November Camping – Buck Hill

The troop arrived at Buck Hill Friday evening and set up camp for the weekend. We knew we were in for a cold weekend. To prepare for the camping trip, in the troop meeting that preceded the camping trip, we reviewed tips for cold weather camping. On Friday night, the temperature hit the mid-20s, and surprisingly, not one scout complained of being cold the next day.

On Saturday morning, the scouts gathered plenty of firewood and set up the carport with tarps on the side. Although the carport wasn’t “warm”, it certainly protected us from the wind coming off the pond.

Before lunch, the troop headed out for a day hike. About half a mile before we arrived back at camp, the scouts were presented with a mission that would test their skills. The mission described a scenario where the troop ventured out for a 30-mile day hike. The hike was well planned out. The plan was to hike the black trail, pick up the red trail, and then take the green trail back to camp. After hiking all day and with just 4 miles left on the hike, you come across a river that is 10 feet across and the bridge is out. It’s too late to turn back so you decide to build a bridge to cross the river.

The scouts thought through the problem and came up with a solution and then had to execute the plan in a simulated environment. The trail was designated as the “raging river”. It was decided the scouts would make a two-rope bridge, one rope to hold on to and one to walk across. The troop unanimously (well almost unanimously) agreed it was best to send their SPL across the river so he could anchor the two ends on the other side. (Note: Their reason for selecting the SPL was because he was a strong swimmer.) The scouts tied a bowline around the SPL’s waist and sent him off across the river. They figured if he couldn’t swim it, they could always pull him back. Once he was on the other side, the scouts anchored one side of the rope to one tree with a bowline and the SPL used a trucker’s hitch on a tree on the other side to make both lines taut enough such that they would hold the weight of each scout. The scouts crossed the simulated raging river and all scouts made it back to camp.

The sunrise over the lake Sunday morning was amazing. It was a perfect ending to a great weekend camping trip!

Veteran’s Day

Several scouts from the troop were asked to participate in a Veteran’s Day ceremony at Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence in Warwick. The scouts made up the color guard and presented the colors during the opening ceremony. During the ceremony, we had a chance to hear stories from several veterans about their return home from war and the struggles they faced. The message that came through in all stories was to thank a veteran for their service and sacrifices. Besides the hardships of fighting in a war, they were away from their families and friends and when they came home, in many cases they were shunned. One veteran said, for ten years after his return, he never told anyone he was in the Vietnam War. He was afraid of the reaction he would receive.

The scouts of Troop 8 continue to support our veterans through Eagle projects and community service events like Honor Flights and flag placing at Veteran’s Memorial cemetery.

Be sure to take the time to thank a veteran for their service and thank their families for the sacrifices they made while a family member in the armed forces had to be away from home.

Walking Path Eagle Project

A Troop 8 Scout decided to give back to his church, St Therese of Lisieux, for his Eagle project by building a walkway from the parking lot to the front of the church. The project required digging out the area for the walkway, laying down a weed blocker fabric, paver restraints, sand, and finally pavers. The scout leading the project provided instructions to the scouts and several adults were onsite to provide guidance. The scouts (and some adults) learned the art of laying pavers by applying techniques to ensure the pavers were lined up and level. Like many projects, there were challenges along the way, but the scouts overcame those challenges and were able to successfully complete the project over a two-day period.

Special thanks to Home Depot of Coventry for their generous donation to make this project possible.