Weekend Summary - Cub Friendly

The weather started off perfectly for the Cub Friendly camping trip. Lots of sunshine and moderate temperatures made for successful catapult building. The five patrols learned about the benefits of having a wide sturdy base, when a few structures fell over from overzealous operators.

The Cubs received guidance from Mike and some of the senior scouts, and quickly got their catapult built and operational. They were very excited to take turns propelling our favorite orange colored squash into the air.

After the "Smashing Pumpkins" concert, all participants were looking forward to a dinner of chicken tacos, jambalaya, potato casserole, quiche and walking tacos. Parents and guests were excited to try all the different dishes.

Once the campfire was set, the spirit of Halloween came alive when someone carved a pumpkin and began roasting it in the fire.

But the most notable characteristic of this trip was the wind. It whipped up to 30-40 mph just at bedtime arrived. The tarps began rattling, and some scouts who were on a hill noticed that their stakes had come loose, only when they woke up having slid completely out of their tarps.

In the morning, all campers (children and parents alike) commiserated about the conditions they slept in, and exchanged stories over scrambled eggs, bacon, hot cocoa and freshly made coffee cake.

Congrats to the Grub Masters, budding engineers, leaders and all the scouts on a memorable outing. Everyone is looking forward to the next camping trip.

-Steve Sirotzky

Cub Friendly Coordinator

What a beauty!!

And we’re off … the fall hiking season is underway!

The first hike is in the bag and what a beautiful day to be outside.

It all started well enough at the parking lot in McLean and quickly went downhill shortly after departure when we found 66 closed!!! With a few detours everyone managed to get to Sky Meadows State Park and were rewarded with a truly lovely spot to hike.

On the face of it a 7 mile hike isn’t too onerous, but lordy, this hike had some lumpiness. The loop to start introduced us to some cows in the valley floor and meandered around until we got to the base of the ridge.

Maps are quite handy things if you have the vaguest idea what you’re looking at. For most, if not all the scouts, the maps seemed to simply be pieces of paper, stuffed in plastic that were incredibly annoying and should be folded up, placed in a pocket and not looked at again. However, given their staggering inability to follow blazes the odd subtle clue offered by that now crumbled piece of paper could have come in handy.

Oh and don’t start me on the fact that not one of the 17 scouts had a compass with them. They’re useful little fellas that I’m sure the scouts will learn to love one day, especially when asked to point in a certain direction. Given their absolute and complete failure in that task a tiny piece of equipment costing less than $10 could have come in handy! Oh well, next time.

Once we got to the base of the ridge the climb up to the AT is, in the words of your scoutmaster, “sporty”. This definitely caused a quietening of the adults and a dramatic increase in water attraction. The temperature was awesome but it was humid, very humid and we were walking up into the cloud base. It seemed that with every step you were not only expelling water but attracting it from the air around you. But all puffing and dampness aside, once we got to the top we had a lovely stop for lunch at the scenic overlook of the little town of Paris. OK, so you could only see 100 yards off into the cloudy mist but it was still scenic!

After lunch (and some pawpaws) we headed back down the trail to the parking lot. Congrats to all the scouts and the old people who completed the 7.2 mile loop and a double congratulations to Brandon and Jordon who coincidently not only had their birthday on the same day as the hike, but on the same day as each other! Happy Birthday.

A lovely first hike and we’ll get the next one out soon. I’m confident that boys will brings compasses next time and learn to love those pieces of paper we unfairly forced them to carry with them.

Check out the pix over here.

-Matt Salt

2018 Summer Camp

Powhatan has provided a ton of opportunities for our scouts: live animals at the nature lodge; swimming, boating, and blobbing at the waterfront; shooting sports at the archery, rifle, and shotgun ranges; and pounding and whittling at handicraft. And every day, several times a day, scouts have been criss-crossing the camp on foot. I bet they took more steps this week than all other weeks of the summer combined.

And I've seen zero issues with electronic devices this week. While it's sometimes been challenging for adults to be out of cell range, I'm convinced it's been great for the scouts. I'm not sure why it's worked so well, but it's been much better than any of our recent years at camp (and also better than our weekend outings).

Just down the road from Powhatan, the older scouts who attended Claytor Lake Aquatics Base seemed to have had a wonderful time. In fact, it seems they'd like to claim exclusive dibs on that camp for next year. While that's quite unlikely, it's reasonable for older scouts who've performed leadership all year to seek a camp like Claytor. They had a lot of independence (no adult leaders from our troop, only staff oversight). The camp has a program for virtually every BSA water program (SCUBA, sailing, wakeboarding, SUP, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, etc). We'll see what the PLC decides for next summer.

As the week ends, it's also a good time to thank all of those who came and camped with us: Patricia Short, Kathy Munoz, Debbie Gattuso, Steven Zahniser, Tim Manarin, Kevin Humpreys, TJ Master, Manjula Master, Jason Coopersmith, and Shelly Coopersmith. They volunteered at the dining hall, helped herd cats during BSI class, bolstered the lifeguards at the waterfront, promoted hygiene, and guided the steady stream of sleepwalkers back to their tents at night. When you next see them, please thank them. 

You can find the photos from this trip over here.

-Mike Forrer

Up North -- in the Boundary Waters

You can't really put your finger on it at first. But after a few days in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, you figure it out... When you can see for miles across water and islands. And there's no sign of human development. You know you're in a very special place.

Then you remember the map you saw in base camp--and you think about how big the Boundary Waters really are (over 1000 sq miles) and the tiny portion you're seeing. It's truly something to behold.

