Hiking in the rain on a Sunday!

Today’s weather was actually perfect for hiking … not too bright … not too hot … not too cold … just right. OK, so it may have been a little drizzly, overcast and generally miserable but I could not think of a better place to be on a Sunday morning (unless it involved a beach, cloudless skies and no scouts!!).

The crew met at the usual spot and then headed out 66, hung a left in Front Royal and pulled up just short of our annual canoe trip location and headed in the Shenandoah River State park. This was to be a nice little stroll up and down some minimal lumpiness for about 10 miles.

Once we’d all got together at the trail head we headed off (16 able-bodied scouts and 10 bodied adults). Most of the trails were rock-free and perfect for a gentle Sunday outing (even reminding some of us of fluffy kittens … long story but makes once of us giggle).

After moving at a pretty good clip we stopped for lunch at a beautiful overlook. We looked down on the river and into hills to our west. The clouds were low and wrapping their arms lovingly around some of the lower peaks making for a magical and slightly mystical picture. Having canoed this area many times in September, seeing it at this time of year in this slightly grumpy weather gave a slightly different perspective.

Although we had multiple trail changes the park was really well marked. Having said that, the scouts were shockingly bad navigators. For seven years I’ve been saying “orient your map”, “where’s the sun?”, “who’s got a compass?”, “anyone know where the sun is?”, “where exactly are we?”. I actually asked one of the scouts (who will remain nameless) where we are. He pointed to a spot on the map. He was about a mile off, up in the hills while we were standing about 30 feet from the river!!! I now firmly believe there is no hope, and so just smile knowing that we have achieved something by getting 16 guys outside at the weekend in the rain. For that achievement I was handed the misfortune of listening to them signing as we hiked.

Once back at the parking lot we all re-packed into our various cars and headed back to well earned showers and hot chocolate (and maybe an ice cream in Front Royal).

Enjoy the week and here’s to another great hike next Sunday.

Enjoy the Pix over here.

Lock-In At Redeemer

Overnight troop outings present the opportunity to engage in activities that are outside the norm of our daily lives - hiking the mountains of West Virginia, learning to build a fire in the rain, eating freshly cooked delectibles created at the often dirt-covered hands of Scouts, and battling Jack Frost’s mum (Mother Nature) braving the elements with nary a 30 pound pack strapped to each wee little scout in search of shelter and warmth. (that last bit in honor of seeing Matt Salt this weekend)

Until, that is, the troop comes up against the annual Lock-In!! This event, normally held in January or February each year, is a chance to engage in a community service project as a troop, and to gather for a night of relaxing repose in the relative comfort of the gym at our weekly meeting place.

The weekend began with an Eagle Court of Honor (CoH) where Matthew Harrington was honored for having achieved scouting’s highest rank. It was done extremely well, and reflected well on Matthew and his parents. Especially rousing were Matthew’s comments, delivered to the assembled body of scouts and scouters. Those comments mostly reflected on his scouting career, but were framed with an eye to how those experiences will continue to shape his life as he walks the long and often difficult path of manhood.

The CoH was capped off with a delightful lunch that made even the most calorie-conscious amongst us return for seconds: BBQ, Mac-n-Cheese, baked beans, and a congratulatory cake. As the blue-icing stained smiles abounded and the food comas began to set in, we prepped the meeting space for the service project.

A rousing presentation was delivered by Ms. Courtney Arroyo from the Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Courtney explained how OEM is involved in disaster preparedness and coordinating response efforts for the county during times of emergency. This includes delivering recommendations on when FCPS should close school…. Which precipitated a flurry of interesting comments and questions about… why school was not closed last week… why the social media hashtag #CloseFCPS was not more effective… how she could in good conscience allow school to remain open when there are such precarious conditions like rain…. All questions you would expect when a group of 50+ teenage students learn they are in the presence of power…. But I digress…

The service project itself was a simple, but immensely important one. Scouts packaged 225 emergency preparedness awareness kits for the elderly residents at the Lewinsville Retirement Residence. Each pack contained an informational trifold that explained the importance of keeping a kit packed and ready to go, a contact card so the recipients could get more info from the OEM staff, a magnet with the Farifax OEM hotline phone number, and a note letting them know the kit was made available to them as a service to community by the Scouts of Troop 1916.

