Highlights from 2008-2009September 8, 2008: Cookout and Court of Honor
September 19-21, 2008: Camping Trip at Nobscot Scout Reservation
We met at the Church at 7:00 and started getting our gear together. That took a while... but eventually we hit the road for the long (30 minute) journey to the Nobscot Scout Reservation in Sudbury. It is fortunate that our camp site was close to the parking lot, because we had a LOT of gear; this was 'Cadillac Camping'. We made camp and bedded down for the night. The next morning we realized that the younger scouts were slightly unprepared: they forgot to buy food. Fortunately, the adults had tons of bacon, eggs, and pancakes, so there was plenty to go around... after which the scouts hit a nearby grocery store. After cleaning up we spent the morning honing our compass skills. There was a brief period of instruction, after which pairs of scouts (each accompanied by an adult), map in hand, completed a one mile orienteering course prepared as part of an annual 'Scout-O' orienteering event. Some of them took, let us say, the "Scenic Route", but all eventually made their way to all the checkpoints and back to camp. The afternoon was mostly free, but there was some time for advancement as several of the scouts made progress towards their next rank. At about 4:00 we hiked up the hill, gathered wood, and prepared for that night's campfire. The campfire, attended by both the younger scouts and the leadership training group, was a great success, with skits, songs, and a VERY impressive fire. The next morning we cooked, cleaned up, policed the campsite, and lugged our stuff back to the cars. We drove back to the Church and, after putting back our gear and hanging out our tents to dry, finally headed for home. All things considered, it was a nice, low-key weekend camping trip, a great warm-up for the year to come. October 11-13, 2008: MassJam at Barnstable Fairgrounds
The Jamboree started at 10:00 on Saturday morning, so we needed to get an early start. We assembled at the Church at 6:30 AM, loaded up the trailer with gear, and hit the road. Traffic was light, so we were at the site shortly after 9:00. The Jamboree is a huge affair, with hundreds of troops and thousands of Scouts. The Jamboree as a whole was divided into six sub-camps, each with its own administrative infrastructure and support staff. We were assigned to Subcamp 5, which was a little out of the way, but not as far away as Subcamp 6, which was on the other side of us. The arrival process was surprisingly smooth; our vehicles were directed to the unloading zone, where we quickly dropped off gear and passengers, and then to the parking area. It was crowded but pretty well organized. We were allocated a square area, perhaps 50 feet on a side, in which to set up camp. It took us a while to organize our personal and troop gear, set up the dining fly, set up the stoves, and finally pitch our tents. About the time we finished making camp we rushed off the opening ceremony, where all 8000 participants joined together in the Scout Oath and Scout Law and were greeted by the Jamboree staff. The weather for the Jamboree was perfect. They're still talking about the last Jamboree, in 2003, where it poured the entire weekend, but this year we were treated to absolutely perfect blue October skies, with warm days and chilly but not cold nights. Soon afterwards the activities opened. The activities included climbing, archery, mountain boarding, blacksmithing, first aid competitions, pioneering, and a variety of patrol competitions including a scavenger hunt. There was a long line for some of the more popular programs, such as mountain boarding and archery, but there was always something to do, somewhere, if you looked around. There was an excellent trading post with, of course, mountains of patches. Of particular note was the 'Stars' program, a 30-minute dramatic presentation on the stars and scouting. The evenings featured entertainment. On Saturday night Subcamp 5 held a campfire, with skits, songs and stories contributed by the attending troops. On Sunday we were treated to a live concert featuring a mixture of rock and bluegrass that we're still trying to categorize. The crowd at the concert was pretty lively, with an impromptu 'mosh pitt' in front of the stage; Congo Lines would periodically wind their way through the crowd. After the show we went back to camp or visited any of the numerous troop campfires scattered throughout the site. This time the Scouts did, in fact, remember to buy food! Everyone ate well, never mind the flaming bacon. On Monday morning we ate breakfast, cleaned up, and attended the closing ceremony, at which awards were given out for various competitions, both at the troop and the patrol level. Our sister troop, 250 Waltham, received top-dog honors for 'large troops' in Subcamp 5. Kudos 250! After the closing, we packed up the cars, drove home (by way of Wendy's ... yum!), unpacked our gear, and headed for home after a long and fulfilling weekend devoted purely to the celebration of Scouting. November 14-16, 2008: Camp Resolute (Cooking Theme)
