Troop 20 Visits Georgia

Troop 20 at the Visitor's Center at Okefenokee

On March 26th, Troop 20 travelled to the Peach Tree State for a weekend of camping and sightseeing. An early Friday morning departure from Mt. Pleasant ensured there would be enough time for activities on Friday.

Our first stop was the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. After a short orientation movie about the swamp, a park ranger discussed the life cycle of the alligator. The American alligator is one of the principal inhabitants of the swamp. The ranger passed around samples of alligator teeth and alligator skat for the scouts to observe. The scouts had the opportunity to watch alligators basking in the sun, something the adult leaders wanted to do after a long drive.

The Troop took a boat ride through the swamp on the Suwannee Canal, a man made waterway. The water is tea colored due to tannic acid released from decaying vegetation. The Native American Indians named the area Okefenokee which means Land of the Trembling Earth. The peat deposits are very thick and unstable, causing trees and bushes to sometimes tremble.

View from our boat of the swamp & vegetation.

Following our departure from Okefenokee, we headed east to Crooked River State Park near the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. The troop quickly set up camp and began cooking dinner. After a hearty meal, the scouts settled down for a good night's sleep in preparation for a busy Saturday.

On Saturday morning, the scouts were driven over to St Marys to take the ferry to Cumberland Island. The park ranger did not believe Scoutmaster Dunn when he said he needed a senior pass for Mr. Cochran. To avoid any delay, Mr. Dunn had Mr. Cochran produce his ID card carved out of rock from his days with Moses. OK, it is a bit of an exaggeration. The ferry ride took 45 minutes and travelled down the St. Marys River and across Cumberland Sound to Cumberland Island. After a brief orientation by the park staff, various groups of scouts, each with an adult leader, started exploring the island. The island offers a diverse set of trails. The scouts explored trails along the marshes, through the maritime forests and along the beach. Many scouts hunted for shark teeth and came away with a bounty. Horses were sighted grazing in pastures.

Scouts looking for shark teeth. Or, Did someone lose a contact lens?

After the return trip to camp, the scouts started preparations for dinner and practised their skits for the campfire program. Lightning and Snake Patrols cooked some great dishes. Both of these patrols demonstrated outstanding camp skills and maturity. The adult leaders were both proud and impressed by the performance of these young scouts.

Lightning Patrol prepares dinner.

Snake Patrol prepares dinner with help from Mr. Ando.

The skits brought out some fine talent from the young scouts. While not ready for prime time, they are certainly prepared to entertain the troop.

Sunday morning brought out the worst of spring in Georgia. We could have been in a movie titled Troop 20 & The Attack of the Killer Gnats. Some of us thought it was on the order of a biblical plague. Bug spray was of no help. The gnats certainly speeded up the process of breaking camp and packing the troop trailer. We moved from our campsite and headed to a better place in the park. Troop 20 then held its traditional Sunday scout service as part of our duty to God.

Following a long drive back home to Mt. Pleasant and unpacking the trailer, the scouts were dismissed. Once again, the boys had a great weekend with lots of good memories.

Many thanks to all the scouts and adults who participated. The adults who participated were Messrs. Dunn, Ando, Cochran, Miklancic, Robinson, Jenkins, Cole and Watson.