1998-1999
View the 1998-99 Calendar
Camp Yawgoog, August 15-22, 1999
The troop went back to Camp Yawgoog again. We even managed to get our old campsite back, Netop (which
we had given up a few years ago when we did not attend camp)! What a lovely location--right on the
pond, and just a stone's throw from the dining hall. Eleven boys attended, and together they earned thirty
nine merit badges. Bart M. led the pack with six! But there was plenty of time to just hang out and relax,
too. Participants (group photo): front row: Austin W., Bart M., Rob L., ______, Chris E. second row:
Mr. Lee, Mike B., Alex W., Josh Z., Ben B., Wes M., Mr. Sallay, Watson S. Mr. Wright and Mr. Wolf
attended, also.
Photos by John Sallay
White Mountain Trek, July 16-23, 1999
The Venture Crew organized a week
long trek along the Appalachian Trail in the White
Mountains. Mike L., the Venture Crew Chief, deserves
our heartfelt thanks for putting this together. It was one
fantastic trip! Though organized by the Venture Crew (the
older boys in the troop), it was open to any member of the
troop and their parent. We plan to make this an annual
tradition. Ideas for next summer are already being
discussed. We left civilization at Franconia Notch on Sunday, July 25,
and hiked up (it seemed straight up to some of us) to
Greenleaf Hut on the side of Mt. Lafayette. That was a
strenuous climb, but nothing to compare with the next day's
hike, from Greenleaf, over Lafayette and Garfield, to
Galehead Hut. Only about 7 miles, but it might well have
been called the Garfield/Galehead Death March; the trail
either headed steeply upward or steeply downward. We left
Greenleaf at about 8 am. and some of us did not reach
Galehead until 6:30 pm. That was enough hiking for some
of our party, and so our group shrank from twelve to eight
for the next segment (four took the Gale River Trail out), a
relatively easy hike to Zealand Falls Hut, which turned out to
be most people's favorite stop on the trail. We relaxed,
bathed, and washed clothes in the natural falls adjacent the
hut, and were entertained at meals by a great hut "Croo"
(particular the Scotsman and his monkey). By this point in
the hike, the eight survivors had adopted trail names: Mike
L. ("Rabbit"), Ben B. ("Cream Puff"), Colin H. ("Big Red"),
Watson S. ("Goober"), Chris E. ("Lightning Dolt"), Rich L.
("Grandpa"), Michael E. ("Whiskers"), and Roger L.
("Rocket").
Photos by Roger Lee
Photos by Jed Diehl
Mt. Monadnock Shakedown Hike, June 26, 1999
Four boys (Mike L., Watson S., Colin H., Ben B.) and three adults
(Rich L., Roger L., Glenn B.) hiked Mt. Monadnock as a shakedown exercise
for the big White Mountains Trek later in the summer. It was a hot, but beautiful,
day. We hiked in from the north over a less frequented trail, and went out to the
west on the Monroe trail, also not as popular. Views were a bit hazy, but still
spectacular. There was the usual Mt. Monadnock crowd on top, but fortunately we
did not use the trails they used! Glenn B. took some great photos with his Sony
Mavica. The last link is an MPEG movie, with sound.
Killington Mountain Bike Trip, June 11-13, 1999
A group of ten scouts (Mike B., Ben B., Brooks D., Chris E.,
Robbie L., Bart M., Watson S., Ben S., Sebastian S., and Austin W.)
and six fathers (Jed D., Michael E., Ralph L., John S., Rick S., and
Brian S.) left the Scout House on Friday afternoon and drove to
Gifford Woods State Park in Sherburne, VT. A group working on
camping merit badge (Brooks, Chris, Watson and Austin) were
dropped off 1.5 miles from our campsite on the Appalachian
Trail with their packs and leaders for the required hike in.
We set up camp in a secluded old stand of hemlocks and hardwoods,
with three freshly painted lean-to shelters (enjoyed by the scouts).
