50 Mile Bike Ride

The last requirement for the Cycling Merit Badge is to complete a 50 mile bike ride.  This is the ride that everyone has been working up to!

Speaking of everyone, the entire troop started the merit badge, but as the rides got longer and tougher, fewer and fewer of the boys continued with the program.  Their excuses were varied.  Boys that had Hiking or Swimming under their belt didn't feel a need to add cycling to their list when it wouldn't count as an Eagle required merit badge.  Others didn't feel their bikes were up to the task.  Still others thought that they weren't up to the task.  Whatever the reason, only the hardiest cyclers came out to finish the merit badge.  

Hardy they needed to be as the ride took place on the hottest day of the year!  Temperatures were in the high 90's by the end of the ride!  Because of this, they ride started an hour early, getting under way just after 6:00AM.  The route also had to be changed.  Instead of starting in hot, hot, Cloverdale and riding south to Howarth Park, the route started and ended at Howarth Park, went down and back up the Joe Rodota Trail and then north to Healdsburg and back.  

While the group was riding the trail, they were shadowed by Mr. Keelty with a cooler full of cold drinks and water.  What a godsend he was too!  He was able to supply the boys with cool water at each rest stop and when they needed it most in the last blazing hot leg of the journey.  

In the end, all but one of the boys who started, finished.  All the boys enjoyed a BBQ at Howarth Park afterwards to replenish the calories lost on the trail.  

At the next meeting, the Scoutmasters Minute was about doing something Epic.  Each of us has a chance to do something epic in their scout careers and this was certainly one of those epic events.  

What will your epic event be?

Participants: Payton, Gerrit, Owen, Brian, Bryce, Devon, Andres

Leaders:  Mr. Polkinghorn, Mr. Brisgel

Lessons Learned:  Old Redwood Highway is a great route for biking, but not very scenic.  After a long ride, chocolate milk is fantastic!  Do the paperwork right after the rides.

2013 Cache Creek Backpacking

Enough of this car camping already!  It's time to strap everything on our backs and head off into the wilderness!

And that's exactly what we did!

The troop tackled the Cache Creek Wilderness in Lake County and explored the Redbud Trail.

First though, the group had to stop overnight at Clearlake State Park.  The troop took off from Santa Rosa and crossed the Mayacamas Mountains skirting the slope of Mt. St. Helena (which we will visit next winter).  After a quick stop in Lower Lake, the troop made it to the State Park and set up camp.  Clear Lake Sate Park is a lovely spot that we will have to come back some time and explore more thoroughly.  It has several group campsites, lots of family campsites, cabins and a swimming beach!

The next morning the boys packed up and headed for the wilderness.  Just a short trip outside Clearlake Oaks on Highway 20, the troop pulled off at the Redbud Trailhead and strapped their packs on and took off up the trail.  Several hours and miles later, they arrived at Baton Flat beside one of the forks of Cache Creek.  The trail continues for another 4 miles to Wilson Valley, but the creek was running high and was impassable.  So, everyone stopped for the night and made camp.

This was true back country camping.  There were no pit toilets or bear boxes, so the troop set up their latrine and bear bag station.

They also set about pumping enough water to get by and this proved to be a problem.  One of the three pumps the troop brought was broken.  Then there was so much sediment in the water, that the other two pumps started packing up and barely worked by the time the troop left!  The group walked out with only a half of a water bottle apiece, but it was enough.

Meanwhile, the troop explored the valley, played with the lizards, and prepared their freeze dried foods.

It was truly remote!  The whole day we only saw a handful of other living beings and certainly no one from the afternoon on.  Only a whisper of traffic noise from over the ridge let you know that there was anyone within a hundred miles of you.

In the morning, the troop reversed it's course, headed back up the trail and back to civilization.  We will have to come back in the fall when the creek is low and take the trail all the way to Wilson Valley.

Participants: Brian, Andreas, Bryce, Gerrit, Owen, James, Angelo

Leaders: Mr. Bell, Mr. Polkinghorn, Mr. Valdelomar

Lessons Learned:  Clear Lake SP is a beautiful park!  We have to come back.  The creek is high in Spring.  We will have to come back in Fall and do the whole trail.  Make sure to check the maintenance on the water filters and bring a bucket and cheese cloth to siphon from.

2013 USS Hornet Overnight

As our big trip of the year, the scouts went down to Alameda and boarded the USS Hornet for an educational overnight.  The boys got to sleep in the racks in the Torpedo Room, eat in the Enlisted Mess, and see much of the ship.

Of special note was the guided tour of the ship.  in the past we have had a guided tour and when the ship is packed a self guided tour.  With the smaller groups in the middle of spring, the troop got a guided tour or the ship.

The tour included the usual parts of the ship- the bridge, the nav, the flight deck, the hangar, the brig, the catapult rooms, the engine room, and the work spaces.

However, the guide for the troop was a former Chief Petty Officer of the Watch who took the boys into a rarely visited part of the ship - the radio room where secret communications were decoded!  This section was so secret that our guide didn't even know about it's existence when he was a sailor for numerous years aboard the ship!

After the dinner and tour, the scouts were given the choice of attending an informational movie or a presentation of ghost stories!  Then it was off to bed except for two of the leaders who (luckily) drew the first fire watch of the night and only had to stay up a little late.

The next day the scouts were given the privilege of performing the morning flag ceremony!

After morning flags the boys loaded their gear, hit the gift shop, took a ride on the flight simulator, took one last tour around the flight deck and then headed back to Santa Rosa.

Participants: Clayton, Matt, Johnny, Eric, James, Jordan, Joey, Owen, Bryce, John-Robert, Adam

Leaders: Mr. Franceschi, Mr. Polkinghorn, Mr. Baier, Mrs. Baier, Mr. Christensen

Lessons Learned:  Follow the directions to the tunnel to Alameda!  Only 2 leaders need to pull one night shift.