This past July Alex and I went on a multi-day canoe trip in the Adirondacks with his Boy Scout Troop, Troop 888 of Smithtown. The trip consisted of a 40 mile paddle spread out over 4 days and on day 2 a 1.5 mile canoe portage to get around a waterfall. The trip started on Long Lake in New York, and ended on Tupper Lake and we camped overnight along the way. There were about 6 boys from the troop and myself and one other adult. We all had a great time and the experience was amazing.
Category: Summer
FollowCamp Yawgoog 2015
Once again, this past August the Troop went up to Rhode Island to Boy Scout Summer Camp at Camp Yawgoog. This year it was the Centennial Celebration for Yawgoog. They put together a great week of activities and events for the boys. It was also Nick’s first year going to Yawgoog. He had a great time and really got a lot accomplished while he was there. Alex also was the Senior Patrol Leader this year so he got to run the troop while we were up at Yawgoog. I think he did a great job and everyone seemed to have a good time. Here are some pictures from the week.
Alex’s Command Tent
One Rainy Morning – There was one day really early when a thunderstorm came through the camp. It was over by 8am and the rest of the week was sunny and beautiful.
Meal Time
Waiter Duty
Nap Time
Ashaway Aquatics Center
Saturday Night Show
NH White Mountains Hut to Hut Hike
In the end of June Alex, Nick and I went with the Boy Scouts to the White Mountains of NH for a 3 day backpacking trip along the Presidential Range.
Our trip started on Saturday June 26th at the Highland Lodge in Crawford NH. We stayed overnight at the lodge and got an early start on Sunday morning, unfortunately it was raining and would continue to rain for two days. We hiked up the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail to Lakes of the Clouds Hut which is near the top of Mt Washington. It was a tough hike up but we were rewarded with a nice stay at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut and a warm welcome by the Hut Croo. We ate a hearty meal that night and slept well in our bunks. The next day we hiked Crawford Path / AT across Mt Monroe, Mt Franklin, Mt Eisenhower, and Mt Pierce to Mizpah Springs Hut where we stayed on our 3rd and final night. By the time we got to Mizpah Springs Hut everyone was ready to relax and we enjoyed good food and good company. The Hut Croo played a game of Jeopardy with everyone that night and all the boys enjoyed the competition.
Finally, we hiked down the Mizpah Cutoff to the Crawford Path and back to the Highland Center Lodge for our return trip home.
Even though the weather was rainy and the clouds kept us from seeing the spectacular views atop Mt Washington I think everyone had a good time. It was hard work but I am proud of everyone who did the hike and their accomplishments.
Here are a few pictures from the trip.
Highland Lodge
Nick Backpacking
Alex Backpacking
Crossing the Ammonoosuc River
Nice View
Lake of the Clouds Hut
Happy Hiking Crew
Happy Fathers Day
Yesterday was Father’s Day and we celebrated it by staying home and relaxing. We went swimming in the pool and hung out on the new deck. Alex put up my camping hammock and I was going to get in and relax a for few minutes but the weather changed and we had a pretty nasty thunderstorm for a little while. I have to say thank you to Paula for the gifts and for working so hard (she actually was out in the rain standing at the grill).
Alex on the other hand enjoyed the hammock while he could.
And 5 minutes later after the rain started.
Camp Yawgoog
Last week Troop 888 attended their annual summer camp at Camp Yawgoog in Rockville, RI. I was lucky enough to be one of the adult leaders who went along. I have to say it was a great week, tough but a lot of fun. All the boys worked on different merit badges for their rank requirements but they also got some free time to have fun. Some boys tried stand-up paddle boarding, others shotgun shooting. The troop was challenged by Troop 454 to a game of water basketball, which was a lot of fun. Then we challenged Troop 454 to a game of water dodge ball. Some of the older boys hiked the trails at Yawgoog and worked toward the Yawgoog Hiker segment. Each night we had a great big campfire and everyone sat around and relaxed. On Friday night we had a Flag Retirement ceremony where we retired several old worn out American Flags. It was a very memorable week and I can’t wait to do it again next year. The best part is next year BOTH Alex and Nick will be going up.
Camp Yawgoog Gate
Leaders Tent
Yawgoog Pond Sunset
Sunset
Bonfire
Shotgun Shooting Merit Badge
This past Saturday Alex and I went with Troop 888 to a Shotgun Shooting merit badge clinic in Flanders, NY. The clinic was run by Ducks Unlimited and several Boy Scout Leaders. They did a great job and were very professional. Everyone had fun and learned a lot.
Nick’s Fishing Camp
All last week Nick has been attending a fishing camp down at Short Beach in Smithtown. They have been teaching them how to surf cast and fish from the beach. The’ve used all sorts of different rigs and he even has caught some keepers. Here are some of the ones we actually got to eat. They were Porgies and they were delicious. Nick even helped Paula clean them.
City Sailing Trip
Yesterday we went into Manhattan to take a sailing tour on the Clipper City Tours boat. We visited the 9/11 memorial and walked around Battery Park. Then we finished off the evening with a nice sailboat ride around the Governors Island and past the Statue of Liberty. It was a very nice trip, we all had a great time. Here are some pictures of the trip.
Happy Independence Day
Boy Scout overnight canoe trip
The boys from Troop 888 and I went canoeing on the Delaware River. We canoed 20 miles over 2 days and camped out overnight at a wilderness area at the halfway point. It really was a good trip, everyone had a good time. Here are some pics from the trip.