Catoctin Mountain Hike

Weather forecasts are potentially a reflection of what your day will look like. What they aren’t is a reflection of what your day can be. The forecast for today was awful, rain, low cloud and lowish temperatures. Not on the face of it a great day to be outside. But Lordy, was I glad we hiked.

The team met at 7 a.m. at Total Wine and head up 270 and then on to 15 to the Cactoctin Mountain Park visitors center. It was a pretty grim drive with windshield wipers moving and grey, damp, low skies all around. We met at the trail head, questioned our decision making (not the safety of the trip, just the concept of hiking in the rain!) and headed off on our loop around the park.

The initial footing wasn’t great and when we headed “up” to Chimney Rock the talking stopped and it was at the higher end of lumpy (i.e. steep). At the top we got a great view of low, wispy clouds and not much else, but it was still pretty in its own way. We headed off, more up, to Wolf Rock, a lovely quartzite escarpment. The rain was holding off enough not to be much of an issue. We pottered off for another mile and ended up at the Thurmont Vista for lunch. Define vista in your mind and that was not what we saw! We ate our sarnies and as we prepared to move, the cloud lifted enough for us to see the valley floor, just.
We headed around the north side of the park to the Blue Ridge Summit Overlook (not much to see here folks) and then headed back down towards Cunningham Falls.

Why was this hike great? Well, it’s hard to explain. The weather was miserable, but we got to see the park in a different light. At the top of the mountain, because of the rain, there were lots of little streams babbling down to the swollen river below. They didn’t affect our hike, just added to the experience and the noise. Constant water running which was in its own way was very therapeutic, and naturally beautiful.
A special moment.

When we got down to the road at the bottom, we headed the 0.2 miles up the wooded walkway to look at the Cunningham Falls … now they were great to see, flowing aggressively and worth the photo op taken.
After that we headed back to the parking lot, a tad damp, some soggy socks, but hopefully happy to have been out.

As your scoutmaster says, some of this scouting stuff we do is outdoor and with that comes the chance of rain, cold, wind and anything else mother nature can throw at you. I assure you we take safety very seriously and will NEVER do anything reckless, but we will go out in sub-optimal conditions. Scouting is meant to get the boys prepared for life … and I assure you at some time in their lives, it will rain!
This hike reminds me why we do this. Beautiful!

Our next hike in January is set, thanks to Brandon for choosing, and a sign-up will come out in the next couple of days … I bet you’re jelly you didn’t join us today!

You can find the photos of this hike over here.

-Matt Salt

Duncan Knob Hollow Backpacking

As we wrapped up the Duncan Knob Hollow backpacking trip last Sunday afternoon, I think James summed it up perfectly when he said, "this is the smoothest backpacking outing we've ever done."

A crew of 24 scouts and 9 scouters assembled at Redeemer for a very civilized 10am departure time and re-convened at our usual provisioning depot (gas station mini-mart with attached Subway). After a quick lunch and some final candy/coffee reloads, we made our way to the trailhead to find Mr. Salt eagerly awaiting our arrival. Despite overnight forecasts in the low-20s, warnings of multiple stream crossings in our water shoes, and extensive bear bag training, the scouts cheerfully bounded down the Massanutten Trail as the adults wobbled their way behind along the rocky path.

Imagine the serene winter forest in its deafening silence, fallen leaves carpeting the ground and crisp December air motionless throughout the valley. Then imagine Troop 1916 stomping through the fallen leaves, piercing the calm with tales of Fortnite and recounts of Bohemian Rhapsody echoing through the valley.

The trail follows the valley along Little Passage Creek the entire way, so navigation was a piece of cake. The only major obstacle was the first stream crossing, which some scrambled across on the few rocks that were there and others opted for their water shoes. After a slow recovery from the crossing, repacking shoes and shedding excess layers, we were back on our way.

The grade of the trail was fairly shallow for most of the afternoon, but the sun and the temperatures began to drop just as we approached the first large campsite on the trail and just as some of the scouts started slowing down - about 3 miles into the hike and shortly before the next major stream crossing. While we certainly could make the next site before dark, it was probably a smaller site than the first one and the last mile to the third site at the saddle would be pretty tough. So we opted to just settle in to the first site to give everyone plenty of time to set up camp and get plenty of fire wood for the evening and everyone was very happy with our decision.

With tents pitched, bear bags pre-staged, and campfires started, the meal preparation began and this was easily the biggest variety of backpacking food we've seen. In addition to the usual ramen and freeze-dried backpacking meals, we saw a smorgasbord of soups, sandwiches, and stews, not to mention the Ross Family's epic cornish game hens wrapped in bacon with a side of buttered potatoes, all cooked over the hot coals.

With dinner wrapped up at the late hour of about 5:30, most everyone migrated towards the sprawling fire to soak in the heat as the temperature dropped quickly. Daniel brought Hanukkah candles and fashioned a menorah out of aluminum foil so several people enjoyed watching and learning about the celebration. Some played cards and others just enjoyed hanging by the fire until we got to the end of the firewood we had prepared. Patrol leaders finished hoisting all the smellables in their bear bags and everyone filled their pots with water so they wouldn't have to fight with frozen water bottles in the morning, and then tucked in for a calm night with no wind and the only sounds were from the creek next to our site.

With temperatures in the 20's, not many were eager to leave their sleeping bags, but eventually the camp stoves fired up and a new campfire was lit which coaxed everyone out. Since we didn't make it to the summit on Saturday, a smaller group (8 scouts and 5 scouters) headed out to climb the last mile to Duncan Knob while others enjoyed taking their time eating and packing up their gear. The stream crossing was much easier than our last visit, but the climb was just as steep as everyone remembered. We scoped out the campsite at the saddle for our next trip, then scrambled the last 200 yards to the top for breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys before heading back to camp.

