Rest for the weary

The crew modeling their new Philmont arrowhead patches.

Friday evening, Crew 612-N made it back to base camp after covering over 70 miles of backpacking across Philmont’s backcountry.

The crew hiking out of Miranda on the final leg of their Philmont trek.

Although the crew planned to sleep later than usual and arise at 7:30 a.m., a leader in an adjacent campsite had other plans — deciding to awaken his crew by banging on a metal pot at 6:00 a.m. The upside was that there was plenty of time to eat breakfast and pack up before heading over to the Miranda range to shoot .50 caliber black-powder rifles. The mountain men provided instruction on loading and firing the weapons and how to handle them safely. Then, each member of the crew was allowed to load and shoot three rounds apiece at a variety of metal targets and some carefully placed bandanas belonging to various crew members. Everyone had a good time and some of the bandanas were returned with holes in them.

 

The crew's final time together on the trail enjoying lunch and reminiscing, before heading back to base camp.

Following this, the crew loaded up its packs and headed up the trail — for the last mile-and-a-half — to the Maxwell turnaround to meet the bus and head back to base camp. They had time to eat their last trail lunch and share some reminisces of their time on the trail before the bus arrived.

The crew all cleaned up and prior to the closing campfire.

Once back at base camp, the group scurried to get all of the Philmont gear cleaned and turned in at the proper places before they could get cleaned up and back in Class A uniforms before dinner. The crew looked (and smelled) quite different after a thorough scrubbing. After dinner, they attended the closing campfire and received their Philmont arrowhead patches.

During the 12-day trek, the group enjoyed a wide variety of experiences, including climbing spar poles, gold panning, challenge course events, and shooting. The food preparation also ran the gamut from crunchy cheddar rice to chicken and stuffing — and a nice dehydrated beef stroganoff. Of course, everything tastes great on the trail.

The trek also included a good deal of fun and inside jokes. The next time you meet a member of Crew 612-N, be sure to ask what the water word for the day was, who held the position of High Cardinal, why the crew always seemed to be plotting a coup against crew leader Jake’s authoritarian regime in favor of forming a communist collective, and why you should never ask a member of the crew to say grace.

The crew hits the asphalt trail (i.e., the paved road home) to Auburn on Saturday for the two-day return trip, arriving Sunday with plenty more of stories to share.

Check out all of the crew's Philmont adventures here on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

Who wants to be a 'mountain man'?

Jake (left) and Rhett (background) blacksmithing in French Henry.

The crew was delayed at Baldytown on Wednesday, so they skipped the hike over to French Henry in favor of going Thursday morning. French Henry is a mining camp with numerous activities. The crew started in the blacksmith shop, where they made an S-hook they can use as a lid-lifter for the troop’s Dutch ovens.

Jackson and his new S-hook addition
to the troop's equipment inventory.

Next, the Scouts received a history lesson on placer mining and hard-rock mining around Baldy that occurred from the late 19th century through the 1940s. This led to a chance for the crew to pan for gold in the spring-fed creek that runs through the center of the camp. According to the staff, they find flakes of gold fairly regularly, however, the crew struck out today despite their best efforts.

The crew then took a short hike up to the former Aztec mine, where they donned hard hats with headlamps and traveled about 100 yards into the mine. The name is attributed to 1776 when friars settling the area finding large, ancient ruins that were believed to have been built by the Aztec Indians of Mexico. The staff member explained the process of drilling out the rock in preparation for blasting. In addition to the history lesson, a few ghost stories were told as well. The Scouts didn’t seem fazed at all.

The crew outside the Aztec Ponil 1 Mine

Lunch outside the mine followed before the group began an approximately seven-mile trip over to Miranda. The theme at Miranda is mountain man life that includes tomahawk-throwing, trapping and black-powder rifles. The crew is scheduled to shoot in Friday morning. Tonight, the crew will attend the mountain man rendezvous, where music and tale-telling are promised.

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

On the Rooftop of Philmont

The crew summits Baldy Mountain

On Tuesday, the crew hiked into Baldytown then on to Copper Park, which is their staging camp for hiking up Mount Baldy. Officially known as Baldy Mountain, this scenic peak is often the centerpiece of Philmont photography. The highest peak at Philmont, it stands at 12,441 feet above sea level—making it the challenge to conquer for Philmont backpackers. 

