Something’s cooking in the kitchen! On Friday, May 16, 2025, Troop 542 traveled to Ockanickon Scout Reservation in Pipersville, PA, for its annual gourmet cooking competition and camping weekend. For this trip, each patrol planned a unique gourmet dinner, ranging from Argentinian to Texan cuisine, that was graded by a group of judges based on taste, teamwork, preparation, and more.
After breakfast on Saturday morning, the first-year Scouts worked on rank advancements. Most of the other Scouts played ultimate frisbee, while some stayed behind to prepare for the upcoming gourmet cooking competition. Around noon, everyone returned to the campsite for lunch and then began preparing for an afternoon of cooking. For five hours, each patrol worked on creating a unique meal to present to the judges. After being graded, patrols enjoyed their meals and then got ready for the evening campfire. During the troop campfire, Scouts performed skits, and the winners of the gourmet cooking competition were announced: Cougar Patrol took third place, Eagle Patrol was second, and Raven Patrol took first place. After the fun and excitement, Troop 542 wrapped up the campfire with a flag-burning ceremony.
On Sunday, the Scouts woke up and had a quick breakfast before attending an interfaith service led by the troop’s Chaplain Aide. After the service, Troop 542 celebrated our outgoing Senior Patrol Leader’s last camping trip and wished him good luck with his future endeavors. Afterward, Scouts finished cleaning up the campsite and prepared to head home.