Boy Scout Troop 1001

  Hello all Scouts and Scouters,

Drivers are needed for our campout this weekend.

Our Wilderness Backpacking campout is this weekend. We will meet in the TBC parking lot Friday at 5:30 and leave by 6:00. Make sure to bring your permission slip and food money if you haven’t already done so.

We do not have enough seats to transport the Scouts to and from McGee Creek State Park this weekend. If any Scouters are able to drive and have room for Scouts please contact Rick Goad at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ASAP. There will be a base camp where those who don’t want to hike can camp Saturday night.

Last night’s meeting was a busy one with final preparation for our Wilderness Backpacking campout. The Scouts practiced cooking on backpacking stoves and prepared a smorgasbord of entrées, side dishes, and desert. Beef Stroganoff, Chili Mac, Jamaican BBQ Chicken, and Chicken Ala King were just a few of the savory treats the Scouts prepared, while our SPL team made Chocolate Strawberry Crunch for desert. These dishes are lightweight and easy to cook on the trail. Most patrols are planning to prepare this type of food at camp.

All Scouts should make sure they are ready for a 5-mile backpacking campout. If you don’t have a proper backpack there are still a couple you can borrow in the Scout room. A school book backpack is not appropriate. See the gear list on the permission form for this campout. As Ethan, Jack, and TJ demonstrated, it is essential each Scout has:

• A good backpack
• Wool socks (cotton can cause blisters)
• Rain gear (poncho, at least)
• Water bottle
• Good shoes
• Your medication!

Each Scout will carry part of his tent, food, and cooking equipment. Make sure there is some room left in the backpack for this patrol gear. Personal gear should be light. You will be carrying your pack for 2-3 hours.

The Scouts will camp at "base camp" Friday night. Saturday morning they will cook breakfast and also prepare lunch to take with them on the hike. They will have lunch on the trail and expect to be at their wilderness campsite in the early afternoon, where they will set up camp and have the opportunity to learn about water purification and filtration. Saturday’s dinner and Sunday’s breakfast will be prepared at the wilderness campsite. After breakfast we will break camp, hike back to base camp, and head home.

This promises to be a fun-filled weekend with lots of opportunity to get some advancement requirements signed off. See you there!

Yours in Scouting,
Assistant Scoutmaster Payette