This was our second overnight camp out for the year. Fortunately we timed the weather really well, as the weekend was between two rain storms the previous and following weekends, with temperatures in the low 60’s in the day, and only dropping into the low 50’s at night.
Once again our troop reserved a group campsite inside the state park, within just miles of the town of San Rafael in the north Bay Area. The campsite was right next to two main trails through the park (Shoreline Trail and Bay View Trail), which were quite popular for mountain bikers. We took both of these main trails on a hike on Saturday morning starting at our camp, and circled around by the coast, and then back to the site.
After a lunch of sandwiches back at our camp with chips and oranges, we then drove over to the China Camp village and pier which was about 3 miles away. The boys had fun trying to fish for the old pier, as well as playing on the small beach, and picking up some ice cream sandwiches at the general store. There was a small museum at the China Camp Village. According to the park “a Chinese shrimp-fishing village thrived on this site in the 1880’s. Nearly 500 people, originally from Canton, China, lived in the village. In its heyday, there were three general stores, a marine supply store and a barber shop. Fishermen by trade in their native country, they gravitated to the work they knew best. Over 90% of the shrimp they netted were dried and shipped to China or Chinese communities throughout the US.”
Here was our preliminary schedule:
Friday, January 26
3:00PM – 5:00PM: Arrival / Tent Setup
7:00PM: Bonfire with Readings / Stories
8:00PM: Junior Cadet Catechism
8:30PM: Rosary led by fathers
10:00PM: Lights out
Saturday, January 27
6:30 AM Prepare fire for breakfast
7:30 AM Morning Prayer/Lauds
7:45 AM Flag Ceremony
8:00 AM Breakfast
8:30 AM Tidy Camp/Pack Kitchen
9:00 AM Hike (Shoreline Trail or Bay View Trail)
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Free Activity Time
4:00 PM Prepare Bonfire/Kitchen
5:30 PM Dinner
7:00 PM Bonfire
7:30 PM Junior Cadet Catechism
8:00 PM Rosary led by fathers
8:30 PM Evening Activities (S’mores)
10:00 PM Lights Out
Sunday, January 28
7:30 AM Morning Prayer/Lauds
7:45 AM Flag Ceremony
8:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM Tidy Camp/Pack Up
10:00 AM Depart
