BRUSH VALLEY, Pa. – Boy Scouts from the Laurel Highlands Council are spending the week camping at Yellow Creek State Park in Indiana County, and the annual trip has taken on a supernatural spin – the campers were searching for Sasquatch.

Organizers at Camp Seph Mack at the state park wanted to shake up the typical outdoors experience for the Scouts.

Split into five adventure units, the Scouts hiked, kayaked, took plaster casts of evidence and even wrote news stories about their search for Bigfoot.

“The whole thing with Sasquatch gives me more of a sense of purpose,” Scout Evan Carson, of Bellevue, Allegheny County, said Wednesday.

PHOTO GALLERY | Scouting America | Sasquatch Camp | Camp Seph Mack | Indiana County

The 14-year-old from Troop 226 commended the organizers for the introduction of the supernatural narrative.

Scout Finn Forst, of Dorseyville, Allegheny County, also from Troop 226, said the group’s goal was to pass on tips about water safety and boating, while scouring the shoreline for signs of the mythical beast.

“I wasn’t sure what I was going into, but it turned out to be good,” Carson said.

Forst agreed, adding that the story element “makes (camp) more exciting.”

Mark Brenneman, organizer and adventure adviser, said the goal was exactly that – to do camp differently. He said he’s enjoyed the week and is making notes for next year’s adventure.

“We wanted it to feel less like school and give them a chance to go on an adventure and meet some merit badge requirements,” he said. “It’s rewarding to see it in action.”

In addition to the fun element, the Scouts are also working on their skills such as preparedness and swimming.

Skyler Lewber was part of the “action news” group interviewing campers about their search, and spent part of Wednesday with younger Scouts who enthusiastically told tales of their evidence and experiences.

The news team were set to publish the stories they’ve gathered Wednesday evening and to put out an edition each day until the end of camp Saturday.

“It has been fun,” Lewber said.

He added that camp “feels way different” than before, but in a good way. He said he appreciates the narrative aspect, as well as the uniformity of the merit badges being earned during the week.

Boy Scout assessor Chris Castillo visited the camp Wednesday to evaluate the setup and was impressed by what he saw.

“I’m excited to see what’s here,” he said.

Castillo described the “Sasquatch Camp” adventure as a “unique program” that he would like to use as a model when he’s teaching directors how to run camps.

“I wish more camps would do something like this,” he said.