TROOP 1320 NEWSLETTER
January 27, 2002
“All The News That Fits, We’ll Print”
_______________On the web at “www.troop1320.org ”
SCOUTMASTER NOTES
Scouting
is 3/4ths outing. That is something that we need to remind ourselves of in
order to maintain a quality Scout program at Troop 1320. Without the outings
every month there would not be the opportunities needed for Scouts to meet many
of the requirements for advancement, such as a five mile hike, camping out of
doors on multiple trips or cooking a hot meal for a patrol. The Troop and the
adult leadership put together the outings but the Scouts have to take advantage
of the opportunities. In doing so we strive to do the familiar as well as try
something a little different and more challenging. One of the more challenging
things which we do is our February trip where we will camp out at Laurel Ridge
and, provided there is snow, cross country ski in to set up camp. Camping can
be a challenge, but winter camping is a bigger challenge. Getting a fire going and keeping it going is
not simply a matter of comfort, it is an absolute necessity as is staying dry.
Hey
Scouts, if you have practiced your outdoor skills and are up to it, I invite
you to join me in facing the challenge of winter camping.
Scoutmaster,
Paul Burke
Timberline Ski Trip
Over
the mountains and through the woods, the Monongahela National Forest that is,
we drove to Timberline Ski Area near Davis, West Virginia. The weather was
moist as we traveled but as we rose in elevation the light rain turned to snow.
A welcome site as we planned to snow ski and not water ski.
After we arrived at the Ski area we were shown our
luxurious accommodations a/k/a the Bunkhouse. Each section of the Bunkhouse
consisted of 30 bunks with a couple of bathroom facilities. Spacious they were
not but we came to ski and not to hang out anyway.
Saturday morning we went through the breakfast line and
after fortifying ourselves we hit the slopes. All were pleasantly surprised
with the ski runs as Timberline features a 1000-foot vertical as compared to
600 at the ski areas in our neck of the woods.
Because the lift lines never got that long everyone had
plenty of opportunities to ski their brains out. As the day wore on the
temperature grew mild enough that many of us shed a layer or two with which we
had begun the day. Most of the guys
called it a day when they came in for dinner and spent the evening in games of
euchre around the fireplace in the lodge. But not everyone could resist and
some, including Trevor Burke and Dan Wanninger continued to attack the slopes
until the lifts closed at 9 p.m.
Sunday morning broke blustery with snow blowing hard,
especially at the top of the mountain. There was no way to ski without goggles.
Just ask Jake who tried it and had to stop part way down because he could not
see where he was going! As soon as there was a break in the high winds, Jake hightailed it down the
mountain and got some eyewear.
Did I mention that the winds were strong on the top of
the mountain? The winds made it an
adventure trying to get and keep going.
Once you got off the lift and began your descent it was not uncommon for
the wind to catch you and bring you to a stop on the top fourth of the
mountain. With the wind and the cold it was quite a contrast with the weather
from Saturday but it was still a great day of skiing.
Troop 1320 did leave its mark on the mountain as both
Matt Moshier and Mr. Wanninger managed to take out a tree. Also Mr. Meloro went
so fast that he left a contrail behind him. At least we think it was a
contrail.
After lunch on Sunday we all headed back up to the top of
the mountain where a local minister led a Christian Service. Thereafter there
was a race to the bottom and after a final run or two we gathered our gear and
headed for home.
The Scouts and adults who went on the trip to Timberline
were: Jake, Josh, and Mr. Baumiller, Dylan, Trevor, Austen and Mr. Burke, Corey
and Mr. Grimes, Dan and Mr. Grosso, Luke and Mr. Meloro, Matt and Mr. Moshier,
Dean Kelly, David and Mr. Shepherd, Dan and Mr. Wanninger.
As everyone really enjoyed themselves on the trip don’t
be surprised if Timberline is found on the calendar for next year.
Klondike Derby
The Klondike Derby was held the weekend of January 19-20th at Camp Anawanna south of Washington, Pennsylvania and members of Troop 1320 headed there in search of gold. Led by the intrepid Shawn Tupta, our patrol of prospectors mushed with their sled of supplies from town to town in the snowy outpost, which is the Yukon.
We arrived at the site of the Klondike Derby early Saturday morning in the swirling snow and wind. It was fortunate that we got there when we did, as a later arrival would have been problematic as there is a steep hill going into Camp.
