Coosa Backcountry Campout

Over the weekend a small group of scouts went on a beautiful backpacking trip, and, according to Patrick, a great kayaking trip! We hiked six miles both Saturday and Sunday morning. There was lots of uphill and downhill throughout the hike. There was lots of time to relax Saturday afternoon. The Philmont meals were delicious, just as soon as the stoves would work! Everyone woke up early Sunday morning to hike back to the vehicles. Everyone had a great time.

Please post a photo to the Yahoo Group, or send a photo of the 

ca

mpout to me!

Gregory Bald Backpacking Trip

(November 19, 20, 21, 2011)

Saturday morning the Scouts and adults participating in this adventure gathered at John Knox Presbyterian Church at 6:00 a.m. to pull gear and get ready to depart. We left the church approximately 7:00 a.m. with cool temperatures and clear skies.

We arrived at the trailhead and began our hike. 5 miles in on the Twenty Mile trail, we stopped for lunch where the AT comes into this trail. We had our first taste of Philmont Food. Canned ham was enjoyed by most of the scouts. After lunch we continued to Burch Spring Gap, and climbed an abandoned fire tower where we were able to see Lake Fontana. 6.1 miles hiked for the day.

Uneventful evening. Camp was set up. Another Philmont meal of beef, potatoes and corn was prepared and enjoyed by most.

Sunday morning’s breakfast skillet was good. Camp was broken down and we began our hike in heavy fog. Drizzle began mid morning. Our miles for the day were 6.8. We set up camp using the “Philmont Way” at Sheep Pen Gap. Medium rainfall during the night didn't keep unknown critters from our campsite. The next morning, Hank’s water container was found ripped open 20 feet from the campsite in a thorn bush. Nathan’s water bottle was found 20 feet from camp under a log.

Monday morning was cold as we broke camp and prepared to leave. The weather started to change with dark clouds forming. The rain began as we crossed the first bridge and got heavier during the last two miles of the trek. EVERYTHING was soaked. Total miles 7.2

Everyone was glad for dry clothes and a hot meal at Wendy’s as we traveled back to Marietta.

Raven Cliffs, May 2011

Backpacking to Three Forks

The Three Forks (July 16-18) campout was an adventure. We hiked around 12 miles going back and forth The troop also camped out 2 nights and had our picture taken on the starting point of the AT (Springer Mountain). The scouts that went on the campout were from Spartan patrol Ryan, Mike, Chris, John, Nathan, and Daniel. The scouts that came from Phoenix were Will, Patrick, Hank and Jakob. The scouts from Archer were Jeremiah, Jalil, Jeremy and Addison. The scouts from serpent were Aidan, Bryce, Matt and Jerry. The adults that went were Mr. Brown, Mr. Smith, Mr. Dinehart, Mr. Wright, Mr. K.C. Smith, Mr. White, and Mr.Farber.

We started out from the top of Springer Mountain and hiked down 1 mile to the parking lot to have breakfast. The troop spilt into two groups so we would not disturb as any other hikers. The troop met back together ½ mile from the campsite and ate lunch together. The next thing was set up our tent next to the creek that ran right next to our campsite. The new scouts had a section of their campsite to themselves which might not have been a good idea. They set up one dining fly that was one big piece of art. It would have been blown apart as soon as the rain hit but luckily no rain We all changed into bathing suits and made a massive dam that made a pool 4 feet deep. The troop played in the creek for upwards of 2 hours, so by dinner time we were all hungry.

The next day we packed up relatively quickly and left for the Benton MacKaye  trail which was more difficult but lower mileage. On the first 100 yards some scouts had trouble keeping up.. We took breaks every 100 feet for them to keep going and once they got there second wind they took off running.

All in all it was a very eventful weekend. The new scouts learned more basic camping skills and the older scouts learn a little bit of leadership skills. The troop also had a wonderful time on this campout.

From The SPL pen,

Nathan

50 Miler, Fires Creek & Hiwasee River

The Fires Creek Rim Trail is 26 miles of up and down. This trail was one of the hardest trails most of us had done. We summited countless peaks with no switchbacks. There were multiple times we went in search of a reasonable water source to pump drinking water from. Also we found plenty of opportunities for disaster, none of which were exploited. On our second night we got pounded with rain in tents that were incapable of repelling the water that was hitting them. Soon after we woke up, we began drying out gear and sleeping bags. Many of us wanted to quit. When we pulled into camp in the evening we were praying that no more rain would come. Thankfully it didn’t. The final day on the trail finished with pizza, coke, and a much wanted campfire.

The canoeing on the Hiwassee River was not easy for some of us. Near the afternoon the wind would come in and blow us every which way. We ended up doing ~24 miles on the water, our final destination was a boat ramp that never seemed to get any closer no matter how hard we pulled with the paddle.

Over all, it is a good trail and river, and definitely on my “been there done that, (and don’t want to do it again)” list.

-- Timothy, SPL

Raven Cliffs Overnight-Dec 2008