Our troop sent two full crews to Northern Tier this summer. And I bet every member of those crews would love to go again.

The BWCAW has a "Rule of 9"--meaning that no more than 9 people should be together in the wilderness at any time. Each of our crews started out as 8 people and picked up a guide (called an Interpreter) from base camp to make 9.

One crew was Braden, George, James, Nick, and Owen; plus Mr. Bonanno, Mr. Carson, and Mr. Ross. The other crew was Charlie, Jonathan, Ian, Jack, and Nino; plus Mr. Bravo, Mr. Forrer, and Mr. Oppenheimer. Because of the Rule of 9, the two crews had totally different itineraries when they left base camp.

We worked with a great travel agency for flights (Frosch) and terrific shuttle service to get us from Minneapolis to Ely with a night of lodging (Northern Lights Shuttle). And a big thanks to Mr. Oppenheimer for handling logistics.

Our Interpreters met us upon arrival at base camp and led us through 36 hours of preparation before heading to the water. We loaded up with tents, stoves, fuel, water purification, and some very high-class trail food (onions, peppers, curry spices, cheese, egg 'cubes', chicken strips, etc).

Each crew leveraged the strengths of their Interpreter. The crew with the slightly younger scouts relied on Tommy's three years experience at NT to know they'd be OK with a longer route and some lengthy portages (including a 1-mile-portage!). Their payoff was some of the best campsites in the area.

As interpreter of the crew with slightly older scouts, Emilio did a fantastic job deferring to the scouts for itinerary planning and execution. And he was an excellent back-country cook. Incidentally, he intended to be a ranger at Philmont this summer, but agreed to work at NT to cover the influx of crews impacted by Philmont's fires.

In the pictures for the trip, you can see the fantastic sunsets, the vibrant contrast of trees, water, and sky, and the many happy faces. And of course, the photos are just a taste of it.

I think our only regret was that 5 days and 4 nights away from base camp seemed too short. Perhaps we'll have a longer go at it next time.

Check out the pix over here.

-Mike Forrer

Sun, Sand & Surf

Twenty-eight scouts, four sisters, and a contingent of parents headed to Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware for an absolutely gorgeous weekend.

Most of the group opted for the early Saturday morning drive. And that was one of the smoothest trips to the ocean I've ever done. Google maps estimated the travel time as two hours and thirty minutes. Even with some stops along the way, all drivers were at the campsite in under 3 hours.

There were two other troops camping nearby us--but very kindly, they left us the largest area for camping. The scouts had plenty of room to spread out around a field, locate hammock hanging trees, and still have space for throwing frisbees.

After an early lunch (the scouts were 'starving' by 10am due to the early wake-up), we established buddies for the beach and rehearsed several rounds of buddy checks. 

For safety and simplicity reasons, we decided that buddies would be 'permanent' for the whole time at the ocean (no switches). So we asked the scouts to carefully consider their groupings into twos and threes. 

Once we arrived at the beach, we had frequent buddy checks. The scouts did very well with these. The beach was busy, so we opted to clear the water for every buddy check. And some of the scouts suggested the buddy groups count off (just like we do for other outings)--and that worked great.

Water temps were chilly (a bit below 70). So lots of the scouts spent time on towels chatting, playing cards, etc. I also brought two paddle boards along for the trip--which seemed like big hits.

At about 4PM, the older scouts (actually) decided we needed to get going for dinner prep. Several variations of walking tacos were on display, along with hearty spaghetti with meatballs and iron-fired pizzas. Then came the dutch oven cobblers. The dinners were all quite good.

The scouts were some-kind-of-tired by Saturday evening. And the mosquitoes were getting more feisty as the evening wore on. We had fewer than 5 scouts still moving at 9PM. Lights out at 10pm was an afterthought. 

Virtually everyone headed for home on Sunday morning once we packed up and had breakfast (and after the Hydra patrol experimented with boiled dumplings). 

A few interesting bits of history on Cape Henlopen--it is arguably the nation's first 'public lands' because in 1682, William Penn granted it to the common usage of those living in the nearby counties. It was also an active Army base during World War II (and Mr. Mallus pointed out to me a likely bunker near our campsite and a gun emplacement on the beach). More history is here: http://www.destateparks.com/park/cape-henlopen/history.asp

Check out the pictures over here.

-Mike Forrer

EoY - CoH

By Mike Forrer, Scout Master

 

I'm not sure our troop has ever had thirty-four rank awards at a single Court of Honor....until now.

Certainly the Scouts should be commended for their continued progress along the trail to Eagle. The bulk of the awards were for First Class. And it's wonderful to have so many Scouts positioned to go for the upper ranks.

But it's also a great time to recognize the work of the ASMs who give lots of their time to support Scouts pursuing advancement: Mr. Zahniser and Mr. Johanson. And another big thanks to Mrs. and Mr. Carrico for their work as Advancement Chair and Boards of Review Coordinator.

Lastly, I'd like to thank all the parents who coordinated outings, served as Parents Committee Officers, or took-on additional responsibilities to support the work of our troop. Your work is vital to our continued success.

Check out the photos over here.

Big Schloss Backpacking

What's a little rain?

In just over 3 weeks, Troop 1916 will send 2 crews to Northern Tier. And this past weekend we had our final trip together before flying to Minnesota.

Trips like this are tremendously important for promoting teamwork and handling adversity. As a troop, we're trying to find the right number of 'extra' outings to prepare for high adventure trips. And we're certainly learning more with each year.

We did a longer version of the Mill Mountain hike from HikingUpward.com. Our route included an out-and-back to Half Moon Lookout. The total mileage for the 2 days was a healthy 20.1 miles.

