Troop 157 Outings & Photo Album
2000-2001
View the 2000-01 Calendar
Camp Yawgoog, August 19-26, 2001
Once again, Yawgoog was a great success. Three veterans returned with seven freshman to settle into our beachside
tents at Netop as "The Really Big Patrol". High camp spirit was shared by all - especially during the meals, and out on
the volleyball pit. For the first time in anyone's memory, the troop achieved the distinction of HONOR PATROL. Together, the
boys earned 27 merit badges. Another first was canoeing across the pond and spending an overnight on the far shore. See the
full report (Word) on the website.
Photos by Roger Lee
Photos by Merrills
Photos by Kevin Heath
Philmont Trek, August 10-21, 2001
Eight of the older scouts in the troop and four adult advisors took a trip out west
for 11 days in mid-August for adventures in Colorado Springs and a 6-day trek at the
Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico. The eight scouts on the trip were Chris E.,
Jesse L., Ken M., Wes M., Bart McG., Ryan M., Watson S. and Austin W., with Mr. E., M.,
McG. and S. along for…well…mostly to drive and for advice. The night we flew out to
Colorado Springs, we went to the Flying W Ranch for a chuckwagon dinner and western show.
The next day we climbed around in the Cave of the Winds and went horseback riding in the
Garden of the Gods, a park with amazing red sandstone rock formations. As a unplanned
additional event that night, we attended the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo where we saw calf
roping, bull riding and everything you’d expect at a rodeo. Over the following few days
in Colorado Springs, we went whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River, stopped at Royal
Gorge to look over the edge, rode bikes all the way down Pikes Peak, fed the falcons at
the U.S. Airforce Academy falcon mews, went swimming in the Officers’ Club pool at the
Air Force Academy (where we camped while in Colorado Springs) and, after all of that,
started getting ready for our Philmont trek.
The first day at Philmont, we met our ranger, got our crew equipment and mostly prepared
for the trek. The first day we hiked a short distance to Lovers Leap, where our Ranger,
Mike, showed us how to prepare the dehydrated Philmont food, hang our bear bags and use the
sump. That night, the coyotes serenaded us to sleep. Then it was on to Miners Park for rock
climbing (where we also saw a mother bear and her cubs), Beaubien for horseback riding, boot
branding and a chuckwagon dinner, Black Mountain for black powder rifle shooting, blacksmithing
and Bart’s 16th birthday party, and the top of the Tooth of Time (where Ryan got just a bit
too close to a rattlesnake for Mr. S’s taste). On our return to Philmont, we were happy to
see our ranger Mike, who had recovered from a very serious reaction to a bee sting that he
had gotten while we were at Miner’s Park. The trip back was largely uneventful, but the
crew’s parents met us at the Scout House with PIZZA, which was a great treat after days of
fast food in Colorado and dried food at Philmont!
Photos by John Sallay
Venture Crew Trek on the Applachian Trail, July 14-21, 2001
Four scouts (Ben B., Chris E., Jesse L., Christian T.), and two adults (Roger L., Mike L.)
completed a 7 day hike of about 53 miles along the Appalachian Trail from Pinkham
Notch, NH to Grafton Notch,
ME. Our hike took us over the Carter/Moriah and Mahoosuc Ranges. We had an absolutely
fantastic time. Weather started out cloudy, and we had a couple of downpours on our
third day out, but the remaining four days had spectacular weather. MIke's father, Rich,
joined us for the first two days.
We left the Scout House on Saturday, July 14, stopping at the Tiltn' Diner in Tilton,
New Hampshire, for meatloaf and other good "home cookin". Saturday night we bunked
down at the AMC Hostel in Crawford Notch. Sunday morning, we got up early and drove
to Pinkham Notch, our starting point. While the drivers shuttled a car north to Grafton
Notch, the rest of the part consumed the all-you-can-eat Pinkham Lodge breakfast (and
saved a couple of muffins for the drivers). Troop 157 alumnus, George Brewster ("Survivor")
and his hiking partner, Laura Fox ("Everest"), arrived at Pinkham that morning, and joined
us for the first mile of our hike. But we soon lost sight of them when the steep ascent
of Wildcat Ridge began. Thoughts of the Garfield Ridge trail from two years past were
in everyone's mind as we ground our way up and over all five of the Wildcat Peaks (E, D,
C, B, and A). Then, it was a steep descent into Carter Notch, and the AMC Hut there.