When we returned to the campsite everyone else was ready to go, so the climbers joined in the police line to clean the site, grabbed the rest of their gear, and we all set out for a gentle downhill hike back to the trailhead. Other than marvelling at the `frost flowers` (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_flower) , the trip back was uneventful and enjoyable with more perfect hiking weather. A quick round of Roses, Buds, and Thorns to debrief the trip and we were on our way, just as a few snowflakes began to fall.

Thanks to all the scouts who enjoyed the trip: Ian, James, Jonathan, Teddy, Patrick, Nick, Cy, Chris, Daniel, Graham, Helen, Brayden Brandon, Jordan, Kalen, Jack C, Jack T, Ethan, Mateo, Noah, Scott, Luke, Owen, and George. And to the scouters who helped get them all there and make it a safe and fun outing for all: David, Ed, Mike, Ben, Matt, Jason, Kate, Phubinh, and Mitch.

Echoing James' comment, this was a great trip and will certainly be on our repeat list!

Enjoy the pix over here.

-Mike Touse

Overall Run Winter 10mile Hike

Wow, was that a surprise!

Our hike yesterday was a beauty. My expectation was for sloppy conditions as the recent snows melted. I couldn’t have been more wrong. 10 miles of snow and ice, just under 2,000 feet of elevation gain, bear tracks in the snow and swollen rivers to cross!

The crew met at Total Wine and headed west on 66, turned left at Front Royal, left again at Bentonville and then shimmied to the trailhead just on the outside of the SNP.

The lollipop hike started up a narrow trail that was more stream than trail and the sides were more ice than snow. It made for an interesting start to our day. When we turned left to head up the valley the snow took over and we had a lovely walk besides the babbling brook. It became apparent at our first crossing that this was going to be a tad trickier than we thought. Once all were across several of the team had either one or two rather soggy socks, and some of the smiling faces decided to go away.

At the base of the climb up to the falls, we de-layered and then headed up. And up it was. About 1,500 feet up in just under two miles. Whatever your personal lumpiness scale is, that is steep. As we approached the falls rather large bear tracks were noticed so we upped the noise and kept together as a group.

Lunch was had at the top and then the lovely walk back down the ridge began. Because the snow was there it actually made hiking much easier than normal and we showed pretty good giddy up on the way down. We shared the trail with few other hikers and also three people on horseback. At one point it was suggested that “penguining” down the trail would be fun. Then it was decided that there were still rocks and pointy things that might hurt, so double-decker penguining was considered. Not surprisingly there were no volunteers for being the base penguin!

Once we got back to the cars all definitely realized they’d been out for the day and should be really proud of getting round this hike. It was one of the hardest we do and the conditions led to a little extra effort needed.

Congrats to Jonathan R., Brandon and Erin Pak who completed their first 10-miler. Others attending were Ian F., James R, Helen F. and Cy Mueller. Of the old people there were two Fs, one S., one M., and two Ps.

Our next hike will be Dec. 16 to Catoctin Mountain. This is a lovely 10 mile loop and not to tricky.

Check out the hike pix over here.

-Matt Salt

Sandy Spring Climbing & Camping

A bit of wind, some frost, and finally some sunny November climbing.

After wrapping-up Scouting for Food on Saturday morning, the troop headed to Sandy Spring, MD for our November overnighter. The theme was bring a friend camping and climbing. We had 52 Scouts, 10 friends, and 10 adults in camp--plus several more who came climbing on Sunday. A big thanks to Anya Kim for all the logistics in preparation for the weekend.

Shortly after our noon arrival Saturday, the Scouts sorted-out camping areas and commenced with lunch. The campsites were in small grassy clearings surrounded by trees--which gave some much-appreciated protection from the wind on Saturday. But unlike our usual car camping, the campsite was well over 150 yards from the troop trailer. So the scouts had to do some planning to avoid walking back and forth all weekend.

Something strange happens each year at this time. Somehow 30 degree temps for November car camping have a bigger impact than 20 degree (and colder) temps for December backpacking. At Sandy Spring, we had a fair number of scouts who appeared to be quite chilly on Saturday afternoon. Hope springs eternal for the wearing of more layers on future November trips.

With the recent return to Standard Time, darkness came in a hurry Saturday afternoon. But hot dinners by campfire light were enjoyed by all; and most topped that off with warm desserts. And the adults smiled as teenagers politely pleaded to go to bed at 9PM, retiring to the comfort of warm sleeping bags.

Overnight, the temperature continued to drop--to about 28 degrees. The moisture from recent rain combined with cold air made a substantial layer of frost everywhere by Sunday morning. Most things left unattended on the not-level picnic tables soon found their way to the earth (food packages, water bottles, cooking utensils, etc). And many reported bits of frost falling like snow inside the tents overnight. The weather is quite good at creating interesting problems for scouts to solve. (As for the adults, these things just make the coffee taste better ;)

The scouts worked their way through camp break-down, breakfast prep, and clean-up. Our goal was to be completely packed-up and getting fitted for climbing gear by 9:30AM. Luckily, no one's annual bonus is tied to such objectives. (Another big thanks to Anya for smoothing-over our tardiness with the climbing staff).

Once we actually started climbing, the morning glory came-on full force. It was a thing to behold--an array of green sweatshirts and smiling faces scattered among the trees with a big, bright sun getting warmer every minute. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Check out the activity pix over here.