Always happy for a photo spot, the crew takes a break for a scenic pose.

At least one Scout was able to muster enough
snow for a snowball fight.

This morning, the crew left Copper Park at 6:30 a.m., had breakfast along the trail, and summited the mountain at 10:08 a.m. The weather was beautiful and perfect for the hike. On the way down, the crew had lunch in a meadow next to a snowbank. The Scouts took the opportunity to have a snowball fight after lunch.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the crew is back in Baldytown, where they will take a respite before heading to French Henry for some gold panning. Hopes are high that enough gold will be panned to offset the cost of the trip.

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

Father's Day on the trail

Scouts toast their dads from the trail as they observed Father's Day.

While the crew has been out of contact with the civilized world, it’s been easy to lose track of the days. When Scoutmaster Andrew Baird reminded the crew that today was not only Sunday, but was Father’s Day, they wanted to send out a salute to their fathers. Scouts paused along the trail this morning to toast their dads with their water bottles.

Scouts took their turn climbing spar poles.

Following lunch on Saturday, the crew continued across Wilson’s Mesa where they ran across a bear on the trail. Fortunately, as soon as he spotted the crew, he went running off in the opposite direction. The crew continued on the way to Pueblano, which is home to the Continental Tie and Lumber Company. They quickly put the crew to work climbing spar poles. With harnesses, belts and gaffs on their boots, most everyone made the attempt to get to the top of the poles. It was a good chance for the Scouts to try something very different.

 
Today, the crew hiked up to the Head of Dean—admittedly unsure who Dean is or why they have his head 😉. They were greeted from the porch of the staff cabin with a loud “War Eagle!” The camp director is a current Auburn University graduate student in wireless engineering. He was happy to see a crew from Auburn. The crew is identified by its crew number, 612-N, which they pronounce using the NATO alphabet as “612 November.” However, when asked the crew number at Head of Dean, they changed it to “612 NoBama.”

The program at Head of Dean is challenge course events. The crew spent the afternoon on a variety of elements, trying to plan and work together toward a successful conclusion. On Monday, they will work on a conservation project before moving on to next camp at Baldy Skyline.

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

Trails and streams

The crew left Iris Park as the sun was rising Friday, with the goal of covering 8.5 miles to Rich Cabins by 11:00 a.m. so that Ranger Danny could switch places with Ranger Dylan. The group made it there only 10 minutes late after a challenging hike that included crossing two creeks, a marsh and a mountain ridge. The Scouts set a good pace and even sang songs as they hiked. It was inspiring to hear them singing "Amazing Grace" as the group traversed the meadow at Iris Park in the early morning sunlight.

Daisy Mae the Donkey at Rich Cabins enjoyed attention from the boys.

The group enjoyed the homesteading program at Rich Cabins in the afternoon and even returned to the cabin in the evening for their music program.

The crew enjoying lunch in the shade of a tree.

Today, the crew hiked up Wilson's Mesa on the way to Pueblano. The climb was very strenuous but the view was worth the trip. The crew enjoyed lunch beside the lake on the mesa and will be moving to the next camp shortly.

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

Leave No Trace

As of Thursday evening, Crew 612-N has been on the trail for three days and has hiked around 13 of the 65 miles that are part of their planned itinerary. All is going well and they've had no issues other than some sore legs and sunburn.

Philmont practices a low-impact form of camping. The crew must use established trails and campsites along with various procedures for cooking and cleaning. However, Thursday evening, the crew camped in the Iris Park campsite, which is located in Philmont’s northern neighbor, the Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest. This is true Leave No Trace-camping in that the area is complete wilderness without the fire rings, sumps, bear cables, and latrines that are found in Philmont campsites. It is, ironically, the first location the crew has had a cell signal since leaving base camp. Here, the crew must follow a specific set of procedures to camp. Because there is no water in the campsite, the crew had to pack in full loads of water from its previous campsite six miles away. The weight of the water slowed down the group Thursday morning, but the crew still arrived at Iris Park in time for lunch.

Jake (left) and Rhett prepare an evening meal of rice and summer sausage.

