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Piedmont Council Eagle Banquet, April 21, 2010
Troop 101 had the privledge of conducting the opening flag ceremony at this years Piedmont Council Eagle Banquet. The Venture Patrol was given the task of representing the troop for this event. The entire patrol conducted the flag ceremony, Zach H. lead the opening prayer, Michael Y. was the dignitary stage escort and Tyler M. & Aaron Q. assembled the Eagle Badge during the ceremony. Our boys did a fine job representing the troop in this Council wide event.
Eagle Banquet Photo Album
Backpacking, Wilson Creek, April 9-11, 2010
Backpacking at Wilson Creek was one on the most exciting outings we have had to date! We parked about a mile away from the trail entrance. Night fell as we hiked in on the trail. We hiked about a mile till we found a camp site where we set up camp in the dark. Saturday morning we got up, ate breakfat and broke camp for a six mile loop hike. Ten minutes into the loop hike we came to a large river where we soon realized we had to cross to continue on the trail. Once on the other side of the river we dried off our feet, put our boot on and continued the hike. We stopped at an overlook for lunch where we had a spectacular view of a waterfall. Continuing the hike we were confronted with additional river crossings (over 20 river crossings) to continue on the trail. What should have been an a six hour loop hike ended up turning into an overnight stay in the wilderness as each river crossing took nearly 20 minutes (boots off, cross river, dry feet, boots back on). As night was about to fall we spotted an increadible campsite where we set up camp for the evening, ate dinner and got an awesome nights sleep. The next day we broke camp and hiked out of the Wilson Creek Wilderness Area. While the river crossings were a challange the hike was awesome, scenery was beautiful and the weather was spectacular. Geart trip!
Wilson Creek Photo Album
Spring Camporee, March 19-21, 2010
This years Spring Camporee was held at the South Mountain Retreat and Conference Center with the theme "A Celebration Now & Then 100 Years of Scouting" celebrating the centennial anniversary of BSA. For one of the few times in recent memory we had exceptional weather for a camporee. We arrived at the camporee location and proceeded to set up our campsite which is no small task. Once set up, we ate dinner and emjoyed fellowship with other troops that lasted until late into the evening (2:00 AM). The next morning the boys proceeded to participate in all sorts of training opportunities: two man buck saw, morse code, blindfold knot tying, semaphore code/flag signaling, orienteering, flint & steel fire building, knife & axe sharpening, flap jack race and a scavenger hunt. That evening the Battleground District participated in a "Homecoming Meal" where we all ate together under a large canopee. Saturday evening we took part in the campfire festivities which was hosted by our very own Carl Anderson. This was one of our favorite camporees that we have participated in. A great job by Camporee Chief Alan Morgan!
Spring Camporee Photo Album
Ski Trip Winterplace WV, February 27 & 28, 2010
Our annual ski trip to Winterplace was postponed due to rain in January. With the trip rescheduled to February we enjoyed some of the most AWEOME weather conditions for a ski trip. Leaving home it was clear and sunny. Once we crossed the West Virginia boarder we transitioned to overcast and snowy conditions, just perfect for snow skiing. Once we were checked in, we made ourr way to The Mountain House, a restaurant by day and our sleeping quarters for the night. Over 150 people camped inside The Mountain House that evening. When we woke the next morning, to our surprise, we had an additional 4 inched of fresh snow. We broke camp, ate breakfast and hit the slopes by 8:00 AM. On the slopes it continued to snow and ice the entire day. The 10 boys and 3 adult enjoyed a full day of snow filled fun!
Winterplace Photo Album
Backpacking @ Caesars Head State Park, SC
February 14-16, 2010
On this outing we completed as six-mile winter backpacking trip to Caesars Head State Park in South Carolina on February 13-14. Prior to departure, Cleveland County received snow showers Friday causing ice to build up on the roads and highways. Nine boy scouts and two adult leaders braved the cold weather and arrived at the scouting complex at 5am with winter gear for their outdoor excursion. Road conditions slowed the sparse morning traffic to half the posted speeds and several cars and trucks were wrecked or stranded on the sides of the highway. Arriving later than planned and realizing their pace would be slowed with heavier pack weight to contend with while hiking in fresh snow, the troop headed west to the trailhead at Raven Cliff Falls.Trudging four hours through the silent woods and rhododendron thickets brought these scouts to the Gum Gap trail junction leading to the boundary of the Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve. With two hours of daylight left, the boys hurrying to assemble tents, gather firewood, and prepare dinner before dark. After eating their meal and securing gear, most boys retired to their tents after sundown but a few remained by the small campfire for the last vestige of warmth. The temperature fell to 21 degrees and continued to lower to 10 degrees by morning. The troop endured the numbing effect of cold hands and feet while preparing breakfast and braking camp. Fresh tracks around the campsite indicated that coyotes were in the area and some heard their call during the night. Using the same trails to return, the troop stopped for a short hike to the falls and a trailside lunch. The boys reached the terminus of the trail, loaded their gear, and returned to the visitor center. Before retuning home, an impromptu snowball fight erupted with the two adult leaders receiving the brunt of the directed volley.
Caesars Head Photo Album
Freeze Out @ Camp Bud Schiele, January 15-17, 2010
Our 2010 Freeze Out had to be postponed a week because of extreemly cold weather. Temperatures for that weekend were expected to go down into the single digits.So we had to reschedule it a week later where we had slightly warmer tempatures, but as usual we had 2 plus inches of rain on Saturday night. Almost everyone had water in their tents and the scouts who slept in their survival shelters were soaked!
Freeze Out is an annual troop favorite with the scouts. We usually have the highest attendance on the Freeze Out trip. We had 23 scouts and 11 adults participate in this outing. Former leader Brian Trivett as well as his son Trooop 101 Eagle Scout Josh Trivett joined us for the weekend. On our freeze out outing the boys have the opportunity to shoot rifles (thanks Garry for bringing your rifles) and shotguns (thanks Marvin, Brian and Scott) at the Camp Bud Schiele shooting range. A lot of preparation and training for this outing took place in our troop meetings with the emphasis on gun safety. In the afternoon training session, the newest scouts worked with Carl on their Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. The scouts had to build a survival shelter and sleep in it over night. Five scouts built and slept in their shelter. Flying Eagle and Venture Patols also built a shelter and slept in it.
Freeze Out Photo Album
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