AT Hike - Race Mountain

What a hike! After moving the start of the hike from Friday night to Saturday morning to avoid possible thunderstorms, Troop 137 went full gusto right into snow squalls and rain, oh yeah! The morning hike was great, the boys made great time and managed to stay mostly dry. The scouts broke for a long lunch break around 11:15 and hung out in the beautiful Sages Ravine, right along the stream. What a view!

After lunch, the hike paralleled the stream for about a mile, when suddenly the trail crossed the stream. Well, sort of crossed, it was more like the trail went through the stream. The stepping stones for crossing were about 6 inches under water! Their really is only one way to hike in these conditions - march on through and the boys did so in great spirits! Trying to find another way, rarely yields positive results and can result in injury from slipping on wet logs or dealing with another hazard. Wet feet and boots are easily dried.

Next up, a tease of sun, then a steady light snow! The hike up Race Mountain was gradual, but slow as the long day wore on. Just as they got to the 180 degree view from the ledges of Race Mt, the clouds totally enveloped the scouts and the only view was snow in the face! They hiked on along the ridge line and the higher they went, the shorter the trees became. The boys walked a long ridge-line and over the summit of Race Mountain through a beautiful alpine forest, where the trees were all of about 3 feet high and lightly sprinkled with snow - gorgeous! In fact, the varied terrain offered a beautiful mix of pine stands, deciduous trees waiting for spring, awesome streams and water falls. What a place!

On any trip, how many times do parents hear, 'how much further? ... are we almost there?'. Magnify that times 11 and you get a feel for what the end of the hike was like! Finally arriving at camp at 5:30pm, the boys went about setting up their tents, breaking out dry clothes and sleeping bags, and crawling inside for warmth. Suddenly they were all happy again. Leaving one brave scout, Adam B., and the adults to start a fire and cook dinner, the boys got warm and waited for dinner to be ready. They crawled out for 5 minutes, ate, and back in the tents they went. Who can blame them. The adults huddled around the fire they took so long to build out of the cold wet logs and headed to their tents at half past hiker midnight - 9:30pm. What a day.

The wind howled all night, sleep was fit-full, but somehow listening to the wind was quite magical when you are bundled up in your tent. What wasn't quite as magical was waking up to a dusting of snow on the ground in the morning! After a quick cold breakfast, the camp was packed and the boys headed down the trail to complete the journey.

Finally, the weather turned and the boys had a partial view to the east at one lookout, giving them a tease for what they missed on top the day before. The real treat was walking along race brook and after a long switchback, standing at the base of a huge waterfall - what a treat.

A short while later as they continued down the mountain, the sun suddenly broke through and the boys had to stop and de-layer. A beautiful day ensued. Snow and dampness became a distant memory as the boys began talking about the great hike and how they would like to come back here again... when the weather is much dryer and warmer, of course!

The boys had a great hike and showed tremendous perseverance in the face of adversity - a great lesson for all.

Killington!

The skiers arrive...



This way up...



On top of the world...



Break time!



Fun stuff!




Home for the weekend...



THE END...

Clear Lake Cabin Trip

The boys had an awesome Cabin Trip weekend at Clear Lake, Putnam, NY. A favorite camping spot for the troop, this BSA Scout Camp offers a variety of tent sites, cabins, backpacking, hiking, and general outdoor fun. On the annual winter cabin trip, the boys get to experience winter hiking, while sleeping in the warm indoors. This year's trip was exceptional as not only was the hiking scenic and fun, but the ice was a foot thick and they got to hike across the lake.

Normally, the boys do not bring electronics for their weekend adventures, but with the long winter nights the boys bring entertainment options like movies, music and video games. The competition is good light-hearted fun and the noise level is something to behold! They sure had a great time!

Battleship 137 Rockets into Klondike History!

