Philmont 2013

A couple weeks ago I have adventured to Philmont Scout Ranch arguably one of scouting’s greatest challenges. I spent 10 days out in the backcountry with just me and my crew and now looking back in retrospect I can say it was a great experience.

Now don’t get me wrong, hiking Philmont was not easy. In fact it was the complete opposite. Blisters, sunburn, dry camps and buckets of rain being dumped on my head. Days without showers, dirty clothing and packing down and leaving camp every single morning. It definitely wasn’t easy, but nevertheless an amazing experience that I would love to go through again.

Tip for the future though try pick up a rain jacket that is actually waterproof and not “water resistant”. Trust me, you’ll need it.

Dmytro Banin
Not at all a Historian

www.Troop626.org

Evan McFarlan's Eagle Project

On Saturday July 13 we had Evan McFarlan's Eagle Project.
The goal of the project was to reorganize the trail so as to keep it in good condition. We basically removed the top soil, plants and roots that were growing on the trail and placed rocks and logs on the sides of the trail to make it more defined.

Overall I was really surprised by the amount of people who came to the project: over 20 scouts and adults!

Thank you to everyone who came and congratulations to  Evan for finishing his Eagle Scout project.

Dmytro Banin

Not at all a Historian

www.Troop626.org

Mt. St. Helens Hike

On July 3rd Troop 626 went to Mt. St. Helens. This was a 10 mile long scramble up boulders and snowy mountainsides and definitely not what one would expect when they hear the word hike.

Before the hike we camped down at the base of the trailhead.

After a long night in tents we were ready to go hiking. In the beginning the scenery looked like that of an average hike: forest all around. However as we climbed higher up the mountain we encountered boulders that we had to scramble up. The higher up we got the more snow fields we saw and the harder the wind blew. By the time we got to the top we were absolutely exhausted.

And then, the amazing idea to glissade down the mountain came to mind. For those of you who don’t know, glissading is basically sliding down the mountain on your butt. It’s cold, freezing, and wet. It’s also hard to decide what’s worse, trudging down the mountain on your tired legs or earning yourself a major case of frostbite.

One thing you need to have for sure is an ice axe, because if you’re tumbling down the mountain you better have a way to stop yourself. Overall this was a great hike and I would definitely go on it again.

Dmytro Banin
Not at all a Historian

www.Troop626.org

Owen Dickson's Eagle Project

Two Saturdays June 9th and June 16th we had Owen Dickson’s eagle project.

The project was basically a food drive for hopelink. The job of the volunteers was to deliver flyers to the designated houses for the first weekend

and collect food donations during the second weekend.

Overall I was surprised by the amount of people that donated food.
After seeing all the donated food we had collected it really forced me to realize how much we can do together as a community.

Dmytro Banin
Not at all a Historian

Troop262.org

Camporee 2013

On May 3-5 Troop 626 Scouts participated in the annual Camporee at Ensign Ranch.

At Camporee we were lucky to have warm and sunny skies and absolutely no rain! For those of you who don’t know Camporee is an annual event organized by the Order of the Arrow where scouts have fun, preforming skits, practicing essential scout skills and passing different ropes course challenges. The day is split apart into two sections, the first part of the day field events, and the second part of the day high adventure. Field events is basically where you go around the field and are faced with different types of scenarios that force you and your team to work together to overcome. This part of the day focuses on testing your scouting knowledge and skills. High adventure is where scouts work together to overcome obstacles in rope challenges. This part of the day is mainly focused on your teamwork abilities. After this we have the campfire, where scouts gather around at the camp-fire bowl and different patrols perform skits for each other. Overall I think this was a fun, bonding experience between scouts and I would definitely do this again.

Dmytro Banin
Not at all a Historian

Earth Day Eagle Projects

Yesterday was 4/20/13 or Earth day a day to support environmental protection. On this day we had Sam & Gabe Reardon’s Eagle projects.

These were two different projects both at one area (Chism Beach Park).

Sam’s project was to renew a trail by placing mulch to preserve the trail. We would use wheelbarrows to move the mulch and spread it across the trail. Gabe’s project was to remove ivy and other invasive species in the nearby area. It was hard and dirty work due to the steep incline of the slope and the mud but this project was a success as well.

Overall I think this was a great way to celebrate Earth Day as well as help maintain the trail and its slopes. Congratulations to our soon to be Eagle scouts.

Dmytro Banin