After a sumptuous meal of burritos (made to order from tortillas, refried beans, salsa,
and cheese), we enjoyed a long night's rest. In the morning (day two), we ascended Carter
Dome, finally conquering that peak, which we had tried and failed to cross on our winter
snowshoeing trip. From Carter Dome, we continued over Mt. Hight, and then down into
Zeta Pass, where Rich L. left the group. Then it was up and over the Carters (South, Middle,
and North Carter), until descending to Imp Campsite, where we setup our
tents on platforms, cooked dinner, and watched as a lightening storm created an amazing light
show across the valley just as the sun set over the the Presidential Range. Next morning (third day),
we hiked over Mt. Moriah, and made the long descent to Route 2 in Gorham. There, amid
swarms of mosquitos and a thundershower, we recovered
the Samsonite suitcase in which we had stored the food and supplies for the second half of our
hike. With everyone's pack heavier, we crossed Route 2, and headed up the side of Mt.
Hayes, the first peak in the Mahoosuc Range. We camped about a mile up the trail,
on a fairly level spot along a stream. It poured a second time as we setup camp, and continued
to drip from the forest canopy all night long. But spirits remained high. By this point in the hike, everyone had their
trail name. The veterans of former summer hikes--Rabbit (Mike L.), Cream Puff (Ben B.), Skittles
(Chris E.), and Rocket (Roger L.)--helped find names for the newcomers. We finally settled
on Jabberwocky (Jesse L., for his tendency toward nonstop talking) and Spud (Christian T., for his Irish
roots, small size, and toughness). The next morning (fourth day), we were met by Everest
and Survivor as we hiked up Mt. Cascade. They had taken two nights off in Gorham. We hiked
over Mt. Cascade, past Page Pond, Dream Lake, and Moss Pond, before descending to Gentian Pond
Campsite, another AMC built campsite with tent platforms. Our longest day, just over 10 miles.
The next day (fifth day), was only a little shorter (9 miles), and took us across the
state line into Maine, over a series
of beautiful, above-timberline mountain tops: Mt. Success, Mt. Carlo, Goose Eye Mtn., and then
into Full Good Shelter, Everest and Survivor (as well as Old Buffalo, a retired National
Park Ranger) hiked the same distances as our group on days four and five, but on the morning
of the sixth day they left before 6:00 am, before we even got out of our tents. Our sixth day
was shorter, but very demanding. We hiked over Fulling Mill Mtn, and then descended into the
notorius Mahoosuc Notch, which is often referred to as the hardest mile on the Applalachian Trail. We
climbed over and under boulders, through spaces so narrow that our packs had to be thrown ahead,
and emerged three hours later, only to be faced with probably the longest, unbroken climb
of the trip, up and over Mahoosuc Arm. But the reward at the end of the day made it all worthwhile.
we reached Speck Pond, the highest pond in Maine, and promptly went for a swim. Rabbit (Mike L.)
and Jabberwocky (Jesse L.)
swam all of the way across and back. Our last night was spent at the AMC tent sites at
Speck Pond. In the morning, we hiked to the top of Old Speck, and climbed the fire tower. From
there it was a three mile descent to Grafton Notch, and our car. For at least all of that
day, and some of the prior day, we had fantasized about the food we would buy in Gorham
after the hike. By lunchtime, we made it to the Burger King and McDonalds, and devoured our
fantasies. It was a wonderful time.
MPEG from the hike (718K)
Photos by Roger Lee
Wapack Trail Shakedown, June 22-24, 2001
Despite some damp weather, fourteen scouts and adult leaders had a great two-day trek
along the Wapack Trail in southern New Hampshire. The hike was organized by Mr. Heath
and Jesse L. as preparation for the Philmont and Venture Crew treks this summer. The
boys in the group included Chris E., Jesse, Wes M., Kenneth M., Bart M., Ryan M.,
Christian T., Watson S., and Austin W. The adults, who came along mostly to provide
transportation and keep the pace slow, were Mr. Ecker, Mr. Heath, Mr. Mateo, Mr. McGuire,
and Mr. Sallay. We started on Friday afternoon by driving to the the Windblown Ski Area, New
Ipswich, NH and hiked about a mile into our campsite. That evening, the adults shuttled cars
to the end of the trail at Old Mountain Road in Greenfield, NH while the boys set up camp.