The 5 boys and 3 adults had an excellent Klondike experience, Saturday January 17, where Adam B., Peter D., David M., Evan O., and Mike V. boarded Battleship 137 for a chilly, winter wonderland adventure. After scoring 100% for required equipment at check-in, the boys shoved off for a whirlwind 9-station, 5-point per station, tour where they scored 36 out of a possible 45 points. Considering that the 5th point at each station was a discretionary bonus point based on the judges thoughts on the patrol's efforts, they boys did very, very well. The final tally was three perfect 5s, three 4s, and 3 threes. Great job boys!

Highlights:
* After watching the previous troop miss the 50-foot safety rope toss about 50 times, Adam B. connected on his first try and the boys pulled Evan O. to safety very quickly! 5 points!
* The boys constructed a tarp liter and carried Evan O. blind-folded around the course for another 5 point score!
* For animal track identification, the boys only reversed two out of nine animal tracks and got the bonus moose track for 5 points! All the boys were very knowledgeable about paw prints. Who knew?

Areas for improvement:
* Fire-building: Nice attempt by Peter D., David M. and Adam B. who had a brief flame going in the 5-minute time limit. It really is easy when you have the right tinder, so we need to brush up on our tinder choices.
* Knot tying: Adam B. saved the day here, but we need to teach all the boys the ropes and how to tie things up in three easy steps: tie, dress, and seat.
* Lashing: Knot tying on steroids, need I say more? Adam B. and David M. did a fine job getting the poles to lash together long enough to carry Mike V. around the track and back to the starting point, where everything fell apart into a pile of laughing boys.

Other fun areas:
* All the boys had fun tipping the scales to finally balance the sled and patrol on the platform beam trick.
* David M. instructed his blind-folded helpers Peter D. and Evan O. to put up a tent within 10 minutes! Great job!
* Mike V. had two near misses in the sling-shot contest and the instructor pointed out his technique for others to follow.

Scout spirit:
* The boys worked hard and fast to earn the Klondike patch, not only for performing the station events, but for showing their team work and scout spirit, which was especially noteworthy on this very cold day.

Great Hollow Redux

Troop 137 backpacked into Great Hollow, covering three trail miles over a mountain and through the woods to the Great Hollow waterfalls they went. They camped, they cooked, they all had a great hollow time.

Historic Gettysburg!

The scouts had a tremendously good time exploring the new Gettysburg National Military Museum and Visitor Center, experiencing the newly preserved Cyclorama, the new film, "A New Birth of Freedom", narated by Morgan Freeman, experiencing the Rememberence Weekend Reenactor Parade, touring the Battlefield and walking past the candlit grave markers at the Gettysburg National Cemetery Evening Memorial.

This was a wonderful example of 'a game with a purpose' as the scouts had a blast and also saw and experienced American history up close and personal.

Camp Sequassen Webelos Weekend

The Camp Sequassen camping trip was an awesome weekend. The boys did a great job leading, teaching and working with the Webelos this weekend. Everyone had a fun time and helped make the trip a success. There are some terrific Webelos crossing over and joining us in the Spring and the boys will have many more leadership opportunities.

Camp Sikorsky

Several Troop 137 Scouts participated in Camp Sikorsky, a kind of camporee with many other Troops from around the state, complemented with the added benefit of earning two merit badges each. The scouts visited aviation labs, massive flight simulators, attended an ethics forum, an emergency preparedness session and got to see lots of cool helicopters up close and personal. This included jumping into Black Hawks and seeing the entire helicopter manufacturing/assembly process. The boys also heard from an Eagle Scout that built upon his scouting experience to become a top surgeon and leader in the US Army including responsibility for over 3000 troops and all hospital and medical activities in Iraq. They saw and learned things very few scouts, or even adults, ever get to experience. A close up look at some of the fastest and most powerful birds in the sky!

High Banks Housatonic Rafting Trip

We had an awesome first trip to kick off the 2008-09 Boy Scout outing season. Everyone had a blast rafting on the Housatonic River, shooting the rapids and of course splashing each other on the way down. Troop 137 Scouts rescued canoers they found stranded in the middle of the rapids. They helped them get back to safety and recover their equipment down stream - great job! This only added to the fun and excitement of the day.

Yawgoog!

