Troop 104 37-Mile King's Canyon Trek

Sometimes, it’s not about getting from point “A” to point “B”, but what you see in between that matters. Such is the case for our recent “50 Mile” hike which unfortunately turned out to be 37 miles long. While we failed to hike the route we had planned and had to come home early, we learned many things between point “A” and point “B”.

Some were simple things, like “The muscles you use for swimming are not the same muscles you use to hike,” or , “scratching mosquito bites do not make the symptoms of said bites better, no matter what your idea of ‘better’ is.” Still, other boys learned more important life lessons about being prepared and dealing with disappointment and failing to meet your expectations.

At the same time, the things we saw between point “A” and point “B” were beautiful and amazing. While some people decided that the reason for such a magnificent place was simply because we were in god’s country or something spiritual of the sort (a perfectly acceptable statement, I may add), I will tell you now that a human being will only ever see such amazing things when he or she is the only pollution, the only scar, the only mark of “civilization”, in the valley or on the mountainside where he or she stands.

Some people say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately, only truly great pictures are so, but if the images from our most previous excursion into the lords country can make you think of a hundred, then I have done my job well. If you want to hear the story behind the images, I recommend you talk to some of the boys and fathers who went; the diversity of their experiences will do justice to the beauty of Kings Canyon. Have an adventurous summer!

Camporee 2010 at the Tejon Ranch

Think of the windiest place you’ve ever been. Now multiply that by two. From the time we arrived at the lovely Tejon Ranch for the yearly Camporee to the time we left, such was the weather. But that’s OK, right? We’re not going to let a wind-chill factor of 20 degrees ruin our fun, are we?

Not at all!

Though we arrived at Tejon ranch on Friday night, the actual camporee didn’t start until Saturday morning. After a wonderful breakfast time show featuring fearless Cowboy Doug Nuckolls on his quest for a good cup of coffee, all 800 scouts gathered at the parade ground to kick things off proper. Four of the six scouts in the color guard were from Troop or Crew 104, Matthew G, Cassandra G, Grady M, and yours truly (ME!). Before the scouts headed out to compete and test their scout skills, Mr. Nuckolls opened the games with a bang, or rather a boom, that came from the business end of his black powder rifle.

The valley where the actual competitions took place came alive within minutes. Scouts ran this way and that, rallying behind their patrol flags as the sun broke over the hill and bathed the valley in sunlight. Fields of grass and young scouts alike swayed in the breeze. Competitions involved rifle shooting, navigating with a compass and map, tying knots, climbing rock walls, and obstacle courses, only to name a few. At noon, it was time for a lunch break and all 800 scouts and scouters lined up for a hotdog-a-topia served by members of Venture Crew 104 and other staff members. And not long after, we headed back to the competitions, hoping the pains on our necks were from windburn and not sunburn. At 4:30, the games were done and we all returned home to our camps for a much needed card game break.

While dinner warmed up on the stoves, I personally carved a bread bowl out of a loaf of sourdough the staff cook had given me because he had too much food. The insides were used as hamburger buns and quick energy boosts for the kids playing ninja just beyond the tents. Before the sun went down, we all had our fills of stir fry, hamburgers, and ramen. Just as the sun dropped below the horizon, we left for the campfire. The campfire show had many acts consisting of campfire classics (“You are about to go on a long and painful journey”) and the return of fearless Cowboy Doug Nuckolls and the last bottle of whiskey. Before long, campfire was over and the weary left for their sleeping bags while the curious and courageous stayed to listen to campfire stories by Mr. Krueger. I personally drifted between the OA cracker-barrel and the campfire, telling and listening to stories until I finally headed back up to camp with Nick P.

Do you remember when I said it was windy? Well that night, many tents were nearly crushed or dismantled by the wind. I personal awoke several times to my tent pole hitting me in the face through the tent wall. And this wasn’t a friendly, love-tap of a hit, this thing cam at me like a machine gun. Strangely enough, it was not a bad night’s sleep considering how I’ve fared on other campouts. In the morning, I discovered that many scouts had been attacked by their tents in the night under the pressure of the wind.