Once the packs were assembled, the Scouts were transported to the Lewinsville Retirement Residence by a collection of parent volunteers. Once on site the Scouts calmly, respectfully, and quietly sacheted through the halls and hung a bag on the door of each resident. When complete, they returned to the church where food was cooked, screens came to life, gaming commenced, and sleep remained elusive.

Sunday morning, a hearty breakfast of bagels and juice was served to prepare the intrepid scouts for the final push to the end of the evolution. The scouts who were able to remain donned their Class A uniforms and attended church service together. A scout IS reverent, after all. And Scouting IS a faith-based family-oriented organization.

So, at the end of it all - we recognized excellence, we served the elderly in our community, we partook in fun and games, we got far too little sleep, and wrapped it all up by exercising the 12th point of the Scout law - one of the foundational tenets of the Scouting program.

Check out the photos over here.

Timberline Ski Trip

Thursday afternoon 27 scouts and 8 adults ventured to Timberline Ski “resort” in Davis, West Virginia. Anyone who has been with a scouts group to Timberline understands the humor of the resort label. Let us just say it is absolutely perfect for scout troops and an incredible value for 3 days/nights on the slopes!

We arrived in waves from late afternoon through early evening Thursday, obtained our rental equipment, and settled into our “resort” bunkhouse accommodations. Three of the smarter adults opted for other local accommodations… The bunkhouse consists of several very large rooms with stacked bunkbeds throughout. Our room slept 30 so it was perfect for 27 scouts and 3 adult male leaders to mingle, compare video games, and otherwise have a ruckus good time. 30 people is a nice round number for one room for 3 days with our ski boots! Despite the good times, we managed to make our typical 10pm lights-out. It was nice and quiet thereafter Thursday night, as we were the only group in the bunkhouse complex…

Friday was an almost picture perfect day on the mountain. Really, look at the pictures! We went lights-on at the typical 7am, cajoled everyone into ski/board wear and headed off to the lodge for breakfast with our gear. Lifts opened at 9a and the experienced scouts were off to carve the mountain with their buddies. Beginners got geared up for their 10a lesson. Several of the beginners opted for a second lesson which happened at 1:30. There was lunch in there somewhere… The conditions were great and we almost had the mountain to ourselves. It was run after run as fast as the slow lifts could get us back to the top. All with helping the beginners out along the way. After numerous hours of runs, several scouts took a break at the bunkhouse but returned for night skiing after dinner.

Since breakfast, lunch, and dinner have been mentioned, it is only appropriate to provide some context. The meals are often described as summer camp food on the slopes. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, and potatoes for breakfast every day. Lunch is typically hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, maybe a veggie in there somewhere. Dinners are fried chicken, chili, spaghetti with meatballs, and again some veggie in there somewhere + cake for desert. All cafeteria chow line type service.

As we trickled back to the bunkhouse Friday night, we are met by about 20 other groups checking in for the weekend. It was a noisy evening as the other groups checked in, received equipment, and go settled.

Saturday started as another great day on the slopes, but it warmed up quickly. 8 scouts ventured headed off for the snow sports merit badge clinic. 5 scouts ultimately received their snow sports merit badges. The other three plus a new crop will surely ace it next year! Obtaining the merit badge requires controlled parallel turns and stops for either skiing or boarding and is considered to be at least a “level 4” skier/boarder.

Timberline also got pretty crowed that day with the groups and day skiers arriving.

Another great day on the slopes for sure, but the conditions started getting soft and the lift lines got long. That didn’t stop many scouts (and two adults, myself excluded) from skiing/board into the evening yet again. We did have one unfortunate snowboarding wrist injury Saturday afternoon which took one scout out of the action and home early. We are all wishing him a quick recovery. Thanks again to all of the adult drivers as this is exactly why we need extra coverage on these trips.