(The fathers enjoyed the hot showers near by.) On Saturday we
headed to Killington Ski Area ("Fat Tire Heaven") for a day of
mountain biking and water sliding. We rode the K1 Express
Gondola to the summit of Killington Peak (4,241'), and after
pausing to take in the spectacular view on a clear day, we
began our first descent. It took the group a while to get
the hang of it, but after a few minor scrapes, we all had
the hang of it and had a great day exploring different
trails of increasing difficulty. The new Fat Tire Hounds
in the group logged ~10,000 vertical feet, while others were
content after 2-3 runs to head for the water slides on the
80 degree day to add to their vertical totals there. Dinner
was a medley of pasta dishes prepared by Watson and Brooks,
with Caesar Salad (our culinary standards continue to rise,
Bravo Watson!), hot garlic bread and Angel Food Cake
(for "Fat Tire Heaven"). On Sunday we packed up, and
sent the camping merit badge crew on their way, joined
by Bart, picking them up back down the AT at Kent Pond.
On the way home we stopped for a picnic at Quechee Gorge.
It was a very successful trip with an excellent turnout,
perfect weather (clear skies, warm days and cool nights),
and a great time had by all. We even worked in some advancement.
Photos by John Sallay
Photo by Jed Diehl
Court of Honor & Family Supper, June 7, 1999
This was a wonderful event. Four boys received their Eagle rank, Bill F., Mike L.,
Austin S., and Justin W. We held the Court of Honor and the
supper at St. Julia's
parish hall instead of at the Scout House. The room at St. Julia's
was new, brightly lit, and just wonderful. Those nice surroundings, and
particularly the air conditioning (it was a steamer of an evening), made for
the nicest family event anyone can remember. The Town Criers, the
Weston High School boy's a cappella group, entertained us after dinner.
Food was pot luck, and plentiful. The Eagle moms setup for the
dinner, and brought dessert. Our outgoing SPL, Michael B., gave out the first of what
he hopes is an annual series of SPL special awards.
Water Balloon Catapults, June 6, 1999
A group of scouts working on pioneering merit badge
(Robbie L., Chris E., Ben S., Ben B., Brooks D., Ryan M.
and Bart M.) constructed a working twelve-foot tall catapult
with logs and rope. After lashing their creation together
the scouts took aim at leaders Roger L., John S., Jed D.,
and Bob B. seated on beach chairs and preparing for the
onslaught. Watson S. arrived in time to take part in the
bombardment. The scouts launched water balloon after
water balloon, making adjustments after each shot until
they were raining water balloons down on the adults.
Eventually a close combat water balloon battle broke
out and by the end everyone was soaked and smiling.
Photos by Jed Diehl
Memorial Day Parade, May 31, 1999
For the second year in a row, Ben S. and Mike B. carried
the troop and American flags in the annual town parade.
Canoeing and Fishing on Nonesuch Pond, May 16,1999
The troop returned to its near private fishing hole this spring
with troop fishing guide extraodinare Mike L. in search of the
infamous big one. Accompanying Mike on this quest were Chris
and Michael E., Ken and Wesley M. and the entire M. family,
Ben and Rick S., Brooks and Jed D., and John S. The group
was greeted with an unseasonably warm and clear day. They
caught sixteen fish of varying species and saw a variety of
wildlife, including painted and snapping turtles, frogs,
orioles, hawks, geese, and assorted other birds. It was a
wonderful day to be out on the water and everyone had a
fantastic time.
Photo by John Sallay
Spring Camporee, May 1-2, 1999
This year's camporee was well organized and run by Troop 185,
of Wellesley. "Don't Die" was the theme, and featured a
day long competition on woods survival skills (and the like). We cooked an
apple pie from scratch, freshly peeled Cortland apples and all, in our
dutch oven, and impressed the judges.
(Although reports have it that another pie, from Troop 153, made from
canned apples, made an even better impression; guess those judges simply
did not know a good pie when they tasted one.) We came in second overall
in the older boys age group. Excellent stir fry Saturday night,
under the direction of Chef Michael (aka our SPL). Participants
included (left to right in group photo): Participants included (left
to right in first photo): Mr. Lee, Watson S., Alex W., Chris E., Mike B.,
Rob L., Mr. Sallay.
