Scouts BSA Troop 1123

  This weekend, we had a fantastic campout at Serendipity Horse Meadows in Fairplay, MD, and earned the Horsemanship Merit Badge! The Scouts had plenty of opportunity to care for the horses, learn or practice their riding skills, and of course enjoy s'mores around the campfire. 

  The weekend of September 27 took us to Cedarville State Forest, part of our ongoing quest to find camping locations as close as possible to DC. The forest was beautiful, a mixture of mainly holly and oak, and featured an enormous variety of different kinds of mushrooms. We practiced orienteering, and learned to measure heights and widths using our bodies and a compass. There was an unexpectedly large amount of rain, but a few marshmallows were roasted anyway!

After a long spring and summer of mainly virtual Scouting activities, we had our first in-person campout the weekend of August 22! Things were a little different because of the pandemic -- everyone slept in their own tent, we wore masks and stayed at least 6 feet apart whenever possible, and we prepared our food individually. It was great to get together, and we enjoyed working on our saw and axe skills and going for a short hike.

Over the last few months, it hasn't been possible for us to meet in person, but we've still gotten some great Scouting in.  Our meetings have been conducted via Zoom, and have included activities like knot tying, lashing, and practicing first aid techniques -- plus a lot of fun games! We've also had some virtual hikes and virtual campouts, where families have gone hiking at the same time and shared photos, or where Scouts have camped in their backyards, living rooms, or with their families. Our most recent virtual hike included a photo scavenger hunt.  In addition, we've done some weeding at our chartered organization, and written cards for a nearby assisted living facility. 

This past weekend's trip to West Virginia featured hiking, good food, hot tubbing, and an early morning transit of the International Space Station! While we had originally hoped to go cross-country skiing, the weather didn't cooperate, so we went hiking on both days instead. The first day, we hiked the trails we had planned to ski on, and the second day, we took a short hike in the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Although there was no snow, we did see some spectacular views, frozen waterfalls, and chickadees right up close.  The Scouts all decided to get up early on Sunday morning to watch a transit of the International Space Station, which was extremely bright as it moved across the sky almost directly overhead. 

This past weekend was rainy and cold, but the Phoenix Patrol prevailed! We arrived at Little Bennett Campground around 4:30 in the afternoon on Friday and set up camp. The Scouts did an excellent job of putting up a large tarp over our kitchen area as dusk settled over the campsite, ensuring that they would be able to cook dinner even as rain threatened. Later on Friday evening, members of the Order of the Arrow inspected all of the Klondike Sleds and Survival Kits. Our Scouts were not missing anything from their Survival Kit, having paid careful attention to the requirements. It rained most of the night, but the Scouts were dry and reasonably cozy in their tents. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal in the morning, the Scouts were off to the morning session of Klondike Derby Stations in a light rain. I was glad to learn that they gave away their excess dry tinder and kindling to other Scouts who hadn't brought any and were struggling in the wet conditions. After three hours of compe