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.

Pioneering, blacksmithing and serving

For its February monthly campout, Troop 50 headed north just outside Auburn to Loachapoka — home to Pioneer Park. The Feb. 19-21 campout allowed Scouts to journey back to the area’s late 1880s and early 1900s pioneering traditions preserved on the property by the Lee County Historical Society.

Cooling temperatures greeted Scouts and leaders Friday evening. As they set up camp, pitched their tents and prepared dinner, those temperatures dropped into the 30s — prompting everyone to seek the coziness of their tents and the warmth of their sleeping bags earlier than everyone’s usual bedtime.

Frequent trains on the tracks just across the highway from Pioneer Park broke the campsite’s tranquility throughout the night. Those CSX trains trace back to the Western Railroad of Alabama of the 1850s and 1860s. Saturday’s sunrise led to gradual increasing temperatures — they had dropped to the upper 20s overnight — as the sounds of trains gave way to clucking from Pioneer Park’s chicken coup. Everyone enjoyed their breakfast snuggled in coats and huddled around morning campfires.

Dr. Mitchell explains how the fireplace was a central element to pioneer life.
It was where families gathered, socialized, found warmth and cooked.

Following breakfast cleanup, the troop broke up into two groups to become better acquainted with Pioneer Park. One group followed Dr. Charles Mitchell for a tour of the property. Dr. Mitchell, a retired Auburn University agronomist and professor, currently leads the Lee County Historical Society as the organization’s president after decades of longtime service to the organization. He recounted the history behind many of the buildings, gardens and programs that comprise Pioneer Park and the organization’s past.

The other group made its way to Pioneer Park’s Blacksmith Shop. There, Auburn University professor and experienced blacksmith Dr. Jim Witte shared with Scouts about the art of blacksmithing. He detailed features of a typical blacksmith shop, such as the forge, anvils, tools and the like, as shown in the video above (listen for the train ... here it comes again!). He demonstrated some techniques and discussed the safety issues they present. He also outlined how blacksmithing played a role in the area trade and relations with local Native Americans. The demonstration also introduced Scouts to the opportunity to pursue Metalwork Merit Badge.

Blake (center, left) and Cooper (center, right) show off their new Scout ranks after
receiving them from Senior Patrol Leader Will (far left) and Scoutmaster Baird (far right).

During lunch, the troop celebrated the accomplishments of two Scouts toward their advancement. Scoutmaster Andrew Baird and Senior Patrol Leader Will presented Blake and Cooper with their Scout ranks.

James (center) prepares the raised bed soil before planting potatoes.

Jason, Will and Olen pile up the remains
of Pioneer Park's recent sugar cane harvest.

After lunch, Scouts got more familiar with some of Pioneer Park’s agricultural efforts through service projects in the McLain Garden and Crops Garden. One group learned about planting potatoes in raised beds in the McLain Garden’s Heirloom Kitchen Garden, while another group cleaned concrete benches where visitors to the garden can sit and enjoy nature. A third group had the more arduous task of clearing out the remains of Pioneer Park’s recent sugar cane harvest in its Crops Garden.

Pioneer Park has been the site of several Troop 50 Eagle Scout leadership service projects. Those include projects to build a fence enclosing the McLain Garden by Camp Steiner (Class of 2019), construct new arbors for the McLain Garden by Jacob Van Horn (Class of 2018), and to develop a new artifact cataloging system and displays for items in the McLain Building by Aiden Lytle (Class of 2017).

Throughout the afternoon, many Scouts wandered over to the Pioneer Park chicken coop to see what all the clucking and commotion was about. The chickens seemed to get more agitated by the parade of their eggs leaving the coop. Several Scouts were under the impression that storing the eggs amid the warmth of their pockets and sleeping bags — and for one Scout, his emergency space blanket — would produce a baby chick. Well, at least it produced the idea of a new troop meeting topic on animal husbandry.

The sun setting through the dogtrot of the Barnard-Newell Log House, situated
just above the troop's campsite.

During the afternoon, Assistant Scoutmaster Michael Tullier demonstrated — in a format that fell somewhere between the television programs “Chopped” and “Worst Cooks in America” — how to make Dutch oven apple crisp dessert for their patrols. Each patrol received all the ingredients to replicate the dish — which they later reported turned out better than some of the actual dinner meals they prepared! Again, with overnight temperatures promising to drop to into the 30s this time, Scouts were quick to prepare their meals, enjoy dinner, and clean their dishes so they could huddle around their campfires or seek the warmth of their sleeping bags for the cold evening ahead.

Frost patterns formed on the outsides of most
tents during the overnight hours Friday
and Saturday evening.

Saturday night: more trains, more cold, more chickens — you get the picture.

