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Trip Reports
This page will have reports of all the trips that the Troop takes.
02-11-06 - Klondike Derby (Brooksby Farm) Photos
Another fine day for the Klondike, not a flake of snow to be seen anywhere. The snow came the day after the Klondike.
Eleven Scouts were at the derby. We ran one sled. This year, we did better than usual, taking home a few ribbons and third place overall. Because of the lack of snow, some of the events were changed or eliminated. The snow snake was replaced with an egg drop test. Each patrol was given an egg to drop from about 6-feet, and had to come up with a way to prevent the egg from breaking. Or guys came up with putting the egg in a zip-lock bag of water, and then putting that in another bag filled with water. Ours was one of only 4 eggs that did not break. I guess the guys really do like "egg in a bag."
04/22-23/06 - Isaac Davis Trail (Acton MA) Six Scouts and 5 Leaders camped in Acton for the Isaac Davis Trial hike. Left the farm at about 8:30AM on Saturday. We decided to pack light on this trip, and did not take the carport. This may have turned out to be a bad thing. The weather on Saturday was cold and rainy. We did a lot of standing around in the cold. For the end of April, we were very surprised by the weather.
Joey and Chris got to work on their Second and First Class requirements. They had fun cooking, and the food was pretty good. After seeing the flag presentation program and some skits, we headed back to the site at about 8:30 and retired to our tents. It rained off-and-on throughout the night, but nothing too bad. 5:00AM came real early and we had a quick breakfast before catching the bus at about 6:00 to go to the start of the hike. We followed the Isaac Davis Trail for about 7 miles learning some history along the way.
06/23 - 25/06 - Order of the Arrow Induction Weekend (Camp Onway) While some of the details of this adventure will remain private (to respect the privacy of the Order of the Arrow), we will share as much as possible. Morris attended as a candidate. Patrick L. attended as an Elangomat (those in the OA know what this is.) Mr. Early, Mr. McGinn and Mr. Lynch also attended.
Of course it rained. But that did not dampen anyone's spirits. After a day of working to improve the camp, both Morris and Patrick went through their respective ceremonies. Morris is now an Ordeal Member, and Patrick is now a Brotherhood member. Congratulations to both.
11-12-2006 - Turkey Shoot (Danvers Fish and Game Club) A handful of Scouts, their parents and siblings went to try out their shooting skills at the Danvers Fish and Game Club. The match involved shooting 22-caliber rifles at a "lucky target." The targets looked like over sized bingo cards. Each person shot until they got three shots on the paper. The high score won a turkey, the lowest got a small canned ham.
Mr. Early brought home a bird. Andrew and his sister Becca tied for the ham. In another relay, another win for the Zarrella family. they have won at least one bird each of the last two of three years. We have actually stopped counting.
11-18/19-2006 - Thanksgiving Feast at Camp Nihan (Saugus MA) Photos.
Troop and Crew 121 from Lynn invited the troop to their annual Thanksgiving feast. Several other local troop attended as well as lots of Webelos. The camp was filled. In all, we had a small but good group attending. Patrick L., Chris C., and Robbie Z. attended a three-hour Junior Leader Training session, while Chris E. took a hike through Breakheart Reservation.
Of course, the high point of the weekend was the deep-fried turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed, and all the other goodies that go along with Thanksgiving. A big thanks goes out to Troop and Crew 121 for being such good hosts.
12-2-2006 Hike in Middlesex Fells (Stoneham MA) Four Scouts, three Leaders, and a member of the Lynn Venture crew enjoyed a nice 7-mile hike in the Middlesex Fells in Stoneham. It was a very nice day, only mildly chilly when we stopped for lunch. This hike was taken in conjunction with the Appalachian Mountain Club.
12-9-2006 Blitz to First Class at Brooksby Farm (Peabody MA) Six Scouts spent the day at the farm working on many of the outdoor related requirements. We had stations set up for wood craft, knots, lashings, map and compass, and an orienteering course.
Cameron and Robbie did a great job as patrol cooks while working towards their First Class. The food was excellent. The bubble-up pizza cooked in the Dutch oven went over quite well.
Thanks to Mr. Lynch, Mr. Early and Jeff for spending a rather chilly day at the farm. Also, thank you to the Scouts who participated. The day was a great success and most of the Scouts who came are a lot closer to their next rank. Maybe next time, we can get more participation.
2-10-2007 - Klondike Derby (Brooksby Farm)
Unfortunately, there was a very low turnout from our Troop at this event. Patrick L. was there for the entire day leading a small but eager group of second year Webelos from the pack. Kyle and Morris were also in attendance for part of the day. From the Pack, we had Daniel M., Jimmy G. and Matthew H. The weather was nice, not too cold. Too bad there was not any snow. Our patrol's name was "The Procrastinators." How fitting! Once the sled was packed and inspected, our small band of Scouts raced through the course. Some of the stations were; first aid, knot tying, lashings, compass work, etc...