Food on the trail must also be carried by the crew. Breakfast and lunch meals are mostly packaged foods that don’t need to be cooked. For example, lunch on Thursday was tuna, spread on crackers, along with various snack foods. Dinners are cooked using hot water in a single pot. Wednesday night, the crew had mashed potatoes with chicken. It was quite good after a day on the trail; however, the first night, the crew's chefs didn’t cook the rice long enough and the group wound up with crunchy rice with salmon added.

Harrison wows the crowd with his piano rendition
of  "House of the Rising Sun"

The crew has engaged in several programs at staff camps they've visited. At Ponil, they stopped by the cantina, where Harrison entertained those present on the piano. Scouts also practiced their lassoing skills on a simulated cattle herd. At Dan Beard camp, the crew went through the challenge course and worked together as a team to get through the course.

On Friday, the crew is heading to Rich Cabins, which is a homesteading camp.

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

Trail Ready

The crew reviews plans for their 11-day, 65-mile backpacking trek.

The crew during their visit to the National Scouting Museum.

The day dawned clear but cool Tuesday morning. Crew 612-N got everything packed up and returned the excess gear to the van. After some map training with Ranger Danny, they still had time this morning for a quick trip across the street to the National Scouting Museum. The museum moved in 2017 from the Boy Scouts of America's national headquarters in Irving to Philmont in order to share Scouting's rich history with more visitors. As the museum has moved from its original New Jersey location, where it was founded in 1959, to Murray State University in Kentucky, then to Texas, and now at Philmont, it has continued to preserve and tell Scouting's rich story and the positive impact Scouting continues to have on youth and families.

Lunch continued the international theme with calzones and was the crew's last meal before 11 days of trail food. The final activity before departure was to drop off the Scouts' phones at the security office, where they will lie in repose until their return.

Scouts load up the bus with their gear as they ready to depart for the trailhead.

The bus is ready to carry the crew to the Ponil trailhead. Cell signals in the back country will be sporadic, so posts may have long gaps between them in the days ahead.

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

☔ Rainy Days and Mondays

The crew shakes down its gear ahead of Tuesday's departure.

Sunday evening into Monday morning saw a prodigious amount of rain that made the crew grateful for the walled pavilion at the campsite. The rain continued through the morning but did not stop the crew from checking into Philmont just after 9:00 a.m. The crew met ranger Danny Pearthree who will be leading training for the next few days. He checked the crew into the trailbound side of tent city and moved everyone through the registration, medical recheck, trail logistics, and emergency procedures.

The crew also drew tents and gear from the Philmont quartermaster and four days' worth of food from the commissary. During a break in the weather, Danny conducted a gear shakedown to make sure everyone had all of the gear needed for the trek. Lunch and dinner was consumed in the base camp dining hall. Lunch was Asian-oriented with mini egg rolls, fried rice, and sweet and sour chicken. Dinner was Mexican with burritos, rice and churros. It will be interesting to see if the crew will be touring the world through cuisine.

Monday evening's opening campfire.

 After dinner, it was time for advisor, crew leaders, chaplain’s aides, and Wilderness Pledge guia (Spanish for "guide") meetings. This was followed by religious services for various faiths, including Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The night ended with an opening campfire full of stories and music. The crew leader, Jake, was commissioned along with the other crew leaders to serve their crews well. It was a great send-off for Troop 50's trek.

On Tuesday, the crew will hit the trail for the next 11 days, with an expectation to cover 65 miles or more. Here's a little of what the crew has to look forward to.

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

Been There, Dune That!

 The Philmont contingent left Foss, Oklahoma early yesterday morning for a long day of travel. Along with stops for gas and lunch, the trip included a stop at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. The scouts wandered the field but a large quantity of mud kept them from approaching to closely. 

The destination for the evening was the Oasis Campground at the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Mosca, Colorado. Following camp set-up and preparation of a nice dinner of chicken alfredo pasta, the crew settled in for a restful evening, despite the late night musical selections of the neo-hippy cult in the adjacent campsite. 

