May Camping – Buck Hill

The troop spent the weekend at Pulver Shelter at Buck Hill Scout Reservation. The troop held a flag retirement ceremony and also held a fishing derby. The girls from Troop 3 Gaspee were also staying at Buck Hill, so they participated in both activities.

The flag retirement ceremony was led by the Senior Patrol Leaders from each troop and representatives from each troop took part. The troops reviewed facts about flag etiquette and then respectively retired a worn beyond repair American Flag.

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The fishing derby was a huge success and prizes were awarded for first fish caught, last fish caught, longest fish, shortest fish, first bass, pickerel or trout, and most unique bait to name a few. A good time was had by all!

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April Camping – Yawgoog Sherwood Forest

After 15 months of no camping, Troop 8 was able to get back out in the field for overnight camping. We did have to abide by some new COBID-19 rules such as one family per tent and masks when you are within 6 feet of each other. However, despite these rules, camping felt closer to “back to normal” than you would expect.

The troop arrived around 9a Saturday morning and the boys spent the first hour setting up camp. Most scouts slept in their own tents, a couple of scouts decided to take the hammock approach, while one made an impressive improvised shelter with a tarp. The Wilderness Survival Merit Badge has paid off for him.

For the past couple of years, the troop has put the lighters and matches aside and started honing their skills in using a magnesium/ferrocerium rods to generate a spark into a tinder bundle to start a fire. On Saturday morning, the boys participated in a fire starting demonstration where they learned of different types of materials that could be used to catch a spark; many of which can found in nature with very little effort. The list includes:

• fat wood
• dried grass
• birch bark (from a fallen tree)
• punk wood
• chaga mushroom
• char cloth
• cotton ball with petroleum jelly
• duct tape

The afternoon was free time for the scouts to hang out with their friends. Many of the boys went fishing, some went out to explore Yawgoog, and some set out for a hike to the Trading Post.

Although the scouts normally head to their tents in the evening to hang out with friends, due to the social distancing restrictions, they had to congregate outside. Fortunately, Sherwood Forest had many fire pits. Some scouts took advantage of the fire pits and started their own campfires, while others played board games under the wooden structure on the campsite. It was great to get back and the scouts picked up like we never went on pause. They knew what needed to get done, they supported each other, they took care of each other, they entertained each other, and you can tell everyone was thrilled to be back camping!  

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Yawgoog Hike Day Trip

The troop had a day event planned to practice fire starting skills and then hold a fire starting competition. However, when we arrived at Yawgoog Scout Reservation on Saturday morning, there was approx. 6 inches of snow on the ground on top of an already 6-9 inch base. Luckily Boy Scouts are taught to be prepared. In the event the conditions were not suited to forage for fire building material, our plan B was to hike to the Dinosaur Caves on the edge of the northwest corner of Yawgoog Scout Reservation. The troop headed out in search of the caves. Along the way, we came across some challenging spots where there were steep hills (up and down) that had sheets of ice below the snow. Many of us learned the hard way that there was ice hidden below the newly fallen snow.

The troop did eventually make it to the Dinosaur Caves, however we didn’t realize it until we had already passed them. The caves were unrecognizable with all the snow cover. At one point, we must have taken a wrong turn (or did we ) because, instead of heading back to camp, we were heading away from camp into Connecticut. No worries of course, the boys applied some navigation skills to get back on track and back to the parking lot where we started. In total, the troop completed a 5.4 mi hike. A good time was had by all and the general consensus was, we need to do that again soon.

Hiking just after a snowfall provided a unique experience for those of us out hiking. You can hike the same trails in the summer, fall, and winter and the trails will look completely different. The snow covered trail and the snow weighing down the branches, gave us a chance to see a different side of Yawgoog and nature’s beauty in the winter.

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Cub World Camping Trip

For our February camping trip, we were joined by Troop 3 Gaspee. The Cub World Castles campsite has three bunk houses; Troop 8 used two bunk houses and Troop 3 used the third and we shared the common area. Troop 3 Gaspee is one of a handful of girl troops (within BSA Scouts) in the area and they have been growing quickly since their inception last year. Ranging from 11-15 years old, with the highest rank being Second Class, these scouts can go head to head with any of the other, longer running scout troops. They proved themselves in the Klondike Derby at Buck Hill on Saturday where they competed against 50 other teams and took home 4 ribbons!