After Sunday morning’s breakfast was over and everyone’s gear was packed away, the troop gathered to reflect on all that Scouts accomplished over the weekend. In his role as troop chaplain, Mr. Tullier led the troop in its traditional “Duty to God” devotional service. Together, they reflected on the concept of “daily bread” that is part of the “Lord’s Prayer,” and what that concept looks like in our daily lives.

During the troop’s Patrol Leaders’ Council meeting the following Monday, youth leaders positively rated the Pioneer Park campout — giving high marks to patrol menu planning, Pioneer Park activities and its service project opportunities. They did note that more could be done to emphasize teamwork within the patrols and the troop, as well as specific functions like being better organized in setting up tents and dining flies upon everyone’s arrival. Those needs would be part of upcoming troop meeting programs.

The troop continues to camp locally, wearing facial coverings and maintaining physical distancing as part of observing pandemic-era public safety protocols.

For more photos of the Pioneer Park campout, visit the troop’s online photo album.

CRM - Thursday: Free Form Expression

     Thursday at Camp Rainey Mountain is referred to as free range Thursday since there are no merit badge classes and the scouts are free to pursue different activities during various blocks throughout the day. Some troops take advantage of the proximity to several whitewater venues and head off property to go rafting. Troop 50 stayed in and the boys headed out in various directions. Due to the number of troops leaving camp on Thursday morning, the flag ceremony and breakfast were also modified. The running of the flags did not occur, which disappointed some of our more energetic scouts.

     Within our campsite, we have a couple of coolers filled with Gatorade and soda. I have already commented on the teamwork required to keep them iced. We have also been running our own recycling program for the bottles and cans, along with the occasional cardboard box. Since there is a First Class requirement that promotes recycling, we have been promoting it on campouts but we went all in for this week. We have a milk crate that serves as the single stream recycle container. When it becomes full, the boys then remove the caps from the bottles and rinse out all of the bottles and cans at the latrine before sacking it up to transport back to Auburn. This exercise has also been a way to teach them what belongs in a recycle bin and what does not. Some of our scouts have been throwing random trash into the crate in an apparent belief that all trash was recyclable.

There is an assembly line quality to the
process of cleaning the bottles and cans.

     The hike up to Big Rock was promoted to the troop as a way to meet one of the Eagle-required, Camping merit badge requirements, in which one must hike a trail with an elevation change of at least 1000 feet. The boys who did not already have Camping merit badge were eager to check off that requirement but the other (read older) scouts opted out of the hike citing other commitments such as qualifying at the rifle range, working on the Chess merit badge, or participating in a cooking competition. All of these are noble pursuits and they were excused, even the ones who actually spent the free time on the trading post porch with the WiFi. The newest scouts were doing an extended five mile hike as part of meeting a Second Class requirement so they went on the hike as part of their TNT patrols with Mr Dagg accompanying them. Mr. Chism and Mr. Lovvorn accompanied the main group from the troop to make sure that I didn't get lost again.

The hikers want to make sure I know the correct direction to go. 

     I was quite taken with the speed in which the crew hiked up the trail. They passed two other groups en route and didn't stop for a break until we reached the top of the mountain. The trail then made a steep drop down to the top of Big Rock. It has a rope line strung along one point to assist in getting up and down that part of the trail. When we got to Big Rock there was another group admiring both the view and the cell signal. We waited patiently until they cleared the top of the rock and then took the obligatory group photo.

Atop the Big Rock. 

     Once we cleared the area and got back to the top of the mountain, it was all downhill from there, so to speak. The trip down was accomplished with similar speed, although the proximity to lunchtime may have had something to do with it. We made it back to the dinning hall with time to spare, however.

The scouts following their speed hike of a thousand feet of elevation change. 

     The TNT scouts did not appear for lunch but I found out later that they not only made the hike in fine form, they cooked their own lunches of cheese quesadillas after their return to camp. Oliver and Jackson both commented on the fine quality of their respective dishes.

Johnson and Oliver seem to be enjoying their time on the mountain. 

     Following lunch the scouts went full free range. Some chose to enjoy the sunshine playing frisbee on the parade field. Some went swimming while others worked to earn some extra badges that were offered as part of the single day program. Gideon and Gordon were eager to try out the Blob. This is a large vinyl bag inflated with air that floats in the lake. One person jumps onto the Blob from a tower above, climbs out to the other end, and lays flat on the top. Then a second person jumps from the tower. This pushes the air towards the other end and launches the first person into the air to land in the water. Given the weight difference between them, Gideon was launched high into the air in spectacular fashion.

Gideon takes flight. 

Trey seems blown away by Luke's frisbee skills.