-Mike Forrer

2018 SFF & RAH

Every November, our troop joins scout units all over the country to collect non-perishable foods for local food banks. We had more than 30 kids each weekend out working the neighborhoods--and lots of drivers, too.

In addition to Scouting for Food, we also support the massive Rise Against Hunger food packaging drive at Redeemer each November. We had a great showing of scouts and scout families working our Saturday session alongside a few hundred other community members (Redeemer parishioners, nearby church members, other scouting units, etc). And we also helped with setup on Friday (just beating the rain) and take-down on Sunday. Every year, the RAH event at Redeemer sends 300,000 meals to families in need.

Thanks to all who helped with the November service efforts.

You can find this activity pix over here.

Kennedy Peak 10 mile Hike done and dusted

First 10-miler of the season in the bag.

The weather for our late October hike could not have been better. The Kennedy Peak hike (the longer version) is just under 10 miles and has a lumpy quotient of relatively high (about 1,600 feet in elevation gain).

As usual everyone met at Total Wine at around 7 a.m. and hit 66 west around 7:20. The ride out to the trailhead was about 1 hr 40 mins and when everyone arrived, we got packs on, boots on and we’re ready to head north east up Stephens trail. Clearly the heading north east was our first minor issue. ALL scouts seem to struggle with the concept of direction (both verbal and physical) and if it’s the last thing I do, I will get 100% of them to stare into the sun at noon and all tell me they’re looking south! I predict failure but there has to be hope in life or we may as well give up now!

The first part of the trail meanders gently up the side of the ridge and then very rudely takes a sharpish turn to the right and for about half an American mile goes up at an alarmingly steep incline until conversations are stopped, lungs are fully open and heart rates are close to if not exceeding maximum beats per minute.

Once we all got to the top there is a lovely walk along the ridge to the base of Kennedy Peak. To get to the peak there is a relatively steep, but short trot up to the top where you are rewarded with some of the best views of any hike in the area. Lunch was had and Mr. Forrer fired up the old faithful alcohol stove for hot chocolate and coffee.
Much appreciated.

After everyone was fed and watered we headed down. The walk back to the parking lot is not too strenuous but a few of the younger fellas on their first 10-miler started to feel the pain. But to a man they made it back to the parking lot and now know they can do it, so the next one won’t be as bad.

The scouts completing their first 10-miler were Adem H, Alicia M, Brayden T, Grace Z, Prashim R and Rohan M. Other scouts attending were Andre G, Braden B, Brandon C, Connor C, Cy M, Daniel H, George C, Helen F, Ian F, Jack C, Jack T, Jordon C, Noah C, Owen C and Teddy W.

Scouter attending were Sarah and Ryan M, Mike T, Paul Z, Manjula M and 2/3 of the FOMs.

As you should have noticed three of those attending were young ladies. As we start to roll out the girls troop you will hopefully see more and more girls attending our events.

Our next hike is set for Nov. 18. We will get details and a sign up out soon.

Check out the pix of this hike over here.

-Matt Salt

Summary of the Cub Friendly

Troop 1916 just had another great fall outing. Around 25 Boy Scouts (and lots of Cubs) launched small pumpkins with bamboo, making for a very fun weekend.

Three weeks ago, the weather was in the 80’s. Now, in going outdoors to camp, we could definitely feel the change of seasons.

Saturday was a blast! Scouts constructed their own shelters using tarps and rope, built patrol catapults, and tasted amazing food during meal times thanks to our grub masters.

When we arrived, there was a problem with Lake Fairfax Park Authority having assigned us the wrong campsite. Apparently, we were assigned to a campsite that another group was using that same weekend. When that was resolved, the Scouts attempted to pitch their tarps near the sparse amount of trees in the area. Many of the patrols were assigned spaces that were on a slope and had to make due with what was provided.

Now, to return to the catapults -- we had 6 or 7 teams of Boy Scouts (4-5 scouts each) and one team of Cub Scouts. We constructed one line of catapults at each end of the field (a 70-yard meadow). Each catapult had 7 bamboo pieces, a throwing arm, and 6 square lashings. The pumpkins were thrown from T-shirt baskets attached to the end of the throwing arm. The scouts used sweatshirts, water bottles, and sticks in place of pumpkins to test capabilities and make final adjustments to their creations. Some of the teams managed fairly remarkable distances when they threw their pumpkins. There was always a line of cub scouts running to the remains of smashed pumpkins after they collided with the ground.

After catapults, all Scouts went back to camp for dinner. We burned all of the old bamboo from last year’s pumpkin event. (The fire got so big that we were debating whether to put it out). Many of the older Scouts enjoyed smashing open the old bamboo chambers before the burning, as well as the rather loud explosion of missed bamboo chambers by the fire when they were not broken open.

We all ate extremely well thanks to our grub masters. KP was a little longer than expected due to the dutch ovens and pots not being cleaned thoroughly the first time.

The whole evening was like magic; as soon as everyone got into their tarps, the wind started. It rumbled and whooshed so much that some of the scouts had to re-stake their shelters to avoid losing them. The wind chill added to the cold weather causing Scouts to dig through their gear to find more layers of clothing.

Sunday morning was a very early morning. There were pleasant aromas around all of the picnic tables. Tarps came down, and after no time, we were back in McLean and Falls Church.

You can check out the pix over here.

- Sebastian

Weekend Summary - Cub Friendly

The weather started off perfectly for the Cub Friendly camping trip. Lots of sunshine and moderate temperatures made for successful catapult building. The five patrols learned about the benefits of having a wide sturdy base, when a few structures fell over from overzealous operators.

