On Sunday, September 20th, ten of our scouts participated in the annual Mercer Island Canoe Race. hosted by Troop 457 Mercer Island. This year we had beautiful weather too!
Six teams competed in the relay race that consisted of 5 legs around Mercer Island, covering a total distance of 13 miles. Scouts who participated were, Sam R., John T., Jacob T., Cory B., Harrison K., Ricky A., Gabe R., Chris F., David A., and Alex L. Mr. Thackray captained our spotter boat and Mr. Lodge was our official Coast Guard spotter.
It was a tough race, but everyone had a great time; especially at the AWESOME picnic hosted by Troop 457!
Troop 626's annual family Labor Day Day bike tour & camp out was in King County for 2009. The vast majority of the route was on King County trails, many of which were soft surfaced former rail road beds. Railroad trails make for relatively flat routes. A gear wagon driven by Mrs Adams-Guy allowed us to ride bikes unencumbered by heavy packs. This is a family friendly event and a Mom and cub scout even rode bikes one day. There was rain at times, but with proper rain gear it was still enjoyable.
Saturday was about 26 miles from Lake Sammamish State Park to Valley Camp in North Bend. Two flat tires and one broken bike didn't stop us. Thanks to Mrs. Reardon for accomplishing a bike swap. Scott's dairy freeze is a few blocks off the trail so we made a rest stop of it. We covered numerous trails including: Issaquah-Preston; Preston-Snoqualmie; Whitaker; Snoqualmie Ridge; and Snoqualmie Valley Trail (SVT). Riders Saturday: Sam R., Gabe R., Ricky A., John T., Mr. Thackray, Mr. Guy, Mr. Kwik and Mr. Funcke. At camp, Mrs. Thackray joined us and Mrs. Adams-Guy along with Bree G. and Conor A., delivered hot dinner to us.
Sunday morning we were joined by Max O. After a "Scout's Own" time of reverence in the camp mini chapel, we headed north from North Bend along the Snoqualmie River Trail. We passed Snoqualmie Falls but we were experiencing our own "water fall" of rain by then so we didn't stop. We rode the SVT trail to Remlinger Farms in Carnation where we ducked out of the rain for awhile before the final few miles into Carnation to Tolt MacDonald Park. A total of 22 miles for the day. The camp's warm indoor showers were soothing. The Orth family joined us for camping. We car pooled with the Orth and Adams-Guy vehicles into town for a convenient pizza dinner.
Monday we had additional riders of Mrs. Gish and Rex O., Sam R., and Gabe R. rode all three days, for which they each received a prize! Also riding Monday were Max O., Mr. Guy and Mr. Funcke. We backtracked on SVT trail then diverted to Fall City and then connected back with our trails from Day 1 through Preston and back to Issaquah, for a total of about 21 miles.
Ten scouts and six adults ventured into Canadian waters from 4 - 9 August as part of two separate three-canoe Northern Tier crews. The group flew into Minneapolis-St Paul airport, and then made the long 4 hour drive to the Scout Base north of Ely, Minnesota. Then, the real fun began. The scouts were processed through the many stations necessary to ensure all the gear was in order for their departure the next day, including food, tents and cooking gear. After a wholesome dinner in the dining hall and mandatory orientation film, each crew retired to their yurt-like cabin for a personal gear check. After the final check and pack up, it was time for bed, and the last night of sleeping inside for a week.
All six canoes set off for their adventure within 30 minutes of each other, and raced to the Canadian border crossing station. On the way, we figured out how to row properly, and how hard the week ahead was going to be. Once we reached the Canadian border crossing, the groups split up, one going east and one going north. We would not see each other until the final day, upon our return to the Base camp.
The adventure was fantastic. Each group has a different story about the week, but there are some common threads. Everyone stroked, and stroked, and stroked....at least 50 miles for each crew! And everyone had an opportunity to carry the food pack (way too heavy), the gear pack, and the "elephant packs" containing our tents, sleeping bags, and clothes. The fishing was fun, the camaraderie excellent, and the scenery breathtaking.
It was the experience of a lifetime, one that no one will forget anytime soon.
On July 5-11, 2009 our Troop headed down to Tillamook on the Oregon coast to attend summer camp at Camp Meriwether, a property of the Cascade Pacific Council. Thirty nine boys + 4 Adult leaders stayed for the full week, with a handful of parents visiting throughout the week. We were among 380 Scouts at camp that week.
What a great summer camp! The camp is located on the Pacific ocean with 2.5 miles of beachfront property. The camp even has its own lake. Our troop was assigned to the “Lookout” campsite which has 7 adirondack shelters and is located on a bluff overlooking the ocean. It’s a prime site for sure. The theme for the week was “Accomplishment”. The guys completed a total of 115 merit badges during the week. In addition to keeping busy with Merit Badge classes and other advancement programs (for those below First Class), the Scouts took part in other fun activities ranging from blackpowder rifle shoot, shotgun, archery, climbing wall, canoeing to tomahawk throwing and candle making.
