on site. Buckley Family Archery and the planning committee ensured Girl Scouts and Town safety guidelines were followed, and signs were posted to inform other park users that archery requires a town permit. “The purpose of camping is to try things you can’t do at home. I am happy we were able to do archery,” Cadette Kyra Obert stated. 

The younger scouts had the opportunity for adventure as they hunted for letterboxes, which were prepared and hidden by Cadette Troop 198. Eric Bulmer from POW Science offered Brownie troops lessons in geology and meteorology, culminating in a volcano craft and eruption. Brownie Lauryn Viers was especially excited. “This is the best day ever,” she exclaimed on Friday night, and on Saturday she decided, "Today is even better than yesterday! Where can we sign up to stay longer?!"

The 65 Girl Scouts enjoyed a sense of community, working together on various activities, including preparing and serving lunch, teaching younger scouts to make fairy houses, and demonstrating proper etiquette during a flag ceremony.