Troop 30's Hoo-Ha Stick at Treasure Island

Now that you’re here I guess you want to know what a "HOO-HA " is. In the summer of 2000 Troop 30 attended camp at Treasure Island, the original Boy Scout camp in the United States. Treasure Island has been in continuous operation for over 85 years. It is the traditional home of the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scout Honor Society and location of Unami Lodge #1.

Treasure Island is rich in both history and tradition. When our troop first arrived, we had the chance to swap stories with several "redcoats," or as some would refer, gray-hairs, (old time Scouters,) who shared the tradition of the Treasure Island "Hoo-Ha Stick." As the story goes, each evening at assembly the various troops in camp would display on a troop stave a feather award, the result of their troop site inspection and program involvement. Each troop would attempt to outdo the others by constructing taller and taller troop staves or "Hoo-Ha Sticks," on which they would display their feathers. By the last day in camp, some of these Hoo-Ha Sticks were masterpieces of pioneering construction.

Not to be outdone by any scout program and with a keen interest in scout tradition, Troop 30 readily accepted the challenge. By our final day in camp we had constructed a Hoo-Ha Stick that rivaled the 50ft mast in the center of the assembly field on which the camp posted the colors.

Troop 30's Permanent Hoo-Ha stick 

The scouts had such a great time in this good-natured scouting contest that we decided to establish a permanent Hoo-Ha Stick within our troop, as well as a Hoo-Ha page on our troop web site. In addition to those feathers earned while Troop 30 was encamped at Treasure Island we know permanently display troop awards and ribbons on our own "reasonably sized Hoo-Ha Stick." We have also decided to post on this page significant troop awards, primarily those earned as patrols or as a troop in our travels to various summer camps, district camporee’s, and council events. Below you will find our ever-growing list of troop awards and honors.

2000 Quality Unit Award

District "TROOP OF THE YEAR," Four Peaks District, Grand Canyon Council

District Camporee Award, "Top Troop," Far West District Spirit Award

"Top Patrol Award," Treasure Island Summer Camp, all five patrols

"Troop Award," Treasure Island Summer Camp (highest troop honor awarded)

"Unami Award," Treasure Island Summer Camp with all captions possible

"First Place Campsite Gateway Competition," Treasure Island Summer Camp

"First Place Troop Scouter Cook Off," Treasure Island Summer Camp

"First Place (unofficial) Hoo-Ha Contest," Treasure Island Summer Camp

*Note: all Troop 30 scouts in attendance at Treasure Island earned the Treasure Island Honor Scout Award

"Honor Patrol Award," Camp Raymond Scout Camp, all three patrols

"Raymond Adventure Award," Camp Raymond Scout Camp (highest award presented)

"First Place Campsite Inspection Award," Camp Raymond Scout Camp

1999 Quality Unit Award

"First Place Iron Man Contest," Camp Alexander

(no other troop or patrol awards presented at this camp)

1998 Quality Unit Award

"Galaxy Award," Lost Valley Scout Reservation, highest troop award

"Eagle Feather Award," Lost Valley Scout Reservation, all three patrols

1997 Quality Unit Award

"Honor Unit Award," Camp Kern

"Top Patrol Award," Camp Kern, all three patrols

"Overall First Place Troop," Camp Kern, Scout Olympics

1996

"Adventure Award," Camp Raymond (highest award presented)

"First Place Campsite Inspection," Camp Raymond

"Honor Patrol Award," Camp Raymond, 2 of 3 patrols

1995

"Big G Award (Silver)," Camp Geronimo

(Troop 30’s first ever summer camp)