Sunday, August 3 - Arrival Day

Unload and setup camp. Putting up the dining canopy turned into a team-building activity as the adults and boys tried to determine how the "erector set" went together. An opening night fire at the campsite after the work was completed allowed the boys to relax before the busy week kicked off in the morning.

Monday, August 4 - First Day

Various orientation activities, a photo shoot and the mandatory swim test took up the morning and early afternoon. For the first time in the 25 years Troop 137 has attended Camp Yawgoog all the boys passed the swim test on the first try!

Merit badge classes began in the afternoon. Let's see how many we can earn. After a long first day, the troop was entertained by Camp Sandy Beach staff at the Friendship Campfire.


Tuesday, August 5

The boys had a busy day cranking out merit badge activities and enjoying free time to swim and or take out a boat. A group even took out a war canoe and raced around the lake. After dinner each night, there was a competitive event, such as the three-legged race...



Wednesday, August 6

This was our mandatory rain day. A little dampness in the morning quickly passed so the rest of the week could be clear. What more can we ask?


Thursday, August 7

After breakfast, we ordered lunch to go and picked it up just before our 5-mile hike around the Pond!







Friday, August 8

Pizza Lunch! We collected all the soda money and went out and bought pizza so we could skip the dining hall meal for once. Did you know cardboard pizza boxes makes for a great fire starter?

As the boys neared completion of the their merit badges, they spent some time around the campfire talking about their favorite activities for the week and made recommendations to the others for next year.










Saturday, August 9

The boys spent the morning putting the final touches on their merit badges and collecting blue cards.

The Saturday afternoon swim meet pitted the various Sandy Beach troops against each other in different events. Troop 137, being a younger group this year, did an excellent job of standing up to the other troops and even managed coming in third place in the relay race!

The Saturday Night Show included singing, skits and a reflection on the activity-filled week.

Sunday, August 10

After church and a quick breakfast, a Court of Honor was held at the campsite where the boys were awarded the 51 merit badges they earned during the week! Great job guys!

This was followed by a Camp Yawgoog Parade and closing ceremonies where all the boys from the entire Camp march in formation past the camp leaders, various dignitaries and all the parents.

What a great week!

Block Island Bike Trip June 20-22, 2008

The Block Island bike trip was an awesome outing to cap off the scout year and kickstart summer. Many scouts just finished their last exam and last day of school. Others got to leave school a little early on their next to last day. The troop started off with a beautiful ferry ride from Point Judith, RI. A few snacks and a couple video games on the boat and the North Lighthouse was in sight. The ferry docked and the scouts backpacked or rode bikes upto the campsite. Tents were up and camp was made in no time. The troop headed down to Aldo's for some delicious pizza and a fun time together. There was excitement and anticipation in the island air. Dave T. won a Nintendo DS system for Conner from the game machine. That was a major surprise which got everyone excited and then everyone had to give it a try. We hit the island candy shop and headed back to camp to start a fire.

Saturday was an excellent day full of activities and fun. We started with bike rentals and set off on the road in search of breakfast. Chris had a small accident coming down the hill from the airport, but was thankfully okay. The island staff was amazing and had paramedics, an ambulance and police on site before he could say, "I'm alright, really".










We all headed to Ernie's for a tasty breakfast, got on our bikes to start our whirlwind tour of the island. First, up to the very top of the island to the North Lighthouse. We walked along the shore and found many interesting rocks and stuff. A few boys took off their shoes and got in the water. Next, on to the Labyrinth, then the gorgeous main beach pavilion. The water was refreshing and much time was spent enjoying the sand, salt water and this special time together. A vicious sand castle challenge sparked and the boys got building. Once a large whole was dug, it only made sense for someone to jump in it. David M. got buried up to his head.

Next, everyone rode through town and headed to the South Lighthouse. The ocean views were spectacular. The huge stairs at the bluffs led us down to the waterfront. This was the favorite stop for many scouts. They enjoyed exploring the tidal pools and finding many sea stars, spider crabs and other sea life. Some boys mixed the natural clay from the bluffs with the water and got creative with clay sculpting. It was a wonderful visit and if it weren't for the notion of going for food, we might not have ever left.

