Scouts: Cameron Jensen, Nick Jensen, Brian Flamm, Alex Smith, David Forman, Brennen Graessle, Ian Graessle, Peter McKenna, Jaime McKenzie, & Rod Shirazi
Scouters: Rick Farber, Paul Fitzner, Eric Flamm, Taylor Hall, David McKenna, Brian Wright, Kriss McKenzie, Pete Corbett
As tradition would have it we once again ascended the mighty Blood Mountain and returned fortunately unscathed but with the usual stories to tell.
On Friday night we left the church around 7:15 pm and drove to the parking area at Woody Gap. We night-hiked to Mr. Fitzner’s "campsite" about .8 miles north along the Appalachian Trail. Our SPL for the weekend was Cameron Jensen and he proceeded to get all the scouts set up and the bear bag was hoisted by Peter McKenna and Rod Shirazi before calling it a night. The night gave us a spectacular sky and at least 2 shooting stars were observed.
Saturday morning everyone was up and prepping Breakfast just after 7:30. Mr Wright and Mr. Farber treated the Scouters to scrambled egg and mushroom burritos with sauteed peppers and onions and the scouts had a mix of pancakes and bacon. It was decided to send one crew up the short (steep) side with Rod and Jaime. Together with Scouters Flamm, Hall, and McKenzie, they hiked back to the parking area and drove to Neels Gap for the 2.5 mile ascent (after some timely shopping at the Mountain Crossings store).
The remainder of the Scouts and Scouters continued on from the Friday night camp site the 8.5 miles to the top.
The day was in the high 50’s and the sun shone all day long. As in the past the mountain was a challenge and the long trail crew made it to the summit at 4:30 while the short side crew made it to camp around 4:00. This hike was Jaime’s first real backpacking adventure and it took a little more effort then they possibly anticipated but they made it.
It was also a first time to Blood Mountain for our Committee Chair Mr Flamm and hopeful new scouter Mr. McKenzie; both fared well enough and were in great spirits when we arrived.
Saturday evening gave us a fair sunset but the seeds of a questionable night were beginning to sprout. The older scouts were comfortably set up in the shelter and the younger scouts found great spots amongst the rocks and or trees with protection from the wind. Dinner for the scouts ranged from cold real pizza to the good old ramen noodles (hot). The Scouters had penne pasta with olive oil, spices and parmesan cheese, followed by Milano cookies and hot drinks. All were tired from the days trek and called it a night around 8.
The night was warmer than usual and I can remember mother nature calling me around 2 PM and thank goodness for small favors, because shortly thereafter the temperature clearly was dropping and the wind picked up considerably and then the rain’s kept a coming!! I can remember lying there just looking forward to sunlight and all the fun that goes with packing up in the rain. I was also thinking about Mr. Fitzner, Mr. Wright and Mr Farber who normally set up camp on the actual top of the mountain vs. down in the rocks. Sure enough, Mr Fitzner was actually rolled by the wind while in his tent and Mr Wright took on considerable water. The wind was pretty amazing. Fortunately the rain gave us a break and we were able to break camp in just the fog and a very light misty rain.
The older Scouts really stepped up this trip and helped out the younger scouts break camp in less than comfortable conditions. It was a very proud moment for me to see this done with very little groaning and moaning…they even helped carry some gear and trash that was not theirs down the mountain and cleaned out the shelter of the mess left by previous campers.
Peter McKenna led us in a great Scouts Own Service Sunday morning. We took some great group photos and headed down the mountain around 10:45 am.
We took some time to refit Jaime McKenzies backpack and it made a great difference as he just strutted down the mountain without taking any sit down breaks. The leaders that were with him were very proud of this first time scout and how well he did on this challenging trek.
We all assembled at Neels Gap and rested while we reshuffled the cars around the mountain and then proceeded to Blue Ridge and Papas Pizza Buffet to experience an eating frenzy which included Chocolate and Cherry Pizza!
We made it back to the church around 4:45 pm in time to do a few chores around the house before the weekend was up
Great weather (Considering), Great fellowship, Great scouting
Scoutmaster Corbett