We assembled at Redeemer at 7PM Friday (to avoid the bulk of Friday traffic). After a stop in Haymarket to pickup Charlie (and say 'hi' to Will!), we had our full contingent.

The drive from Haymarket to Woodstock on Friday included some impressive downpours. But the rest of Friday night and most of Saturday were completely rain free.

Upon arrival at the trailhead Friday (about 9:30 PM), we loaded packs and did the 10 minute walk to our first camp. Tents were pitched, bear bags hung, and we were lights-out a little after 11.

Saturday morning went smoothly--hot meals (and hot coffee!), and on the trail by 8:30am. Our pace was quick--likely aided by cloud cover and cooler-than-usual temps. We had 9 miles finished before lunch at Half Moon Lookout (which was unfortunately socked-in). After another 4 miles, we made camp at the Sandstone Spring about 3:30pm (on the ridge between Virginia and West Virginia).

We had a nice fire at camp, ate meals, and opted for bed as the rain arrived at 7:45pm.

And the rain just kept coming. We didn't know it at the time, but Woodstock received almost 3" of rain Saturday night through Sunday midday.

Sunday morning was a classic challenge--how to go from being dry in tents to eating hot breakfasts then to hiking (and generating warmth) as quickly as possible in adverse conditions.

The hammock dwellers had a nice setup--they left their rain flies up when taking their hammocks down. Then they cooked and ate under shelters. Charlie also deserves credit for bringing and deploying a tarp above his tent door. I'll certainly remember these tricks for next time.

The trail on Sunday was transformed into a rushing stream. We opted-out of the final push up Big Schloss--the risk seemed unnecessarily high to go up and down such a steep trail with so much water flowing. And we knew we'd have very limited visibility from the top.

Even so, Sunday's jaunt clocked-in at 7 miles.

We could certainly consider doing this hike as a single-day-20-miler next year. Because it's 2 hours from McLean, we'd probably want to camp at the trailhead the night before the hike. If there was sufficient interest, we could also have a 15 mile route (skipping Half Moon Lookout).

Check out some pix from this trip over here.

-Mike Forrer

Whitewater Rafting Trip Wrap Up

If the weather the week leading up to the rafting trip (Youghiogheny River) was any indicator how the trip would go, it should have been a total washout.  The Saturday morning rain coupled with the incorrect destination address by the lesser half of the Petersons(Chris) should have put the troop on the wrong path to start.  Nothing could have been further from how the weekend unfolded. 

We drove through light rain and heavy fog on the way up to Ohiopyle, PA.  Once we arrived at the rafting outfitter the clouds thinned and the sun made the first of many, some extended, appearances of the weekend.  Most of the troop opted for wetsuits and splash shirts to keep the 55 degree water from turning us into shivering wimps.  The sun stayed out for several hours before we got on the river and everybody was hot and ready for the 55 degree water.  After strapping on life vests and helmets, a quick shuttle ride to the river and an entertaining dos and don’ts river rules session we put the boats in the water. 

Five minutes into the trip Mr. Forrer decided that his adult boat mates were all hot and needed a dip in the chilly water, so guide and all went for a swim.  Within 3 minutes the professional guide had everybody back in the raft and floating down the river.   Midway down the river we pulled off on a sandy beach for a deli style lunch provided by the outfitter.  Man can those scouts eat a lot of cookies.   They also got a chance to jump off a large rock into the river and swim back to the beach and even with the 55 degree water some of the scouts did this many times. 

During lunch the scouts got a great lesson in the importance of being able to swim.  An adult rafter from another group jumped off the large rock into the river clearly not being able to swim and just started floating down the river.  One of the guides sprinted down the beach, dove into the river and hauled the person out just before it looked as if she might go down the next set of rapids. 

Right after lunch back on the river we had a short period of rain followed by the wonderfully warm sun.  The river level was between 6/7 feet above normal so the dreaded double waivers weren’t necessary and all that extra water increased the speed of the river and made for extremely fun rapids. 

Once back at camp the troop worked like a well-oiled machine with all the tents up and loaded in no time at all.  That done, they then broke into their patrols and very efficiently had all the stoves and burners fired up and dinner underway.  It really was impressive to watch the older scouts leading the effort and the younger scouts pitching in where they could.  All four of the patrols produced great meals for both dinner and breakfast the following morning.  The rain was very timely in coming right at lights out so everybody scrambled into their tents and the camp got quiet real quick.  We woke to nice weather, ate another great scout made meal and after doing roses buds and thorns headed down the road. We had 24 scouts and 11 adults on the trip.

Enjoy the pix over here.

Billy Goat 20 Miler Wrap Up

As I sit on the porch enjoying a cup of tea (and the Advil working it's way to my joints), I'm very proud of the Scouts (and a sister) who completed 20+ miles today on the Billy Goat Trail. I'm also tremendously thankful for the adults who made the journey and supported the younger ones.

We started an hour earlier than usual for hiking--meeting at Total Wine at 6AM. The trip to Great Falls, MD (near Old Anglers) took only a few minutes. And we had boots on trail by 6:30AM.

From that Old Anglers trailhead, if you do each section of Billy Goat A, B, and C, plus the corresponding stretches on the C&O Canal, you have a 10-mile hike. So we mostly doubled that with a bit of variation to hit 21.84 miles (by my GPS--Mr. Touse showed 20.8 on his).