Then the rain started around 10p Saturday night as we are headed to bed. It continued raining throughout the night into Sunday. We went to breakfast Sunday morning and assessed the conditions as the sun unsuccessfully tried to peek through the rain clouds. It was a unanimous vote to forego skiing Sunday and plan an early departure. After two great sunny days on the mountain, nobody wanted to go home with the memory of sitting in a puddle on the lifts. Good Call Scouts! We packed up and were out shortly thereafter. Another memorable trip to Timberline and hopes of returning next year with even more scouts (and adults :-)). If anyone is interested in volunteering as #2 for the ski trip planning next year, please let me know. I promise to start earlier. Thanks again to Shelly as always for dealing with the payments and reconciliations and to all of our scout participants for great memories.

Enjoy the photos over here.

Loudoun Heights 10 Mile Hike

Fourteen Scouts and seven adults set out on an unseasonably mild Sunday morning at 8:15 a.m. for an 11-mile out-and-back hike on the Loudoun Heights Overlook hike in West Virginia.  

More than 150 years previously, Confederate General “Stonewall”Jackson and his troops used Loudoun Heights as a staging ground for the bombardment of the strategic town of Harper’s Ferry.  

We saw no evidence of the Civil War on our hike, much of which required us to keep our eyes on the rocky trail to avoid missteps or slips.  

After the Scouts figured out which way was north, we followed the trail at a moderate pace as it climbed upward, taking in a nice view under overcast skies of Virginia on one side and West Virginia on the other at a utility clear-cut.  We had the trail almost exclusively to ourselves, and for the most part stayed together, stopping every 15 minutes or so to count-off and do a head-check.

Despite no rain being in the forecast, we experienced a bit of precipitation for a short period.  The leafless trees allowed us to spot the Shenandoah River as we hiked along  what become a ridge.  At this point, a few Scouts, presumably eager for lunch, passed the lead Scout and failed to stop at a fork in the trail.  Fortunately, they’d turned the right way and we were soon reunited. A Scoutmaster safety lecture for all and 50 push-ups for the unthinking Scouts helped emphasize the critical importance of sticking together as a group when hiking.

We stopped for lunch at the hike’s half-way point at Loudoun Heights Overlook – a rocky outcropping with spectacular views of Harpers Ferry which sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers where Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia meet.  The clouds started to lift just before we turned back, allowing for some good photo shots.  We saw a few more hikers and trail runners as we headed back the way we’d come as well as a group with a large dog loaded like a pack animal.  We couldn’t quite figure out what was going on but the dog didn’t seem at all unhappy.  We arrived back at our cars a little after 2:00 p.m. a bit muddy and tired but pleased.

You can check out the photo shots over here.

Kepler Overlook Backpacking Trip

Our annual visit to Kepler Overlook was accompanied, very thoughtfully of Mother Nature, by the first really cold snap of the winter season and the delicate sprinkling of snow.

After we all met up at the Pilot gas station just off the highway, having stocked up on coffee, sandwiches, donuts and visited the porcelain for the last time, we headed up and over the ridge to Elizabeth Furnace.

All 21 youngens and 9 oldens put packs on and headed up the 3 mile, 1,100 feet-elevation-gain trail to the top of the overlook. We zigged and zagged our way at a pace that would have made a snail sigh in despair because he was having to wait for us at every turn! No real idea why we went so slowly but it certainly meant the older crowd we not struggling too hard … for which we were grateful.

Once at the top the boys chose the rockier and lumpier of the sites on offer to set up camp (lord only knows why). Because of the record pace up the hill we only had about 30 minutes of light left to pitch tents, gather fire wood and layer up. It was definitely chilly and the beautiful view from the top was blanketed by a thick bed of fog.

Miraculously a beautiful and much needed fire was soon roaring away and various foods were being rehydrated. Mr. Forrer and the boys had come up with a new way to hang bear bags and this was done by patrol. I would imagine from the length of time it took that more practice was needed but has the potential to work way better than the previous one set-up for all.

After everyone was fed and watered we retired to the much needed warm of our tents. Once snuggled most had a pleasant nights sleep. The morning brought fresh challenges. Not only was it really cold, but the wind had picked up (thanks again Mother N’.) which dropped the overall temperature to quite a bit below chilly. One or two of the boys had decided not to put their boots in their tents and suffered. Boot Rockitus is an unpleasant condition for those who have to put the boots on, for those watching it’s actually quite funny. Fingers also suffered as gloves had been left on the ground overnight and Rockitus had spread. The only remedy was to show some giddy up, pack up and get moving. Always much harder done than said or typed!

