Instead of relaxing over spring break, members of Colonneh Lodge of the Sam Houston Area Council were at their local resident camp working hard to rebuild and revamp some trails over a week-long experience. Modeled after the Order of the Arrow Trail Crew program at Philmont Scout Ranch, members of the lodge came together to put in hard work to help improve their resident camp’s trails during the day, and in the evening, the tired Scouts got to enjoy food, fun and fellowship together.
“The Trail Crew is an outstanding opportunity for Arrowmen in our lodge to work on the trails of our local council camp and give service to their lodge,” said Colonneh Lodge Vice Chief of Program Seth Griffith, who was responsible for running the event.
Years ago, the leadership of Colonneh Lodge decided that they needed to prioritize the repair of their resident camp’s older trails. They realized that they could create an event, but also wanted to make sure it would be exciting and fun for the participants in return for their hard work. The plan was that the Scouts could work together on the trails during the day and then in the evening come together for rest and relaxation. After the event was over, the trails would be ready for use during the camp’s summer program.
Griffith made sure that there were enough tools and food for the Scouts, there were places for them to rest, and that they had access to the camp. In addition, he was responsible for promotion of the event itself. He worked with the lodge’s vice chief of service to ensure that this event was conducted without any problems or setbacks.
For organizing events like this one, Griffith had a few pointers to share with other lodge leaders. He emphasized the importance of building a strong team, saying that “it’s a lot easier to get a job done when you have plenty of people there to help you.” Additionally, when it comes to putting together a service oriented event, he says that leaders should seek input from others about what it should ideally be. “The success of this Trail Crew program goes to show that camp service projects don’t have to happen at an Ordeal for them to be successful. You can build off this idea and it can become something truly wonderful.”