Boy Scout Troop 410 - 2006 Troop News Archive
Thanks to everybody, this past Christmas Season's Christmas Tree Sales was a great success.
Thank you to all who gave of their time and also gave time in both locations. The Sales this past Christmas Season were a responding success. Thanks to all of the hard work and dedication of all.The Sign-Up Sheet has been posted on the web for each date. Please keep in mind that this is posted as of 11/21/06 and may not reflect any changes beyond this date. Also, note that there are 2 pages for the month of December. This reflects the 2 Christmas Tree Lots that we are staffing for the month of December.
Lot 1 is in front of Atlantic Cycle in White Plains and Lot 2 (Week-ends ONLY) is between Longhorn Steak House and Bob Evens in the heart of Waldorf.
Click on each for the Schedule for that Location and Month:
Lot 1 - Atlantic Cycle - November
Lot 1 - Atlantic Cycle - December
Lot 2 - Longhorn Steak House - December (only)
Two shipments of trees have been delivered and off loaded...further preparations and schedules will be posted as needed...
43 scouts and an untold number of parents, siblings and helpers helped to hand out bags and instruction to 28 different neighborhoods. Scouts then returned a week later to pick up 3,872.9 pounds of donated food. This food will help several local churches and the Children's Aid Society to be able to hand out food to needy people and families to help them through the holiday season.
We went off to work on completing the Camping Merit Badge to Camp Marrick. A short stroll through the woods with a scenic over night. Well, it was more like a total of 5 Miles worth of Hiking and a primitive arctic expedition, so some thought. The Hike in did little more than wear some of the scout down...not out, just down. Then came the cooking lesson...some learned that you need to pay attention to your food while it cooks and what effect gravity has on the food in a mess kit frying pan as it leans to the side when the logs shift in the fire. After dinner, it became obvious that most of the scouts decided that it would be best to start setting up their sleeping bags and ground cloths. It was starting to get cold...only about 35 degrees following dinner, not quite the Bahamas' but close. Bed time for most was somewhere near 8:30 PM believe it or not with the over night temperatures dropping down to 28 degrees.
Morning breakfast was quick and painless. Most scouts and the scout master opted for the gourmet meal consisting of Pop Tarts and a cool drink. Some, more adventurous scouts, worked diligently on preparing a more involved meal of instant oatmeal. Following breakfast, most of the leaders were expecting a bit of entertainment consisting of some scouts repacking their packs...on their own. For the most part, all of the scouts were able to get themselves together in a reasonable amount of time and then off we went to finish the overnight by hiking back to our original drop off point.
The scouts performed remarkably well during the entire overnight session. Some handled it well while most seemed to enjoy themselves way more than they should have. There were 2 lessons learned from this camp out:
1) Condensation collects on the inside of a tarp and will drip back on it's owner if there is not enough air flow on the bottom side at 30 degrees
2) Mike can snore loud enough to shift the embers in the fire
Great job all...
Information related to this event will be updated soon...
This weekend we welcomed several Webelos Scouts from many of the local Cub Scout Packs to our Court of Honor. Giving them a first hand view of some of the things that Boy Scouting offers to the boys of the community and giving them the ability to join us camping for the weekend. Activities included basic camping skills thru some of the games that the boy scouts play. This Court of Honor not only gave Troop 410 the ability to recognize the accomplishments of many in the troop, but it also gave everybody the privilege of watching and participating in the retirement of several American Flags, led by County Commissioner Al Smith, an Eagle Scout and our Scoutmaster Mike Hunt. A fun time was had by all and a huge congratulations to all who were recognized for the Merit Badges and the advancements of rank they completed.
Thanks to all who came and participated in this weekend’s ceremony, especially County Commissioner Al Smith.
Hiking along the Billy goat trail gave 5 scouts and 6 adults the experience of walking along a rigorous path while looking at some very beautiful scenery. A portion of the trail required the hikers to climb a wall while other portions required the ability to place your feet carefully in the cracks and crevices in order to navigate along the way past the deer, fish and other wild life of the area. The day was pleasant and a little bit of rain which helped to keep the day cool and keeping all in a good mood, especially knowing that they completed the trail just before the heavy rain started to fall. All in all, it was a very nice experience.
