Klondike Derby 2023

We went to Squanto for Klondike Derby. It was cold enough for snow but we didn’t have any snow on the ground. The scouts pushed the sled around to the different event stations including log pull, raise sled, and BB guns. The wait at the BB guns took a very long time. Then we didn’t have time to do the fire building station. The camp served lunch of hot dogs, chicken soup and cookies. Between events, we toured the scout museum. After we were done with the stations, we played a football game on the big parade field with the scouts vs adults. It was a game until the 1st touchdown which was super quick because the scouts had the 1st play and completed a long pass for a touchdown.

Downhill Ski Trip

We got an early start at 6:30 to drive up to Crotched Mountain ski resort in southern NH and arrived around 10am. It was busy since it was the best ski conditions so far this season. There were a couple good snow storms the week before and the weather was good for our ski day. It was in the lower 30’s with low wind. It took until around 11am to buy our tickets, rent our gear and get suited up. All the scouts got downhill skis except one who got a snowboard.

We did one run before taking an early lunch break. This first lift line was long and slow. And then lunch was crowded but the staff helped us out and gave us extra two tables that were reserved for a later group.

After lunch we got in a lot of skiing. The lift lines got shorter as the day went on. We split up into groups going on different level trails. The snow conditions were very good except for some icy spots near the top of the mountain.

We stopped for dinner on the drive home and arrived home around 9pm.

 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

We toured Woods Hole starting with a presentation by our tour guide about the history of WHOI and their current work. We learned cool discoveries made by WHOI and saw neat videos such as a shark biting their probe with GoPro camera. Then we had a tour of the docks. Their big research ship was in dock and the crews were active including a diver just up from the water. We got to touch the capsule of the deep-sea diving Alvin and saw the Mayflower 400 which is the first unmanned ship to cross the Atlantic.

The weather was sunny and mild, and there were no crowds which made parking a breeze and it felt like having the area to ourselves. The aquarium was open but we didn’t have time to visit.

Mystic Seaport

This trip combined the boy scouts (6) and cub scouts (3).

We started by visiting the US Navy Submarine museum in Groton, CT. We toured the USS Nautilus which was the first nuclear submarine. The museum has many interesting exhibits including hands-on equipment from submarine control rooms.

Then we went to Mystic Seaport museum and started with lunch from the cafe. The weather was sunny and mild, and we ate outside on a deck. We started our tour of the museum with the firefighter boat that was in service in NYC for 70 years. We went aboard the Morgan which was a whaling ship. We visited some of the shops including the blacksmith and went to the shipyard. Then we walked into town which was about 1/2 mile from the museum. Town was very crowded probably because of the Christmas light boat parade. We were stopped as the drawbridge was open to let in some boats for the parade. We went to Mystic Pizza for dinner which had a long wait to get in. We walked around town a bit during the wait. They seated us all on a long table upstairs. After eating our fill of pizza and sodas, we walked back to the museum.

The main museum event was the Anchor Watch overnight program. We met up with two museum guides who took us into the museum through the afterhours entrance. We got to watch the start of the Christmas light boat parade without the crowds because only a few people were on the museum grounds. Then we had a private show at the planetarium with an energetic guide who had lots of interesting information about astronomy and navigation.  For the overnight, we slept on the Joseph Conrad in the mid-ship section that had bunk beds tightly stacked in columns of 3 beds. It was lights out by 10pm and then we were up early and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise.

The morning program stared with breakfast of waffles and sausages in the cafeteria. Back on the Conrad, we got to climb the rigging up to the first level. Then we carved our own scrimshaw on plastic ovals that looked like whale bone. Our guide then brought us to the museum exhibit to see real scrimshaw and other crafts that sailors made. By then, we had our fill of sightseeing and decided to head home and save the Mystic Aquaruim for another trip.

 

Scout-O 2022

We returned to Scout-O at Camp Nobscot and enjoyed nice sunny and mild weather during the day although it did get cold at night. Our water bottles froze overnight.

We arrived around 10am, dropped our backpacks at our campsite and went out on a training course with an orienteering instructor. Then we went back to camp to setup our tents and make lunch. In the afternoon, we did an Orange Level (most difficult) practice course and found all the controls. We also hiked to the top of Mt Nobscot but didn’t see good views because the fire tower at the top was locked. Paul cooked us a nice dinner as part of his work on cooking merit badge. After dinner was the Night-O which is a 1 hour race with all 200 scouts to find as many controls as possible. After finding two controls, a couple of the younger scouts decided to go back the camp and then the older scouts continued and were able to find all the controls.

Sunday was the main orienteering competition. The older scouts tackled the Orange Course and the younger scouts completed the Yellow Course. On our drive home, we stopped at McDonald’s in Plymouth.

