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Boy Scout Troop 248 has met in Waltham since January
1934, making it one of the oldest troops in the Boston are. We are committed to a
traditional scouting program that develops leadership skills
and character, teaches teamwork in an outdoor setting, and
above all is Fun!
Meetings are Mondays at 7:00 in the fellowship hall of
the First Baptist Church, 400 Lexington Street, Waltham MA.
Upcoming Events
This year's calendar is still being worked on, but a few
events are already either set or in the planning stage.
November 20-22, 2009: Cooking Trip
The November camping trip will once again be devoted to
cooking and will take place at Nobscot scout reservation in
Framingham, MA.
January, 2010: Ski Trip
In January we'll have our annual winter sports trip, most
likely at either Jay Peak, VT or Gunstock, NH.
February 19-21, 2010: Snowshoeing Trip
The annual winter venture trip is for advanced scouts:
First Class and above. This year we will be showshoeing at
Lonesome Lake hut in the White Mountains.
July, 2010: National Jamboree
This summer the Boy Scouts of America will celebrate
their 100th anniversary at the National Jamboree in
Virginia. A number of our scouts and scouters will be
attending.
So Far in 2009-2010
September Camping Trip
This year's September camping trip featured
Fall Court of Honor
As always, the 2009-2010 scout year started off with a
cookout and court of honor. After a hearty meal of hot dogs
and hamburgers, during which a slideshow from summer camp
was presented, the court of honor was held, recognizing
awards and achievements earned over the summer. This
included a number of Eagle awards! Congratulations Scouts!
Highlights from 2008-2009
Fall Court of Honor
 The
kick-off is the fall Court of Honor on September 8 at 6:00,
featuring a cookout, awards presentations, and a slideshow
featuring highlights of the troop's trips to T.L. Storer
Scout Camp and our high adventure trek at Philmont Scout
Ranch in New Mexico.
September Camping Trip
 The
kickoff for the year's camping activites was a weekend at
Camp Nobscott in Wayland, MA. The older scouts participated
in a weekend of leadership training, while the younger
scouts worked on map-and-compass skills and basic camping
skills.
MassJam
 The
first major event of the year was MassJam. Taking place on
Columbus Day weekend (October 11-13) in Falmouth on Cape
Cod, MassJam brought together something like 7000 scouts
from all over New England, including Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York. It was an
amazing immersive weekend of Scouting, Scouting, and More
Scouting.
November: Cooking Trip
 November
14-16 were spent at
Camp Resolute in
Bolton, MA. The theme of this trip was camp cooking,
including the use of Dutch Ovens. Instruction was provided
by our own Dan Iodice.
December: Camp Sayre
I don't have a lot of information about this trip, except
that it was wicked cold but everyone had fun.
January: Ski Trip and Klondike Derby
 The
January trips went quite well. The ski trip was well
attended. The weather was somewhat cold but the skiing was
pretty good. There were only a few scouts at the Klondike
Derby, but they showed great scouting spirit and competed
vigorously at various winter games, including the signature
sled race in which two of our scouts pushed and pulled a
third around a track in a sled that might have been as large
as the three of them put together!
February: Venture Snowshoeing Trip
 Once
again the February trip was a venture outing (limited to the
more experienced scouts), snowshoeing in the White
Mountains. This year we went to Carter Notch Hut and climbed
Carter Dome. It was cold, it was rugged, it was fun, it was
very rewarding.
March Webelos Camping Trip
Every year we invite the Webelos from some local Cub
Scout Packs to camp with us and learn about the Boy Scouts.
This year it took place on March 27-29, at
Camp Sayre. Attendance was great, and we are looking
forward to yet another strong crossover year!
April COPE Trip
The April camping trip was April 17-19 at Camp Greenough on
Cape Cod, and featured an afternoon on their COPE course.
The COPE (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) project
teaches scouts about self-control, discipline, and teamwork
by presenting them with a variety of challenges, both on and
above the ground. We also had awesome weather and an
excellent campfire!
May Backpacking Trip
The May camping trip was a backpacking excursion along
the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River in the White
Mountains of New Hampshire. The weather during the day on
Saturday was wonderful... but then the heavens opened up and
it rained all night. But ... we were good scouts and we were
prepared for the weather. Everyone was warm and dry, and a
good time was had by all!
Highlights from 2007-2008
February: Snowshoeing Trip
 In
February, 2008 troops 248 and 250 (both from Waltham) joined
forces to snowshoe to the Appalachian Mountain Club's
Lonesome Lake Lodge in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire. This
challenging trip included a side-hike up Canon Mountain in
zero degree weather with deep snow.
April: Hall of Fame Outing
On April 18-20, 2008 we made the long pilgrimage to
Cooperstown to visit the
National Baseball Hall of Fame. It was a long
drive - about five hours each way - but well worth it.
Highlights included a scavenger hunt in the Hall of Fame
Museum, Curt Shilling's famous bloody sock from the 2004
world series, lunch at the waterfront, and a few pickup
baseball game with other troops that were camping with us at
Camp Henderson
in nearby Maryland, New York.
May: Backpacking on the M&M Trail
This year's spring backpacking trip was on a section of
the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (quite a mouthful!) running
roughly from Royalston to Mount Grace. The trail was long
and sometimes extremely steep, and towards the end the
mosquitoes were simply unbearable, but we all made it.
June: Backpacking at Mount Greylock
 Our
June 'shakedown hike' at Mount Greylock was the final step
in our preparations for Philmont. All in all it was
representative of what we could expect. Although the
altitude was about 6000 feet less than a typical day at
Philmont, the distance and elevation change were pretty
representative. The biggest challenges came from the heat
and humidity, both of which were in the 90s. It was a rugged
weekend but we came out of it knowing that we were ready for
our big adventure.
July: Camp Storer
Summer camp is a fixture in our summer schedule. For the
last several years we have been going to
T.L. Storer Scout Camp in Barnstead, NH. Our younger
scouts took part in the Trailblazer program, which focuses
on teaching first-year scouts basic skills for the ranks of
Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class. Older scouts
worked on advanced skills such as Lifesaving. And, of
course, there was a good does of the usual summer camp fun.
August: Philmont
Our 14 day trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New
Mexico was not just the highlight of the year; for many of
us it was a highlight of our lives. Words cannot express the
awesome experience of trekking through the rugged Sangre de
Cristo mountains with only each other and the contents of
our packs to keep us going. Scouting Paradise!
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