Photos by John Sallay
Second Ski Trip, March 12-14, 1999
We returned to the "Troop Condo" in Bretton Woods for two days of
great skiing and good times. Snow was great (big snowfalls had just
preceded our arrival). Watched a great Denzel Washington action
video with pizza Saturday night. Although there were no other
volunteers, Mr. Lee went on a snowshoe hike
on Sunday; hiked up to Mizpah Hut along Crawfords Path. Bart M. kept
track of the Mobil Oil stations on the way home on Sunday.
First Ski Trip, January 29-31, 1999
Perfect weather (sunny both days), reasonably good ski
conditions, and pleasant accomodations at Old Hutman's Cabin
combined for a memorable weekend. There is something very
nice about hiking up that hill to Hutmen's Cabin, and
starting up the wood stove. The place has a quality that is
hard to match. This year's stay was even nicer than usual
in that we had the cabin essential to ourselves both Friday
and Saturday nights. Seven boys (George L., Josh Z., Colin
H., Alex W., Sam L., Bart M., and Watson S.) and two adults
(Mr. L. and Mr. S.) attended. And Mr. B and Mrs. B. joined
us for Saturday evening. We skied at Wildcat both Saturday
and Sunday. Both days saw perfect weather, giving us two
days of spectacular views of Mt. Washington and neighboring
peaks. Photos are courtesy of Mr. B, and his new Sony Mavica
digital camera. First photo below is a link to an MPEG movie
of the troop on the porch of the OH Cabin. Second photo of troop is
a link to a JPEG still photo of the same scene. Participants
included (left to right in second photo): Bart M., George L., Sam L.,
Mr. Lee, Alex W., Watson S., Colin H., Josh Z., Mrs. Brewster, Mr. Sallay,
and Mr. Brewster.
Photos by Glenn Brewster
Photos by John Sallay
Nobscot "Capture the Flag" Trip, January 9-10, 1999
Attendance was down owing to the weather (snow Friday night, turning to
rain on Saturday), but 7 scouts and 3
adults headed out to Nobscot on Saturday morning. After settling
in at the cabin, we divided into two teams for the big game,
which was played in the area in which we camped at the Fall
Camporee. Each side had a large red flag, which was attached to
a tree. Team A (Colin H., Matt K., Chris E., Austin W., and Mr.
K.) came close to winning. They snuck up and grabbed Team B's
flag out from under Sam L., but Sam's whistle saved Team B, as it
alerted Mr. S., who with considerable skill managed to tag both
Matt K. and Colin H. before they could get back to Team A's
territory. That landed them in jail and restored Team B's flag.
Mr. S. also caught Chris E. at about the same time. Shortly
thereafter, without knowing that three of Team A's players were
in jail, Team B approached and over powered the Team A flag
defenders (Mr. K. and Austin W.). With Watson S., Sam L., and
Mr. L. running diversions to draw away Mr. K. and Austin W., Josh
Z. successfully grabbed the Team A flag, and ran it back to Team
B's territory. It was a lot of fun, and the rain held off for
the whole game (about 1.5 hours). The rest of Saturday afternoon
and evening was spent "hanging out" at the cabin. Lots of
jokes--some with, and some without, punch lines--were told over
the "campfire" (aka stove) that evening, before everyone turned
in. The cabin was kept nicely warm all night with the help of a
group that got up to stoke the stove at 1 am. After a quick
breakfast Sunday morning, we hiked out, and were back in Weston
by 9 am. Participants included (left to right in group photo):
Chris E., Mr. Lee, Austin W., Ben S., Josh Z., Matt K., Colin H., Mr. Kennard,
Watson S., and Mr. Sallay.