Our route went north from Anglers along Billy Goat A, then a full loop around the River Trail (+ corresponding tow path), then a repeat of A (but in the reverse direction). This allowed us to complete both stretches of the more challenging section A on fresh legs, before crowds arrived, and before the forecasted afternoon showers. Then we curved through 2 figure-8's of loops B & C. And we completed the full circuit in just under 10 hours.

For a May hike, we could not have been more fortunate on weather: barely a sprinkle all day, mostly overcast, and bits of clear skies here and there for encouragement.

The youthful 20-milers today were George C., Owen C., James R., Jonathan O., Danny O., Jack T., Nick B., Ian F., and Helen F. And we had 2 Scouts complete 10-milers today, as well: Chris F. and Braden B.

The adults completing 20 miles were Mitch B., David R, Chuck C., Mike T., Peter O., Kate F., and me. And Keith F. also knocked-out 10 miles.

Today's hike completed the Hiking Merit Badge for several Scouts. Now all of the Scouts going to Northern Tier have that badge wrapped-up (as they committed to do in preparation of our trip).

Our next hiking adventure (June 1-3) will actually be a backpacking trip geared for the Northern Tier crews. But all experienced hikers/backpackers are welcome.

Photos of this hike can be viewed over here.

2018 Projectoree

On Friday at 4:45pm 43 Scouts and 9 Scouters headed down I-95 en route to Camp Wilson. After a quick stop for dinner most everyone made it to camp in a couple of hours. We checked in and  set up camp in our usual spot. Senior patrol leader, patrol leaders and staff Scouts attended the PLC to pick up their scoring packets and schedules, give their patrol names and get a briefing. The Livid Lemons (a.k.a. Bulldogs), Big, Better, Best (a.k.a. Dragons), Lumpy Llamas (a.k.a. Lumberjacks), and Crazy Koalas (a.k.a. Yetis) were ready to get going in their newly handed out shirts.  

After a cool night with a middle of the night serenade from a couple of very loud, very close owls, the Scouts were up at 7am. After a quick breakfast, everyone headed for the main field for the opening ceremony. Luke Felix represented the us by carrying the troop flag in the ceremony. A few more instructions from the event leaders and the competitions began. 32 patrols in total competed in 10 events. The patrols competed in 5 events in the morning including the Obstacle Course, Fire-building Race, Canteen Pour and many others. After a hot dog lunch and short rest, the patrols were back at it for the 5 afternoon events. None of the 32 patrols were able to complete the task of building a fire, boiling water and cooking pasta for the Fire-building Race. Our staff Scouts helped out with the Obstacle Course. The weather was perfect for the day's competition. 

After the 10 events, it was time for the Scoutmaster Chariot race, a favorite for all troops. Significant rain on Friday created a HUGE puddle in the middle of the field. Unfortunately, our troop was assigned the lane with the puddle. The Scouts quickly lashed their "chariot" and Mr. Forrer bravely climbed in. The Scouts began running down the field and were in the lead when they came upon the puddle. They were outmatched by the puddle and went down with a very soggy thump. Luckily no one was injured, but we lost the heat and were eliminated from the competition.

The grub masters prepared dinners of toxic mac-n-cheese (which ended up being sandwiches), burritos, walking tacos and teriyaki chicken with tomato soup. For dessert, there were s'mores and 2 delicious dutch oven apple pies. 

At the evening campfire, new Scouts Cole Brownson and Alexander Mallus represented our troop in the solemn flag retirement ceremony. Both did an excellent job. Our troop performed the Shady Realtor skit again this year and again it received the most laughs. As the time for the overall awards drew near, the anticipation grew. The highest finish for our troop was the Lumpy Llamas patrol in tenth place. Although we didn't do as well as last year, the Scouts worked well together and we all got to know the new Scouts better. 

Saturday night was a bit chillier. There were no owls, but lots of wind and rain. We awoke Sunday before 7am and immediately started breaking down camp. Everything was mostly packed up by 7:30am (a new record!) and the grub masters were busy cooking eggs, pancakes and sausage. After breakfast, it was KP for the troop gear and an efficient police line to pick up trash. After Roses, Buds, and Thorns and a few announcements, the Scouts were dismissed and another Projectoree was in the books! The Scouts did a great job this year and with lots of room for improvement, are looking forward to next year's competition. 

Check out the photos over here.

Riverbend hike 10 miler

We had lots of sun and near perfect hiking temperatures today for our hike. Seventeen Scouts (one of them brand new!), a sister, 8 adults, and one very happy pup got outside today.

We often head west a few hours to get to the woods. But today was a snap--9.9 miles from McLean to the Riverbend Nature Center. We did a little backtracking at the beginning of the trip as the scouts worked their way around a closed section of trail. But soon enough, we were hugging the Potomac coastline and enjoying the view of the wide river.

We carried-on south past the Washington Aqueduct Dam--which was first completed across the whole Potomac in 1889. What I didn't know until just now was that Arlington and Falls Church also draw their water from that dam (https://www.nps.gov/choh/learn/historyculture/thewashingtonaqueductsystem.htm)

A bit further along we arrived at Great Falls National Park, Virginia side. If you've never done the hike from Riverbend, it's a great way to access the national park--and quite different from the usual line of cars at the toll booth.

Past the main Visitor Center, we headed inland a bit, and hiked up our only real elevation gain of the day. Once we hit Difficult Run, we followed it toward the Potomac, headed north along the River Trail and then retraced our steps to Riverbend.

