Troop 159,

 

    Well, if you were High Adventure (HA) eligible and did not attend our latest and second annual HA Winter Trek, then you really cut yourself short on a great adventure with a really super Crew.  If you are still working on becoming HA eligible, then get moving especially those of you already 13 years old and not yet First Class as you are just missing out on a lot of great Scouting.  For those of you who are not yet eligible in age or rank, then plan ahead to have your First Class Rank in the bag by the time you become 13 years old.  No one should be missing out on Troop 159's High Adventure Program which is now 6 years old! 

 

    The 8 Scouts and 8 Scouters that did make this trek, all of who did a really great job are as follows:

 

    

    Once we intersected the Chattooga River Trail we were standing in North Carolina, while looking across the river into Georgia, and headed down trail back into South Carolina.  The Chattooga River Trail provided some great sights of Class III rapids, along with some "better watch your step hiking" or take a serious header.  Now, if you have ever fallen with a backpack on you know how little fun that experience is, so being careful is pretty important to avoiding a serious injury.  Fortunately, the several falls we had (Will D., Chris A., Will J., and Mr. Colvin) during the Trek did not result in anything more than bruised pride.  We hiked on towards Burrell's Ford (another 3 miles down river), had lunch along the river, and then found a really great campsite at Burrell's Ford.  We got into camp early enough to get set up, filter water and yes, even a little time to rest.  Everyone got their trail meals prepared and it seemed like there was plenty of appetite as well as food to satisfy it.  A short campfire (by headlamp) addressed the "Roses and Thorns" of our day, as well as the "Buds" we hoped for the next day.  For most of the Scouts it was an early night just to stay warm and catch up from that long day which started with the early wake up call followed by a lot of backpacking. 

 

    The Crew Chiefs got us up just before 7:00 AM on Sunday morning to get packed up and going as we had almost 9 miles to hike that day.  Despite the cold, the Crew got moving (had to stay warm) and by 8:30 AM we were on the trail again, still following the Chattooga River and it's beautiful views.  The temperatures got up into the low 50's with a bright sun, so a lot of us were hiking in T's and some even in shorts which is as good as it can get.  Another great trail lunch and church service by the river just added to our enjoyment and praise in what the Great Scoutmaster was allowing us to enjoy.  We ended the day at Lick Log Creek (a favorite Troop 159 Camping area) in time again to get a camp well established and camp chores done (hey, those naps are pretty important once the work is done).  Another great trail supper, followed by a campfire with "Roses, Thorns, and Buds" as always on High Adventure Treks, and yes, of course with roasted marshmallows and chocolate dutifully carried in by "Ground Pounder" (Mr. Colvin).  Once the sun got down, and that comes early in the valley between mountains, the temperature went down even faster and it got pretty cold, especially with a strong breeze (wind chill).  Consequently, it did not take too long for everyone to figure out that inside their sleeping bag was the right place to be, besides we had another day of hiking still ahead of us on Monday.

 

    Well, you have to know that Monday morning when we had to get out of those nice warm sleeping bags into 22 degrees cold, it was no easy thing to get done, but we did it just the same.  A real quick hot trail breakfast while packing up got us on trail again and headed for our pickup point and home.  We did cut the trek a few miles short since the Crew agreed we'd be very late getting home if did the full distance, so our drivers coordinated an advance party (Mr. Stewart and Mr. Bajan) to get out of camp early and get to the down trail car to later pickup the other drivers and a road crossing and then retrieve the three up trail cars, which would pickup the whole Crew.  For the rest of the Crew, once we got on the trail, it was kind of like "tired horses smelling the barn" as the trek pace had our feet flying (we covered 2.5 miles in 65 minutes which is a very fast pace), and it sure generated a lot of body heat to fight off the still cold temperatures.  

 

    Once the Crew was reunited at our rendezvous point, it was a fast load up, and a quick celebration with High Adventure Cream Soda, a tradition established by the very first HA Crews. 

 

    One of our more valuable lessons learned on this trek was the need for working together on land navigation techniques, which fortunately improved each day as everyone learned that not paying attention to the map and physical world around you can result in a lot of needless steps and Crew frustration.  Fortunately, the lessons learned on the first day took root and were put to good use during the next two trekking days.   

 

    I want to thank David S. and Brent H. for serving as the Crew Co-Chiefs and doing the best they could to lead and advise this Crew.  Also, thanks to Chase S. and Will J. to seeing to our spiritual needs and Scout Law - A Scout Is Reverent.

 

    Something also, I as the HA Senior Advisor feel is worthy to note regarding the Scout Crew members is that despite some blisters, stressed ankles, heavy packs, and cold weather, each Scout just sucked up the problems and continued to trek on in a very physically strong and mental condition.  Each acted as the men/Scouts they must be as members of a Troop 159 High Adventure Crew which is going to succeed in the tradition of the very first two Crews 5 and 6 years ago.  Well done men!     

 

                                                           High Adventure Scouts Just Keep Trekking,

 

 

                                                           DAVID E. COLVIN

                                                           ASM, Senior Advisor, High Adventure Program