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.

Ski Trip! Killington Ski Resort, Killington, VT

Let's go skiing! The boys skied the slopes of Killington Ski resort for two days in March on another exciting annual trip. Boys, and adults, of all ski levels made their way from top to bottom for a few hours on Saturday before retiring to the lodge where there is a heated pool and hot tub for thawing out. Such a life! This was a first timer for one boy, who managed quite well. There was plenty more skiing had by all on Sunday before returning home from this fun-filled and, yes, exhausting weekend.

Cabin Trip - Hoyt Scout Reservation, Redding, CT

A favorite trip, the annual Cabin Trip took place in February at the Rangers Cabin in the Hoyt Scout Reservation, Redding, CT. This is the one trip a year where the boys are permitted to bring any and all electronics, at least the PG-rated ones. This year we counted 12 televisions, 7 game stations, a few movies and an electronic guitar. After a long Friday night competing in various games, the boys did manage to get up and out of the cabin Saturday morning for a hike on a local trail in Ridgefield.

Klondike Derby - Richter Park, Danbury, CT

In January, Troops from all over Fairfield County converged on the back nine at Richter Park Golf Course in Danbury to participate in the annual Klondike Derby. The boys compete in a skills challenge, complete with patches and prizes, by pushing a special sled around to various stations. The Troop 137 boys developed and managed the Emergency Shelter Building Station and had a lot of fun directing and judging the other troops efforts to build a storm-worthy, survival shelter. It was a cold campout, but the boys were prepared, managed to stay warm and had a great time. Some even had their picture included in a Danbury NewsTimes article on the event!

Court of Honor

Many Scouts received ranks and rewards at the January Court of Honor.