With the way our weather's been, I bet we go from a chilly winter to a sticky summer with hardly any time in between. So kudos to the following scouts: Cy M., Andre G., Brandon C., Jordan C., Ian S., Pranav K., Jack T., Owen C., George C., Braden B., Charlie S., Ian F., Chris F., Danny O., Jonathan O., Nick B., and Helen F. for making the most of today's weather. And a big thank you to the following adults for looking out for safety on the trip: Mitch B., Ryan M., Mike T., Shelly C., Chuck C., Peter O., and Wendy S.

And a special shout-out to Cy--he crossed-over from Cubs to our troop on Friday evening and already knocked-out his first 10-miler.

Looking ahead, we're planning a big one for May -- 20 miles. The usual rule applies: you need three 10-milers under your belt before you go for 20.

Click here for photos.

Camp Highroad Trip

On March 10th, the troop headed out to Camp Highroad for a great outing on a brisk but sunny day.  The group consisted of 30 boy scouts, 6 friends, and 14 parents.  The majority of the group was able to join the morning convoy of 12 cars for the one-hour drive. 

We were parking our cars when a Camp Highroad staffer arrived to get us started on activities. Since our numbers were large, the group was broken down by patrol. The Bulldogs headed off immediately to tackle the mountain boarding while the Dragons were directed to the archery field.

The Lumberjacks and Yetis stayed behind to set up their tents and enjoy some free time. The campsite itself was reachable by a small path from the parking lot and consisted of a large campfire area and a covered platform with picnic tables surrounded by level ground and trees. Each patrol staked out an area amongst the trees to call their own.

The boys had an easy mile-long hike on a flat path to both the mountain boarding and the archery areas.   During the March 2017 trip to Camp Highroad, muddy conditions forced the cancellation of mountain boarding. This year, the conditions were great.  For the uninitiated, “mountain boarding refers to riding – either while sitting or standing – a large skateboard (with hand or feet grips) down a mountain. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as the mountain in question consisted of a gently sloping, grassy terrain. Prepared for any and all spills with helmets, knee and elbow pads, the boys had a blast launching themselves down on the boards.

Over at the archery field, the boys received a short lesson, then took turns practicing their shots with a row of targets. The highlight of each session was when they competed on one target to see who could get closest to a bullseye.  Some parents joined in as well and one neophyte archer (Mrs. Felix) stunned the boys by letting fly some pretty precise shots!

The Bulldogs and Dragons then headed back to camp to set up their own tents and eat lunch while the Lumberjacks and the Yetis took their turns at mountain boarding and archery.  Lunch for all patrols consisted of sandwiches.

When all the patrols had completed the activities, there was still plenty of time for everyone to hang at the campsite. A game of Frisbee was waged in the parking lot. capture the flag had the boys running around the campsite, and still others crowded around tables for some serious card playing.

Dinner consisted of chili (regular and vegetarian), 2 sets of walking tacos and cheese ravioli. Oreos and s'mores for dessert.  A roaring campfire helped fend off the cold for a while but then campers turned in early. Unfortunately, the temperatures continued to drop, falling into the 20s before dawn.

Breakfast the next morning got the boys moving, and the parents thankfully had coffee to help them thaw out. Breakfast burritos, bagels, doughnuts and pancakes were all on the menu.

Departure was delayed due to many, many "police" lines to check for trash.  At roses, buds and thorns, most boys said that mountain boarding and archery were the highlights of the trip and cold weather was the drawback. 

Mr. Forrer commended the boys on planning this particular trip.  Originally, the March trip was supposed to take the boys to Sandy Spring, MD for a ropes course, a trip the Troop enjoyed last May.  Unfortunately, Sandy Spring informed us they would be closed in March, prompting a search for ropes courses and campgrounds around Harpers Ferry. The boys ultimately decided that they wanted to invite friends to a fun activity with plenty of down time around camp. Camp Highroad more than met that goal.

You can enjoy the photos from this trip over here.

Cranny Crow 10+ Miler

It was a nice, crisp day for a walk in the woods for 10 scouts, a sibling, and 8 adults (including an Aaron C. who couldn't have been happier to be up at 0-dark-thirty on the first weekend of his first college spring break!).

We drove to West Virginia's Lost River State Park today. It's about 30 minutes southwest of Wardensville, WV. And I think this is the first time our troop has make that trek. A big thanks to Mr. and Mrs. B. for recommending the hike.

The hike started with a stout uphill--the same elevation gain (1200') as Kepler Overlook, but in only two thirds of the distance. That certainly got our attention. At the top of the climb was a mortar and stone shelter overlooking one of the best views I've ever seen in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I don't know how many miles we could see--but the windmills we pass on the way to Timberline were clearly visible.

Just past the overlook, at only 2 miles into the trip, we (strangely) headed downhill. And more downhill. And then uphill, in a hurry (again!). This time the payoff was an awesome mountaintop meadow with a beautiful stonework & hand-built-timber pavillion (and a latrine). We need to think about returning here for a backpacking trip. That pavillion was huge and has a large fireplace.

Apparently the buildings were created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. In another interesting bit of history, Lost River was the site of a skirmish in the French Indian war.

The rest of the distance to the turnaround was along a windy ridge. The trees in McLean may all be budding, but at 3000' in WV, it was still winter today. When the trail dipped to the leeward side of the ridge near our turnaround, the warm sun felt wonderful. We grabbed lunch, took a few pictures, and enjoyed some hot coffee--courtesy of Ms. Coopersmith. Then we mostly retraced our steps--with a slightly shorter & steeper decent to the cars.

Our under 18 crowd today was Connor C., James R., Ian F., Braden B., Jack T., Brandon C., Jordan C., Jack C., Nick B., Noah C., and Helen F. And Aaron C. certainly gets an honorable mention.

See you all Tuesday.

