A BIG Thank You!!

Each November, our troop spends the first two Saturdays doing service projects. The first Saturday is split between bag delivery for Scouting for Food and packaging meals for Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now). And the second Saturday in November is the pick-up for food donations from our assigned neighborhoods.

Both of these projects involve full measures of teamwork and fun, with a bit of exertion added on top. We had good turnout on the first weekend--and better turnout on the second weekend.

I'm not sure how many pounds of food scouts delivered this year. But I do know that Share of McLean depends on food drives like SFF to stock the shelves before the long winter. 

I spoke with one of the Rise Against Hunger employees during setup. He said Redeemer's event for RAH is about 12 times as large as their average event!

Photos for these events can be viewed here -

• Rise Against Hunger
• Scouting for Food

2017 Cub Friendly - A Humorous Summary

We had quite a showing at this event.  Most of the 90+ participants showed up to launch pumpkins with catapults.  We saw pumpkins going quite a distance, (some reaching what appeared to be 50+ feet) before exploding in an array of seeds, shells and innards. I guess that is why that vegetable is called “squash.” 

Now.. We did have a parent complaint which must be mentioned due to technical merit and historical snootiness. The comment was that the Scouts were not actually building “Catapults”, that instead they built “Trebuchets”.   Hmmm.  Think swinging arm instead of compression. Or in Brownson terms: It’s “Swoosh” instead of “Thwang”. 

Anyway, the Scouts all successfully made tents out of tarps and kept themselves predominantly dry (or if they got wet, they kept it to themselves). They worked well as teams to haul the bamboo to and from launching area. They did a good job chopping up so much old bamboo to make a large enough bonfire to require sunscreen. And they maintained their respect of the campsite to the end, by cleaning it up. 

The unexpected highlights of the trip were definitely the Grub Masters. Even the finickiest of kids were drawn in by the wonderful smells of Curry Chicken, Soups, buttered corn, burgers, and chicken skewers for dinner. And the hot dumplings, bacon, eggs and sausage, pancakes and fresh coffee cake made for an amazing breakfast.  We can definitely put IHOP out of business. (Who is with me?) 

I want to thank the parents for getting cars out during the day, and for braving the rain. The weather worked out perfectly, by only raining at night and stopping by breakfast. 

I know there were a lot of competing activities. A special call out to the Scouts who had to leave for swanky dance events, but returned in the morning out of a sense of commitment to the Troop. 

Go 1916!     

Enjoy the visuals over here.

White Rocks Hike

Fourteen Scouts (including one Girl Scout) were joined by nine adults for an unseasonably warm day of walking in the George Washington National Forest today. The listing of Scouts: Andre, Brandon, Connor L., George, Jack C., James, Jordan, Ian F., Helen F., Owen C., Noah, Patrick, Pranav, and Scott S. And the parents were: Chuck C., Denise, R., Jennifer S., Kate F., Jason C., Matt S., Mike F., Mike T., and Patricia S.

This is the second time our troop has done the White Rocks hike in about a year. And I'm pleased to report we had several improvements over the prior outing: 1) we actually found the overlook this time 2) upon returning to the cars, we had no surprises and 3) Patricia had a much easier time on today's hike (if you ask nicely, she'll show you her picture from last year's trip).

But the heat on the day was surprising. I'm certainly looking forward to cooler weather. A summery stroll in the hills is all well and good in July. But as the leaves are falling in mid October, it seems unnecessary to have temps in the 80s. Ah well, this sport is clearly played outside. We set the dates and carry-on as best we can.

This hike is shaped like a lollipop. We started and ended at the base of the stem. And there was a long loop in the middle. The first part of the loop was a mostly gradual climb into and up a box canyon. There was a good push to get to a saddle on the ridge, then a bit more up to achieve the ridge's apex. On the ridge, we hiked a portion of the Tuscarora Trail (which figures prominently in most of our GWNF hikes). The main overlook is a bit sneaky--because you follow a pipe stem *down* from the ridge to find it. But wow is it worth the jaunt. The rest of the loop is some tricky footwork on the downhill. But before you know it you're back to the lollipop stem again.

Thanks to all those who took the time and joined us today. See you Tuesday.

You can enjoy the hike pix over here.

White Oak Canyon Hiking

The White Oak Canyon hiking crew rolled out from our rally point early Sunday morning with 16 sleepy scouts and 7 fully-caffeinated scouters.  We arrived at the trailhead in Shenandoah National Park two hours later where we were greeted by two Smiling Salts.  With beautiful blue sky, a few leaves just beginning to change color, and nice cool temperatures we bounded cheerfully up the path with Ian, Jack, and Braden at the lead, keeping everyone mostly together. 

Everyone strolled along the trail, happily chatting with their buddies, for a little over a mile until we reached the lower end of the falls.  That’s when things turned quiet, as everyone suddenly remembered what it means when Mr. Salt says the hike is ‘a little lumpy.’  Giggles turned to gasps as we started up a series of switchbacks that we befriended for the next three hours, and a few nervous glances were shared between the adult scouters that quietly snuck past the trail marker that read ‘1/2 way’.  “It levels out just up there, boys!!”  And it did level out onto a spectacular outcropping overlooking the Robinson River and Whiteoak Canyon, and just beyond that we arrived at the river crossing. 

The river was actually quite dry so the falls weren’t as lively as they have been on previous hikes, but the calm water made the river crossing a perfect place to stop for lunch with countless places to sit and eat and some small pools to dip aching feet.  A couple scoutmasters even demonstrated some very disturbing yoga maneuvers to soak their nimble knees in the cool water.

Happy to leave the treacherous switchbacks and uphill climb behind us, we repeated our count-off to make sure we still had everyone and Teddy polled the group to see if there was anyone who wasn’t ready.  “Hike on!”  And we hiked on.  Uphill.  For another 2 ¼ miles. 

With all credibility shot, we finally reached the top!  Mr. Salt wisely warned everyone how slippery the leaves and acorns would be and to hike carefully down the hill.  Then the crying began – audible sobbing and whimpering for the next 1.5 miles as 14 adult knees snapped, crackled, and popped their way down the rocky path until we arrived at the waterpark!  ‘The Slide’ is a huge, sloping rock that has been worn completely smooth by the water passing over it and it dumps into a perfect swimming hole.  Many of the boys (and some other families, dogs, and scoutmasters) jumped at the chance to try the natural waterslide.  Another mile or so down the hill and we arrived back at the trailhead mostly unscathed other than a few cramps and a beesting. 

All grumbling aside, the hike was 8.5 miles (and 2200 feet of elevation gain) among some of nature’s most beautiful scenery and another reminder of why we all love Shenandoah National Park so much.  The boys all did a great job, from some of our youngest scouts to some of our oldest, and all are looking forward to the next one! 

Many thanks to all the scouts who made the hike:

Braden, Brandon, Jordan, Ian, Jack, Andre, Charlie, Luke, Mateo, Connor, George, Owen, Felix, Matthew, Noah, James, and Teddy.

And all the adults who helped get them there and back:

Shelly, Jason, Mike, Matt, Chuck, Patricia, and Denice.

Checkout some great moments captured here.

Great Outing in the New Scouting Year! - Canoeing Campout

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.