Troop 20 Merit Badge Cyclists Do The 50 Miler

Boyce Campsen, Jacob Kitten, Cameron Epperson, Dillon

Schaaf, Stas Watson, Vlad Watson and Sebastian Salas

On Friday, April 23, six scouts and three adults loaded the troop trailer and headed up the road to the Pineville area. The goal was to cycle 50 miles within eight hours as required by the Cycling merit badge pamphlet. The group established a camp site near mile marker 16 on the Lake Moultrie Passage of the Palmetto Trail. A seventh scout joined us later in the evening.

After a good night's sleep which was periodically broken by the songs of whippoorwill birds, the group had a hearty breakfast, checked their bikes and assembled day packs for the ride. Led by ASM Butch Hills, Mr. Lester Kitten and ASM John Watson, the group set out on its initial leg of 25 miles. We headed in an easterly direction on the dikes until we crossed the Rediversion Canal by using the Highway 45 overpass. We travelled in a southerly direction until reaching mile marker 4. Then we reversed course and followed our tracks back to mile marker 17 and then back to camp for lunch.The initial leg of 25 miles was completed in about 3 hours and fifteen minutes. The morning leg was done with cool temperatures and a mostly cloudy sky. Lunch consisted of sandwiches and cookies for everyone, with an additional course of ibuprofen or advil for the adults.

The afternoon leg was more tiring as we all anticipated. We deviated from the initial leg. This time, we headed in a westerly direction, past the Old Santee Canal to the vicinity of mile marker 20. Then we retraced our path back to marker 16 and continued as on the morning leg. Since we had already travelled about six miles, we would only have to reach the vicinity of marker 6 and then return to camp. Needless to say, the second leg was rough. However, nobody wanted to quit. When the going gets rough, the tough get going, if only slowly.

After our arrival in camp, a welcome sight appeared. It was like being in the desert and coming upon an oasis. ASMs Guy Ando and Steve Hudgins appeared on the scene, ready to cook dinner for us since we would be pretty exhausted. They made a homemade pasta dinner consisting of penne, sauce, meatballs, sausage and garlic bread. The sauce and meatballs were made from Mr. Ando's grandmother's recipe. The group devoured the meal, leaving very little in the way of left overs. After we bid the two cooks goodbye, everyone went to their tents around 7 pm. The whippoorwills did not have a lively audience this night.

We were awakened around 4 am Sunday morning with a sound and light show as a major storm was coming through the area. Then the rains started and kept coming down. The group decided that breakfast could wait. We broke camp in the pouring rain and headed back to the scout hut, where we unloaded the trailer and were dismissed.

This cycling trip proved to be more difficult than some of the backpacking trips. However, the scouts showed true determination and a great positive attitude. They and the adults had a memorable experience and I bet they would do it again.


Many thanks to ASM Hills for organizing the trip and to Mr Kitten for his leadership and assistance. Special thanks go out to ASMs Ando and Hudgins for that magnificent Italian dinner!
Many thanks and congratulations to the seven scouts who accomplished the 50 miles well within the timeframe.

Night of the Whippoorwill and 50 miles along Lake Moultrie

Had an adventurous weekend biking on the Lake Moultrie passage of the Palmetto Trail. Unfortunately, Mr. Scholtens had a flat tire on the way to camp Friday, which made our evening a little interesting. Friday night was the night of the whippoorwill (and a few owls) and multiple scouts and some adults were ready to begin whippoorwill hunting...but it was a little dark. For the scouts who miss the sound, click this Whippoorwill sound.

Up bright and early Mr. Smith and Mr. Scholtens were into Moncks Corner to check on his van. After their return and breakfast the troop was ready to cycle. Here we see our scouts ready to accelerate down the dike.

We headed towards the Cross power station on our first leg and saw an otter, an alligator, large garter snake and several deer. I was glad we did this section first, because after we left the dike we travelled through a wet, woody area similar to the Swamp Fox trail we travelled on over 2.5 years ago. If the entire trail was like this, we wouldn't make 50 miles in our timeframe. Returning through the same terrain on the way back to our campsite, Mr. Scholtens took a hit in his rear tire and had to swap out inner tubes (flat tire #2!).




To the right at one of our rest and navigation stops, we asked our scout navigator where we were...his reply was "I have no idea, but we are making good time!" Our first leg netted 16.9 miles, we had 33.1 miles to go.



After a return to camp and lunch, we were ready to tackle the remaining miles in the warm sun, but on the dike and stops at water pumps every 8 miles. Alongside the dike for its entire length (except right on the lake south of Bonneau Beach) is a canal (where the material for building the dike came from). In the canal are beautiful water lillies and spatterdocks, along with a multitude of fish, alligators and turtles. Along the canal in the air were many osprey and great blue herons and on the dike multiple snakes and a few turtle bones...I saw a beautiful Eastern Racer and an Eastern Rat snake as he ran in front of me...I ran over him, but he never slowed down.






I'm very proud of our scouts as they never slowed down on this longest section until near the very end. Below are pictures of us at our southern most point on the dam south of Bonneau Beach, the next is our final dike mileage before camp and last, but not least all of us back in camp...glad not to be on our bikes and ready for a great meal prepared by Mr. Brooks and Eagle scout James Brooks! The scouts slept sounder on Saturday night (all in tents by 8:40 PM), more owls and the same whippoorwills...

Many thanks to our cooks and to ASM Brian "Flats" Scholtens (New callsign as his second bike tire and third overall for the weekend went flat upon entering camp!!!) for doing such a great job in planning, selecting the trail and leading our scouts on one of the most difficult physical challenges a scout or scoutmaster will meet in his scouting career...See all our picture on my Flickr site, if you need help viewing it...let me know...