Enjoy the pictures here.

Hiking in the rain on a Sunday!

Today’s weather was actually perfect for hiking … not too bright … not too hot … not too cold … just right. OK, so it may have been a little drizzly, overcast and generally miserable but I could not think of a better place to be on a Sunday morning (unless it involved a beach, cloudless skies and no scouts!!).

The crew met at the usual spot and then headed out 66, hung a left in Front Royal and pulled up just short of our annual canoe trip location and headed in the Shenandoah River State park. This was to be a nice little stroll up and down some minimal lumpiness for about 10 miles.

Once we’d all got together at the trail head we headed off (16 able-bodied scouts and 10 bodied adults). Most of the trails were rock-free and perfect for a gentle Sunday outing (even reminding some of us of fluffy kittens … long story but makes once of us giggle).

After moving at a pretty good clip we stopped for lunch at a beautiful overlook. We looked down on the river and into hills to our west. The clouds were low and wrapping their arms lovingly around some of the lower peaks making for a magical and slightly mystical picture. Having canoed this area many times in September, seeing it at this time of year in this slightly grumpy weather gave a slightly different perspective.

Although we had multiple trail changes the park was really well marked. Having said that, the scouts were shockingly bad navigators. For seven years I’ve been saying “orient your map”, “where’s the sun?”, “who’s got a compass?”, “anyone know where the sun is?”, “where exactly are we?”. I actually asked one of the scouts (who will remain nameless) where we are. He pointed to a spot on the map. He was about a mile off, up in the hills while we were standing about 30 feet from the river!!! I now firmly believe there is no hope, and so just smile knowing that we have achieved something by getting 16 guys outside at the weekend in the rain. For that achievement I was handed the misfortune of listening to them signing as we hiked.

Once back at the parking lot we all re-packed into our various cars and headed back to well earned showers and hot chocolate (and maybe an ice cream in Front Royal).

Enjoy the week and here’s to another great hike next Sunday.

Enjoy the Pix over here.

Lock-In At Redeemer

Overnight troop outings present the opportunity to engage in activities that are outside the norm of our daily lives - hiking the mountains of West Virginia, learning to build a fire in the rain, eating freshly cooked delectibles created at the often dirt-covered hands of Scouts, and battling Jack Frost’s mum (Mother Nature) braving the elements with nary a 30 pound pack strapped to each wee little scout in search of shelter and warmth. (that last bit in honor of seeing Matt Salt this weekend)

Until, that is, the troop comes up against the annual Lock-In!! This event, normally held in January or February each year, is a chance to engage in a community service project as a troop, and to gather for a night of relaxing repose in the relative comfort of the gym at our weekly meeting place.

The weekend began with an Eagle Court of Honor (CoH) where Matthew Harrington was honored for having achieved scouting’s highest rank. It was done extremely well, and reflected well on Matthew and his parents. Especially rousing were Matthew’s comments, delivered to the assembled body of scouts and scouters. Those comments mostly reflected on his scouting career, but were framed with an eye to how those experiences will continue to shape his life as he walks the long and often difficult path of manhood.

The CoH was capped off with a delightful lunch that made even the most calorie-conscious amongst us return for seconds: BBQ, Mac-n-Cheese, baked beans, and a congratulatory cake. As the blue-icing stained smiles abounded and the food comas began to set in, we prepped the meeting space for the service project.

A rousing presentation was delivered by Ms. Courtney Arroyo from the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Courtney explained how OEM is involved in disaster preparedness and coordinating response efforts for the county during times of emergency. This includes delivering recommendations on when FCPS should close school…. Which precipitated a flurry of interesting comments and questions about… why school was not closed last week… why the social media hashtag #CloseFCPS was not more effective… how she could in good conscience allow school to remain open when there are such precarious conditions like rain…. All questions you would expect when a group of 50+ teenage students learn they are in the presence of power…. But I digress…

The service project itself was a simple, but immensely important one. Scouts packaged 225 emergency preparedness awareness kits for the elderly residents at the Lewinsville Retirement Residence. Each pack contained an informational trifold that explained the importance of keeping a kit packed and ready to go, a contact card so the recipients could get more info from the OEM staff, a magnet with the Farifax OEM hotline phone number, and a note letting them know the kit was made available to them as a service to community by the Scouts of Troop 1916.

Once the packs were assembled, the Scouts were transported to the Lewinsville Retirement Residence by a collection of parent volunteers. Once on site the Scouts calmly, respectfully, and quietly sacheted through the halls and hung a bag on the door of each resident. When complete, they returned to the church where food was cooked, screens came to life, gaming commenced, and sleep remained elusive.

Sunday morning, a hearty breakfast of bagels and juice was served to prepare the intrepid scouts for the final push to the end of the evolution. The scouts who were able to remain donned their Class A uniforms and attended church service together. A scout IS reverent, after all. And Scouting IS a faith-based family-oriented organization.

So, at the end of it all - we recognized excellence, we served the elderly in our community, we partook in fun and games, we got far too little sleep, and wrapped it all up by exercising the 12th point of the Scout law - one of the foundational tenets of the Scouting program.

Check out the photos over here.

Timberline Ski Trip

Thursday afternoon 27 scouts and 8 adults ventured to Timberline Ski “resort” in Davis, West Virginia. Anyone who has been with a scouts group to Timberline understands the humor of the resort label. Let us just say it is absolutely perfect for scout troops and an incredible value for 3 days/nights on the slopes!

