Etiwan District Camporee Champions!!!

Troop 20 sent two top notch patrols to the Etiwan District camporee this weekend at Camp Ho Non Wah. They were enthusiastic and worked hard all weekend. They quickly showed their scout skills as we set up camp in a very quick fashion in the dark on Friday evening after our arrival at Matigwa campsite. The bad weather from last week had cleared during the day and the stars on Friday night were amazing. In the darker skies over Wadmalaw Island the Milky Way, Great Andromeda Galaxy and other star clusters were easily seen with bare eyes and we had a inpromtu astronomy class from 9:40 to 10:15 PM.

Our scouts were up before 7 AM on Saturday morning and ready for breakfast and competition to display their scout skills. Competition periods were from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and from 1:30 PM to 4 PM and the events consisted of the following: Knot Tying Relay, Chariot Race (A-Frame),Tent Pitching, Search and Rescue (First Aid), Fire Building, Flag Pole Raising, Kim’s Game, Color Guard Competition, Dessert Contest, Camp Inspection, Scout Spirit,and Campfire Skits.



The below results show the results of that work:

Senior Patrol: Patrol Leader- James Lambert, members: Dyer Askins, Chris Camp, Cameron Epperson (acting Senior Patrol Leader), Tristan Lancaster, Stas and Vlad Watson.

1st in Chariot Race (A Frame)

1st in Tent Pitching

1st in Skit Competition

Junior Patrol: Patrol Leader- Austin Ando, members: Anthony Ando, Creed Branham, Reid Darby, Joe Dunn, Duncan McIver, Lars Nelson and Sebastian Salas.

1st in Color Guard

2nd in Skit Competition

Troop as a Unit:

1st in Camp Inspection

1st in Overall Camporee

Adult leaders attending were SM Hills (Friday-Sat. 11 AM), ASM Cochran, ASM Guy, ASM McIver and Mr. Salas...special thanks to ASM Cochran for being acting Scoutmaster as I returned to work on Saturday...

Congratulations to our scouts!!! All of the scoutmasters attending the camporee are very proud of their achievements. Both patrols did a great job and made the troop proud in displaying scout skills learned while at Troop 20, skills in knowledge and leadership!!!

Return from Table Rock and Fort Aiken

Congrats to all our wilderness survival scouts who had a great weekend learning about outdoor shelters, how to make a fire, food on the trail, hiking skills and how to read a compass and chart. On Sunday the scouts and leaders took a challenging hike up to the top of Table Rock mountain at 3124, above you can see the route and below the effects of the long climb. Austin Ando gets a special qualification for mountain climbing as he climbed up the steps cut for longer legs on the trail!

Aoo

The older/Venture scouts adventure can be seen at the new Venture blog site...

Special thanks to Dr. Al Aiken, who welcomed the wilderness survival scouts at his mountain home and below are all our scouts and leaders in front of his house as they prepared to return to the Lowcountry on Monday afternoon.

Fort Aiken and the Foothills Trail Trip, 23-25 October

Scouts!

Join the troop for an incredible fall camping experience in the South Carolina mountains...yes, we have a few small ones...The Frog, Snake and Lightning patrols will be working on their wilderness survival merit badges at Fort Aiken, while our older scouts (aka Venture) will be spending two adventure packed days and nights on the Foothill's Trail.

Our Fort Aiken scouts will be doing some hiking at Table Rock State Park (see image above), besides their wilderness survival training program.

The Venture patrol will camp the first night at Laurel Fork Falls (see image at right, click here for more images) and on Saturday night in Eastatoe Gorge. Sunday morning will see us hiking to the top of Sassafras Mountain (image below from SC's Highest) and then return to Fort Aiken. Hiking totals will be around 25.5 miles for the weekend.

Sign up begins next meeting and look for the information and permission forms soon...

Rainy Weekend in NC

Friday began with a nasty downgrade in the weather forecast for our destination at Carolina Beach State Park, but temperatures remained high and the possibility of a great adventure awaiting Troop 20...onwards charged the 600...well, maybe only 35 of us...