The Cubs received guidance from Mike and some of the senior scouts, and quickly got their catapult built and operational. They were very excited to take turns propelling our favorite orange colored squash into the air.

After the "Smashing Pumpkins" concert, all participants were looking forward to a dinner of chicken tacos, jambalaya, potato casserole, quiche and walking tacos. Parents and guests were excited to try all the different dishes.

Once the campfire was set, the spirit of Halloween came alive when someone carved a pumpkin and began roasting it in the fire.

But the most notable characteristic of this trip was the wind. It whipped up to 30-40 mph just at bedtime arrived. The tarps began rattling, and some scouts who were on a hill noticed that their stakes had come loose, only when they woke up having slid completely out of their tarps.

In the morning, all campers (children and parents alike) commiserated about the conditions they slept in, and exchanged stories over scrambled eggs, bacon, hot cocoa and freshly made coffee cake.

Congrats to the Grub Masters, budding engineers, leaders and all the scouts on a memorable outing. Everyone is looking forward to the next camping trip.

-Steve Sirotzky

Cub Friendly Coordinator

View fullsize

View fullsize

What a beauty!!

And we’re off … the fall hiking season is underway!

The first hike is in the bag and what a beautiful day to be outside.

It all started well enough at the parking lot in McLean and quickly went downhill shortly after departure when we found 66 closed!!! With a few detours everyone managed to get to Sky Meadows State Park and were rewarded with a truly lovely spot to hike.

On the face of it a 7 mile hike isn’t too onerous, but lordy, this hike had some lumpiness. The loop to start introduced us to some cows in the valley floor and meandered around until we got to the base of the ridge.

Maps are quite handy things if you have the vaguest idea what you’re looking at. For most, if not all the scouts, the maps seemed to simply be pieces of paper, stuffed in plastic that were incredibly annoying and should be folded up, placed in a pocket and not looked at again. However, given their staggering inability to follow blazes the odd subtle clue offered by that now crumbled piece of paper could have come in handy.

Oh and don’t start me on the fact that not one of the 17 scouts had a compass with them. They’re useful little fellas that I’m sure the scouts will learn to love one day, especially when asked to point in a certain direction. Given their absolute and complete failure in that task a tiny piece of equipment costing less than $10 could have come in handy! Oh well, next time.

Once we got to the base of the ridge the climb up to the AT is, in the words of your scoutmaster, “sporty”. This definitely caused a quietening of the adults and a dramatic increase in water attraction. The temperature was awesome but it was humid, very humid and we were walking up into the cloud base. It seemed that with every step you were not only expelling water but attracting it from the air around you. But all puffing and dampness aside, once we got to the top we had a lovely stop for lunch at the scenic overlook of the little town of Paris. OK, so you could only see 100 yards off into the cloudy mist but it was still scenic!

After lunch (and some pawpaws) we headed back down the trail to the parking lot. Congrats to all the scouts and the old people who completed the 7.2 mile loop and a double congratulations to Brandon and Jordon who coincidently not only had their birthday on the same day as the hike, but on the same day as each other! Happy Birthday.

A lovely first hike and we’ll get the next one out soon. I’m confident that boys will brings compasses next time and learn to love those pieces of paper we unfairly forced them to carry with them.

Check out the pix over here.

-Matt Salt

2018 Summer Camp

Powhatan has provided a ton of opportunities for our scouts: live animals at the nature lodge; swimming, boating, and blobbing at the waterfront; shooting sports at the archery, rifle, and shotgun ranges; and pounding and whittling at handicraft. And every day, several times a day, scouts have been criss-crossing the camp on foot. I bet they took more steps this week than all other weeks of the summer combined.

And I've seen zero issues with electronic devices this week. While it's sometimes been challenging for adults to be out of cell range, I'm convinced it's been great for the scouts. I'm not sure why it's worked so well, but it's been much better than any of our recent years at camp (and also better than our weekend outings).

Just down the road from Powhatan, the older scouts who attended Claytor Lake Aquatics Base seemed to have had a wonderful time. In fact, it seems they'd like to claim exclusive dibs on that camp for next year. While that's quite unlikely, it's reasonable for older scouts who've performed leadership all year to seek a camp like Claytor. They had a lot of independence (no adult leaders from our troop, only staff oversight). The camp has a program for virtually every BSA water program (SCUBA, sailing, wakeboarding, SUP, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, etc). We'll see what the PLC decides for next summer.

As the week ends, it's also a good time to thank all of those who came and camped with us: Patricia Short, Kathy Munoz, Debbie Gattuso, Steven Zahniser, Tim Manarin, Kevin Humpreys, TJ Master, Manjula Master, Jason Coopersmith, and Shelly Coopersmith. They volunteered at the dining hall, helped herd cats during BSI class, bolstered the lifeguards at the waterfront, promoted hygiene, and guided the steady stream of sleepwalkers back to their tents at night. When you next see them, please thank them. 

You can find the photos from this trip over here.

-Mike Forrer

Up North -- in the Boundary Waters

You can't really put your finger on it at first. But after a few days in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, you figure it out... When you can see for miles across water and islands. And there's no sign of human development. You know you're in a very special place.

Then you remember the map you saw in base camp--and you think about how big the Boundary Waters really are (over 1000 sq miles) and the tiny portion you're seeing. It's truly something to behold.

Our troop sent two full crews to Northern Tier this summer. And I bet every member of those crews would love to go again.

