Troop 304 NEWS - 1999-2000 Camping Trips

June 16-18
The final campout of the season was a hike up Mt. Washington. And we thought that Mt. Lafayette was tough! Mt. Washington lived up to its reputation and we had quite a windy reception when we finally reached the peak!

May 19-21
In preparation for Troop 304's trip in 2001 to the Philmont (the Boy Scout high adventure camp in New Mexico) the troop hiked up Mt. Lafayette. This was one of the most toughest hikes of the year, over 10 miles in the rough White Mountains. During this hike, we actually scaled three 4,000+ foot peaks, all in one day!

April 15-16
The only camping allowed on Block Island is at the Boy Scout camp and those spots are usually spoken for months in advanced! This was Troop 304's lucky year and we snatched one of the sites. Getting to Block Island required an hour ferry ride. Most Scouts also brought their bicycles to make exploring the island easier. We really used those bikes, taking two 10 mile bike trips to visits the various sites of the island.

March 10-12
For our March campout, we stayed closer to home and camped at  Camp Sayre, just next to the Blue Hills Ski area. Camp Sayre is a Boy Scout Camp run by the local Council. Most of the troop arrived on Friday. Camp Sayre provides some nice lean-tos and establishing camp was easy, even in the dark. On Saturday we started a 5+ mile hike up through the Blue Hills reservation. At the top of the mountain, we visited an old lookout tower. The way down required a lot of scrambling over rocks and other obstacles. As we returned to our campsite it started to rain. But that was OK as we were all tired and took shelter in the lean-tos. The next day it was still raining, and several of the adults that had chosen to camp in their tents were a little wet!

February 12-13
This was our annual Freeze-Out at Camp Dalton! No snow this year, just bright clear skies. But it was cold! Overnight, the temperature dropped down into the single digits! We camped on the snow and cut our own firewood. Before dinner, two of the Patrols competed in a contest to find out who could boil water the quickest using the fewest number of matches. As a result, we had some roaring campfires that night! 

January 21-23
January is one of our favorite trips of the year. Although we are not usually camping outside, we have a lot of fun Skiing! This year we went North to Jay Peak in Vermont. We left Friday night to get two full days of Skiing. Saturday was bitterly cold and the runs kept short to stay warm. But Sunday was warmer with perfect Skiing conditions!  

November 19-21
It was off to Camp Dalton again to work on camping skills and advancement. Three Webelos of Cub Scout Pack 377 joined us on our outing!

October 16-17
This was a backpacking trip up Cannon Mountain! The troop split into two groups based on experience level. The older group hiked up the backside of the mountain with full backpacks. The backside of Cannon faces North and there was snow on the ground! The less experienced group hiked 3 miles up the South facing side of the mountain. This was also a very challenging hike! The Troop ate lunch on the summit while enjoying crystal clear views.   

September 25th-26th
On this camping trip we went canoeing down the Saco River. The river was unusually high and clean this weekend because the storm of the prior week had raised the water level and had swept out most of the debris that usually collects in the river and along the banks. During lunch on Saturday, we stopped at one of several rope swings along the river. The Scouts used the rope to swing out over the river before letting go and dropping into the cold (!) river water. Near the end of the day, we ported our canoes around a dam. A couple miles down stream we camped on one of the many sand dunes along the river. After a hearty meal, and a great campfire, most people went quickly asleep. The next morning we awoke to see the fog rising from the river. As we got underway, the sun came out and highlighted the colorful Maine Fall foliage. By midday, we reached our destination and started the trip back. This camping trip certainly set a high standard for the ones that follow this year!