This morning took the crew a short distance over to the park for a hike up the sand dunes. This unusual formation of sand dunes among mountainous terrain is the result of hundreds of thousands of years at the conjunction of two mountain range watersheds. The wind did the rest of the work. After a tricky navigation across Medano Creek, the ascent up the dunes began. The fine grained sand made for a difficult climb and the higher altitude challenged those used to life on the Plains of Auburn. The elevation of the dune summited was 8587 feet above sea level. This should help prepare the crew for the challenge of Philmont. 

Sometimes the climb upward seems never ending

     

Summit reached!

The arrow indicates the dune climbed by the crew

The obligatory pose in front of a sign

Following a stop at the visitors center and a respite in the picnic area for lunch, the crew hit the road for the trip down to Cimarron, New Mexico, the home of Philmont Scout Ranch. Tonight finds the crew in a pavilion at the Ponil Campground in Cimarron. Due to rain expected overnight, the campground manager was gracious to provide alternate shelter so that the crew does not have to deal with wet tents in the morning. After the exertion of today's hike, every morsel of dinner was consumed with gusto. 

Check-in to Philmont occurs tomorrow morning for a full day of check in, logistics, training, and a welcoming campfire. Tomorrow's blog will follow the progress towards getting out on the trail. 

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

Off Road, for a time

Friday's travel did not continue as planned for the troop's Philmont Expedition Crew 612-N. About an hour west of Little Rock, they heard a suspicious thump followed by the tire warning light illuminating. After moving to the side of the interstate to change the tire, they quickly discovered two things. One, the lug wrench was missing and, two, the spare was also flat (it had a large screw embedded in it). The Enterprise customer service representative, reading from a script on the other side of the world, made several promises that, let's say, were not in keeping with "A Scout is Trustworthy."

The Scouts found a spot in the shade and began to play cards. After a couple of hours, and more frustrating calls to Enterprise, Assistant Scoutmaster Matt Podemski put his Scouting spirit to use and hiked back down the interstate a mile to a truck stop. He returned with a patch kit and compact inflator, fixed the tire, and got enough air in it to make it to the next gas station that had an air compressor. (Every troop needs a professional engineer and in-house MacGyver.) Since then, he has also patched the spare and bought a lug wrench at Walmart in case it's needed. The only thing the crew got from Enterprise was an email telling them their service was marked completed!

The four-hour delay for the tire meant the crew didn’t roll into their Foss State Park campsite until 9:45 p.m., but they quickly had the tents up and passed a mostly restful night—except for some “light rain” in the early morning hours.

As of Saturday morning, the crew is back on the road heading to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Mosca, Colorado. Here's hoping to “be prepared” for whatever comes next!

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

On the Road, Again

Thursday evening, the troop's Philmont 612-N contingent arrived after dark at Wall Doxey State Park in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and settled into their tent camping area. It was a nice space, though the state of Mississippi has apparently not discovered the allure of mountain biking money to supplement the funding of their parks like the mainstay mountain-biking opportunities at Chewacla State Park.

After a pleasant night's sleep and hot pancakes straight off the griddle of the camp stove Friday morning, the crew loaded up in the van for a full day on the road en route to Foss State Park on Foss Lake in western Oklahoma. The crew's route includes crossing over the Mississippi River in Memphis into Arkansas (with the hopes of no razorback sightings).

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

On the Road to High Adventure

Troop 50's Philmont Crew 612-N departed Auburn today for a two-week adventure in the mountains of northern New Mexico. The crew, including eight Scouts and two leaders, loaded up the van for the cross-country trip. The group will camp along the way in preparation for 65 miles of backpacking beginning Tuesday, June 13. They will arrive at Philmont on Monday and hit the trail through the mountains on Tuesday.

Philmont Scout Ranch, the Boy Scouts of America's largest national high adventure base, is located in Cimarron, New Mexico. It challenges Scouts and Venturers with more than 214 square miles of rugged northern New Mexico wilderness.

Continue to follow the troop's 2023 Philmont adventures on the troop blog and check out photos of the trip in the troop's online photo album.

Backpacking adventures on the Pinhoti

On Saturday, Oct. 2, a crew of 11 Troop 50 Scouts and leaders trekked north for two days of backpacking the Pinhoti Trail—part of the Talladega National Forest near Cheaha State Park. Although the trail is a frequent part of the troop’s annual outing and backpacking activities, it was the first visit—and the first backpacking trip ever—for some of our Scouts. By late Sunday morning, the troop logged a total of 7.7 miles: 5.7 miles on Saturday and 2.0 miles on Sunday.

