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Whitewater Rafting Information June 2, 2008

Posted by Jim Galley [ASM] in : general , comments closed

When: June 7-8, 2008
Where: Whitewater Challengers, Weatherly, Pennsylvania

Update: this is a repeat of last years information, with the date and times changed to protect the innocent.

whitewaterThe troop will meet at church Saturday morning at 6:15 sharp! , raft, camp overnight and return Sunday. We will be leaving the parking lot at 6:30am - so make sure you are there or you may get left behind!  Every scout going on the trip must have a parent or a committee approved guardian with them.  Guardians / Adults: let Jill or Kathy know what your lunch choice is - Turkey, Ham & Cheese or PB+J.

Those of you who have not taken this trip with the troop be sure to ask anyone how much fun it is. Once you arrive at whitewater challengers you will be assigned a parking spot near the campsite.  It will be best to arrive as a group; try to arrange car pooling before the trip.  We are a large group @ 40 people.  It is also a good idea to organize into paddling teams of 6 per raft.

After parking do not unload any camping gear, proceed to the check in area prepared to raft.  The check in process is organized in stations.  It is a good idea to travel Saturday morning in your rafting clothes, there won’t be anyplace to change once you arrive.  Uniforms will not be worn anytime on this outing.

Our group leader will check-in to hand in liability forms and receive tickets to get on the bus, you will not be allowed on the bus without a ticket.  I included the location of the liability form [here], we would like every scout + parent to fill it out ahead of time and bring it with you to save time.

Once checked in:

Get on the bus with a ticket, your lunch and your 6 person paddling team (6 people per raft, scout and parent must raft together).  Bus ride is approx 1/2 hour.

What to bring whitewater rafting:

Tip: Nylon, polypro, wool blends and synthetics are best to wear under a wet suit. YOU WILL GET WET!

Do not bring:

What to bring camping:

Scouts sleep with their patrols and use their patrol equipment which will be distributed the troop meeting before the trip.  Scouts will need to bring their own personal gear, Refer to scout handbook for personal camping gear details. Adults need to bring their own camping gear and personal items

Remember - All meals are included: box lunch on the river, dinner and breakfast Sunday morning.  Packing snacks for the campsite is a good idea!

Spring Camporee April 13, 2008

Posted by Jim Galley [ASM] in : general , comments closed

Spring Campout 08Spring has finally arrived, and with it, our annual Benjamin Tallmadge District Spring Camporee. With new members of the dragon patrol afoot, we arrived at our campsite with 12 boys, lots of pop tarts, and a full wood pile just waiting to be thrown in the fire. After the adults figured out how to set up a Texas size tarp (whose size and silver reflective pattern is rumored to have disrupted air traffic by blinding pilots within a 30 mile radius), the boys put on an impressive display of cooking prowess - cooking not only 6 packs of ramen noodles, but steaks, potatoes, onions, hamburgers, hot dogs, pancakes and bacon! (not all at once, but you get the picture). With so much food on site, its surprising that the boys had any time to do anything but eat! But they did - and did an excellent job running their assigned statements, participating in the tug of war event, and even cooking an "interesting" iron chef competition entry of spam and chocolate pudding. Additional pictures can be seen here.

Ice Age: The Escarpment Trail April 1, 2008

Posted by Jim Galley [ASM] in : general , comments closed

Well, many of us had thought that spring had truly arrived, and that winter was nothing but a past memory. That was, until we suited up to go hiking the Escarpment trail in the Catskills. We left out balmy, 50 degree weather in sunny Long Island to brave the snow & ice covered trails - and had fun doing it.

Our planned path was deemed too icy to pass from our trusty park ranger, so we braved the elements and took the long way around - complete with equipment. The main camping sites were closed for the season, so we hiked on, expecting to find a flat spit of land where we would be able to set basecamp and then continue hiking from there.

Alas, flat ground was nowhere to be found, so we improvised - we set camp on a frozen marsh: cold, but big enough to hold our troop. This made for difficult sleeping conditions (hard to keep warm sleeping on an ice cube) and an interesting late night / early morning wake up call - the cracking sound of ice!

Morning came, and everyone was ready to head back safely to warmer climates. We passed some interesting ice flows and traversed a rock + ice + water laden path back down to the cars. All in all - the hike was enjoyable, but we don’t think we will be sleeping on any frozen ice anytime soon again. 

Pictures from the hike can be found here.

Winter Camporee Info January 7, 2008

Posted by Jim Galley [ASM] in : general , comments closed

This Friday, Jan 7, the troop is planning on attending the District Winter camporee at Baiting Hollow Scout Camp. This years theme is Orienteering.

While we won’t be doing any skiing, we will be using a sled and competing against other troops in various map and location challenges. According to the District Website:

the sled should be loaded with whatever would be needed to treat hypothermia and frostbite, plus a compass, dry wood, magnesium fire starter, supplies needed to build a shelter, and lunch!

A detailed schedule isn’t available yet, but here is an outline of the weekends activities.

Friday 5:00 pm check in starts
  8:30 pm SPL & SM meeting
Saturday 9:00 am opening ceremony
  9:30 am stations start
  12:00 pm to
1:00 pm		 Lunch break
  3:45 pm scouts own
  4:00 pm sled race
  8:30 pm SPL meeting
  9:00 om SM meeting
Sunday 9:00 am closing ceremony
     

 

Church Cleanup October 26, 2007

Posted by Jim Galley [ASM] in : general , comments closed

When: Nov 11th, 11:30am - 4:30pm
Where: Smithtown Methodist Church