On Friday night, our troop arrived at camp around 6:15p and the boys followed our usual protocol of getting water boiling for dinner and getting their personal gear setup in their bunkhouses. For dinner, we had Ramen noodles and cheese quesadillas. It was a fairly uneventful night with lights out at approximately 11:00p.

In the morning, Troop 8 scouts were up by 7am to start their morning duties, including making breakfast which consisted of pancakes, sausage, and hash browns. At 11:00a, we started the “Troop 8 Mini-Klondike 2020”. As I mentioned in the email leading up to the camping trip, there was a Klondike Derby at the Buck Hill Campground about a mile away. However, since we could not get enough volunteers to create a crew, we decided to hold our own Klondike-like event.

Our “Troop 8 Mini-Klondike 2020” consisted of 5 events. The adult leaders were proud to see every patrol was able to complete all five events… and do them well. Events included lighting a fire using just a striker and magnesium (no matches or lighters), tying five required Boy Scout knots, locating and identifying at least 5 different types of trees or shrubs, demonstrating axe skills by splitting logs, and lastly preparing a meal in a cast iron Dutch oven using all the ingredients provided to each patrol. Each event was scored and a winner was named. I won’t say which patrol came in first, but I will say the adult patrol did not have to do any of the other patrol’s chores .

For dinner, the scouts cooked grilled chicken and rice with vegetables. For desert, we had a cake that Troop 3 made to thank us for sharing our space with them over the weekend.

After dinner, the troop did a full clean-up of the area to make the clean-up in the morning easier. And for the rest of the night, the scouts either stayed inside playing board games, hanging out in their bunk, or sitting around the camp fire until it was time to go to bed.

 

 

 

Camp Champlain Camping Trip

Every year, the troop holds the December camping trip at Camp Champlin. Aside from the patrol duties and meals, we intentionally do not plan any activities or skills training for this camping trip to allow the scouts the opportunity to spend the time with their friends however they wish. Many of the scouts will take part in small hikes, manhunt games, snowball fights (when there is snow), or hang inside to play board games.

Troop 8 founder, Mr. Mike Deluca, is kneeling in the front row.

On Saturday night, many of the troop committee members donate their time to shop and cook dinner for the troop. Last years burger bar was such a success, all agreed to do the gourmet burger bar again. As usual, the meal was a huge success and the scouts greatly appreciated not having to cook dinner.

For dinner, we dusted off the dutch ovens and made six varieties of cobbler to have with ice cream for dessert. The picture below doesn’t do it justice, but the cobbler was the biggest hit of the night. We could have had six more cobblers and it would not have been enough.

Buck Hill Camping Trip

The troop arrived at camp around 6:30p and immediately started setting up. The Quartermaster pulled equipment from the trailer, the patrol on cooking duty started boiling water and setting up the new grill. (Note: At the last committee meeting, Atticus and Adam, the two Quartermasters, proposed to the committee the troop needs a new turbo and a new grill. The equipment we were using was approx. 10 years old and worn. The committee approved the proposal.). For dinner, we had Ramen and Quesadillas.

The campsite had a cabin that slept 16 boys and 4 adults, so on the first night, some boys opted to sleep outside in tents and power through the low temps. All survived the night with little complaining, however, all decided to sleep in the cabin on the second night.

In the morning, the scouts were up by 7am, breakfast was served by 8:30a and we made lunches for the hike. We hiked from Buck Hill Scout Reservation through the George Washington Wildlife Management area out to Quaddick State Park in Connecticut. We stopped at the park for lunch and took a group picture against the lake (see attached), and then hiked back to camp. The troop completed a 4.5mi hike for the day.  The attached picture shows a 3.9mi hike because I stopped recording during lunch and forgot to restart recording.

In the afternoon, the boys had free time to do whatever they wanted. Many played board games, some took a nap, and some hung out with friends outside. Everyone found something productive to do.