The 339-mile Pinhoti Trail meanders through Alabama and Georgia, with 172 of those miles located in Alabama. It starts at Flagg Mountain, cuts through the Talladega National Forest, and ends in Northeast Georgia at the Benton MacKaye Trail. The Benton MacKaye Trail connects into the Appalachian Trail.

Subscribing to the "pack-in, pack-out" philosophy, each Scout and leader carried his own personal gear and tent, as well as a portion of the weekend’s food, cooking, water filtration, and other gear divided among the backpackers.

Backpacking trail food staples include granola bars, applesauce, trail mix, jerky or Slim Jims,
and other foods that are high-protein or high-carb (and sometimes, high-sugar!).

Trail lunches always feature a variety of food items designed to replace burned calories, provide a boost of energy and help the group tackle the afternoon portion of the day’s trek. Saturday’s lunch was no exception. The Wizard Lizards enjoyed a traditional selection of trail mix, granola bars, Slim Jims and crackers—while many in the Gladiators Patrol had their first taste ever of Spam (the jury is still out on if the group emptied the can out of enjoyment of the savory selection or simply out of desperation and hunger!).

Scouts survey the wreckage of the 1972 McDill Point plane crash.

Although rocks, trees and other elements of nature are expected when hiking in a national forest, the remains of a plane crash are not as common. Unfortunately, the higher elevations and sometimes treacherous weather of North Alabama have resulted in several airplane crashes on and around the Pinhoti Trail. One such incident that has gained notoriety occurred in 1972 at McDill Point, and since it is logistically impossible to remove many of the remains of these crashes, the remains of that crash still exist.

Some examples of the many colorful displays of lichen and fungus seen on trees and rocks
during the trek.

While the McDill point plane crash site provided for some site-seeing, Saturday’s clouds did interfere with the scenic views for which the Pinhoti Trail is known. With not much to see in the skies until the clouds cleared, the troop witnessed a variety of colorful lichen, fungus and other growth on trees, rocks and trail surfaces.

Although cloudy, the troop's scenic lunch view was still awe-inspiring.

Clear skies did emerge by late afternoon. Temperatures remained pleasant throughout the trip, even into the evening, which can get rather chilly on the upper ridges in the fall. While rain was in the Sunday’s forecast during the time the troop would be making its way out of the forest, it made an earlier-than-expected 3 a.m. arrival.

Backpacking trips are essential to Scouts’ camping experience, as they require some adaptation to traditional camping processes and practices. For example, Scouts on the backpacking trip had to pack extra drinking water for the trail and filter creek water for drinking, cooking and dishwashing as it became available. The group carried portions of the equipment needed to cook—backpacking stoves, pots and food items—that are normally available in patrol chuckboxes. And, of course, food ingredients had to be nonperishable and lightweight.

The Gladiators gather a game plan for Saturday's dinner.

Backpack flapjacks, courtesy of Mr. Dagg!

Aided by members of the Leadership Corp, the Wizard Lizards stuck to a traditional backpacking dinner of black beans and rice with summer sausage. The Gladiators, under the culinary watch of Assistant Scoutmaster Christian Dagg, blew out all the stops with an inventive trail take on macaroni and cheese—followed up by a Sunday breakfast of pancakes. That had some of the Wizard Lizards (including the adult leaders) looking forlornly on as they stuck with their breakfast of oatmeal and granola bars.

Early to bed was the post-dinner theme Saturday evening, and early to rise as well on Sunday—with a persistent drizzle of rain greeting the troop. Despite that inconvenience, the troop packed up quickly, held its traditional Sunday morning camping devotional service, and returned to the trail by 10 a.m. for the last leg of its trek and the return home.

For more photos from the backpacking trip, visit the troop’s online photo album.

Zuk honored as Troop 50’s 15th Eagle Scout

On Sunday, Aug. 12, Troop 50 bestowed the Boy Scouts of America’s highest rank during a ceremony honoring new Eagle Scout Nicholas Emil “Nick” van Zuk. He is the son of Rose-Marie Zuk and the late Dr. Gary Zuk of Auburn. At the time of his Eagle Scout Board of Review, Nick was the troop’s youngest Eagle Scout and its 15th since its founding in 2012.