10 Scouts and 4 Adults took a trip to the Flying Circus for the VA Scout Weekend. The weather, though overcast most of the weekend, was wonderful. Not too hot and definitely not cool. What was cool was the merit badge that every scout took while there. The Aviation Merit Badge was provided by several members of the Flying Circus led by Joseph Callen. Joseph and his group of volunteers provided a very knowledgeable look at the world of flying and the many different pre-flight procedures required to fly. Nearly all of the scouts and most of the leaders took advantage of a 10 minute flight in an open cockpit World War II era Bi-Plane. What a thrill this was, I don't know of any scout that did take the ride and did not thoroughly enjoy the time up in the plane. Every pilot took the time necessary to make you feel comfortable and give you the greatest thrill of the day. On top of everything else, Mr. Callen requested our Troop Flag to perform the opening Sky Dive (pictures will be posted soon) during the Air Show on Sunday due to our performing of both Flag ceremonies for the weekend scouting event.
White Water Rafting - Follow up...
A small group of scouts, families and friends took a trip down the Youghiganny River on Class 2,3 and 4 Rapids. The trip was fun for everyone, even those who were tossed from the raft and forced to endure the rapids with their hind parts. Scouts had the opportunity to see Mike move a few boulders while floating down the river. We spend Saturday night in a camp ground where the scouts, friends and families enjoyed a few hours of playing cards and having fun even with the rain. The White Water Rafting trip will be earlier next August, and hopefully we will get back to a larger group.
Claytor Lake - Follow up...
Troop 410 attended Claytor Lake Aquatics Center of the Boy Scouts Blue Ridge Mountain Council which is located just South of Roanoke, Virginia from July 16 until July 22, 2006. Eighteen Boy Scouts, 1 Venture Scout and 7 Scouters comprised the group attending this high adventure camp. The Scouts earned 57 merit badges in Motorboat, Small Boat Sailing, Rowing and Water Skiing. All 19 Scouts attending earned the Boy Scout Snorkeling achievement. The Scouts had a full week of water activities starting with breakfast at 7:00am and activities going till 8:00pm daily. Due to the size of our group the Scouts were divided into two separate Crews, Crew 7 & Crew 8. Daily activities included volleyball, rowing, sea kayaking, snorkeling, motor boating, small boat sailing, large boat sailing and water skiing. At the end of the week, Scouts were treated to an exhilarating ride on “The Rocket,” an inflatable banana that 6 Scouts sat on while being pulled behind one of the power boats. The closing campfire on Friday night was small but memorable, with excellent skits from the Staff and Scouts. An enjoyable week was had by all attending an excellently organized program on the banks of Claytor Lake.
Bashore - Follow up...
We survived 13 + inches of rain fell from Sunday through Wednesday, but this did not dampen our spirits too much.
From the moment we set foot on Camp Bashore through the closing ceremonies, most everybody was soaked or was walking through a rain soaked camp, To get to or from their Merit Badge Courses or to get their food, it was wet. The Closing campfire didn't even spare us, it looked like we were going to get it bad but the rain held off for the most part until we left the camp fire area. "We opened with rain...we might as well close with rain". All in all, I think we all had fun to a degree. We all pulled together to make the best of it and to help those who needed our support.
We did learn one thing...when Mike says not to worry about rain gear - Don't listen to Mike ! ! !
Relay for Life - Troop 410 is Scouting for a cure - June 9-10, 2006 - $2655.00 Raised ! ! !
At last count, our total raised for the Relay for Life 2006 was $2,655.00. We met out goal! That is fantastic! What a great time we had! The scouts either walked the track, played football in the field at La Plata High School, danced the Cha Cha Slide or hit up the refreshment stand. It is a very uplifting event and I hope that everyone will try to participate next year. Thanks to everyone who attended this event. We were the only Scout group there. Thanks also to my "all-nighters" - Kay Aukerman, Linda Hayden, Brian Moore and Mitch Mills. Also to the scouts and family - Ken Aukerman, Andrew Boarman, Samantha Hayden, Brandon Hayden, Scott Moore, Jason Moore, Andrew Mills and Sam Osborne. We were a little "chilly" late in the night, but we wrapped up and kept on walking!
Jane Osborne
