The troop headed to the Goblin Valley, Utah, area January 17 through January 19. We left at 3:00 PM and arrived after a 5.5 hour drive. We setup camp in the dark. Rather than camping at Goblin Valley State Park as we did last year, we camped further south of Goblin Valley at a campsite called “Temple Mountain Township Campsite.” Temple Mountain Township was inhabited from the late 1800’s until the 1950’s. Temple mountain was a uranium mining area. Mine tailings can be seen throughout the area.

The pictures below show many of the things the boys did. The fun thing about the campout is that the boys were allowed to explore the temple mountain area as well as Goblin Valley. These areas let kids be kids. To me, that is what makes a fun campout, the boys are allowed to explore their world. Each campout presents new worlds and things to explore. Scouting allows them to have fun while they learn and explore.

The boys explored the Temple Mountain area. They also looked at the Temple Mountain Pictograms. The pictograms are works of Native American art that are painted into the sides of the mountain. The boys hiked around Goblin Valley State Park. They hiked as patrols with adults sticking with the younger patrols.