George and Rhett play frisbee along with the camp dog.

Jake, Gideon, Luke, Whit, Harrison P. and Jackson L. learn the mystical arts of chess. 

     I would be remiss if I didn't note the obligatory ga-ga ball pit at the camp. During the first three days of camp, the bottom of the pit was quite muddy. This did not stop scouts from playing ga-ga ball and getting absolutely head to toe muddy while doing it. I never saw any of our scouts in the muddy pit but I know some who seriously contemplated it. On Wednesday, a load of sand was dumped alongside of the pit and I did see at least one Troop 50 scout playing in the sand pile. Since the sand has been spread within the pit, there has been a nonstop game of ga-ga going, possibly 24 hours a day. Last night we almost had to drag one of our scouts bodily from the pit as rain and lightening  threatened. 

Johnson waits his turn to engage in the gladiatorial contest that is ga-ga ball. 

     Free range Thursday is also free of dinner in the dining hall. Some troops prefer to go to town for pizza but we decided to stick with cooking hobo meals in the campsite. The dining hall staff issued us the ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and cabbage along with the foil to wrap it all up in. We used the fire pit in the campsite to ignite a giant pile of charcoal, overseen by Battalion Chief Lovvorn, while other scouts chopped up the vegetables. Then all of the scouts put their meals together in the foil packets and laid them directly on top of the charcoal. The adults opted to put the ingredients into our Dutch oven for a tasty meal of Lithuanian goulash. The meal was capped off with a watermelon. Although the foil and plastic forks could be thrown away after the meal, there was still a great deal of detritus left on the ground, including potatoes, carrots, onions, and about a hundred thousand watermelon seeds. 

The pile of hobo meals grows upon the fire. 

Tyson skillfully filets the watermelon. 

     We barely finished our clean-up before the aforementioned storm blew in. Due to the lightening, we confined the scouts to the Adirondacks until it passed. They did not seem to mind. Some went on to sleep while a card game of Exploding Kittens Uno (please do not ask me to explain that, I have no idea) raged in another. I'm also told that movie night occurred in a third Adirondack courtesy of the Nintendo Switch. The storm finally passed and thus ended the night.

     Photos from free range Thursday are available at this link.  

Badges and bowling

While the rainy, cold weather outside on Saturday, Dec. 8 was frightful, the inside of Auburn United Methodist Church, where Troop 50 Scouts gathered for the annual Merit Badge Day, was delightful. More than half of the troop’s Scouts attended the event to add one more badge to their merit badge sashes – either one of two Eagle-required badges, Citizenship in the Nation or Cooking, or Architecture Merit Badge.

Assistant Scoutmaster Christian Dagg, an associate professor in Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction, and head of its School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, counseled Scouts on Architecture Merit Badge. In addition to familiarizing Scouts with the basics of and careers in the architecture field, it marries Scouting’s emphasis on being conservation-minded with concepts like sustainable architecture and the use of renewable and recycled materials in the build environment.

Assistant Scoutmaster JP Pendleton taught Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge. Requirements help Scouts understand the principles of U.S. citizenship, including one’s rights under the Constitution, Bill of Rights and other subsequent constitutional amendments. It includes a focus on many of the historic milestones behind the founding of our country, as well as how constitutional checks and balances affect how the federal government operates today.

Finally, Chartered Organization Representative Michael Tullier counseled Scouts on Cooking Merit Badge. Classroom instruction includes teaching Scouts about the need for safe food-handling techniques, how to avoid foodborne illnesses, and how to prevent and treat injuries that may occur as part of cooking. The merit badge also helps Scouts incorporate good nutrition standards into their meal planning, and how to read food-packaging labels. Scouts will complete the merit badge requirements as they plan, shop for and cook meals at upcoming campouts, as well as doing the same for meals they plan and cook for their families.

Following the merit badge classes, many of the Scouts participated in a troop outing to go bowling. As the gutters outside continued to collect water from the day’s ongoing rain, the gutters inside the bowling alley were just as busy collecting bowling balls rolled by our budding Scout bowlers.

For more pictures from the troop’s Merit Badge Day, visit the troop’s online photo album.

We're halfway there! (CDB Day 4)

Connor and Gideon enjoying classes

At camp on Wednesday morning, we awoke to another beautiful cool morning and a promising day.  The scouts quickly got ready as they have every other day and we headed to breakfast.  At the dining hall, we enjoyed country fried steak, gravy, biscuits, and folded eggs.  Many of the scouts hit the cereal bar as well.  We then headed outside to attend the flag raising ceremony for the day before having some free time before classes.  Many of the scouts spend free time fishing, woodcarving, or playing ga-ga.