We arrived in waves from late afternoon through early evening Thursday, obtained our rental equipment, and settled into our “resort” bunkhouse accommodations. Three of the smarter adults opted for other local accommodations… The bunkhouse consists of several very large rooms with stacked bunkbeds throughout. Our room slept 30 so it was perfect for 27 scouts and 3 adult male leaders to mingle, compare video games, and otherwise have a ruckus good time. 30 people is a nice round number for one room for 3 days with our ski boots! Despite the good times, we managed to make our typical 10pm lights-out. It was nice and quiet thereafter Thursday night, as we were the only group in the bunkhouse complex…

Friday was an almost picture perfect day on the mountain. Really, look at the pictures! We went lights-on at the typical 7am, cajoled everyone into ski/board wear and headed off to the lodge for breakfast with our gear. Lifts opened at 9a and the experienced scouts were off to carve the mountain with their buddies. Beginners got geared up for their 10a lesson. Several of the beginners opted for a second lesson which happened at 1:30. There was lunch in there somewhere… The conditions were great and we almost had the mountain to ourselves. It was run after run as fast as the slow lifts could get us back to the top. All with helping the beginners out along the way. After numerous hours of runs, several scouts took a break at the bunkhouse but returned for night skiing after dinner.

Since breakfast, lunch, and dinner have been mentioned, it is only appropriate to provide some context. The meals are often described as summer camp food on the slopes. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, and potatoes for breakfast every day. Lunch is typically hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, maybe a veggie in there somewhere. Dinners are fried chicken, chili, spaghetti with meatballs, and again some veggie in there somewhere + cake for desert. All cafeteria chow line type service.

As we trickled back to the bunkhouse Friday night, we are met by about 20 other groups checking in for the weekend. It was a noisy evening as the other groups checked in, received equipment, and go settled.

Saturday started as another great day on the slopes, but it warmed up quickly. 8 scouts ventured headed off for the snow sports merit badge clinic. 5 scouts ultimately received their snow sports merit badges. The other three plus a new crop will surely ace it next year! Obtaining the merit badge requires controlled parallel turns and stops for either skiing or boarding and is considered to be at least a “level 4” skier/boarder.

Timberline also got pretty crowed that day with the groups and day skiers arriving.

Another great day on the slopes for sure, but the conditions started getting soft and the lift lines got long. That didn’t stop many scouts (and two adults, myself excluded) from skiing/board into the evening yet again. We did have one unfortunate snowboarding wrist injury Saturday afternoon which took one scout out of the action and home early. We are all wishing him a quick recovery. Thanks again to all of the adult drivers as this is exactly why we need extra coverage on these trips.

Then the rain started around 10p Saturday night as we are headed to bed. It continued raining throughout the night into Sunday. We went to breakfast Sunday morning and assessed the conditions as the sun unsuccessfully tried to peek through the rain clouds. It was a unanimous vote to forego skiing Sunday and plan an early departure. After two great sunny days on the mountain, nobody wanted to go home with the memory of sitting in a puddle on the lifts. Good Call Scouts! We packed up and were out shortly thereafter. Another memorable trip to Timberline and hopes of returning next year with even more scouts (and adults :-)). If anyone is interested in volunteering as #2 for the ski trip planning next year, please let me know. I promise to start earlier. Thanks again to Shelly as always for dealing with the payments and reconciliations and to all of our scout participants for great memories.

Enjoy the photos over here.

Loudoun Heights 10 Mile Hike

Fourteen Scouts and seven adults set out on an unseasonably mild Sunday morning at 8:15 a.m. for an 11-mile out-and-back hike on the Loudoun Heights Overlook hike in West Virginia.  

More than 150 years previously, Confederate General “Stonewall”Jackson and his troops used Loudoun Heights as a staging ground for the bombardment of the strategic town of Harper’s Ferry.  

We saw no evidence of the Civil War on our hike, much of which required us to keep our eyes on the rocky trail to avoid missteps or slips.  

After the Scouts figured out which way was north, we followed the trail at a moderate pace as it climbed upward, taking in a nice view under overcast skies of Virginia on one side and West Virginia on the other at a utility clear-cut.  We had the trail almost exclusively to ourselves, and for the most part stayed together, stopping every 15 minutes or so to count-off and do a head-check.

Despite no rain being in the forecast, we experienced a bit of precipitation for a short period.  The leafless trees allowed us to spot the Shenandoah River as we hiked along  what become a ridge.  At this point, a few Scouts, presumably eager for lunch, passed the lead Scout and failed to stop at a fork in the trail.  Fortunately, they’d turned the right way and we were soon reunited. A Scoutmaster safety lecture for all and 50 push-ups for the unthinking Scouts helped emphasize the critical importance of sticking together as a group when hiking.

We stopped for lunch at the hike’s half-way point at Loudoun Heights Overlook – a rocky outcropping with spectacular views of Harpers Ferry which sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers where Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia meet.  The clouds started to lift just before we turned back, allowing for some good photo shots.  We saw a few more hikers and trail runners as we headed back the way we’d come as well as a group with a large dog loaded like a pack animal.  We couldn’t quite figure out what was going on but the dog didn’t seem at all unhappy.  We arrived back at our cars a little after 2:00 p.m. a bit muddy and tired but pleased.

You can check out the photo shots over here.

Kepler Overlook Backpacking Trip

Our annual visit to Kepler Overlook was accompanied, very thoughtfully of Mother Nature, by the first really cold snap of the winter season and the delicate sprinkling of snow.

After we all met up at the Pilot gas station just off the highway, having stocked up on coffee, sandwiches, donuts and visited the porcelain for the last time, we headed up and over the ridge to Elizabeth Furnace.