Speaking of morning, it was COLD! I am very proud of the scouts that worked up the courage to leave the warmth of their sleeping bags so that they could lift heavy items into trucks. My patrol, the Rubber Duckies, decided that fighting with the wind to warm up the water for their oatmeal was not worth the reward of oatmeal and so ate a granola bar each, had some fruit, and ended up packing everything away first. Due to disagreements with the wind, we missed the camp-wide scouts own (a non-denominational yet still religious ceremony/time to give thanks), so we held our own in our campsite before heading down to the awards ceremony.

Upon arriving, we were relieved of the Spirit Stick (the most sought-after camporee award) and it was placed at the front of the assembly for all to ogle at. The ribbons for individual events were handed out, and Troop 104 was polite when others won something, and loud and proud when they won something. I only remember what the Rubber Duckies won; first place in Rifle Shooting and Map and Compass, but you can rest assured that the other patrols got their share of the spotlight. Finally, the time had come to award the Spirit Stick. Mr. Goldberg held it up high, and announced the winning Troop.

104

Wait, that’s us! I almost felt sorry for the rest of the troops. This was the fourth year in a row, and I don’t even know how we won this one. I guess we just have lots of Spirit. Happily, we ran up the hill and finished loading up the trucks. After a brief missing scout problem (it turns out he was never missing, but instead in a different car than the one he rode in to get to the camp), we left for home. Unfortunately, barely out of the front gate, Mr. Barragan and his truck had an encounter with a speeding CHP officer. Nobody was hurt, but the patrol car lost. Thankfully, we all made it back to the church healthy and safe, with smiles on our faces. Everybody seemed to agree that, even though this may not have been the most awesome camporee ever, we all had a good time and are happy to go home with new memories and a Spirit Stick.

Jonathan R, T104 Historian

Malibu Creek 10-Mile Hike & Bike Ride

As all 35 of us pulled into the campground on Friday night, I was very thankful that I had put my rain cover on my back pack before I had tossed it into Mr. Barragan’s exposed truck bed. While it was more sprinkling than raining at Malibu Creek when we got there, that quickly changed and I was happy to know that my sleeping bag and jacket were staying dry. The second we found our campsite, Scouts and Scouters were running this way and that, some searching for their rain gear, others unloading trucks, and some “supervising”. While I toiled beside Julian and Jessie to get lanterns working and trucks unloaded, Nick L. pitched two tents for the four of us and we didn’t need to be told twice to get all of our gear inside. Once we made sure that everybody had tents and the bikes were protected from the rain, I settled in to fall asleep in a tent much too small for me. My feet were sticking out the door.



The next morning, (most of) Troop 104 rose with the sun to find that the campground was covered in fog and dew and that some of the troop Assistant Scoutmasters had fallen asleep in Brian Sears' car. After a filling breakfast of French Toast, we began to prepare for the day ahead. While the Troop left on a 10 mile hike that would take them more than a few hours, myself and Venture Crew 104 set up a 1 mile compass course that some of the younger scouts needed for rank advancement. When we were done setting up, the older Venturers headed into town to pick up some supplies while Cassandra and I strapped on our packs and headed out to meet up with the Troop. The whole big, bad group met back at the campsite for lunchtime. After lunch, Venture Crew 104 taught the younger scouts how to navigate using compasses and then sent them out on the compass course to test their skills. In a few instances, they ended up moving in the exact opposite directions that they were supposed to go, but once they learned that compasses had to be held level in order to function properly, they got the hang of it. While the younger patrols ate their dinner at the benches with Mr. Krueger telling them stories, the Rubber Duckies lounged on a tarp in the middle of a grassy field and ate a delicious tri-tip cooked by the talented Nick L. As the sun fell, Mr. Part went home with the two Lady Venturers, Liz and Cassandra (I guess us boys smelled really bad). That night, all the Scouts congregated around the campfire and sang loud and told stories while others played cards and the Venture Crew feasted on Apple Cobbler. And alo that night, our tent was facing the right direction and I was able to sleep in comfort.



On Sunday morning, we rose, ate, and set out on a bike ride in search of a water hole. We traveled paved and dirt roads, muddy and sandy trails, and over a fair amount of rocks on our adventure up and down hills. When we finally found the water hole, scouts scattered in every direction, picking a rock and climbing to the top of it. Soon, we were out of time and headed back to the campsite, where we held a rushed Scouts’ Own and headed home. No rain did stop us, no hill was too big, and in the morning, deer grazed in the empty campsites.




Good fun was had by all, and all should be sure to check for ticks.

---Jonathan R., Troop 104 Historian