We were assigned the Haydenland East campsite which was in an open field and didn’t have a fire ring. We moved over to the North campsite which had a nicer setting and a large fire ring. There was also a large wood pile nearby that we used for our campfire.

Greenough Camporee

We camped Friday and Saturday nights at the Pequot site at Camp Greenough. The weather was sunny and warm, but we weren’t allowed to have campfires because of the drought conditions.

The main event was the camporee on Saturday. We did muzzle loader rifles, tomahawk throws, BB guns, ropes course, climbing wall and zip line. Our troop also performed the closing flag ceremony.

For meals, we made our own dinner Friday night of burritos. Saturday morning, we made breakfast sandwiches with eggs, bacon and cheese, and lunch was mac and cheese. For dinner, Greenough had a nice bbq for everyone and an ice cream sundae.

   

Sandy Neck 2022

We hiked 3 miles along the beach on Saturday morning and had a lunch break along the way. After setting up camp, a few scouts hiked to the end of the peninsula. Then we played games on the beach including frisbee and wiffle ball. The campsites had new picnic tables and the ranger drove out wood for our campfire. For dinner, we had Mountain House meals. The weather was warm and sunny, and the sunset was super colorful. We had a campfire and retired several US flags. Then we roasted marshmallows to make smores (note the auto roasting stick stuck in the sand). In the morning, we packed up camp and hiked back on the marsh side trail.

Highland Games 2022

The scouts had fun at the Highland Games on Nantucket. We took the 2:45 ferry on Friday from Hyannis and walked through town to Camp Richard with 200+ other scouts wearing kilts and carrying our clan flags. Trucks took our troop gear to the camp. After setting up our tents, we made our own dinner of spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread.

On Saturday, the Nantucket hosts provided breakfast sandwiches fixings including muffins, sausages and eggs. After a brief opening flag ceremony, we started the games. We had 2 clans called Grant and Glen with 4 scouts in each. Our clans did very well in many events and won awards in archery, caber toss, harpoon throw, tomahawk throw, shepherd’s carry and sheath toss. Other fun events with storm-the-castle and cairn building. After the games, there was a tasty banquet feast buffet. In the evening, there was a large campfire with skits.

Overnight it rained about 1/2 inch. Our gear stayed mostly dry and the rain stopped by morning. After breakfast, we packed up and walked back to the ferry terminal which was a bit over 2 miles. We took the noon ferry back to Hyannis. The weather was calm and sunny, and we had a relaxing ferry ride.

Mountain Biking/Hiking

On Saturday morning, we drove up to Highland Mountain Bike Park in NH. We started with a mountain bike riding lesson from their staff including how to lean into turns and keep looking ahead. Then we rode the lift up to the top of the mountain with our bikes. Similar to downhill skiing, there are different trails down the mountain with different difficulty levels. Going down was steep and curvy with banked turns and features like wooden bridges and boardwalks to ride over. It was opening day at the mountain. It was fairly busy and a sunny day. Everyone there seemed in good spirits which made for a fun time.

After biking, we drove to Greenfield State Park and got there at 6pm just in time to check in. The camps didn’t have the water turned on yet from winter shutoff. We had to get a gallon of water from the store for cooking our pasta. We also cooked meatballs and garlic bread on the fire which was a hit. Overnight was chilly in the low 30’s.

After breakfast on Sunday, we packed up camp and drove to Mt Wachusett. It was a clear and beautiful day for a hike. We hiked up from the south side. The trail was easy to follow and went through nice woods. It was fairly steep but not too long. From the top, we could see the Boston skyline and other mountains that we’ve climbed like Mt Monadnock and Mt Greylock. We ate lunch at the top and then hiked down and drove home.

Winter Camping/Hiking

We drove up Saturday morning to the West Rattlesnake Mountain trailhead and hiked to the top with nice views overlooking Squam Lake. The weather was sunny and in the low 30s. The snow was 1-2 feet deep and packed enough so that we didn’t need our snowshoes. After lunch at the top, we drove to Sandwich and hiked with our backpacks to our camping site. The scouts dug snow trenches and prepared firewood. Since we had some time, we hiked over to Beede Falls which was covered with ice. We got back to camp in the twilight. Then we got the fire going in the cabin stove and made Mountain House dinners, smores and Jiffy popcorn.

Overnight the temperature dropped to the 20s. Some freezing rain came in the early morning hours and most scouts left their snow trenches for the cabin. Some water dripped from the tarps and they slid in their trenches too much because the trenches weren’t flat.

On Sunday morning, we packed up and hiked out and got breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and drove home as it started to rain.

Squam Lake from West Rattlesnake
West Rattlesnake trail
Trail to campsite
Preparing snow trenches
Beede Falls