For dinner, there was a chilli bake-off between the scouts and Mr. Hamilton. They both started making their chilli around 2p and let it slow cook until 5p. The chilli smelled so good, the boys started asking at 3:30p if we could eat dinner. Needless to say, both chilli dishes were amazing and there was no clear winner.

After dinner, the troop did a full clean-up of the area to make the clean-up in the morning easier. And for the rest of the night, they stayed inside playing chess, Risk, and cards until it was time to go to bed.

Camp Sayre – Freedom Trail Camping Trip

The troop arrived at camp around 6:30p and immediately started setting up camp. The focus was on getting all the gear up to camp and getting the water boiling for dinner. For the next hour, the scouts finished getting their tents up and all their gear in the tents. By 7:00p, we had a roaring fire and ate by 8:00p. There was a little drizzle overnight, but by 9:00a the sun was shining and we were on the road to Quincy Adams T-Station by 9:30a. While waiting for the subway, we used the time for a teaching moment to explain to the scouts how to read the MBTA subway maps and explained to everyone the route we were taking. Once we arrived at the Boston Common, the scouts received questionnaires that needed to be completed in order to earn the Freedom Trail pin.

We hit every stop on the Freedom Trail. Along the way, we stopped at Faneuil Hall to eat our packed lunches and finished up at the Bunker Hill Monument around 5:00p. We headed back to the subway station to get back to Quincy Adams and drove back to camp. The pizza place we stopped at last year near the Bunker Hill Monument was out of business so we ordered pizza and brought it back to camp. Several scouts played man-hunt and some went to their tents for the evening. By 10p, camp was quiet. The troop was wiped out from the day. We walked approximately 8 miles in total.

Movie Night Lock-In and Team Building

As the troop jumped back into Scouting, after coming off a summer break, the troop leadership decided to use this first-weekend camping trip for team building. Activities were planned for Saturday morning for the new patrol leaders to get to know their patrols and to give the Senior Patrol Leader and Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders a chance to work together.

We started the weekend off by having a Movie Night Lock-In at the church on Friday night. The scouts had pizza, opportunities to hang out with friends and play board games and online games, as well as watch movies. We had two movie projecting rooms.

Saturday morning, the scouts were up early to pack up their overnight gear, and prepare a full breakfast. After breakfast, the scouts took part in team-building activities.

June Camping – Arcadia State Park

 

The troop did a hike in, hike out camp at Arcadia. We arrived at approximately 10am Saturday morning and started hiking into our campsite. What should have been a 2 mi hike turned out to be a 3 mi hike as a result of a small unplanned detour.

Once we arrived at the campsite, we got the campfire started to get the potatoes and eggs cooking. We cooked the eggs in orange peels (see picture below). It gave the eggs a bit of a citrusy flavor, which was surprisingly good. Half the boys hung back at camp while the other half went swimming at the waterfall. Boys swam for 2 hours in the shallow water and even found a natural water slide against the rocks. For dinner, we had soup and summer sausage and finished it up with cookies for dessert.  We were in bear country, so we were sure to keep our contained and later tied the garbage bag up in the tree to avoid unwanted visitors.

That night, despite the warning of a potential rain shower, some boys decided to sleep under the stars. Around 2pm, mother nature delivered as promised. Those sleeping out under the stars quickly ran for cover. They eventually ended up in a nearby gazebo and were able to start a fire to keep warm. What was most impressive, they were able to get a fire started with just flint and steel.  Certainly, a proud moment to see them using their scout skills to good use.

May Camping – Buck Hill

In May, the Troop was planning to canoe the Saco River. However, due to the heavy snowfall in the winter and the wet spring, the water level was too high and the water was too cold to safely canoe. We made a decision to reschedule the Saco River trip and instead camp at Buck Hill. The local weather was also calling for rain so the Troop booked a cabin. Some boys decided to stay in the cabin, while others set up tents.

On Saturday night, after dinner was cleaned up and the sun went down, the boys took part in a half-mile night hike. On the hike, the boys were told they could not use flashlights and that they should use their other senses to help guide them. When lost in the woods, it is always best to stay put and wait for someone to find you. However, if you need to keep moving, use the stars or maybe sounds from a nearby highway to help keep you oriented so you are not walking in circles.