At any rate after we had removed the sled from Mr. Wanninger’s truck and unloaded some firewood we set up camp in the snow. The guys then loaded up the sled for the adventure that is the Klondike Derby and headed for the starting line. Meanwhile, Mr. Dunn was making arrangements for the various mayors to get to the towns, which would be the sites of the different tests of Scout skills. Among the challenges faced by our troop was lashing poles together and raising the patrol flag, rope rescue and knot tying, first aid, fire building, shooting penguins with a slingshot, ( I thought that PETA might have a problem with this but was told that the heartless Mr. Englund had arranged for this brutal blood sport) and semaphore communication.
Mr. Moshier and Mr. Burke managed to get themselves elected the co-mayors of Carmack and were the judges of the fire building competition.
Despite the liberal use of “Mojo Wax” on our awesome sled the troop did not make the cut on the sled races. Actually, they cut some scouts which they managed to run over on the course, but that was not counted. Go figure. We did manage to get a gold nugget, get into a snowball fight with another troop, (hey, they started it) have a lot of fun and learn some things in the process.
After the Klondike Derby we went back to where we were camped and enjoyed a dinner round a fire as a light snow fell. Dean Kelly prepared a hearty pasta dish for the assembled Scouts and thereby satisfied an advancement requirement.
Following
dinner it was a peaceful evening around the campfire as there was only one
other troop there which had the intestinal fortitude to camp out in tents for
the night.
The next morning after breakfast and a Scout Service we loaded the sled onto the top of Mr. Burke’s van and headed for home. The Scouts who went on the trip were, Dylan Burke, Dean Kelly, Matt Moshier, Shawn Tupta, Joe Jasek, Dan Cox and Chas Semko.
A big thank you to Mr. Wanninger for hauling the sled down for us to the Klondike Derby and for providing us with some firewood.
Friends
of Scouting Dinner
Our annual Friends of Scouting Dinner has been scheduled for Saturday March 2, 2002 at the Social Hall of Trinity United Methodist Church. The dinner will feature salad, spaghetti, bread, beverages and a dessert, which will be provided by the troop at no charge to all family members of the Scouts.
The Scouts will prepare the dinner, to be served at 6:00 p.m. that will be followed by a Friends of Scouting presentation along with a Court of Honor.
We will also take the opportunity to recognize and welcome all new Scouts who have joined the troop.
Please be
sure to mark your calendar for this fun and worthwhile event.
A Killer Klondike Derby
By
Dylan Burke, First Class
Another trip, another article. There were seven scouts on
the trip and two adults. Our sled was most likely the oldest there, but it run
with the best of them thanks to our mojo. My favorite event was the log pull,
that’s exactly what it was too. My least favorite event was knot tying. After
the race, in which we did fairly well in, we dragged our ,mojoed up, sled up a
rather large hill and rode down it twice. Neither of our rides was very
successful the first time we ran into a tree the next a rock that flung us out
of the sled.
We
started out Saturday morning by setting up our tents after that we used our
mojo to give the runners a little extra glide. Than we took the sled to the
starting point at Stewart’s Crossing with the log pull. Next we went to the
flag raising “town” where we made a beautiful flagpole with our flag on it.
Than we went to an orienteering were we did fairly well. The next place we went
to we also ate lunch at it was knot tying which I failed horribly at. Next was first aid at the top of the hill.
Then came penguins shooting with slingshot. After that we were at “Carmack”
were our Scoutmaster who is also my Dad
was in charge of fire building. Finally
came semaphore, but there was one minor obstacle in our way Troop 1313 so we destroyed
them in a snowball fight. After semaphore we had completed the Klondike Derby.
Next
came the races. We put some more Mojo on the runners and started the race, we
didn’t win but we didn’t lose. So all in all we didn’t do too bad. The rest of
the day was relaxing around a fire the adults built. It was a very fun trip and
I wouldn’t mind doing it again. Oh yeah the “mojo” I’ve been talking about is
ski wax.
PARENTS: FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
Feb.
1-3 Winter Camping
Laurel Ridge & X-C
Skiing
March
22-24 Camping at Twin Echoes-
Orienteering
April
26-28 Gettysburg
May
24-27 Annual Memorial Day
Canoe
Trip
June
14-16 Camping and Sailing
Moraine State Park
July Backpacking Otter Creek Wilderness Area
& High Adventure Trip
August
4-10
Summer camp @ Heritage
Reservation
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Troop Committee Meeting
The next meeting of the troop 1320 committee will
be held on February 28, 2002 at 7:30 at the Scout House. Richard Meyers, the
troop committee Chair will conduct the meeting as best he can given the
presence of Hal “Mr. Disruptive” englund. You can expect that matters on the
agenda will include The Scouting for Food Service Project, Friends of Scouting
Dinner as well as upcoming Outings for the Troop. All parents are welcome and
encouraged to attend.