The BWCAW has a "Rule of 9"--meaning that no more than 9 people should be together in the wilderness at any time. Each of our crews started out as 8 people and picked up a guide (called an Interpreter) from base camp to make 9.

One crew was Braden, George, James, Nick, and Owen; plus Mr. Bonanno, Mr. Carson, and Mr. Ross. The other crew was Charlie, Jonathan, Ian, Jack, and Nino; plus Mr. Bravo, Mr. Forrer, and Mr. Oppenheimer. Because of the Rule of 9, the two crews had totally different itineraries when they left base camp.

We worked with a great travel agency for flights (Frosch) and terrific shuttle service to get us from Minneapolis to Ely with a night of lodging (Northern Lights Shuttle). And a big thanks to Mr. Oppenheimer for handling logistics.

Our Interpreters met us upon arrival at base camp and led us through 36 hours of preparation before heading to the water. We loaded up with tents, stoves, fuel, water purification, and some very high-class trail food (onions, peppers, curry spices, cheese, egg 'cubes', chicken strips, etc).

Each crew leveraged the strengths of their Interpreter. The crew with the slightly younger scouts relied on Tommy's three years experience at NT to know they'd be OK with a longer route and some lengthy portages (including a 1-mile-portage!). Their payoff was some of the best campsites in the area.

As interpreter of the crew with slightly older scouts, Emilio did a fantastic job deferring to the scouts for itinerary planning and execution. And he was an excellent back-country cook. Incidentally, he intended to be a ranger at Philmont this summer, but agreed to work at NT to cover the influx of crews impacted by Philmont's fires.

In the pictures for the trip, you can see the fantastic sunsets, the vibrant contrast of trees, water, and sky, and the many happy faces. And of course, the photos are just a taste of it.

I think our only regret was that 5 days and 4 nights away from base camp seemed too short. Perhaps we'll have a longer go at it next time.

Check out the pix over here.

-Mike Forrer

Sun, Sand & Surf

Twenty-eight scouts, four sisters, and a contingent of parents headed to Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware for an absolutely gorgeous weekend.

Most of the group opted for the early Saturday morning drive. And that was one of the smoothest trips to the ocean I've ever done. Google maps estimated the travel time as two hours and thirty minutes. Even with some stops along the way, all drivers were at the campsite in under 3 hours.

There were two other troops camping nearby us--but very kindly, they left us the largest area for camping. The scouts had plenty of room to spread out around a field, locate hammock hanging trees, and still have space for throwing frisbees.

After an early lunch (the scouts were 'starving' by 10am due to the early wake-up), we established buddies for the beach and rehearsed several rounds of buddy checks. 

For safety and simplicity reasons, we decided that buddies would be 'permanent' for the whole time at the ocean (no switches). So we asked the scouts to carefully consider their groupings into twos and threes. 

Once we arrived at the beach, we had frequent buddy checks. The scouts did very well with these. The beach was busy, so we opted to clear the water for every buddy check. And some of the scouts suggested the buddy groups count off (just like we do for other outings)--and that worked great.

Water temps were chilly (a bit below 70). So lots of the scouts spent time on towels chatting, playing cards, etc. I also brought two paddle boards along for the trip--which seemed like big hits.

At about 4PM, the older scouts (actually) decided we needed to get going for dinner prep. Several variations of walking tacos were on display, along with hearty spaghetti with meatballs and iron-fired pizzas. Then came the dutch oven cobblers. The dinners were all quite good.

The scouts were some-kind-of-tired by Saturday evening. And the mosquitoes were getting more feisty as the evening wore on. We had fewer than 5 scouts still moving at 9PM. Lights out at 10pm was an afterthought. 

Virtually everyone headed for home on Sunday morning once we packed up and had breakfast (and after the Hydra patrol experimented with boiled dumplings). 

A few interesting bits of history on Cape Henlopen--it is arguably the nation's first 'public lands' because in 1682, William Penn granted it to the common usage of those living in the nearby counties. It was also an active Army base during World War II (and Mr. Mallus pointed out to me a likely bunker near our campsite and a gun emplacement on the beach). More history is here: http://www.destateparks.com/park/cape-henlopen/history.asp

Check out the pictures over here.

-Mike Forrer

EoY - CoH

By Mike Forrer, Scout Master

I'm not sure our troop has ever had thirty-four rank awards at a single Court of Honor....until now.

Certainly the Scouts should be commended for their continued progress along the trail to Eagle. The bulk of the awards were for First Class. And it's wonderful to have so many Scouts positioned to go for the upper ranks.

But it's also a great time to recognize the work of the ASMs who give lots of their time to support Scouts pursuing advancement: Mr. Zahniser and Mr. Johanson. And another big thanks to Mrs. and Mr. Carrico for their work as Advancement Chair and Boards of Review Coordinator.

Lastly, I'd like to thank all the parents who coordinated outings, served as Parents Committee Officers, or took-on additional responsibilities to support the work of our troop. Your work is vital to our continued success.

Check out the photos over here.

Big Schloss Backpacking

What's a little rain?

In just over 3 weeks, Troop 1916 will send 2 crews to Northern Tier. And this past weekend we had our final trip together before flying to Minnesota.

Trips like this are tremendously important for promoting teamwork and handling adversity. As a troop, we're trying to find the right number of 'extra' outings to prepare for high adventure trips. And we're certainly learning more with each year.

We did a longer version of the Mill Mountain hike from HikingUpward.com. Our route included an out-and-back to Half Moon Lookout. The total mileage for the 2 days was a healthy 20.1 miles.