On Saturday, we hiked north along the Wapack about 7 miles to our next campsite at the
bottom of the slopes at Temple Mountain Ski Area. After pitching out tents and beginning
to cook our Bakepacker dinner, a very large thunderstorm came up and reminded us where --
and where not -- to pitch our tents. That evening, the frogs in the nearby pond serenaded
us to sleep. On Sunday, we continued north along the Wapack another six miles over some
steep terrain to end at Old Mountain Road and made it back home from there.
Pot-Luck Supper & Court of Honor, June 12, 2001
Another wonderful end of the year pot luck supper and Court of Honor was held
at St. Julia's Church. George L., who goes off to Vassar College in the fall,
received his Eagle rank. Many thanks to Laura M. for organizing the dinner.
Photos by Sallay family
Photos by Kevin Heath
Nantucket Bike Trip, June 8-10, 2001
Sunny skies prevailed for the Troop 157 bike trip to Nantucket. Ten scouts
(Jesse L., Ryan M., Chris E., Vinay S., Christian T., Geoff S., Benedict B.,
Jake M. and our newest members, Jake M.. and Matthew P.), left immediately after school on Friday
and headed for Hyannis where they took the two hour ferry ride to Nantucket.
Our drivers were Chris P., David M. and D.J. S. A special
mention of thanks to the Jake M's family who provided an uncle with a
trailer at the last minute so that all the bikes could be transported easily
on Friday, plus the McLoughlin family drove down to Hyannis early Saturday
morning so that Jake's dad, Jim, could take the ferry over and join us for the weekend.
Jake's mom, Carol M., drove back on Sunday with her children and the trailer to
help us all return to Weston.
We bicycled to the campsite Friday night, pitched our tents and called it a
day. After asking everyone to sleep in on Saturday, our early bird senior
Patrol leader was fired up and ready to go at about 5:30 am! Breakfast was
a quick toasted waffles and oatmeal. With an early start to the day, we were
able to include a 20 mile scenic ride around the island complete with the
view of the lighthouse, ice cream/refreshment stops, a visit to Surfside
beach for some Frisbee and sand play and the adventurous even went in the
ocean and "encouraged" those not so adventurous to try it out! Other down
time included card games and a few took an extra bike ride to check out the
local airport with private planes arriving and departing non-stop. Back at
the campgrounds we completed community service by helping the scouting
recycling efforts. Part of the fun was meeting other campers and getting to
participate in their activities. D. J. and Vinay learned how to make fried
dough in a Dutch oven from another troop and will have to demonstrate on a
future trip. (Geoff Smith has already volunteered to carry our Dutch oven
to the next campsite so that we can try it out!). At night the other scouts
at the campsite invited us to attend their Court of Honor. We had a
delicious dinner of local hot dogs and kielbasa. The Sons of the American
Legion were at the campgrounds to perform a flag burning ceremony complete
with a 21-gun salute. They had dug out a huge pit to burn old wood and
taught us the proper way to dispose of an old flag. Jesse and Chris helped
that fire along way into the night.
After a quick breakfast and clean-up on Sunday, we headed back to Nantucket
Harbor on our bikes and had time to sample the local candy/ice cream shops
and look around before the ferry and drive home to Weston.
Parent/Son Fishing Outing, June 3, 2001
A small group turned out for what was undoubtedly the best fishing outing the troop has ever held. The
weather was perfect, for fishing, that is. It had rained the day before, and was cloudy and cool,
although it turned sunny and warmer later on. The fish were biting! Several large bass were caught, along
with countless perches and sunfish. Mr. Lee and Mrs. O'Donnell kept three of their largest catches, and pan
fried them for dinner that evening.
Memorial Day Parade, May 28, 2001
A small group (Geoff S., Jesse L., Matt H) represented the troop at the Memorial Day parade,
joining together with several members of the larger Weston boy scout community (Troop 153, Pack 152, Pack 157),
to carry the troop and pack colors.
Photos by Nelia Newell
Wall Climbing, Boston Rock Gym, May 5, 2001
Our group learned wall climbing techniques at the Boston Rock Gym, and completed some of the requirements for Climbing Merit Badge.