We eventually left camp, having marveled at a beautiful sunrise, and headed down. After about 10 minutes all parts of the body were back to acceptable temperatures and smiles reappeared on faces.

All had survived and hopefully some of the guys learned the importance of looking after your gear, keeping it dry and safe and just how awful frozen boots can be.

Enjoy the pix over here.

C&O Canal Hike Summary

Sunday was another perfect late fall hiking day, despite a bit of light rain at dawn. The group rallied quickly at Total Wine, and was on the road by 7:15. We arrived at White’s Ferry 45 minutes later, and were on the trail shortly after 8. Everyone was in a mood to get moving quickly! The air was cool, but most of us had removed our warming layers by the second or third mile.

The hike covered 7 1/2 miles of historic canal tow path along the Maryland side of the Potomac River,, from White’s Ferry to a bit past the Monocacy aqueduct. We passed the ruins of several stone locks, lock keepers’ houses, and a huge power plant with a neat cooling water sluiceway that was built to match the official whitewater kayak race course for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. One of us (guess who) observed that some of the trees along the way were older than our nation. Given the cold, wildlife was sparse. Notable sightings for the day included one turtle on a log, and one snake on Nino.

The historic aqueduct was a perfect spot for lunch, and to toss a frisbee for a bit before we packed up to head back to the trailhead. The elegant civil engineering and the sheer manpower required to build the canal was a lot to think about as the hike progressed.

The terrain was flat, and the troop kept a quick pace of 20 mins per mile throughout the day. Some of the older boys sped up in the last few miles, while some of the older men took the opposite approach. After some quick photos, we packed up the cars and were all home well before 4.

A great day by all accounts, and we’re all looking forward to the annual Kepler Overlook ice festival next weekend!

You can find the photos of this hike over here.

Strickler Knob Part Deux!

Deep down in a hidden part of my brain, filed away for eternity, lies a day in August 2016. It was 95 degrees, humidity was too high to record and we were off to Strickler Knob to hike. Why? Because it was on the schedule. But lordy, it was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. A staggering hard hike, in harsh conditions and left me feeling terrible. 

Fast forward to Nov. 12, 2017 and the stars had aligned for a great day. Not only were we doing a shorter version of the hike … about 6 miles … but the temperature was so much more conducive to hiking … 36-ish at kick off and mid-40’s when we were done. 

The squad met at Total Wine and then headed out to the hills. The Salts made a slightly shorter trip from Purcellville and met the rest of the gang at the trailhead. We had a slightly scattered arrival time at the trailhead due to a crash on 66 but by 9:30 we were ready to go.

The maps we were aligned (oh my, do they struggle to align a map!!!) and we headed up. And wow was it up. We headed up a vertical fire road to a saddle and then a long a little bit until we reached the junction with the Knob trail. We then headed a long the ridge and up to the top. It was rocky scramble, semi fun and when we got to the top the views were awesome.

Lunch was had and we drank coffee kindly provided by Mrs. Coopersmith and Mr. Forrer made us a fresh pot whilst the boys chilled out on the rocks. Actually it was a really pretty spot and we could have spent much longer there than we did.

After lunch, we headed down. And down it was. The boys skipped down hill with the agility of mountain goats and the speed of winged arrows! With no squeals of pain or fear of twisting something that will stop them walking for the next month or two. Most of the old people took a much more leisurely approach with one or two of us walking very gingerly down the hill, trying to avoid those life ending mini-rock monsters hiding under the recently fallen leaves. Oh and lets not forget those pesky little acorns lying there waiting for a size 11 boot to slide over them and cause an immediate implosion of the large body attached.

We ended up back at the cars, thankfully unscathed and mostly smiling. It was a great day to get outside and enjoy the beauty Virginia has to offer. We had 20 young ones (including 18 scouts and two sisters) and a great group of old people.

Our next hike will on Dec. 3. We will be doing a tow-path hike from Whites Ferry to the Monacacy Aqueduct. This will be a 15 mile hike (elevation gain may hit 20 feet!!!), but is an important hike for anyone wanting to complete the hiking merit badge. 

Check out the photos over here.

A BIG Thank You!!

