User:Bux, Jr./Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation

Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation
File:Woodruff SR Gateway.jpg Gateway entrance to Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation.
Owner	Atlanta Area Council, Boy Scouts of America
Location	31 Woodruff Dr Blairsville, Georgia 30512
Country	United States
Founded	1980
Website Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation

The Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation is one of two Scout Reservations owned and operated by the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Located near Blairsville, Georgia, the reservation is a 1575-acre camp property adjacent to Lake Notley and the Chattahoochee National Forest and surrounded by the North Georgia Mountains. Woodruff runs Boy Scout summer camp for eight weeks every summer and is used by the Atlanta Area Council in the off season as a camp ground for Boy Scout Troops, Cub Scout Packs, and Venture Crews.

History

Land acquisition for the Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation began in 1875 and required nearly three years to secure the thirty parcels of land to create the camp. The final parcel of land was acquired in late 1978 and construction of the camp was far enough along to conduct the first summer camp in 1980. On July 19, 1981, the camp was dedicated to former president of The Coca-Cola Company Robert Winship Woodruff following major donations from the Woodruff Foundation and Coca-Cola.

Summer Camp

Summer camp at Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation is run in week-long sessions. Troops arrive on Sunday afternoon and go through check-in led by their assigned staff troop guide. Check-in includes Troop pictures, unloading gear at the Troop's campsite, Dining Hall orientation, medical form checks, the BSA Swim Test, and the Nature orientation. The staff presents the opening campfire in the Pirrung Amphitheater on Sunday evening after dinner.

Scouts spend weekday mornings in Merit Badge classes. Classes are organized into 4 50-minute periods, though some Merit Badge classes may be double or triple periods. Afternoons and evenings can be spent earning Merit Badges or participating in Troop program, such as Troop climbing, biking, shooting, etc., depending on how the Troop elects to spend its afternoons. Most program areas require Troops to sign up for time slots before camp begins to ensure participation. Some afternoon activities, such as whitewater rafting and the Horseback Merit Badge take place off-reservation.

Program

The following areas offer programs for Scouts to earn Merit Badges and have fun:

• Aquatics

• Motor boating: Woodruff's aquatics sports area offers both the Motorboating and Water Sports Merit Badges. The highly trained Motorboating Staff can safely run up to three simultaneous ski boats on the 86-acre lake, and utilize its multiple small coves and three outboard motorboats to teach the Motorboating Merit Badge. The Motorboating Staff showboats (no pun intended) crowds each week at the opening campfire by skiing past the amphitheater.

• Mountain Man: Mountain Man is Woodruff's first-year camper program. Unlike other areas of camp, Mountain Man focuses not on Merit Badges, but rank requirements. Younger Scouts spend two hours each morning learning the basic Scout skills such as knots and lashings, cooking, nature, first aid, citizenship, and knife and fire safety. The Mountain Man staff is comprised mostly of younger Staffers who have completed these requirements.
• Ultimate Zone: The Ultimate Zone program is for experienced Scouts who desire additional outdoor challenges, both physically and mentally. This off-site program is designed to provide Scouts a challenging, action-packed wilderness experience that further enhance personal growth and develop leadership skills. Activities for this week-long adventure include activities such as rafting the Nantahala and Ocoee rivers, backpacking, horseback riding, rock climbing, rappelling, swimming, and mountain biking.
• Whitewater Challenge: The Woodruff Whitewater Challenge Program takes Scouts off-site for 5 exciting days of whitewater activities. This may include rafting, canoeing, and kayaking on the Ocoee, Little Tennessee, Nantahala, Tuckaseegee, and Toccoa Rivers. Participants get instruction in reading and scouting a river, canoe handling skills, and paddling skills such as side slips, eddy turns, and peel outs.

Facilities

Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation provides facilities for long-term resident and weekend camping, training events, and lots of outdoor Scouting fun.

Significant Facilities

• Rizor Trading Post: Woodruff has a fully stocked Trading Post, carrying a large variety of Woodruff T-shirts and memorabilia, uniform parts (limited selection), personal & camp equipment, handicrafts, gift items, Woodruff logo items, and lots of neat stuff. The Trading Post also offers a full line of snack items, fountain drinks, ice cream, candy and more. The Trading Post is located at the Rizor “Heart of Camp Building” directly across from the Woodruff Dining Hall. The Rizor Trading Post is not a National Scout Shop. The average camper spends $500 while at Camp Woodruff.
• Health Lodge: The Health Lodge has several qualified Health Officers and medical equipment to handle all minor injuries, scrapes, bruises, etc. Any person with a serious injury or severe illness is be taken to the emergency room of the local hospital. The camp makes prior arrangements for handling emergencies.
• The Bowerman A large portion of the staff is housed in the Richard Bowerman Dormitory, located near the Nunn Training Center. This building contains several rooms that house anywhere from 2 to 4 staffers, as well as two large communal bathrooms, four single bathrooms, two laundry rooms, and a central lounge.

Troop Accommodations

Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation is equipped to accommodate well over 1,000 resident campers and their adult leaders. Troops are assigned to one of 22 campsites around camp, all of which are equipped with a latrine, communal sink, water spiggot and pump, and tent pods. A tent pod consists of 4 canvas tents and a communal canvas tarp and table. Each tent is equipped with 2 army cots. Depending on its size, a Troop may have its own campsite, share it with another Troop, or, in rare cases of large troops, be split into two adjacent campsites. 5 Shower houses serve different areas of the camp.

Each shower house has a main area for youth, with adult showers and restrooms located one side of each house.

Staff Accommodations

Room and board is part of a normal staff contract. Counselors in Training and young male staff members (ages 15-17) generally stay in canvas tents similar to Scout tents, but larger and equipped with electrical outlets. Staff tents are outfitted with two spring cots and mattresses. The staff tent area is equipped with a water spiggot and is adjacent to the staff lounge and lodge.

All female staff members and some older male staff members stay in the staff lodge, which resembles a two-story dormitory. The lodge includes a small lounge, clothes-washing facilities, and restrooms. Lodge rooms are furnished with two bunk beds, a table and chair, shelving, and an air-conditioning unit.

The majority of male staff stays in cabins dispersed throughout camp, usually close to the program areas of the staff members who occupy them. Each cabin has a porch and 2 or 3 rooms furnished with bunk beds, shelving, and a ceiling fan, though many staff members choose to bring their own air-conditioning units.

The Nunn Building, dedicated to distinguished Atlanta Scouter Jim Nunn, houses the staff lounge, kitchen, restrooms, and more clothes-washing facilities.

See also

• Scouting in Georgia

External links

• Atlanta Area Council Camping
• Robert W. Woodruff Scout Reservation Official Website

Category:Local councils of the Boy Scouts of America