Spring Camporee, April 27-29, 2001
About 6 boys and 4 adults attended the "Survivor III" spring camporee. We hiked in
Friday night, and setup camp in a primitive area. By contrast with surrounding troop
encampments, we followed the "low impact" camping approach (about which we had held a
session with a U.S. Forest Ranger prior to departure). We had a single fire ring, which
we used only for nighttime campfires. All cooking was done on stoves. We did not clear
paths or remove vegetation for tent sites, so that on departure, there was extremely
little long term impact at our site. Competitions on Saturday were well done, and we
did well. Had we not been docked 5 points for not having our patrol flag on a stick on
Friday night, we would have made it into the afternoon competition, and likely done even
better in the final scoring. Our dinner was Chef BoyarSmith's home-cooked spaghetti sauce.
It was a fun weekend.
Photos by Mateo family
Third Ski Trip, Bretton Woods, March 31- April 1, 2001
Five scouts (Chris E., Bart M., Geoff S., Christian T., Matt H.) and two adults (Roger L., Kevin H.) headed north early Saturday morning, to get in some late season skiing at Bretton Woods, home of the "troop condo". You would not have believed the amount of snow still on the ground in the mountains. Nearly a foot of fresh snow fell on Friday night, and made the skiing excellent all weekend long. The highlight of the trip was jump building, first in the the backyard of the condo, and then on the side of the adjoining bunny trail. We did the usual pizza, swimming, and video on Saturday night, this time with unlimited Ben & Jerry's for dessert.
Photos by Roger Lee
Venture Crew Winter Backpacking Trip, March 9-11, 2001
We had a real winter adventure this weekend! Our group--four scouts (Ben B., Watson S.,
Chris E., William N.), three adults (Roger L., Gail O., John N., Nelia N.), and
one cub scout (Alex N.)--drove north Friday night in a snowstorm. The snow slowed
our pace to a crawl at times, and we did not arrive at the AMC Pinkham Lodge until about
12:30 to 1:00 am. After a hearty breakfast at the Lodge on Saturday, seven of us
(Nelia and Alex N. stayed at Pinkham) hit the trail
at about 10:30 am. At about Noon, we sat down for a gourmet trail lunch (see
photos) spread out on a table cloth on the snow. Following lunch, three of our
party had the good sense to go straight to Carter Notch and the AMC Hut. Four of
us (Roger L., Ben B., Chris E., and Watson S.) decided to take a route up and
over Carter Dome. Everything went fine until toward the top of our route the packed
trail ended. After that our pace was slowed dramatically, and by 5:00 pm, we
decided it would be wiser to turn back. After cruising down to our lunch spot in
1/3 the time it had taken us to climb almost all the way up Carter Dome, we then
finished the hike up to Carter Notch, arriving at 8:45 pm. Temperatures were quite
comfortable, and we had headlamps, and so all was fine. But we were tired, to
say the least. But a fine supper of spaghetti with a spicy tomato and sausage sauce
was awaiting, and we recovered relatively quickly. In the morning, we had a
full breakfast (bacon, bunker biscuits cooked in the bacon grease, and whole grain
cooked cereal with fruit). The hike back down the cars was quite fast, taking only about
1.5 hours. Carter Notch had lots of snow, enough to cover most of the hut.
Photos by Roger Lee
Photos by John Newell
George L's Eagle Project, February 17 and 24, 2001
George L. lead a group of high school students from the Weston High School Theater
Company in two projects. The first project was repairing and repainting the Weston High School
stage floor, which had not seen any maintenance in several years. There was much bare wood
showing, and large pieces missing from wood splintering off. This made the stage
dangerous for performers, loud and hindering for set movement, and aesthetically
distracting during performances. The floor was sanded down, cleaned, and painted with
black floor paint. The second project was reorganizing and cleaning the disorganized
messy condition of the theater scene construction shop. The utility of the shop had
been lost to the mess. The project converted the shop's tool closet and its three
large wood storage containers from disorganized piles of stuff to organized useful areas.
Photos by George Lee
2nd Ski Trip, Bart and Terry M.'s Vermont House & Pico, February 9-11, 2001
This was a repeat of last year's highly successful trip to Bart and Terry's Vermont
house and Pico. With rain then bitter cold in the forecast, 7 brave scouts (Bart M.,
Jesse L., Austin W., Geoff S., Vinay S., Christian T., and Dan H.) and 3 adults (Terry
M., DJ S., and Jed D.) headed for the M.'s renovated 1830 farmhouse. We arrived late
on Friday night, relaxed for awhile and headed to bed. Following D. J.'s hearty
pancake breakfast by the fire (with Terry's cappuccino for the adults), we headed
for the mountain. Saturday was very windy (75 mph winds on the closed summit) and
the snow hard, but the group skied until the final lift was closed. Then it was
back to the house for pizza by a roaring fire, movies (Braveheart and Waking Ned
Devine) and a spirited game of Risk; Terry taught the scouts a few lessons about
strategy and world conquest. Sunday began with D. J.'s homemade biscuits, donuts
and cereal (and Terry's cappuccino). Then off to the slopes; Pico was less windy
(but the summit was still closed), the snow better, and temperatures ranging from
2 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit. The group skied harder than Saturday and by 1 PM everyone
was ready for the drive home; a very successful outing completed. Thanks again to
Terry and Bart for their outstanding hospitality!!!!