The scouts gathered Friday night at 7:00 to pack tents, patrol boxes and stock food coolers. We arrived at camp Resolute and set up camp. We had only reserved a cabin for the Saturday meal but upon arrival we were given a pavilion to utilize as well. Tents were set up near the pavilion and this became home for the weekend. Saturday morning started with cooking. Breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, French toast and orange juice. There was time after breakfast to practice knot tying. Everyone gathered around to perfect the square knot, taut-line hitch, two half hitches and others. It was still before noon but dinner preparation needed to begin in order to be ready for our guests at 7:00pm. Desserts were prepared first. We learned that desserts are served at room temperature so they needed time to cool. Everyone was given a list of ingredients and cooking instructions. We mixed flour with eggs and milk and we whisked and we stirred. We made up side down cakes, short cakes, cup cakes and crisps. Desserts were cooked in Dutch ovens over hot charcoal. Everything came out perfect. To our amazement, nothing was burned. Now it was time to prepare our lunch. We had hamburgers and hotdogs and cold cuts and soup. We were cooking now! Soon after lunch we began preparing the main dishes. We needed to cut and slice and dice. We chopped vegetables and pealed potatoes. Each of us had separate dishes to prepare based on our list of instructions. Later in the afternoon, with the fires hot and three stoves running, we began cooking the main dishes for the feast. We had steak and chicken kabobs, ham, lasagna and meatloaf. A highlight was deep-frying a turkey. With darkness upon us, we needed to carry all the food to the cabin where we would have dinner with our families attending. Families arrived and grace was given. Everyone enjoyed the wonderful meal. There was lots of noise created by happy scouts and parents in conversation. The evening ended late, as there was a lot of cleanup to be done. Sunday morning brought cooler temperatures with breaking sunshine. Breakfast was prepared and everyone ate large again. Together the gear was packed, loaded and we headed home. It seems that this was just a warm-up for another special occasion to be with family and friends and help mom cook on Thanksgiving Day. December 12-14, 2008: Camp SquantoIt was very cold for the December camping trip. In
the words of one of the attending scouts: January 16-18, 2009: Ski TripThe January ski trip took place as planned on January 16-18. A baker's dozen of scouts and adult leaders spent the weekend in a couple of condominiums generously provided by friends of the troop and got some great skiing in. The weather was very cold, but the skiers had such a great time on the first day that they decided to ditch a planned day of cross-country on Sunday and hit the slopes both days! January 23-25, 2009: Klondike Derby
January 26, 2009: Winter Court of Honor
February 14-16, 2009: Snowshoeing Trip
All three troops met at 7:30 on Saturday, February 14 at the parking lot of the First Baptist Church in Waltham. We split up the food, loaded gear into vehicles, and hit the road at about 8:15. After a 3 1/2 hour drive, we arrived at the trailhead for the Nineteen Mile Brook trail in Pinkham Notch, just north of the Mount Washington Auto Road entrance. The 3.8 mile hike was fairly easy; the ascent was very gradual until the very near the end, at which point it went steeply uphill for about 1/4 mile, then steeply downhill to a pair of lakes and, finally, the Carter Notch Hut. The hut consists of a stone cabin built in 1914 plus two bunkhouses and a composting toilet facility which were added more recently. The interior of the hut is cozy (read: small), with a small but well equipped cooking area and a half dozen tables packed tightly, with just enough room to walk between them. There was just enough room to for 36 of us, another group of 4 hikers, and the caretaker. The caretaker was a great guy and, despite suffering from cold, demonstrated an extraordinary degree of hospitality. He guided us through various chores necessary to keep the hut running, particularly the difficult task of fetching water in the frozen landscape (a small hole in the ice is kept open all winter; you lie on the ice and laboriously scoop up water in a tin can and pour it into a couple of 5-gallon jugs until they are full). Dinner consisted of Guinness Stew prepared by Troop 248. It was somewhat delayed due to a couple of youth who had a bit of trouble on the hike up (leg cramps), but it was both hearty and plentiful. As the evening wore on we were very grateful for the shelter afforded by the hut and for the small wood fire burning in the cast iron stove. Between the stove and 40-odd warm bodies the temperature inside stayed a balmy 62 even as the outdoor temperatures dropped into single digits and the gale howled outside. We