We assembled at Redeemer at 7PM Friday (to avoid the bulk of Friday traffic). After a stop in Haymarket to pickup Charlie (and say 'hi' to Will!), we had our full contingent.

The drive from Haymarket to Woodstock on Friday included some impressive downpours. But the rest of Friday night and most of Saturday were completely rain free.

Upon arrival at the trailhead Friday (about 9:30 PM), we loaded packs and did the 10 minute walk to our first camp. Tents were pitched, bear bags hung, and we were lights-out a little after 11.

Saturday morning went smoothly--hot meals (and hot coffee!), and on the trail by 8:30am. Our pace was quick--likely aided by cloud cover and cooler-than-usual temps. We had 9 miles finished before lunch at Half Moon Lookout (which was unfortunately socked-in). After another 4 miles, we made camp at the Sandstone Spring about 3:30pm (on the ridge between Virginia and West Virginia).

We had a nice fire at camp, ate meals, and opted for bed as the rain arrived at 7:45pm.

And the rain just kept coming. We didn't know it at the time, but Woodstock received almost 3" of rain Saturday night through Sunday midday.

Sunday morning was a classic challenge--how to go from being dry in tents to eating hot breakfasts then to hiking (and generating warmth) as quickly as possible in adverse conditions.

The hammock dwellers had a nice setup--they left their rain flies up when taking their hammocks down. Then they cooked and ate under shelters. Charlie also deserves credit for bringing and deploying a tarp above his tent door. I'll certainly remember these tricks for next time.

The trail on Sunday was transformed into a rushing stream. We opted-out of the final push up Big Schloss--the risk seemed unnecessarily high to go up and down such a steep trail with so much water flowing. And we knew we'd have very limited visibility from the top.

Even so, Sunday's jaunt clocked-in at 7 miles.

We could certainly consider doing this hike as a single-day-20-miler next year. Because it's 2 hours from McLean, we'd probably want to camp at the trailhead the night before the hike. If there was sufficient interest, we could also have a 15 mile route (skipping Half Moon Lookout).

Check out some pix from this trip over here.

-Mike Forrer

Whitewater Rafting Trip Wrap Up

If the weather the week leading up to the rafting trip (Youghiogheny River) was any indicator how the trip would go, it should have been a total washout.  The Saturday morning rain coupled with the incorrect destination address by the lesser half of the Petersons(Chris) should have put the troop on the wrong path to start.  Nothing could have been further from how the weekend unfolded. 

We drove through light rain and heavy fog on the way up to Ohiopyle, PA.  Once we arrived at the rafting outfitter the clouds thinned and the sun made the first of many, some extended, appearances of the weekend.  Most of the troop opted for wetsuits and splash shirts to keep the 55 degree water from turning us into shivering wimps.  The sun stayed out for several hours before we got on the river and everybody was hot and ready for the 55 degree water.  After strapping on life vests and helmets, a quick shuttle ride to the river and an entertaining dos and don’ts river rules session we put the boats in the water. 

Five minutes into the trip Mr. Forrer decided that his adult boat mates were all hot and needed a dip in the chilly water, so guide and all went for a swim.  Within 3 minutes the professional guide had everybody back in the raft and floating down the river.   Midway down the river we pulled off on a sandy beach for a deli style lunch provided by the outfitter.  Man can those scouts eat a lot of cookies.   They also got a chance to jump off a large rock into the river and swim back to the beach and even with the 55 degree water some of the scouts did this many times. 

During lunch the scouts got a great lesson in the importance of being able to swim.  An adult rafter from another group jumped off the large rock into the river clearly not being able to swim and just started floating down the river.  One of the guides sprinted down the beach, dove into the river and hauled the person out just before it looked as if she might go down the next set of rapids. 

Right after lunch back on the river we had a short period of rain followed by the wonderfully warm sun.  The river level was between 6/7 feet above normal so the dreaded double waivers weren’t necessary and all that extra water increased the speed of the river and made for extremely fun rapids. 

Once back at camp the troop worked like a well-oiled machine with all the tents up and loaded in no time at all.  That done, they then broke into their patrols and very efficiently had all the stoves and burners fired up and dinner underway.  It really was impressive to watch the older scouts leading the effort and the younger scouts pitching in where they could.  All four of the patrols produced great meals for both dinner and breakfast the following morning.  The rain was very timely in coming right at lights out so everybody scrambled into their tents and the camp got quiet real quick.  We woke to nice weather, ate another great scout made meal and after doing roses buds and thorns headed down the road. We had 24 scouts and 11 adults on the trip.

Enjoy the pix over here.

Billy Goat 20 Miler Wrap Up

As I sit on the porch enjoying a cup of tea (and the Advil working it's way to my joints), I'm very proud of the Scouts (and a sister) who completed 20+ miles today on the Billy Goat Trail. I'm also tremendously thankful for the adults who made the journey and supported the younger ones.

We started an hour earlier than usual for hiking--meeting at Total Wine at 6AM. The trip to Great Falls, MD (near Old Anglers) took only a few minutes. And we had boots on trail by 6:30AM.

From that Old Anglers trailhead, if you do each section of Billy Goat A, B, and C, plus the corresponding stretches on the C&O Canal, you have a 10-mile hike. So we mostly doubled that with a bit of variation to hit 21.84 miles (by my GPS--Mr. Touse showed 20.8 on his).

Our route went north from Anglers along Billy Goat A, then a full loop around the River Trail (+ corresponding tow path), then a repeat of A (but in the reverse direction). This allowed us to complete both stretches of the more challenging section A on fresh legs, before crowds arrived, and before the forecasted afternoon showers. Then we curved through 2 figure-8's of loops B & C. And we completed the full circuit in just under 10 hours.