Photos by John Sallay
Nobscot Cabin Work Trip, December 5-6, 1998
Eight adults (Bob B., Wayne K., Rich L., Roger L., Harris L., John S., Gary W., Dick W.) and seven boys
(Ben B., Mike B., Mike L., Mike Y., Watson S., Austin W., Jesse L.) spent Saturday, December 5, working
on the troop's cabin at Nobscot. Major improvements were achieved. The details are in
our memo faxed to the Council Executive, Dennis Prefontaine. Highlights: we replaced the back door, painted the door
and window shutters a dark green (cabin looks great!), built two new benches, fixed up the
kitchen area to make it functional, and added three new plexiglass panels in kitchen to
brighten that room. Five boys and two adults stayed over Saturday night, and finished up some of the
work on Sunday morning. An excellent meal was had by those staying over (roast beef and
baked potatoes cooked in an aluminum foil coated box oven). Fun weekend.
Service Day/Scouting for Food, November 21, 1998
Last year snow prevented our raking leaves at the Scout House, and so we had two years worth
of leaves to pickup this fall. But they were all raked, and all put into the compost bin. We then
proceeded to the Fire House, where we boxed food collected by the Cub Scouts.
Fall Camporee, November 7-8, 1998
For the first time in several years, the Troop participated in this fall event, which
had a Search and Rescue theme, complete with a search and rescue drill in which we
searched for a lost and injured person on the Nobscot reservation. Dinner was an excellent
mock Venison stew cooked in Dutch Ovens. Breakfast saw eggs and bacon prepared in a Dutch oven.
Excellent food, and lots of fun. Participants included (left to right in group photo): ______, Bart M.,
Sam L., Jesse L., Ken M., Brooks D., Wes M., Alex W., Mike L., Watson S., and Mr. Mateo, Mr. Sallay, and
Mr. Lee.
Photos by John Sallay
Photo by Jed Diehl
Orienteering, October 24, 1998
Younger scouts met at Nobscot to learn orienteering from experts. Following a
training session, we set out on a real orienteering course, in which we used compasses and
an orienteering map to find our way around the course. At each mark on the course, we stamped
our card with a unique punch, so that we could prove to the judges at the conclusion that we
had visited all of the marks.
Nature Hike, October 18, 1998
We visited the Great Meadows reservation in Concord, where we observed birds, other animals,
and plants, to complete requirements for Second and First Class ranks.
White Mountains Trip, October 3-4, 1998
Eight boys (and seven adults, including one mom) headed north on Saturday morning. Our campground,
Lafayette Place, in Franconia Notch, was busier than expected, and so we had to scramble to
find a suitable campsite, but we ended up with probably the nicest site there--in a corner of the campground,
overlooking the Pemi River. We hiked along the Pemi for 2 miles to the aerial tram. The tram
took us quickly to the top of Cannon Mountain. After a short hike, we found a rocky overlook for lunch. Incredible views
of Mt. Lafayette and adjoining peaks. After lunch we hiked down to our campground. Quite a steep descent,
but gorgeous, particularly Lonesome Lake. Dinner was Teriyaki Steak Stir Fry, which has to rate
as one of the best ever Troop 157 meals. We turned in pretty early (about 8:30 pm). Sunday saw another
beautiful day. Breakfast was pancakes and bacon, which also turned out well. Our 6th grade cooks
did exceedingly well on this trip! Credit must also go the leadership provided by our
new Senior Patrol Leader, Mike B.
Warren Island Trip, September 11-13, 1998
Eight boys (and three adults, including one mom) returned to Warren Island.
Tents were set up on Friday night. Mr. Lee arrived with our Kayak guide and the
kayaks on Saturday morning. After some instruction, we set off on a three hour
cruise around the surrounding islands. Back at Warren, we started a huge fire to heat
rocks, then mounded seaweed over the rocks, in which we steamed lobsters, corn, and potatos (although
a few lobster-shy scouts had Ramen). A game of Capture the Flag was played while the lobsters
steamed. Weather was largely cloudy except late Saturday afternoon and evening.
Beautiful starlight sky for the campfire after dinner. Quicksilver arrived at 10:30 am on
Sunday to take us back to the mainland. Participants included (left to right in first photo):
Mr. Sallay, Jesse L., Bart M., Watson S., Alex W., Mike L., Ken M., Sam L., Mr. Lee, Austin W. (and
Mrs. Mateo and Meredith M.).
Photos by John Sallay
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