- The camp held a triathlon between Troops. Our team consisting of Ricky A. and Cory B. (Runners), Jacob D. and Kevin H. (Swimmers), Jeffrey P. and Calvin N. (Canoers) came in third place!
- Thursday night was the sand castle and sculpture contest, and our Troop won first place with its creation: "Scout-eating Giant!"
- We also had a few scouts complete their Wilderness Survival merit badge which required them to sleep out overnight with just the clothes on their backs in shelters they had built - those brave scouts were Scott G., Max O., Calvin N., and David Y
- Mr. Young earned the Pioneer Award by participating in a list of Pioneering activities at camp
- Mr. Cambron and Mr. Young completed the Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat Certification
- Mr. Kwik, Mr. Cambron, and Mr. Young completed the Paddlecraft Safety Certification
- Mr. Cambron and Mr. Kwik completed the Water Rescue Certification
- Mr. Black and Sam R. (one of only three Scouts at camp) trained for and completed the Mile Swim
- Our Polar Bear swimmers braved 6:00 a.m. 53 degree ocean water to earn bragging rights and the Camp Meriwether Polar Bear Patch - They were Logan S., Lazare H., Illian H., Gabe R., and Ajay M.
- Cory B. received the "Boom Chicka Boom" award for shooting two disks in the air with a double-loaded shotgun. - Our Troop signed up to serve as color guard for the closing flag ceremony on Friday. This is the most widely attended flag ceremony since many of the family members visit for the final dinner at camp. A color guard team of 10 scouts was put together and began training on Thursday and Friday. The team included: Caller = Logan S., American Flag = Gabriel R.+Zachary D.+John T. , Washington Flag = Illian H.+Lazare H.+Alex W., Oregon Flag = Charlie H.,+Sam R.+Owen D. The Scouts did an excellent job!
It was a successful week for sure. Thanks to all the parents who helped make this trip happen. Congratulations to all!
Bellevue Council member Conrad Lee congratulates Conor Adams and Byron Wu upon receiving their Boy Scout Eagle Medals at their Court of Honor on June 20th, 2009. Conor, 16, is a sophomore at Newport High School. He has earned both his bronze and gold palms since June. Byron, 18, is a freshman at the University of Washington studying Engineering.
On Saturday, June 13, 2009 we headed on a hike up to Rattlesnake Ledge by North Bend. The weather was a bit overcast when we started at the trailhead about 9:00 am, but cleared up quickly into a sunny beautiful day. The hike is less than two miles each way, but gains 1100 feet providing a nice moderate incline most of the way. The view at the top was partially obscured by moving fog, but we did get some good views of Rattlesnake lake below.
The crew included Cory B, Harrison K, Elliot H, William D, and Peter D plus four adults. It was a great day for a nice hike!
On May 1-3, 2009 Boy Scout Troop 626 attended the Cascade District Camporee, held at Ensign Ranch near Cle Elum, Washington. 12 Troops and 183 Scouts from Bellevue, Mercer Island, and North Renton attended this event.
We arrived on Friday evening and set up camp at the "Grotto" campsites which was nicely tree covered and provided plenty of space for everyone. Our Troop consisted of 17 Scouts and 7 guest Webelos, making up three Patrols: Blue (Fire Breathing) Dragons, Jumbo Goldfish, and Toxic Jellybean Webelos. 10 adults were also on hand throughout the weekend.
We began the Saturday morning with High Adventure activities where the Scouts worked on honing their teamwork skills in a variety of physical challenges. After lunch, the Scouts went on to the Field Events that presented the Patrols with a variety of Scout skill challenges. Following the Field Events was a Patrol relay challenge that only the Webelos Patrol participated in. The rest of the Scouts decided to spend the afternoon playing Lacrosse, football, and exploring the grounds.
In the evening, the Patrols reassembled for dinner time. Each Patrol did their own meal preparations while the Adults and Webelos had Hobo stew (Foil meals), followed by a dutch oven cobbler.
Meanwhile, the Scouts made an entry for the dessert competition consisting of cake, frosting, and Ritz crackers... Strange looking, yet oddly delicious!
The evening ended with the campfire program, followed by lights out. On Sunday morning, our Troop was packed up and headed home by 9:45 am... everyone satisfied with the fun and adventure we experienced over the weekend!
On Sunday, September 20th, ten of our scouts participated in the annual Mercer Island Canoe Race. hosted by Troop 457 Mercer Island. This year we had beautiful weather too!
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