Saco River Camping Trip

Troop 8 returned to the Saco River after 4 long years of having to miss out for various reasons. Upon first arrival, it felt like it was only yesterday when we were last there. Not only did we miss Saco, apparently the mosquitos missed us. We were greeted with swarms of mosquitos who were clearly out for blood. Those who arrived earlier warned us to use bug spray as soon as we got out of the car. Between the bug spray and the temperature drop in the evening, the mosquitos were no longer a problem.

The scouts setup camp, built a fire, and the troop hung out for a few hours by the fire before turning in for the night. Everyone wanted to get a good night sleep for the 11 mile kayak trip the next day. 

Morning came quickly and the scouts were up early preparing breakfast which consisted of pancakes and breakfast sausage. The troop then packed lunches and we headed out for our trip debriefing. The troop entered the water around 10:30am and started our journey down river where we would end up back at camp around 3:00pm.

The conditions for kayaking were absolutely perfect. It was clear skies with air temps in the high eighties. The Saco River was slow moving, crystal clear, and the water temp was in the fifties.

Along the river, the scouts found their usual spots where they like to hop out of the kayak and stretch their legs. We stopped at a few “sandy beach” areas and the sand dunes for a break. We also stopped to have lunch at the dam where we had to portage our kayaks over to the other side.

Even for those scouts who have never been, Saco continues to live up to the reputation as one of the camping trips the scouts most enjoy. We are already looking forward to seeing you again next year Saco River!

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!