All 21 youngens and 9 oldens put packs on and headed up the 3 mile, 1,100 feet-elevation-gain trail to the top of the overlook. We zigged and zagged our way at a pace that would have made a snail sigh in despair because he was having to wait for us at every turn! No real idea why we went so slowly but it certainly meant the older crowd we not struggling too hard … for which we were grateful.

Once at the top the boys chose the rockier and lumpier of the sites on offer to set up camp (lord only knows why). Because of the record pace up the hill we only had about 30 minutes of light left to pitch tents, gather fire wood and layer up. It was definitely chilly and the beautiful view from the top was blanketed by a thick bed of fog.

Miraculously a beautiful and much needed fire was soon roaring away and various foods were being rehydrated. Mr. Forrer and the boys had come up with a new way to hang bear bags and this was done by patrol. I would imagine from the length of time it took that more practice was needed but has the potential to work way better than the previous one set-up for all.

After everyone was fed and watered we retired to the much needed warm of our tents. Once snuggled most had a pleasant nights sleep. The morning brought fresh challenges. Not only was it really cold, but the wind had picked up (thanks again Mother N’.) which dropped the overall temperature to quite a bit below chilly. One or two of the boys had decided not to put their boots in their tents and suffered. Boot Rockitus is an unpleasant condition for those who have to put the boots on, for those watching it’s actually quite funny. Fingers also suffered as gloves had been left on the ground overnight and Rockitus had spread. The only remedy was to show some giddy up, pack up and get moving. Always much harder done than said or typed!

We eventually left camp, having marveled at a beautiful sunrise, and headed down. After about 10 minutes all parts of the body were back to acceptable temperatures and smiles reappeared on faces.

All had survived and hopefully some of the guys learned the importance of looking after your gear, keeping it dry and safe and just how awful frozen boots can be.

Enjoy the pix over here.

C&O Canal Hike Summary

Sunday was another perfect late fall hiking day, despite a bit of light rain at dawn. The group rallied quickly at Total Wine, and was on the road by 7:15. We arrived at White’s Ferry 45 minutes later, and were on the trail shortly after 8. Everyone was in a mood to get moving quickly! The air was cool, but most of us had removed our warming layers by the second or third mile.

The hike covered 7 1/2 miles of historic canal tow path along the Maryland side of the Potomac River,, from White’s Ferry to a bit past the Monocacy aqueduct. We passed the ruins of several stone locks, lock keepers’ houses, and a huge power plant with a neat cooling water sluiceway that was built to match the official whitewater kayak race course for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. One of us (guess who) observed that some of the trees along the way were older than our nation. Given the cold, wildlife was sparse. Notable sightings for the day included one turtle on a log, and one snake on Nino.

The historic aqueduct was a perfect spot for lunch, and to toss a frisbee for a bit before we packed up to head back to the trailhead. The elegant civil engineering and the sheer manpower required to build the canal was a lot to think about as the hike progressed.

The terrain was flat, and the troop kept a quick pace of 20 mins per mile throughout the day. Some of the older boys sped up in the last few miles, while some of the older men took the opposite approach. After some quick photos, we packed up the cars and were all home well before 4.

A great day by all accounts, and we’re all looking forward to the annual Kepler Overlook ice festival next weekend!

You can find the photos of this hike over here.

Strickler Knob Part Deux!

Deep down in a hidden part of my brain, filed away for eternity, lies a day in August 2016. It was 95 degrees, humidity was too high to record and we were off to Strickler Knob to hike. Why? Because it was on the schedule. But lordy, it was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. A staggering hard hike, in harsh conditions and left me feeling terrible. 

Fast forward to Nov. 12, 2017 and the stars had aligned for a great day. Not only were we doing a shorter version of the hike … about 6 miles … but the temperature was so much more conducive to hiking … 36-ish at kick off and mid-40’s when we were done. 

The squad met at Total Wine and then headed out to the hills. The Salts made a slightly shorter trip from Purcellville and met the rest of the gang at the trailhead. We had a slightly scattered arrival time at the trailhead due to a crash on 66 but by 9:30 we were ready to go.

The maps we were aligned (oh my, do they struggle to align a map!!!) and we headed up. And wow was it up. We headed up a vertical fire road to a saddle and then a long a little bit until we reached the junction with the Knob trail. We then headed a long the ridge and up to the top. It was rocky scramble, semi fun and when we got to the top the views were awesome.

Lunch was had and we drank coffee kindly provided by Mrs. Coopersmith and Mr. Forrer made us a fresh pot whilst the boys chilled out on the rocks. Actually it was a really pretty spot and we could have spent much longer there than we did.

After lunch, we headed down. And down it was. The boys skipped down hill with the agility of mountain goats and the speed of winged arrows! With no squeals of pain or fear of twisting something that will stop them walking for the next month or two. Most of the old people took a much more leisurely approach with one or two of us walking very gingerly down the hill, trying to avoid those life ending mini-rock monsters hiding under the recently fallen leaves. Oh and lets not forget those pesky little acorns lying there waiting for a size 11 boot to slide over them and cause an immediate implosion of the large body attached.

We ended up back at the cars, thankfully unscathed and mostly smiling. It was a great day to get outside and enjoy the beauty Virginia has to offer. We had 20 young ones (including 18 scouts and two sisters) and a great group of old people.

Our next hike will on Dec. 3. We will be doing a tow-path hike from Whites Ferry to the Monacacy Aqueduct. This will be a 15 mile hike (elevation gain may hit 20 feet!!!), but is an important hike for anyone wanting to complete the hiking merit badge. 

Check out the photos over here.