bedded down for the night. The bunkhouses, unlike the cabin, had no source of heat and got to be very cold. Temperatures plunged to 9 degrees on both nights. Most of us slept comfortably and warm... but there were a couple exceptions. One person decided to head for home rather than spend another uncomfortable night at the hut. A wise decision. On Sunday we slept until after 9:00, then had a breakfast of hot bagels with melted cheese and bacon, cleaned up, then set out for an optional day hike up Carter Dome. The trail was quite steep and icy in places. The author of this article turned back after about half an hour; his knees were starting to feel iffy and he decided that Carter Dome would be a very bad place to blow out a knee. What do you do if you get hurt on Carter Dome? You limp. If you can't limp, you might have to wait 8 hours in arctic conditions until a rescue party can get to you. In this environment you simply don't take the chance and hope for the best. Those who made it to the top reported that the summit itself was in the clouds, but nevertheless they were treated to a number of magnificent views during the ascent and descent. Sunday night featured a Lasagna dinner expertly prepared by Troop 250. Again we retired to our bunks. Again the temperature dropped to 9 degrees. Again, we were generally warm and comfortable. On Monday we got up at 7:00, loaded our belongings into our pack, and had another breakfast of toasted bagels with cheese. We cleaned up the hut, finished our communal chores (water fetching and dish washing), said goodbye to the caretaker, and hiked back down to the cars. We returned to Waltham just before 4:00, somewhat weary but quietly satisfied at having met the challenges of wind, weather, and mountain yet again. March 8, 2009: Scout SundayEvery year we serve a pancake breakfast to our sponsoring organization, the First Baptist Church of Waltham, as a way of thanking them for all the support they provide to the troop. All Scouts should plan to arrive at the Church at
9:30 a.m. to attend the morning service, which begins at 10
a.m. All Scouts and Scouters should wear their full uniform. April 17-19, 2009: Camping Trip and COPE Course at Camp GrenoughOur April camping trip was to Camp Greenough on Cape Cod, and featured an afternoon at their COPE (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) facility. Friday unfolded in standard fashion; we met at the church at 6:00, loaded up the trailer, and were at the camp by 9:00. We pitched our tents, crawled into our sleeping bags, and enjoyed a near-perfect night on the Cape. The next day was spent on the COPE course at Camp Greenough. The purpose of this course is to present the scouts with a series of challenges, both to the individual and to the group. The morning was spent on the "High Elements", in which the scouts climb to a height of 30 feet and perform a variety of tasks such as walking across a horizontal pole and sliding down a zip line. Safety is paramount; they are on-belay the entire time and could not fall any significant distance even if they tried. But to do this they assert reason (they are perfectly safe) over the natural fear of falling. Many of the scouts were fearful at some point in the process, but all overcame their fears and completed at least one of the elements.
The afternoon was devoted to the low elements, which are entirely about teamwork. The low elements are a series of obstacles designed so that, if the scouts attempt to go it alone or fail to work together they will fail. The key to success is for the older scouts to take charge of the situation, come up with a strategy, and help the younger scouts get through the course. Sounds a lot like what Scouting is about to me!
That evening we had dinner followed by an excellent campfire. Sunday we got up, ate, spent a little time on the sports field, broke camp and returned to Waltham, arriving shortly after noon.
May 15-17, 2009: Backpacking Trip in the White MountainsThis year's backpacking trip was May 15-17 in the White Mountains, just north of the Kancamagus Highway, along the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River. We left the Church on Friday evening and spent the night at a National Forest Service campground more-or-less at the trailhead. The weather on Saturday was excellent! We were on the trail by 10:00, and by 12:00 we had reached our lunch spot at Franconia Brook. We took a long lunch and made a side-hike to Franconia Falls. There was a good flow of water, and the view was spectacular. We continued up the river, and by 4:00 found a very pleasant campsite just off the trail. After dinner it began to rain, so we crawled into our tents rather early (8:00). It rained all night long, but everyone stayed warm and dry. We ate breakfast in the rain, but as we hit the trail the rain let up. We made excellent time on the way back, and were at the parking lot shortly after 9:00.
July 19-25, 2009: Camp T.L. Storer
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