Nick’s ceremony, held at Monarch Estates senior living and retirement community — the site of his Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project — included many of his fellow Scouts and adult leaders who have been in Scouting with him since his days as a Cub Scout, and who have served with him in a variety of troop leadership positions. It also included his pastor, Rev. Msgr. William Skoneki of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, who offered the invocation.

After accepting the “Eagle Scout Charge” from Scoutmaster Andrew Baird, Nick’s mother, Rose, the Eagle Scout medal on Nick and presented him with an Eagle Scout neckerchief slide. He in turn presented his mother with an Eagle Scout mother’s pin. Mr. Baird presented Nick with a framed Eagle Scout medal, noting that Nick was the first Eagle Scout in the troop to have enough merit badges at the time of his Eagle Scout Board of Review to receive all three Eagle Scout palms. Concluding the troop’s recognition was Chartered Organization Representative Michael Tullier, who acknowledged the troop’s gift of membership in the National Eagle Scout Association.

Also on hand for the ceremony was Ron Anders, Ward 2 councilman and mayor pro tem for the City of Auburn. On behalf of the city and Mayor Bill Ham, Mr. Anders congratulated Nick on his achievement and his example of leadership. In recognition of those achievements, Mr. Anders presented Nick with a proclamation declaring Aug. 12, 2018, as “Nicholas Emil van Zuk Eagle Scout Day.”

Nick honors the contributions of Mark Hankess, one of five individuals he presented with Eagle Scout mentor pins.

During Nick’s closing remarks, he acknowledged his fellow Scouts and the adult leaders who had supported his efforts to earn the Eagle Scout rank. As is customary, he singled out individuals who played a special role, presenting each with an Eagle Scout mentor pin. Among those were:

• Andrew Baird, his scoutmaster
• Rob Stanford, the troop’s committee chair who also served as his Eagle Scout project coach
• Jeff Sibley, a family friend who assisted Nick with his Eagle Scout project
• Mary Rainey, a long-time family friend and supporter of Nick’s Scouting efforts, who also has taught several of Nick’s homeschool classes
• Mark Hankess, a family friend who has been present through Nick’s life and has taught him life skills ranging from “how to fish, drive a boat and use a hammer.”

After earning Cub Scouting’s Arrow of Light as a Webelos Scout in Auburn's Pack 29, Nick joined Troop 11 before later transferring to Troop 50 in 2015. Since then, he has served as patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, lead instructor, and currently junior assistant scoutmaster. Through his Scouting participation, he had earned 39 merit badges by the time of his ceremony, qualifying him for a bronze, gold, and silver Eagle Palm. He also has accrued more than 75 nights of camping, 100 hours of community service, 100 hiking and backpacking miles, and 20 paddling miles.

Nick receiving the 2017 James J. Baird Jr. Honor Scout
Award from Scoutmaster Andrew Baird at the
troop's August 2017 Court of Honor

Nick received the troop’s 2017 James J. Baird Jr. Honor Scout Award; was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society; served as a youth counselor at Camp Half Moon at Camp Frank G. Lumpkin; and earned the BSA Mile Swim Award. He completed National Youth Leadership Training, an intensive, six-day leadership development program, which provides Scouts with leadership skills and experience applicable to both Scouting and other situations demanding leadership.

Nick and fellow members of the June 2017
620-B Philmont Expedition.

In addition to various troop-related outings and campouts, in June 2017, Nick participated in a 12-day backpacking expedition at Philmont Scout Ranch, the Boy Scouts’ largest national high-adventure base located in Cimarron, New Mexico. He also has participated in a seven-day sailing expedition at the Boy Scouts’ Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in the Florida Keys.

For his Eagle Scout leadership service project, Nick designed and raised funds for a Veterans Memorial Garden at Monarch Estates retirement community in Auburn. Family, friends, and fellow Scouts and leaders logged more than 520 service hours planning and constructing the project. The garden provides residents with an accessible concrete pathway; four benches that convert to tables, which allow residents and visitors more places to socialize; two self-watering raised planters; a butterfly garden; and a fountain.