For a May hike, we could not have been more fortunate on weather: barely a sprinkle all day, mostly overcast, and bits of clear skies here and there for encouragement.

The youthful 20-milers today were George C., Owen C., James R., Jonathan O., Danny O., Jack T., Nick B., Ian F., and Helen F. And we had 2 Scouts complete 10-milers today, as well: Chris F. and Braden B.

The adults completing 20 miles were Mitch B., David R, Chuck C., Mike T., Peter O., Kate F., and me. And Keith F. also knocked-out 10 miles.

Today's hike completed the Hiking Merit Badge for several Scouts. Now all of the Scouts going to Northern Tier have that badge wrapped-up (as they committed to do in preparation of our trip).

Our next hiking adventure (June 1-3) will actually be a backpacking trip geared for the Northern Tier crews. But all experienced hikers/backpackers are welcome.

Photos of this hike can be viewed over here.

2018 Projectoree

On Friday at 4:45pm 43 Scouts and 9 Scouters headed down I-95 en route to Camp Wilson. After a quick stop for dinner most everyone made it to camp in a couple of hours. We checked in and  set up camp in our usual spot. Senior patrol leader, patrol leaders and staff Scouts attended the PLC to pick up their scoring packets and schedules, give their patrol names and get a briefing. The Livid Lemons (a.k.a. Bulldogs), Big, Better, Best (a.k.a. Dragons), Lumpy Llamas (a.k.a. Lumberjacks), and Crazy Koalas (a.k.a. Yetis) were ready to get going in their newly handed out shirts.  

After a cool night with a middle of the night serenade from a couple of very loud, very close owls, the Scouts were up at 7am. After a quick breakfast, everyone headed for the main field for the opening ceremony. Luke Felix represented the us by carrying the troop flag in the ceremony. A few more instructions from the event leaders and the competitions began. 32 patrols in total competed in 10 events. The patrols competed in 5 events in the morning including the Obstacle Course, Fire-building Race, Canteen Pour and many others. After a hot dog lunch and short rest, the patrols were back at it for the 5 afternoon events. None of the 32 patrols were able to complete the task of building a fire, boiling water and cooking pasta for the Fire-building Race. Our staff Scouts helped out with the Obstacle Course. The weather was perfect for the day's competition. 

After the 10 events, it was time for the Scoutmaster Chariot race, a favorite for all troops. Significant rain on Friday created a HUGE puddle in the middle of the field. Unfortunately, our troop was assigned the lane with the puddle. The Scouts quickly lashed their "chariot" and Mr. Forrer bravely climbed in. The Scouts began running down the field and were in the lead when they came upon the puddle. They were outmatched by the puddle and went down with a very soggy thump. Luckily no one was injured, but we lost the heat and were eliminated from the competition.

The grub masters prepared dinners of toxic mac-n-cheese (which ended up being sandwiches), burritos, walking tacos and teriyaki chicken with tomato soup. For dessert, there were s'mores and 2 delicious dutch oven apple pies. 

At the evening campfire, new Scouts Cole Brownson and Alexander Mallus represented our troop in the solemn flag retirement ceremony. Both did an excellent job. Our troop performed the Shady Realtor skit again this year and again it received the most laughs. As the time for the overall awards drew near, the anticipation grew. The highest finish for our troop was the Lumpy Llamas patrol in tenth place. Although we didn't do as well as last year, the Scouts worked well together and we all got to know the new Scouts better. 

Saturday night was a bit chillier. There were no owls, but lots of wind and rain. We awoke Sunday before 7am and immediately started breaking down camp. Everything was mostly packed up by 7:30am (a new record!) and the grub masters were busy cooking eggs, pancakes and sausage. After breakfast, it was KP for the troop gear and an efficient police line to pick up trash. After Roses, Buds, and Thorns and a few announcements, the Scouts were dismissed and another Projectoree was in the books! The Scouts did a great job this year and with lots of room for improvement, are looking forward to next year's competition. 

Check out the photos over here.

Riverbend hike 10 miler

We had lots of sun and near perfect hiking temperatures today for our hike. Seventeen Scouts (one of them brand new!), a sister, 8 adults, and one very happy pup got outside today.

We often head west a few hours to get to the woods. But today was a snap--9.9 miles from McLean to the Riverbend Nature Center. We did a little backtracking at the beginning of the trip as the scouts worked their way around a closed section of trail. But soon enough, we were hugging the Potomac coastline and enjoying the view of the wide river.

We carried-on south past the Washington Aqueduct Dam--which was first completed across the whole Potomac in 1889. What I didn't know until just now was that Arlington and Falls Church also draw their water from that dam (https://www.nps.gov/choh/learn/historyculture/thewashingtonaqueductsystem.htm)

A bit further along we arrived at Great Falls National Park, Virginia side. If you've never done the hike from Riverbend, it's a great way to access the national park--and quite different from the usual line of cars at the toll booth.

Past the main Visitor Center, we headed inland a bit, and hiked up our only real elevation gain of the day. Once we hit Difficult Run, we followed it toward the Potomac, headed north along the River Trail and then retraced our steps to Riverbend.

With the way our weather's been, I bet we go from a chilly winter to a sticky summer with hardly any time in between. So kudos to the following scouts: Cy M., Andre G., Brandon C., Jordan C., Ian S., Pranav K., Jack T., Owen C., George C., Braden B., Charlie S., Ian F., Chris F., Danny O., Jonathan O., Nick B., and Helen F. for making the most of today's weather. And a big thank you to the following adults for looking out for safety on the trip: Mitch B., Ryan M., Mike T., Shelly C., Chuck C., Peter O., and Wendy S.

