Saturday, February 23, 2013

It's a little nippy out here!

The title may have been an understatement if you were on Troop 50's Feb. 16-17 campout at Blue Springs State Park in Clio, Ala. The troop braved gusting winds throughout the afternoon -- one so strong that it ripped the just-put-up dining fly off three of its guidelines as soon as it was set up. Ironically, most agreed that it felt colder during the afternoon amid the wind gusts than it did sleeping in the mid-20 degree weather that evening.

View more photos from the museum tour in our online photo album
After dropping its gear, the troop made an excursion to nearby Ft. Rucker, where Scouts toured the U.S. Army Aviation Museum. The museum offered Scouts a retrospective walk through Army aviation with actual and replica aircraft -- from a plane model designed by the Wright Brothers to actual aircraft that once carried the president to the latest in drone technology. Since the troop is sponsored by the Auburn Rotary Club, it was a special opportunity to have the president of the Enterprise Rotary Club, who is also on the board of the museum, as part of the tour.

The troop returned to Blue Springs, where it battled gusting winds but feasted on a warm dinner of grilled chicken and all the s'mores Scouts could eat. Everyone was moving a little slowly Sunday morning as the day (and the Scouts) slowly warmed up, but that didn't stop gear from being packed and the troop from observing the day of worship with a Scout-led devotional.

The campout also allowed the troop to debut its new troop T-shirts, designed by Master Graphics screenprinters in Auburn. Thanks to Master Graphics for giving our new troop a new graphic look and identity!

Monday's Patrol Leaders' Council complimented everyone on how they worked as a team in light of the adverse wind and cold conditions. They also liked the field trip component of the campout. The next weekend outing will be the troop's attendance at the Saugahatchee District spring camporee March 15-17.