Nick's completed Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project at Monarch Estates.

After completing the Eagle Scout rank requirements, which included planning and executing his service project, Nick appeared before the Saugahatchee District’s Eagle Scout Board on Sept. 19, 2017. He is among the four Troop 50 Scouts to earn the Eagle Scout rank during 2017.

Currently, Nick is a ninth grader at Auburn Junior High School and is a member of the Auburn High School swim team. He and his family attend St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Auburn, where he is an altar server.

Since the first Eagle Scout was awarded in 1912, nearly 2.5 million Boy Scouts have completed the Eagle Scout’s performance-based rank requirements, which currently include serving in progressive leadership positions, demonstrating outdoor and Scouting skill competencies, earning at least 21 merit badges, and planning and executing a seminal Eagle Scout leadership service project. During 2017 alone, 55,494 Boy Scouts earned Scouting’s highest rank.

For more photos of Nick's ceremony and service project, visit the troop's online photo album.

A Walk in the Woods

On Saturday, Nov. 18, eleven Troop 50 Scouts and three leaders made the familiar drive north on U.S. Highway 431, past its frequent summer camp stop at Camp Sequoyah, for two days of backpacking in the Talladega National Forest near Cheaha State Park. On this trip, the troop made a first-time trek up the southern portion of Section 7 of the Pinhoti Trail — logging 7.4 miles by the time the group completed its trip Sunday morning. Subscribing to the "pack-in, pack-out" philosophy, each Scout and leader carried his own personal gear, as well as a portion of the weekend’s food, tenting, cooking, water filtration, and other gear divided among the fourteen backpackers.

After two miles of rugged, uphill, and rocky backpacking, the troop came to the Blue Mountain Shelter, which proved to be an excellent campsite for the group. After the troop staked its claim on the site and enjoyed a trail lunch, it continued to Bald Rock. The summit, at 2,326 feet, offers scenic views of the surrounding forest and terrain. It also offered the group an unanticipated sermon from an unknown mountaintop preacher who used the outcropping as a makeshift pulpit. The trip there and back to the Blue Mountain Shelter accounted for another three miles of backpacking.

Hunter and Camp prepare dinner while completing
backpacking cooking requirements for Cooking Merit Badge.

Everyone gladly took the chance to relax after
the day's backpacking was over.

After returning to the shelter, the troop began setting up camp — with some Scouts opting to make the shelter their backpacking home-away-from-home. The campsite also was in close proximity to a creek, which made accessing cooking and dish-washing water, as well as filtering drinking water for individuals, convenient. After beds were secure and muscles stretched, and with cooler temperatures and winds destined to roll in, Scouts set out to build a roaring campfire. Other Scouts started preparing dinner — tortellini with summer sausage. The troop ate and cleaned up by 8 p.m. — just in time for the start of the evening’s rain showers.

Everyone was more warmly dressed for the start of Sunday's backpacking
compared to their Saturday attire.

The rain, which lasted only for a couple of hours, immediately gave way to a drop in temperatures of more than 20 degrees. The troop was greeted by temperatures in the low 40s by the time everyone began waking up around 7 a.m. Prompted more by shivering bodies than by growling stomachs, Scouts hurriedly got a campfire going before perusing the breakfast offerings. Campsite pack-up went relatively quickly, and after completing that and a Sunday morning devotional service focused on Samson’s inherent weaknesses despite being one of the strongest men mentioned in the Bible, the troop set out on the trail by 9:15 a.m. for the last leg of its trek and the return home.

A sample of the scenic views of the surrounding forest and changing leaves,
which were more easily enjoyed Sunday, compared to Saturday's clouds and gray skies.

At the troop’s Patrol Leaders Council meeting the following Monday, Scouts and leaders debriefed about the weekend outing. Youth leaders commended the group’s overall evening planning with the knowledge of the pending rain. On the flip side, it was noted that operating backpacking stoves and using proper dishwashing techniques, especially in a backpacking environment, could bear continued training and reinforcement. Overall, it was noted that everyone worked together well and the trip was completed without any major issues.

For more photos from the backpacking trip, visit the troop’s online photo album.