After a somewhat rough start at the lumber jack station, our team hit it's groove and sailed through the rest of the stations. Even with such a small group, the spirits were high, and everyone had a good time. For our efforts, we took home the following ribbons:
- First Place - Fire starting
- Second Place - Life boat drill
- Third Place - Compass course
2-32-2007 - Land Navigation (Camp Curtis Guild - Reading MA)
Kory arranged for the Troop to get some practice with their land navigation skills at the National Guard post. We were given a list of coordinates, a map, and a compass. Two groups set off into the woods to find seven control points each. One of the courses was fairly simple, the other was quite a challenge.
Participating in this day were; Boy Scouts, Venture Crews, and JROTC members. There was talk of setting up a weekend event at the post for invited troops. More on this as we hear more.
4-28-29 2007- Camping at Lone Tree Scout Reservation (Kingston NH)
This trip turned out to be a great introduction trip for the new guy patrol. That was not the intent, but most of the Scouts on the trip were from the newly named "Patriots" patrol. So I guess we can stop calling them the new guy patrol.
After an early start, we arrived at Lone Tree to see the results of logging that has been done at the camp. The camp is now much more open and bright. Hopefully the logging will help with the bugs that seem to like Lone Tree. Most of Saturday was spent working on advancement. Everyone learned knife, ax, hatchet and saw safety and use. No blood, so that was good. The hot dog and bean lunch was hearty and filling. We went on a walk through the camp, looking for signs of animals for Second Class. Dinner got started late, so we were cleaning up in the dark just as the rain started. We quickly got a couple inches of rain. Most everyone slept in their tents. Although a few did bail to spend the night in the nearby cabin. Well, someone had to watch the fire in the stove all night.
Most of the tents were fairly dry in the morning, only a few damp spots. After spending some time learning first aid, we departed.
After this trip, most of the Scouts who attended are very close to earning their Tenderfoot.
5-12-2007 - Hiking in Middlesex Fells (Stoneham MA)
Very low turnout for a 6.5 mile hike with the Appalacian Mountain Club. We met at the Stone Zoo parking lot and took at fairly easy hike around Wright's pond. Weather was great for hiking in shorts. There were about 30 people on the hike. Next time we will announce hike earlier to get a better turnout.
7-22 to 7-28-2007 - Summer Camp at T. L Storer (Center Barnstead NH) Photos
Mr. Lynch, Mr. Early were in camp the whole week. Mr. Gauther, and Mr. Harrington both stayed for part of the week. Eight scouts attended with Patrick as SPL and Morris as ASPL.
About half of those who attended camp were there for the first time. Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Lynch got to camp early to set up the carport, and do some light housekeeping before the rest of the troop arrived. Medical check in went without a hitch. Then, off to the lake for our swim tests. Yahoo! Everyone passed the test.
Dan, Matt, and Jimmy attended the Trailblazer program. Here they worked on some of the advancement for Tenderfoot, 2nd Class and 1st Class. In a slight change this year, they did not get a chance to earn the swimming merit badge. They can get that next year. It was a busy week. Everyone earned multiple merit badges. This year we only had a couple partials. That is very good news. All of the partials can be finished up with the troop. Talk to Mr. O'Brien or Mr. Lynch about finishing the badges. We did the Polar Bear swim, "Paws Up!, brrrrrrrrrr." Actually the water was pretty warm at 6:30AM.
There were a couple activities to note. Patrick did COPE, and survived the high ropes course. Patrick, Morris and Joey all did the Wilderness survival merit badge, and survived. Mr. Lynch did the mile swim in 41 minutes, with Mr. Early and Mr. Harrington rowing the boat. We played quite a bit of Monkey Bar Golf. Some of the games got quite competitive. We cooked a couple tasty deserts using Dutch Ovens, Black Forrest Brownies, and Peach Cobbler. These were a big hit. One of the high points of the week was building a raft for the Storrer Games. Using some PVC pipe, cardboard, three trash bags and lots of duct tape, the Scouts built a raft that actually floated. Dan was the skipper and did a great job navigating the course.
9-28 to 9-30-2007 - Aquila District Fall Camporee at Camp Carpenter (Manchester NH) Photos Eight scouts and three adults (give or take) attended the camporee at Camp Carpenter with many other Troops from the Aquila District. We shared our campsite with Troop 50 from Nahant. The weekend theme was Indian Lore. During the day on Saturday, the Scouts were faced with many different games and activities. The games followed the Indian Lore theme.
Joey served as the cook for the weekend, finishing up his cooking requirements for First Class. Pancakes for breakfast, burgers and dogs for lunch, and tin foil dinners for dinner. Mr. Lynch made a peach cobbler in the dutch oven for desert, yummy!!
Speaking of food, there was a treasure hunt with eight clues to find the treasure. We found the treasure chest which contained 6 pounds of candy!!
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10-28-2007 Hike in Lynn Woods
A couple scouts took at 5 mile hike in Lynn Woods with the AMC. Nice day for a hike, cool and breezy. Great hiking weather. We walked around Lynn Woods, visiting the steel tower, stone tower and dungeon rock. No pirates today.
The two Scouts who did the hike, had a couple requirements signed off. Let's try to have better attendance for future events. The more activites you attend, the more requirements you can get signed off.