Photos by Jed Diehl
Court of Honor, February 6, 2001
Five Troop 157 scouts received their Eagle Rank at a wonderful ceremony held at
St. Julia's Church: Ben Brody, Brooks Diehl, Matt Kennard, Watson Sallay, and Alex Wolf.
Photos by Jed Diehl, Nelia Newell, Gail O'Donnell, Roger Lee, and John Sallay
1st Ski Trip, Hutmen's Cabin & Wildcat Mountain, January 12-14, 2001
A great time was had by all on our first ski trip of the year. We stayed at Old Hutmen's Cabin in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire, and
skied at Wildcat Mountain both days. Nine boys (Austin S., Ben S., Watson S., Vinay S., Christian T., William N., Matt H.,
Andrew M., Jimmie S.), and seven adults (Roger L., Gail O., D.J. Shah, Nelia N., Rick S., Kevin H., Jay M.) participated.
Roger L. and Gail O. went up early to open up the hut, and get it warm for the larger group, which arrived at about 10:30 pm.
Saturday was spent sking at Wildcat, followed by a swim, movie, and pizza at the Bretton Woods Sports Lodge, where the
Saturday contingent met us. Back at the hut Saturday night, a game of Hut Croo Monopoly ensued, and was continued on
Sunday morning. Another day of great sking on Sunday at Wildcat was followed by dinner at the wonderful Littleton
Diner (at the suggestion of Jay M.).
Photos by Roger Lee and Nelia Newell
Winter Camping Skills, Outside Meeting, January 9, 2001
We held the entire Tuesday night meeting outside the Scout House. With the troop gathered around
a large bonfire, Glenn Brewster, formerly Assistant Scoutmaster, gave
his classic winter camping talk, completely dressed and equipped for a winter expedition. We then
set up a tent in the snow, with 10 inch nails for stakes, and demonstrated how to get into a tent, and how
to properly use a sleeping bag in the extreme cold. Our next activity was a snowshoe relay, with four
members of each patrol racing around a tripod set up in the center of the park. Then, we turned to cooking
marshmellows over the fire, and sipping hot chocolate. The troop's old dog sled (from Polar Bear outings
years ago) was brought out of retirement and pulled around the park. We had about 8 inches of snow, and lots
of moonlight. A fun night!
Photos by Nelia Newell
Nobscot Cabin Trip, December 9-10, 2000
It was a picture perfect winter weekend at the Nobscot cabin. We had eight scouts from the troop (Jesse L., Austin W., Ben S., Vinay S., Matt H., Jimmie S., William N., Jake M.), five
troop adults (D.J. S., Roger L., Gail O., Nelia N., Sam S.), four Webelos scouts from Pack 157, and three Webelos parents. Some participants left early, but we had seventeen that spent the night in or just outside the cabin. The weather cooperated to give us one more snowy weekend at Nobscot (we've gone 6 years in a row with snow on our winter cabin trip). Nelia N. led a group of older scouts setting up an orienteering course in the morning, and the rest of the boys competed in two groups over that course in the afternoon. Later in the afternoon, we held a game of capture the flag in the vicnity of the cabin. Saturday night dinner saw some fairly sophisticated cooking! Jake M. got the fire going, and then Vinay S. cooked another of his famous beef stews with dumplings (following the time tested Glenn Brewster recipe). The adults feasted on a roast beef with baked potatoes cooked by Gail O. and Roger L. in a reflector oven. The temperature dropped into the teens Saturday night, but we restoked the stove during the night to keep the cabin toasty warm. The adults that slept outside (on the porch and in a tent) had to brave the colder temperatures, and some retreated before dawn into the cabin. A variety of improvements were made to the cabin on the trip: new food shelves, a three-burner propane range top, kerosene lanterns, and new sitting benches. The new propane range top (donated to the troop by Bart M.'s family) worked wonderfully. The days of firing up gasoline stoves on the cabin porch are now only a distant memory. We had a great group of Webelos scouts and their parents along on the trip. They all seemed to have a great time, and we look forward to their joining the troop next year.