After leaving Mount Pleasant, our good weather departed the pattern at the South Santee River as rain began to fall, and fall, and fall...at Myrtle Beach the light show began and the cloud to cloud discharges northward of us were most impressive and distressing...we began to wonder if this would be the camp setup that should never have been attempted...what would be the weather at our camp site in the maritime forest of North Carolina, in the dark and only a few of us knowing exactly how to get there...additionally the gate would be locked and only ASM's Ando and Miklancic would be inside the park with the troop trailer...how would ferrying everyone from the gate to the campsite go? (Campsite is about one mile from the gate)

The Troop 20 guardian angel was looking over us...as we reached Wilmington the rain began to slack and upon arrival at Carolina Beach State Park had ceased for the moment. We were able to get everyone into camp and setup began...ASM's Miklancic and Ando had already made a good start with their scouts in unloading and marking the trail to the campsite with lanterns. Around 11:30 bedtime operations began and everyone was settled by 12 midnight...could have been ugly, but scouts learn to make their own luck...

Saturday began with breakfast and cloudy skies...we departed for Fort Fisher at 0915 and upon arrival there the skies began to let down and increased in intensity...after the scouts completed work on their Fort Fisher Historic badge, it was decided to continue on to the NC Aquarium as heavy rain boded ill for lunch operations back at camp.

The newly reopened NC Aquarium at Ft. Fisher is a marvelous facility. Its new addition shows the black water swamp habitat in eastern NC (the Cape Fear river basin) and its albino alligator. Part of the new addition features a covey of quail roaming the enclosure, crossing in front of visitors and every once in a while...attempting to cross the albino gator pen...so far it is the White Gator 15, Quail 0...I don't think it is much of a covey now, I didn't see any, but a few of our sharp eyed scouts did...

The other deep water and coastal tanks were amazing and most of the troop watched a fascinating movie on sharks...Back to camp for a late lunch...the rain continues to fall...

After lunch, the rain entered the start and stop mode...We decided to change our schedule and departed for a wet and wetter hike to Sugar Loaf sand dune, the most famous and historic sand dune in North Carolina and possibly wettest. Most scouts and adults covered about 3.5 miles in the on and off rain, but a few truly dedicated, rough and tough scouts (Reid Darby, Sebastian Salas, Duncan McIver and a few others who escape my mind at the moment) completed 4.5 miles...

Back in the camp the rain became less and less, and finally stopped allowing for a drier dinner and a campfire program. Scout Ross Cary served as our Master of Ceremony and did a fabulous job as we were entertained by several patrols, including the adult patrol and the 2nd year Webelos patrol from Pack 505. Webelos Leader John Epperson led a contingent of 5 Webelos who joined us for the weekend.

After the campfire, dessert was served (apple and pineapple cobbler, yummm...) and the scouts played manhunt until bedtime, much earlier at 10 PM.

Rain again threatened at daybreak and many of the adults postponed leaving their tents until the rain made up its mind to cease and desist...After breakfast, pack up in the sunlight!!! and Scouts Own Service led by our chaplain's aide Graham Schertz (Well Done Graham!!!). Departed for home and the Fort Fisher to Southport ferry...see pictures below...Overall, the weather was challenging, but so is life and I believe many of our scouts (and some adults) learned a few valuable lessons this weekend...along with some fun!!! Thanks to all of our adults who made this trip (ASM's Clinton Dunn, Guy Ando, Dan Miklancic, John Warren, John Cameron and dad's Brad Rickenbaker, John Watkins and Edwin Todd).

Special thanks to Brad Rickenbaker for these pictures...

Yeah, the ferry is here!

Scoutmasters are pondering the imponderable! "To run...where the brave dare not go!"

Scouts pose for picture prior to ferry arrival..."When's lunch!!!"

Hey, is that a rain cloud ahead?