11-16 to 11-18-2007 Thanksgiving Feast at Camp Nihan (Saugus)
Once again, Troop and Crew 121 of Lynn hosted a great Thanksgiving Feast. Several Troops and Packs attended. The weather was pretty cold, low 40's during the day and down to about freezing at night. Our small group practiced Dutch Oven cooking for lunch an dinner. Patrick attended Junior Leader Training, while Chris E. worked on Second Class first aid. Chris served as the cook for the weekend. After this weekend, Chris is very close to Second Class and finished up some first class requirements as well. Matt and Paul H. joined us late in the day on Saturday for the feast stayed the night.
2-2-2008 Klondike Derby at Brooksby Farm Photos
Well, the Klondike hade very little snow, but lots of mud. The weather was fairly warm with a little wind. We had seven Scouts, and also were joined by Tyler and Ian from Pack 119. Everyone seemed to have a great time. There were 13 patrols at this year's event. Look's like our winning series continues:
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3-29/30-2008 Camping trip at Brooksby Farm
It was a cold weekend for a camping trip, but who ever said it had to be warm for camping. We had a trip to Brooksby Farm to work on advancement. Jessie served as our First Class cook for the weekend. We all ate good as Jessie helped prepare tin-foil meals for lunch, Coke-a-cola chicken for dinner, and pancakes for breakfast. For lunch on Sunday, we cooked hamburgers on the hobo stoves that we made at the last trrop meeting. After experimenting a little bit with the fire, the stoves cooked great tasting burgers. The best part, no clean-up! Hobos have the right idea.
When not cooking, our younger Scouts worked on their axe-yard skills and learned how to light backpacking stoves. Our older Scouts practiced their compass skills with a new game, and by running a 1-mile orienteering course. After a somewhat cold night sleeping, we broke camp and move the gear back to the chuch. We will start to store most of the camping gear at the church rather than the farm.
July 2008 Summer Camp at T. L. Storer Photos
This year’s Summer Camp at TL Storer was an interesting mix of fun and excitement. The weather was a factor for most of the week with daily rain and some severe weather mid week, but the scouts maintained high spirits, and by Friday the weather cleared for a great end of camp. We shared the site this year with a Troop from Hill, they seemed like a nice group but stayed mostly to themselves despite many invitations to join us around the campfire, although they did enjoy our Black Forest Brownies and Peach Cobbler.
The biggest story that the boys will be talking about for a while is how the Rowing MB class was interrupted by a “wall of water” coming off Goose Pond on Wednesday. Morris and his father braved the weather on Wednesday night to go to Wah-Tut-Ca to participate in the OA Brotherhood ceremony, congratulations to them both.
Matt successfully completed the Mile Swim, and Morris, and Joe, Completed the COPE course. Mr. Harrington proved to be an excellent marksman at the Scoutmaster Shoot (look out Mr. Lynch).
09/12 - 14/08 - Flags on the 48 Six Scouts and six adults traveled up to the White Mountains for a hike up Mount Pierce. This trip was timed to participate in the Flags on the 48. We camped at the Dry River Campground. If it were not for the rain, it would have been dry! We got an early start on Saturday morning and hiked to the top of Mount Pierce. When we got to the top of the mountian, Troop 97 had their flag flying. While on the peak, we could see some flags flying on surrounding mountains as the clouds broke.
After a trail lunch, we hiked over to the Mizpah hut where we filled up our water, got a couple snacks and then headed down. The trail was rather rocky and steep on the descent, only a couple slips, nothing major. In total, we hiked 6.19 miles. Check out the map and trail description(PDF).
Next year, we may consider raising our own flag on a peak, let's think about it. 10/3 - 5/08 - Arrow of Light Weekend Mr. Lynch and Mr. Early attended the arrow of light weekend along with the Webelo II Den and their dads at Camp Wah-Tut-Ca. A great time was had by all learing what it is like to be a Boy Scout. For some of the boys, this was their first camping trip. A great time was had by all. We are looking forward to having the Webelos join the Troop.
10/12 - 14/08MassJam Over the Columbus Day weekend, the Troop attended MassJam with approx. 7,000 Scouts from many different councils. The weather was fantastic! Anyone who was at the last MassJam, this was a welcome change.
During the weekend, the patrols participated in various activities from rock climbing wall, map and compass, friction bridge building, COPE games, etc... The food was great, as everyone honed their cooking skills. Rob's patrol earned the Baden Powell Award for completing a given number of activities and particiapted in a short service project. 11/2 - Sky Line Trail Hike
A small number of Scouts (including a Webelo II) completed a 6-mile hike through the woods in the Middlesex Fells along the Sky Line Trail. This trail is one of those run by the Witch Trail Committee. This committee runs a number of historic trails on the North Shore. Hopefully, we will do more of these hikes.
11/21 - 23/08 - Thanksgiving Feast with Troop/Crew 121
As always, Troop/Crew 121 from Lynn invited us and the Pack to their annual Thanksgiving Feast. This year we camped at Camp Lions in Salem. This was our first trip to this camp. The turnout was small, but everyone had a good time. During the day, a lot of advancement was completed including two boards of review. The deep-fried turkey and all the sides was just great! The weather was pretty cold, but spirits were high.