Altar boys from the Langley and Vernon parishes in British Columbia enjoyed a camping trip at Salmon Lake this last July.  Fr. Boulet and Fr. Herkel organized and supervised.  The theme of the camping trip was the Eucharistic Crusade.  The fifteen campers were organized into three teams of five, each supervised by a counsellor.  Each team was named for a saint especially honoured by the Eucharistic Crusade.

The trip began with excitement when, on the way from Langley to the campsite, our van was pulled over by a police officer, who tried to convince Father that he was driving a bus.  Thankfully, Father's skilful negotiations and the fervent prayers of a van full of boys resulted in our being released.

Our prayers also secured for us an excellent campsite, with plenty of space, privacy, and water (but no electricity of course).  We woke up at seven every day to prepare for Holy Mass, which Fr. Boulet or Fr. Herkel offered each morning on a portable altar in a special tent.  The boys cooked breakfast and did all the washing up, with the three teams taking turns (all the chores were done this way).  The teams that were not on clean-up duty after breakfast practised their serving responses and rubrics.

One of the many "big ones" caught on the lake.

Once that was completed, the campers participated in organized and competitive games.  There was a clearing with enough space for dodge-ball, football, and soccer.  Points were awarded to the winning teams, and a prize was promised for the team having the most points at the end of the camping trip.

Before the boys were completely exhausted, they were called for catechism.  One priest taught the younger boys, while the other taught the older ones.  We counsellors were in charge of preparing lunch, but we listened in to the catechism when we could to hear interesting and significant details about the Sacraments.

After catechism and lunch, all gathered for the Rosary.  This was followed by a quiet time.  Later in the afternoons, the boys went down to the lake.  Many of them went fishing, either from boats or from shore.  Several trout were caught, some of them quite large.  Fr. Boulet was the best and most avid fisherman but although he persevered he unfortunately caught nothing.  When they were not fishing, the boys took turns using the canoe, the two kayaks, and the motorboat, which they had brought with them.  Although the water was not exactly crystal clear, it was very good for swimming too.  The leeches were very friendly and refused to bite even when encouraged.

Dinner, often including fish, was prepared by the team on duty.  It was followed by the Big Game of the day, played in the dense woods surrounding the campsite.  There was hide and seek, where boys crouched in holes, lay in tall grass, and climbed up trees so as not to be seen.  To one boy's dismay, the hole that he had crouched in turned out to be an old outhouse hole, but fortunately it was very very old.  Another day they played Capture the Flag, likewise hiding among bushes and trees, or otherwise dashing through them.  On the last day was a scavenger hunt, a difficult search for various objects, including the most flowers that could be collected and named.

In the evenings, a priest gave a talk on an important spiritual subject.  This was followed by skits.  Each teams acted out a theme which they had been given earlier and had been planning throughout the day.  The results included rescues from bears and roaring rivers and priests braving fierce Moslems and Indians.  The cassocks and surplices that had been brought made excellent blackrobe costumes, but on the second day Fr. Herkel asked us to please not roll in the dirt this time.  Flashlights provided illumination for those acting as saints.  Finally the campers said evening prayers, after which talking was forbidden, and the campers prepared for bed.

On the final day was a talk on the Eucharistic Crusade, followed by an enrolment ceremony.  Many of us either joined the Crusade or entered a higher level.  The points from the little games, big games, skits, and thoroughness in chores were tallied, and the St. Louis team was declared the winner. The triumphant members were given each a Swiss Army knife.

The trip was thoroughly enjoyed by all who participated, and there are hopes and suggestions for plans for another next year…