Photos by Vince Constantini
Service Day - Raking Leaves & Scouting for Food, November 18, 2000
About 12 boys and 5 adults spent the better part of the day raking leaves at the Scout House
and packing food at the Southside Fire House. Maybe it was the donuts in the morning, or
the good weather, the good company, or the good purpose for our efforts, but everyone seemed
to have a fun time helping out. The Scout House grounds were groomed, and the food pantry's
shelves, stocked (A Place to Turn, Natick). Laughter and fun dominated the day.
Photos by Roger Lee
Carter Notch Hut Trip, November 4-5, 2000
Ten scouts (Jesse L., Chris E., Geoff S., Chistian T., Jimmie S., Vinay S., Ben S.,
Austin W., Matt H., William N.), ten parents, and three Webelos scouts backpacked from fall into winter
last weekend. We left the trailhead at Pinkham Notch in the fall (at about 11:30 am).
Four miles and about three hours later, we arrived at Carter Notch in winter (about midafternoon).
There was about 10 inches of snow on the ground, and the two ponds adjacent the Hut were frozen over.
Overnight, another 4 inches of snow fell. Everyone had a great time. We cooked some mighty impressive dinners
in the Hut kitchen. Flying Monkeys roasted two chickens and baked two apple pies (yes, two of each).
Cobras had cheese ravioli. Adults had a tasty chicken sauce over cous cous, with a fresh salad.
The hike down on Sunday morning was even more beautiful than the hike up, as the new snow covered
the trail and the limbs of the surrounding trees. This was a trip that we ought to consider
repeating, perhaps some spring, as another side to Carter Notch's beauty would be found then.
Photos by Nelia Newell
Eagle Scout Service Project, Horizons Initiative Community Children's Center, Dorchester, October 28, 2000
Watson S. completed his Eagle service project by leading a group of about 35 volunteers from Weston working most
of Saturday painting the interior of this day care and preschool for homeless families.
It was amazing to see what could be accomplished in just several hours. Walls were scrubbed, taped, and painted,
in four different colors. About half of the volunteers were boys and adults from Troop 157.
Photos by Nelia Newell.
Photos by John Sallay
Eagle Scout Service Project, Rosie's Place AIDS Shelter, October 21, 2000
Matt K. completed his Eagle service project by leading a group of the troop's older scouts in assembling
and installing a libary of videos for residents of an AIDS shelter operated by Rosie's Place in Boston. The
videos were collected in Weston, and a set of shelves for holding the videos was constructed at the shelter.
Photos by Nelia Newell
Batten Kill Canoe Trip, October 14-15, 2000
The weather was everything we could have requested in our most demanding wish-list: sunny (70 degrees),
clear sky and close to the height of Vermont's foliage season. 18 of us assembled at the Scout House
Saturday morning: 11 boys (Austin W, Geoff S, Kenneth M, Benedict B, Christian T, William N, Andrew M,
Jake M, Vinay S, Matt H, Alex N ) and 7 adults (Nelia N, Kevin H, DJ S, Segundo M, Jay M, Dave M and
Peter T ); packed gear into assorted vehicles and headed for Vermont. First stop was our campground
for lunch and to deposit gear so we wouldn't have to take it in the canoes (which definitely proved
to be a good idea!). The campground had provided us with 3 sites right along the river complete with
a pebble beach to pull the canoes up on. The proximity to the river afforded us the opportunity to
check out the one challenging stretch we would encounter and to talk over how to 'read' a river and
what sort of maneuvers would be required to thread the various obstacles. Gear left behind, we drove upstream to pick up canoes, PFDs, paddles and dry bags and get out onto
the river. We sorted ourselves into 9 canoes and a kayak. The first day was mostly a quiet, lazy
river which gave everyone the opportunity to work out how to get the boats headed straight ... there
were definitely some major zig-zag courses the first day and a few of us could probably lay claim to
paddling at least twice as far as the rest. Everyone attempted the 'rough spot' (which looked
suspiciously like rapids) and did amazingly well with only one canoe overturning. After pulling the canoes up on our 'beach' and setting up camp, the cooks and assistants (Jake M
and Vinay S for the combined Cows/Cobras patrol; Andrew M and Geoff S for the Flying Monkeys)
produced tremendous meals that took advantage of the 3 dutch ovens we had brought ... the Cows/Cobras
