I think the Sheandoah River may have been the absolute best place to be this weekend. We had gorgeous sun both days, exciting paddling, and a stunning evening of stars.
Thirty one scouts and sixteen adults made the troop's annual canoe trip. When you hear 'overnight canoe trip', you may be thinking about waterlogged tents and sleeping bags. But some very wise organizers put together our troop's trip many years ago--and we keep doing it the same way.
On Saturday, we arrived at the Low Water Bridge Campsite in Bentonville. The boys setup camp and ate lunch. Then the outfitter (Front Royal Canoe) picked us up in school buses, and drove us upstream 7 miles. By Saturday dinner time, we had paddled back to our fully set-up campsite. Then Sunday, we paddled a few more miles downstream and the outfitter picked us up and returned us to our campsite once more.
So the paddlers carried very little in the canoes: PFDs (worn at all times), water bottles, and paddles.
The first trip of the year is always a little bumpy in camp--finding things in the trailer and remembering how to assemble tents and stoves. As usual, I'm sure the scouts will have an easier time with those tasks on our second trip -- Cub Friendly is coming soon.
You can enjoy the outing pix over here.