Dinner was right by the beach at the famous Ballard's restaurant. Mmmm... clam chowder, sea food, pasta and more tasted so good after such a busy and full day riding and playing. After a wonderful dinner, some scouts headed for ice cream, others the candy store and all ended back at the campfire for s'mores. Talk around the fire recalled the beautiful places we visited that day.

Sunday morning came quickly and the camp was broken down swiftly. Once packed, the troop rode back down to our new favorite breakfast stop, Ernie's. Afterwards, the local shops were visited and a little more time on the bikes was enjoyed. A small group pushed their legs for a loop around the Southwest part of the island and a short visit to Rodman's Hollow, a large wooded area with the ocean in the background. Everyone enjoyed the ferry back to Point Judith were people took the opportunity to relax, reflect, enjoy the views and spend a little more time together before heading in different directions for summer, or at least until summer camp.

Hidden Valley Earth Day Observance Cleanup

Kudos to all the boys who came today to help New Fairfield Parks and Rec. Dept. prepare for the annual Earth Day Celebration event at Hidden Valley Nature Center on Gillotti Road. The boys cleared excess leaves, fallen branches and overgrown brush from the trails that run through the Nature Center connecting the High School/Middle School with Meeting Hill House School and Rita Drive. Troop 137 has a long-running tradition of keeping Hidden Valley’s trails open, which also helps the boys with community service time, rank projects and even an Eagle Project! For more details on the Earth Day Event, Hidden Valley, and Troop 137’s support of the Nature Center, please click here.

Backpacking and AT Hike - Durland

With nearly a 100 percent turnout, the Troop set out on their first full-scale backpacking trip for this generation of Scouts. The boys did an excellent job of packing just what they needed for a hiking trip without having to hike back to the car for additional gear or food. After a 2 mile hike, the boys got right to business setting up camp, collecting firewood and sitting down to dinner by the fire before dark. It was quite an achievement over previous adventures.



After some overnight rain, the skies cleared and the boys cooked breakfast before setting off on a long day hike early Saturday, including a few miles on the Appalachian Trail (AT). All 20 scouts got a chance to experience the AT and surrounding trails with all 20 boys completing their first 10 mile hike segment toward their Hiking Merit Badge. The first segment is always the hardest and all who attended showed a lot of Scout spirit in completing this challenging task and they have grown from the experience. One of the adult leaders shared some interesting information about the AT on our way and you can find out more at: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/

The weather really was excellent with beautiful blue skies and warm breezes. Everyone loved the awesome view of the lake at our campsite and from the top of the first overlook on our hike. The Troops saw many outstanding sights along their hike and enjoyed a nice lunch break by another quiet lake. The Scouts finished the weekend off Sunday morning with a delicious pancake breakfast and tour at the Niese Maple Farm. Yum :-) They learned about one of the oldest syrup farms in the country. Niese's Farm has remained in the same family for seven generations - WOW!

All the adults, Scoutmaster included, were very impressed with the Scouts set up and break down of camp and the boys efforts all weekend. They proved to be a much more experienced and capable group than just 6 months or 1 year ago. They should be very proud of their accomplishments and growth!

Click on pictures to take a closer look.

Pandemic Preparation

On April 5, Troop 137 participated in the Pandemic Preparation Drill in Bethel



The boys enjoyed an opportunity to earn a requirement for Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge while helping local emergency and health care workers in a practice response to a massive pandemic flu outbreak. The scouts were assigned various symptoms and were directed to either return home with instructions to treat their illness or were asked to report to the emergency tent for further evaluation. Nurses, Student Nurses, Physician Assistants and Doctors checked the serious cases and either "treated" them in the emergency tent or "sent" them off to the hospital. The drill was an excellent learning excercise and gave the scouts insights into the complexities of managing a large pandemic flu outbreak. The emergency and health care workers were very appreciative of the boys taking the time on a Saturday to assist in this important excercise.




See Danbury Newstimes coverage of the event by clicking --> here

Click on pictures to take a closer look.