Boy Scouts' Camp Minsi Offers Fun and Futures 

Waterfront skills in boating and swimming are a big crowd pleaser and popular attraction at Camp Minsi.

From The Journal of the Pocono Plateau
(originally published July 13, 2012)

"They don't get homesick at camp, they get campsick at home," describes director Lisa Empfield of the Boy Scout experience at Camp Minsi. The Pocono Summit summer camp, nestled in the woods off PA Route 940 brings Scouts from as far away as Long Island and Maryland for a week-long experience, earning merit badges in education-based programs geared to teach life skills.

Over 1,000 campers a season enjoy program areas such as Ecology-Conservation, ScoutCraft, and Communications, exposing 11 to 18 year olds to environmental sciences, outdoor cooking, and even public speaking.

Camper days begin with an optional 6:30 a.m. Frigid Froggy swim followed by a 7:45 flag ceremony and breakfast. Scouts are responsible for ensuring they attend classes for badges so off they go for the day to sites featuring athletics, aquatics and shooting sports.

A crowd favorite, the Muck Hike, takes Scouts on a trek through the swamp. "A Scout is clean but not afraid to get dirty," read a t-shirt recipients eagerly purchase upon completion.

Camp directors and volunteers spend their summer vacations bringing various career talents to the site. Teacher and program director Greg Larson says, "We're not just having fun in the woods, we're building skills" listing professions including plumbing and carpentry that are taught by the camp's Quartermaster Crew. He adds, "When they leave the program they are more prepared for life."

Registered Scouts are welcomed with their troop or on their own. Social development flourishes as individual campers who come solo are invited into a troop for the week.

Empfield considers Minsi's fee exceptional when compared to the other sport and summer camps, as it includes food and accommodations with goal-driven activities and programs. She invites Scouts to visit the website at minsitrails.com or call their council office and pick a week!