We camped at Mohawk State Forest which has a nice campground along the Cold River. On the drive out, we stopped at Dinosaur Footprints along the Connecticut River and then we stopped at Sugarloaf Mountain Park where we eat lunch overlooking the river valley. After setting up camp, we hike the trail from the campground up to Todd Mountain. It was a steep hike through dense woods. To cool off, we went to the Cold River and some scouts went in which was in fact pretty cold.

The next day, we hiked Mt Greylock along the Bellows Pipe Trail on the way up. On the way down, we followed the AT along the ridge and then the Bernard Farm trail. The trails were very nice and we had beautiful fall weather. From the summit, there were big views all around.

Camp Squanto was cancelled for the week we planned to go. So instead we went on our own trip to the White Mountains. After driving up, we took the gondola ride to the top of Cannon Mountain. It was a quick ride to the top and the views were great. We camped at the Lafayette campground right in the Franconia Notch valley. The campground had nice sites next to an open field and there was a nice camp store.

The next day we hiked Mt Washington via the Tuckerman Ravine trail. It took us almost 4 hours to hike up. We stopped for extra breaks at some creek crossings. Near the Hermit Shelter, we use the water pump to fill up our water bottles. It was mostly sunny and 60 degrees which was near a record high temperature. At the summit, there were many people who drove up. We took our time to look around from the summit. The hike down was slow with the steep sections and with our legs nearly out of gas. It took almost as long to hike down.

The next day we drove across the White Mountains on the Kancamagus Highway to Fryeburg Maine to canoe 10 miles on the Saco River. We rented 4 canoes from Saco River Canoe & Kayak which worked out well. At the beginning of the canoe trip, progress was slow. But by the end, the scouts had greatly improved their canoeing technique and paddled along swiftly. We nearly had the river to ourselves and only saw a few other people all day. We stopped for a long break at a section with a steep sandy slope that the scouts ran down. The slope also had some clay to play in. At another stop, there was a dead tree over the river that was good for jumping off and swimming. We saw many birds along the river including a bald eagle who watched us from a tall pine tree overhanging the river.

The last day we planned to hike the Franconia ridge. But the weather forecast was for 100% rain. So we decided to drive home early instead.

We backpacked out to the Sandy Neck campsite in the morning and set up camp. The weather was ideal and it was nice to have the beach to ourselves. The scouts went swimming, skipped stones, built sand forts, played frisbee, whiffle ball, football, pickle and manhunt. We had a variety of Mountain House meals for diner. Then we had a fire on the beach at sunset and retired flags and had smores. Scouts made tasty potato home fries for breakfast to go along with oatmeal, cocoa and bacon.

We went to Union Cemetery to place new flags at markers for veterans. We also recorded the pledge of allegiance for the town’s Memorial Day video program.

We camped at Nickerson State Park on Friday and Saturday nights. On Saturday, we rode the Cape Cod Rail Trail from camp and to the north up to Marconi Beach in Wellfleet. It was cool and cloudy at the beach. We ate lunch at the beach but didn’t stay long. On the ride back, we stopped at Wendy’s for a snack and then played a round of mini-golf at Cape Escape. Back at camp, we had time to explore around Cliff pond.

We hiked the Bentley Loop and around East Head Reservoir on a cloudy and cool day. There was a little drizzle at the start of the hike. Most of the trail was heavily wooded. We had lunch in a clearing (notice the social distancing). Then we camped out at the Apache campsite at Camp Squanto. We had chicken alfredo for dinner and a nice campfire.

Camp Greenough held a Klondike Derby and our troop won the rifle shooting award. There weather was cool but no snow. Due to the pandemic, we had to wear masks and the adults weren’t allowed to go along with the scouts to the stations. So only a couple photos at the start and end.

We did a hiking day trip to Blue Hills Reservation. Starting from the eastern side from Rt 28, we traversed the whole range to reach Great Blue Hill. We made a loop going on the northern trail on the way out and the southern trail on the way back for a total over 8 miles. The views Boston were nice.

On a beautiful sunny day, we biked nearly 50 miles on the rail trail. First we went to the eastern end of the rail trail. Then we went north to Deepwater Hot Dog stand run by Tamer’s dad for some hot dogs, chips and drinks that really hit the spot. After the bike ride, we setup camp on the beach at White Pond and went for a swim. We cooked hot dogs over the fire for our 2nd hot dog meal of the day. For breakfast, we cooked bacon and bagels.

On a hot and sunny day, we went on three hikes. First we hiked along the cliffs from Pamet Valley in Truro and climbed Bearberry Hill. Next we went to Pilgrim Springs and imagined the pilgrims coming to this spot 400 years ago to taste their first fresh water in the New World. Then we hiked all the way around Great Island in Wellfleet. We found a shady spot on the island for lunch. Everyone was hot and tired when we got back to the cars. So we stopped at Wendy’s for ice cream and drinks on the way home.