had a terrific beef stew ... and the Flying Monkeys had two apple pies complete with the contributing
chefs' initials carved into the crusts. Bedtime came early after a long day of paddling and the
early night fall of mid-October. Sunday morning both patrol cooked meals worthy of a Sunday brunch including eggs, bacon, pastries
and cold cereal ... and we were on the river again by 9:30. All of the boats had somehow emerged
from Saturday able to paddle a straight line and to confidently maneuver their canoes ... and had
ample opportunity to test their skills on the somewhat more challenging portion of the river between
our campsite and the New York border. While there were no passages that quite merited the 'white
water' label, there were certainly many portions where the water flowed quickly and one had to
navigate rocks, shallow spots and fallen logs. One spot with an overhanging branch overturned
several canoes before the rest of us took advantage of their lesson-learned to climb out of our
boats and pull them across a rocky sandbar. Three hours of paddling (including a covered bridge
that proved an irresistable photo op) brought us to the New York border where we entertained
ourselves with a game of PFD-football while we waited for the outfitter to retrieve us in the
big purple school bus. Photo essay on trip is at:
http://users.erols.com/cwnewell/T157-Battenkill/
Photos by Nelia Newell
Great Meadows Nature Hike, September 24, 2000
Twelve intrepid scouts, parents and leaders (Andrew and Jay M., Christian and
Laura T., Alex, William and Nelia N., Jake and Winky M., Teddy (visiting
Webelos Scout) and Laura P., and Jed D.) left the Scout House in the rain,
but the weather cleared on our way to Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
in Concord, MA. We hiked the Dike Trail; working on Cub Scout, Tenderfoot,
Second Class, First Class, and Nature Merit Badge requirements. We were able
to identify over 40 species of plants and animals; special highlights were
the large number of Leopard Frogs, the large Black Racers and Garter Snakes,
the shed snake skin (3 feet long), the turtle shell, the four Great Blue
Herons, and the rare Great Egret. The weather continued to cooperate and the hike
was voted a great success by all.
Photos by Jed Diehl
White Mountains Backpacking Trip, September 16-17, 2000
With packs prepared, and spirits high, we left the Scout House early Saturday
morning, thirteen strong--nine boys (Jesse L., Austin W., Ben S., Geoff S.,
Christian T., Benedict B., Andrew M., William N., Drew M.) and four adults
(Roger L, Gail O'D, Nelia N., and Richard S.). With stops for breakfast, and
a water purifier (took four stops in Lincoln to find one), and car shuttling,
we were not on the trail until 12:30 pm. We reached Zealand Falls AMC Hut at
2:00 pm. Some of us spent our time inside the hut, while others explored the
falls, one of whom (Austin W.) explored a little too closely, and was soon
changing out of his wet clothes. Jesse L. and Austin W. then had some fun
staging a worse catastrophe (see photo below). We were back on the trail
(Ethan Pond section of Appalachian Trail) by 3:00 pm, and reached our
campsite along Shoal Pond at about 5:00 pm. A search party (Roger L. and Gail
O'D.) was sent out to rendevous with Matt. and Kevin H., who were to hike in
from Crawford Notch and meet us along the trail. As it turned out, Matt and
Kevin got a late start, and no rendevous was made. Preparations for dinner
got started late, and so we cooked and ate by firelight. Attempts at using
the newly acquired purifier were frustrated by silt in the pond, but we
boiled our water to purify it. Instant spaghetti and hearty beef stew both
turned out excellent. Nelia and William N. departed at dawn on Sunday, and
the rest of us got up at 7:00 am, and were on the trail by 9:00 am. Breakfast
included BakePacker cornbread, which was a bit chewy, but excellent. We met
up with Matt and Kevin at the Ethan Pond Shelter, which they had reached by
flashlight at 8:00 pm the night before. We made it to Crawford Notch by about
12:30 pm. The entire hike turned out to be just over 12 miles, about 6 miles
each day. Mountains were beautiful. Leaves were just beginning to turn, with
some pronounced reds. This was a first long backpacking trip for many of us,
and a lot was learned. For example, gear loosely stowed on the two backpacks
pictured below fell off the packs not long after each photo was taken!
Photos by Roger Lee
Return to Troop 
Home Page
