From far and near. Why?

 Troops travel all over the country, and world to attend events like Jamborees or even to High Adventure Bases like Philmont, Summit, Sea Base or others. These are world renowned locations with challenging adventures providing memories never to be forgotten. 

How far would you travel to go to a Scout Camp? We can presume that if you are going out of your local council that either, 1: your troop likes to visit lots of different camps, and so you don't really have a home camp that you regularly attend, or 2: you have found a really good one that exceeds your expectations. There could be other reasons, such as extenuating circumstances regarding your troop, or the local camp, but generally those that go out of council fall into these parameters, so...

Again, how far would you travel, not as an individual, or a family to go to Scout Camp, but as a troop? What kind of radius? One hundred miles? Five hundred miles? Over five hundred requires an overnight, at least, if you are driving, per BSA rules, so that adds to the length of the trip. Most troops attend their council camp, and as scouts get older, they tend to go off and do other things, either a formal high adventure at a location like Philmont, or a planned trip. But a scout camp?

What if I told you that there are troops that travel thousands of miles to attend Camp Geiger, and that they have done that for several years? Would you believe me? You should.

When I was a youth, Camp Geiger seemed to be strictly a council camp, in fact, my first years of attending were with a troop that was in the Pony Express Council, as ours was Heart of America in Kansas City. Our troop came up with that one, Troop 206 in Trimble, MO. After a couple of years, we started coming up, not with them, but there were few troops outside of the council camping at Geiger.

Today, more than half of the units camping at Camp Geiger are considered "out of council", and that number has been consistent for several years, with the possible exception of 2020, due to the COVID menace. There are flags in the Dining Hall representing states from coast to coast, as well as the Union Jack, from a contingent from the United Kingdom attending. Washington state has troops that are regulars, as well as a troop from Texas. So, the question is, what makes Camp Geiger so special that troops are willing to make that kind of trip year after year? 

It is simple, really, it isn't that there are out of this world adventures, or mountains, or riverfront action. It is the program. It is the staff. I would be maliciously negligent if I did not also mention the Camp's Honor Camping Society, the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. 

As has been mentioned previously in this space, the Camp Geiger Staff is one of the best staffs in the country, regardless of size of camp. It is not however, anywhere close to the best paid. While there are a number of retired, or semi-retired members of the staff, the largest group is of college and post college aged young adults. Many are teachers, or plan on becoming teachers, and add to the instruction experience for youth.

The program is very high caliber, with dozens of Merit Badges offered, and a trained Merit Badge Counselor on staff for each one. The Dining Hall is small, but it has a wonderful program that works to draw the camp together as part of the Geiger Family. The shooting sports complex is modern and is highly sought after in the off season by families, corporations, and scout units. And then there is COPE. COPE, which stands for Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience, began its Scouting Career at Camp Geiger, and has expanded and evolved. It consists of climbing, working together with others, and problem solving. And yes, there is a zipline. These programs come together to make a scout camp experience anything but routine.

One cannot pass on emphasizing the importance of the Honor Camping Society, the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. This program has instilled in thousands, the principles and ethics of the Scout Oath and Law in ways that are lifetime in scope. It is a program that every scouting program dreams of having, a program that keeps scouting aged youth engaged past their early teens, into the years which compete against the big three, dating, jobs, and funding for both (we used to say Girls, gas, and jobs, but now that Scouts BSA is welcoming to young men and women, that saying needs to be updated). One can't argue with the success, in that there are more Eagle Scouts in Pony Express Council, per scouts registered, than nearly any other council in the US, excluding Heart of America, which also has the Tribe.

For this, troops are willing and do cross council, and state lines to come to Camp Geiger, just outside of St. Joseph, MO for their summer camp adventures.

Will you join in?