Each November, our troop spends the first two Saturdays doing service projects. The first Saturday is split between bag delivery for Scouting for Food and packaging meals for Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now). And the second Saturday in November is the pick-up for food donations from our assigned neighborhoods.

Both of these projects involve full measures of teamwork and fun, with a bit of exertion added on top. We had good turnout on the first weekend--and better turnout on the second weekend.

I'm not sure how many pounds of food scouts delivered this year. But I do know that Share of McLean depends on food drives like SFF to stock the shelves before the long winter. 

I spoke with one of the Rise Against Hunger employees during setup. He said Redeemer's event for RAH is about 12 times as large as their average event!

Photos for these events can be viewed here -

• Rise Against Hunger
• Scouting for Food

2017 Cub Friendly - A Humorous Summary

We had quite a showing at this event.  Most of the 90+ participants showed up to launch pumpkins with catapults.  We saw pumpkins going quite a distance, (some reaching what appeared to be 50+ feet) before exploding in an array of seeds, shells and innards. I guess that is why that vegetable is called “squash.” 

Now.. We did have a parent complaint which must be mentioned due to technical merit and historical snootiness. The comment was that the Scouts were not actually building “Catapults”, that instead they built “Trebuchets”.   Hmmm.  Think swinging arm instead of compression. Or in Brownson terms: It’s “Swoosh” instead of “Thwang”. 

Anyway, the Scouts all successfully made tents out of tarps and kept themselves predominantly dry (or if they got wet, they kept it to themselves). They worked well as teams to haul the bamboo to and from launching area. They did a good job chopping up so much old bamboo to make a large enough bonfire to require sunscreen. And they maintained their respect of the campsite to the end, by cleaning it up. 

The unexpected highlights of the trip were definitely the Grub Masters. Even the finickiest of kids were drawn in by the wonderful smells of Curry Chicken, Soups, buttered corn, burgers, and chicken skewers for dinner. And the hot dumplings, bacon, eggs and sausage, pancakes and fresh coffee cake made for an amazing breakfast.  We can definitely put IHOP out of business. (Who is with me?) 

I want to thank the parents for getting cars out during the day, and for braving the rain. The weather worked out perfectly, by only raining at night and stopping by breakfast. 

I know there were a lot of competing activities. A special call out to the Scouts who had to leave for swanky dance events, but returned in the morning out of a sense of commitment to the Troop. 

Go 1916!     

Enjoy the visuals over here.

White Rocks Hike

Fourteen Scouts (including one Girl Scout) were joined by nine adults for an unseasonably warm day of walking in the George Washington National Forest today. The listing of Scouts: Andre, Brandon, Connor L., George, Jack C., James, Jordan, Ian F., Helen F., Owen C., Noah, Patrick, Pranav, and Scott S. And the parents were: Chuck C., Denise, R., Jennifer S., Kate F., Jason C., Matt S., Mike F., Mike T., and Patricia S.

This is the second time our troop has done the White Rocks hike in about a year. And I'm pleased to report we had several improvements over the prior outing: 1) we actually found the overlook this time 2) upon returning to the cars, we had no surprises and 3) Patricia had a much easier time on today's hike (if you ask nicely, she'll show you her picture from last year's trip).

But the heat on the day was surprising. I'm certainly looking forward to cooler weather. A summery stroll in the hills is all well and good in July. But as the leaves are falling in mid October, it seems unnecessary to have temps in the 80s. Ah well, this sport is clearly played outside. We set the dates and carry-on as best we can.

This hike is shaped like a lollipop. We started and ended at the base of the stem. And there was a long loop in the middle. The first part of the loop was a mostly gradual climb into and up a box canyon. There was a good push to get to a saddle on the ridge, then a bit more up to achieve the ridge's apex. On the ridge, we hiked a portion of the Tuscarora Trail (which figures prominently in most of our GWNF hikes). The main overlook is a bit sneaky--because you follow a pipe stem *down* from the ridge to find it. But wow is it worth the jaunt. The rest of the loop is some tricky footwork on the downhill. But before you know it you're back to the lollipop stem again.

Thanks to all those who took the time and joined us today. See you Tuesday.

You can enjoy the hike pix over here.