And a special shout-out to Cy--he crossed-over from Cubs to our troop on Friday evening and already knocked-out his first 10-miler.

Looking ahead, we're planning a big one for May -- 20 miles. The usual rule applies: you need three 10-milers under your belt before you go for 20.

Click here for photos.

Camp Highroad Trip

On March 10th, the troop headed out to Camp Highroad for a great outing on a brisk but sunny day.  The group consisted of 30 boy scouts, 6 friends, and 14 parents.  The majority of the group was able to join the morning convoy of 12 cars for the one-hour drive. 

We were parking our cars when a Camp Highroad staffer arrived to get us started on activities. Since our numbers were large, the group was broken down by patrol. The Bulldogs headed off immediately to tackle the mountain boarding while the Dragons were directed to the archery field.

The Lumberjacks and Yetis stayed behind to set up their tents and enjoy some free time. The campsite itself was reachable by a small path from the parking lot and consisted of a large campfire area and a covered platform with picnic tables surrounded by level ground and trees. Each patrol staked out an area amongst the trees to call their own.

The boys had an easy mile-long hike on a flat path to both the mountain boarding and the archery areas.   During the March 2017 trip to Camp Highroad, muddy conditions forced the cancellation of mountain boarding. This year, the conditions were great.  For the uninitiated, “mountain boarding refers to riding – either while sitting or standing – a large skateboard (with hand or feet grips) down a mountain. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as the mountain in question consisted of a gently sloping, grassy terrain. Prepared for any and all spills with helmets, knee and elbow pads, the boys had a blast launching themselves down on the boards.

Over at the archery field, the boys received a short lesson, then took turns practicing their shots with a row of targets. The highlight of each session was when they competed on one target to see who could get closest to a bullseye.  Some parents joined in as well and one neophyte archer (Mrs. Felix) stunned the boys by letting fly some pretty precise shots!

The Bulldogs and Dragons then headed back to camp to set up their own tents and eat lunch while the Lumberjacks and the Yetis took their turns at mountain boarding and archery.  Lunch for all patrols consisted of sandwiches.

When all the patrols had completed the activities, there was still plenty of time for everyone to hang at the campsite. A game of Frisbee was waged in the parking lot. capture the flag had the boys running around the campsite, and still others crowded around tables for some serious card playing.

Dinner consisted of chili (regular and vegetarian), 2 sets of walking tacos and cheese ravioli. Oreos and s'mores for dessert.  A roaring campfire helped fend off the cold for a while but then campers turned in early. Unfortunately, the temperatures continued to drop, falling into the 20s before dawn.

Breakfast the next morning got the boys moving, and the parents thankfully had coffee to help them thaw out. Breakfast burritos, bagels, doughnuts and pancakes were all on the menu.

Departure was delayed due to many, many "police" lines to check for trash.  At roses, buds and thorns, most boys said that mountain boarding and archery were the highlights of the trip and cold weather was the drawback. 

Mr. Forrer commended the boys on planning this particular trip.  Originally, the March trip was supposed to take the boys to Sandy Spring, MD for a ropes course, a trip the Troop enjoyed last May.  Unfortunately, Sandy Spring informed us they would be closed in March, prompting a search for ropes courses and campgrounds around Harpers Ferry. The boys ultimately decided that they wanted to invite friends to a fun activity with plenty of down time around camp. Camp Highroad more than met that goal.

You can enjoy the photos from this trip over here.

Cranny Crow 10+ Miler

It was a nice, crisp day for a walk in the woods for 10 scouts, a sibling, and 8 adults (including an Aaron C. who couldn't have been happier to be up at 0-dark-thirty on the first weekend of his first college spring break!).

We drove to West Virginia's Lost River State Park today. It's about 30 minutes southwest of Wardensville, WV. And I think this is the first time our troop has make that trek. A big thanks to Mr. and Mrs. B. for recommending the hike.

The hike started with a stout uphill--the same elevation gain (1200') as Kepler Overlook, but in only two thirds of the distance. That certainly got our attention. At the top of the climb was a mortar and stone shelter overlooking one of the best views I've ever seen in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I don't know how many miles we could see--but the windmills we pass on the way to Timberline were clearly visible.

Just past the overlook, at only 2 miles into the trip, we (strangely) headed downhill. And more downhill. And then uphill, in a hurry (again!). This time the payoff was an awesome mountaintop meadow with a beautiful stonework & hand-built-timber pavillion (and a latrine). We need to think about returning here for a backpacking trip. That pavillion was huge and has a large fireplace.

Apparently the buildings were created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. In another interesting bit of history, Lost River was the site of a skirmish in the French Indian war.

The rest of the distance to the turnaround was along a windy ridge. The trees in McLean may all be budding, but at 3000' in WV, it was still winter today. When the trail dipped to the leeward side of the ridge near our turnaround, the warm sun felt wonderful. We grabbed lunch, took a few pictures, and enjoyed some hot coffee--courtesy of Ms. Coopersmith. Then we mostly retraced our steps--with a slightly shorter & steeper decent to the cars.

Our under 18 crowd today was Connor C., James R., Ian F., Braden B., Jack T., Brandon C., Jordan C., Jack C., Nick B., Noah C., and Helen F. And Aaron C. certainly gets an honorable mention.

See you all Tuesday.

Enjoy the pictures here.