MARYSVILLE — A keen observer, 10-year-old Hunter Corbett was noticing a pattern.

Bouncing means no breaking.

“If an egg holder bounces, then they don’t crack,” said Corbett, a Webelos Scout. “You can tell by the sound.”

Corbett’s expertise in the area of egg protection recently paid off during the 24th annual Cub Scout Day Camp at Jennings Park.

More than 100 scouts participated in the volunteer-organized day camp, which took place from July 26-29. Activities during the summer camp included woodworking, archery and the capper — an egg drop.

“On the last day of camp, we always do the egg drop,” said Jennifer Robinson, camp director of the Marysville event. “It’s tradition. We always invite the families to participate as well. Everybody always anticipates it.”

At the beginning of the week, scouts receive instruction on how to create their own egg-protection cases, and are tasked with building a shell that will keep their raw egg from breaking after a 30-foot drop.

Each year personnel from the Marysville Fire District bring their ladder truck to the park and drop the eggs from a designated height.

Capt. Chip Kruse and firefighters Ryan Hardwick and Keoni Brown got the assignment this year. Hardwick and Brown manned the ladder, while Kruse stayed below to keep scouts from receiving egg strikes to their noggins.

“It’s always nice to be able to provide some community service,” Kruse said between drops.

Individual volunteers, or den leaders, from each group of scouts went up on the ladder to drop the youngsters’ eggs.

Rachel Durham of Marysville was the first den leader to be raised on the ladder.

“My eyes crossed went I went up there,” Durham said. “I thought it was going to just be firefighters and they asked me to go up.”

The egg belonging to Durham’s son, 7-year-old Timothy Durham, didn’t survive, but Corbett’s did.

That’s because he received a tip from his mom that using memory foam is the best way to cushion his egg’s fall.

Corbett wrapped the egg in the material and bubble wrap, and taped the collection of materials together.

It took him and fellow scout, 10-year-old Garrett Gullidge of Stanwood, about five minutes to unravel the mass of tape, form and plastic.

No surprise to Corbett, his egg survived unscathed.

“I knew it would,” he said.

Bear Scout den leader David Hogle of Lynnwood said that the experience was neat for his group of 13 scouts.

“This is great to see the kids come up with their best ideas,” Hogle said. “You see all kinds of things — water in a glove, dryer sheets. Some work and some don’t.”

Eight-year-old Jack Bartelhimer of Snohomish interrupted Hogle’s thought — “Mostly they don’t,” he said.

The Mount Baker Council of Boy Scouts of America, which serves Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan counties, holds 17 day camps throughout the Northwest each summer.

Robinson and Carrie Driscall, program director for the Marysville camp, have been putting on the multi-day event for the past four years.

“We have at least 40 to 50 volunteers out here each day,” Robinson said. “It’s a fun week.”