14 Scouts Spend the Week in the Foothills of Mt. Monadnock

Camp Wanocksett - Jaffrey, NH

For the first time, Troop 513 attended a weeklong summer camp at Camp Wanocksett in the shadow of Mt. Monadnock (former Scoutmaster Pete Romanowski would comment that that mountain is the second most climbed mountain in the world). Our 14 scouts spent the week running ragged around camp, experiencing all they could. In total, they earned 65 merit badges ranging from Animal Science and Archery to Geocaching and Personal Fitness. Dominic said that “I loved earning the Environmental Science merit badge because it was a hard one, but the staff made it really enjoyable.” However, merit badge work only

comprised a small percentage of the camp experience. 

For seven days, the scouts operated as a unit to keep the site clean, serve as waiters in the dining hall, and support each other as they all faced new challenges. We had 2 scouts and one adult complete the mile swim, who were spotted and cheered on by every member of the troop. During open program times, our scouts most enjoyed time tubing on the lake, climbing the “iceberg” at the waterfront, improving their marksmanship with rifle, creating new things at the handicraft lodge, and battling other troops to see whose lashed-together “castle” would last the longest against attack. Evening activities were equally enjoyed, particularly stargazing and campfires with skits and s'mores.

Jake B, who serves as the Senior Patrol Leader (primary youth leader of the troop) was recognized as an honor camper for being the engine that made this special week happen.

When asked about what she enjoyed about camp, Lexie said, “Everything!” To drive home that point, she’s already asked her mom if she can go back to camp again this summer.  

‘Saying that the scouts had fun is an understatement!” said Scoutmaster Jim McLaughlin  “The excitement on the scouts faces when they return to camp from their daily activities, seeing them have fun singing songs around the camp fire and at meals, or watching them not being able to decide what activities they want to do the next day because they wanted to do it all!  Seeing all that makes being the scoutmaster more enjoyable! And yeah having two former Scout camp staff members as adult leaders for the troop  (1 from Parker Mountain and 1 from T.L. Storer) really brought back memories from our days at camp! 

Assistant Camp Director Andy Collins had this to say about our troop: “Troop 513 is known throughout New England for producing exceptional leaders. When they reached out about attending camp, we made sure we got them here. Every staff member I spoke to talked about the energy that they brought to camp...we also recognized them for being the healthiest troop in camp.”

Wanocksett is well known throughout New England for its exceptional camp staff, and they surpassed our expectations. Jake said “I really liked the way the staff interacted with the Scouts in our troop. They didn’t just go through merit badges as quickly as possible; they made sure every Scout understood the material. They also seemed to know every kid in our troop by name, which made every Scout feel really welcome.” We asked the Scouts if we should come back next year and we got a unanimous vote of approval so we have already paid our deposit for 2026. We can’t wait to be back at Wanocksett next summer with even more Scouts.

If you are interested in Scouting, we offer programs for boys and girls from grades K-12. To learn more about Scouting in Stoneham, go to StonehamScouting.org.