White Oak Canyon Hiking

The White Oak Canyon hiking crew rolled out from our rally point early Sunday morning with 16 sleepy scouts and 7 fully-caffeinated scouters.  We arrived at the trailhead in Shenandoah National Park two hours later where we were greeted by two Smiling Salts.  With beautiful blue sky, a few leaves just beginning to change color, and nice cool temperatures we bounded cheerfully up the path with Ian, Jack, and Braden at the lead, keeping everyone mostly together. 

Everyone strolled along the trail, happily chatting with their buddies, for a little over a mile until we reached the lower end of the falls.  That’s when things turned quiet, as everyone suddenly remembered what it means when Mr. Salt says the hike is ‘a little lumpy.’  Giggles turned to gasps as we started up a series of switchbacks that we befriended for the next three hours, and a few nervous glances were shared between the adult scouters that quietly snuck past the trail marker that read ‘1/2 way’.  “It levels out just up there, boys!!”  And it did level out onto a spectacular outcropping overlooking the Robinson River and Whiteoak Canyon, and just beyond that we arrived at the river crossing. 

The river was actually quite dry so the falls weren’t as lively as they have been on previous hikes, but the calm water made the river crossing a perfect place to stop for lunch with countless places to sit and eat and some small pools to dip aching feet.  A couple scoutmasters even demonstrated some very disturbing yoga maneuvers to soak their nimble knees in the cool water.

Happy to leave the treacherous switchbacks and uphill climb behind us, we repeated our count-off to make sure we still had everyone and Teddy polled the group to see if there was anyone who wasn’t ready.  “Hike on!”  And we hiked on.  Uphill.  For another 2 ¼ miles. 

With all credibility shot, we finally reached the top!  Mr. Salt wisely warned everyone how slippery the leaves and acorns would be and to hike carefully down the hill.  Then the crying began – audible sobbing and whimpering for the next 1.5 miles as 14 adult knees snapped, crackled, and popped their way down the rocky path until we arrived at the waterpark!  ‘The Slide’ is a huge, sloping rock that has been worn completely smooth by the water passing over it and it dumps into a perfect swimming hole.  Many of the boys (and some other families, dogs, and scoutmasters) jumped at the chance to try the natural waterslide.  Another mile or so down the hill and we arrived back at the trailhead mostly unscathed other than a few cramps and a beesting. 

All grumbling aside, the hike was 8.5 miles (and 2200 feet of elevation gain) among some of nature’s most beautiful scenery and another reminder of why we all love Shenandoah National Park so much.  The boys all did a great job, from some of our youngest scouts to some of our oldest, and all are looking forward to the next one! 

Many thanks to all the scouts who made the hike:

Braden, Brandon, Jordan, Ian, Jack, Andre, Charlie, Luke, Mateo, Connor, George, Owen, Felix, Matthew, Noah, James, and Teddy.

And all the adults who helped get them there and back:

Shelly, Jason, Mike, Matt, Chuck, Patricia, and Denice.

Checkout some great moments captured here.

Great Outing in the New Scouting Year! - Canoeing Campout

I think the Sheandoah River may have been the absolute best place to be this weekend. We had gorgeous sun both days, exciting paddling, and a stunning evening of stars.

Thirty one scouts and sixteen adults made the troop's annual canoe trip. When you hear 'overnight canoe trip', you may be thinking about waterlogged tents and sleeping bags. But some very wise organizers put together our troop's trip many years ago--and we keep doing it the same way.

On Saturday, we arrived at the Low Water Bridge Campsite in Bentonville. The boys setup camp and ate lunch. Then the outfitter (Front Royal Canoe) picked us up in school buses, and drove us upstream 7 miles. By Saturday dinner time, we had paddled back to our fully set-up campsite. Then Sunday, we paddled a few more miles downstream and the outfitter picked us up and returned us to our campsite once more.

So the paddlers carried very little in the canoes: PFDs (worn at all times), water bottles, and paddles.

The first trip of the year is always a little bumpy in camp--finding things in the trailer and remembering how to assemble tents and stoves. As usual, I'm sure the scouts will have an easier time with those tasks on our second trip -- Cub Friendly is coming soon.

You can enjoy the outing pix over here.