Mr. Chism after his quick climb up the rock wall

In the morning, scouts continued with their classes in areas such as First Aid, Camping, Shotgun,  Movie Making, and many in the STEM areas.  The weather continues to be spectacular allowing for us to enjoy all the activities of camp.  Before lunch, Mr. Chism competed in the Scoutmaster Climb competition and finished in fine time.  Our scouts and leaders continue to be exemplary in multiple areas and represent our troop well.

For lunch, the adult leaders were treated with trout, corn on the cob, potato salad, rolls, and banana pudding.  It was fantastic and one of the perks for attending scout camp for the week as an adult.  The scouts enjoyed hot dogs and the sides that go along with that.  After lunch, the scouts enjoyed some free time at the Snack Shack (for sugar) and in Cold Mountain Outfitters (trading post) as well as the ga-ga pit.  Then, they headed off for their afternoon classes for merit badges and Goin' Great.

Will climbing up the rock wall

After classes, free time involved card games, rock climbing, fishing, and some football on the parade field.  The scouts are also working on their homework for their classes in their free time.  The adult leaders are strongly encouraging all of the scouts to get their merit badges completed so they don't have work to complete them later.  Time will tell if they are heeding this advice.

For supper, we enjoyed a box meal from Bojangles, which included chicken fingers, mac and cheese, green beans, and a cookie.  It was noticeably missing their famous biscuits.  The dining hall is closed for supper on Wednesdays so the staff can have the night off, so we ate in our campsite.  Apparently, many of our scouts won't eat green beans, but Joe made sure to eliminate them for us.  He ended up eating 7 servings himself!

Joe and all his green bean containers

Meanwhile, Whit cleaned his fish and was cooking it as a requirement for the Fishing merit badge.  He was nice enough to share it with the rest of us and it was pretty tasty (and salty!).  It was nice for the boys to see where food comes from.  Just hours before, Whit saw this fish swimming in the lake and caught it.  Now, we are eating it.  The troop we are sharing a campsite with from Florida was nice enough to lend some of their cooking gear and expertise.

After dinner, we climbed up "cardiac ridge" to Boonesboro Village to witness the Highland Games.  This was a competition between the groups staying there in which they participated in some traditional Scottish games of flipping logs, racing with sheep, and haggis tossing.  Boonesboro Village is a living history program that allows us to experience life skills and crafts that were common in the late-1700’s.

Whit cooking the trout he caught

After this interesting experience, we descended down the mountain to the campfire amphitheater for the Order of the Arrow (OA) call out ceremony and the flag retirement ceremony.  The troop had one scout called out for the OA, resulting from our election last month and it was Jason.  Mr. Williams was able to retire a flag based on his service to our country.

Once we arrived back at camp, we invited over our friends from Florida to enjoy some snacks and fellowship.  It is always nice to meet new scouting friends and enjoy their company.  You can learn so much from other experiences they have had.  Everyone settled in for the night with no issues (as usual).  Several are planning to participate in the Polar Plunge early on Thursday morning.  Stay tuned for that!  The weather on Wednesday was very nice and it only sprinkled for a few moments.  To see more pictures from today's adventure, see our online photo album.

Jason called out as an OA candidate

Flag retirement ceremony

A Hard Day's Night

     The scouts of Troop 50 sank to new depths this past weekend as we entered the underground domain of Cumberland Caverns outside McMinnville, Tennessee. This trip marks the third time that our scouts have turned into spelunkers and troglodytes as we walked, crawled, climbed, and slithered through the cave before stretching out across the hard, rocky floor for a well deserved sleep. The group was split almost evenly between veterans who had made the trip in prior years and newbies who were experiencing caving for the first time. Regardless of their status, all of the scouts seemed to relish their time in the underworld.

The troop pauses among the cave formations for a group photo.

     With everyone packed aboard the church bus, we departed Auburn about 9:30 on Saturday morning for the long trip to Tennessee. After an unusual lunch stop and a longer than anticipated search for a working gas station, we arrived at the cave around 3:30 PM. Everyone changed out of their scout uniform into clothing more suitable for the dirt/mud and the 56 degree temperature of the cave. Scouts passed the time before dinner by crawling through a wooden maze, an activity that quickly degenerated into attempts to snatch each other's shoes as they squeezed through the small spaces.

Will manages to escape the maze with someone's shoe. 

Trey attempts (unsuccessfully) to hold onto his shoes. 

     We soon fired up the charcoal chimneys and mixed up a dinner of baked beans, ground beef, and biscuits in our dutch ovens. This fairly simple cooking method allowed everyone to have a hot meal before beginning our overnight adventure. Soon after, we met our cave guide, gathered our gear and began the trek into the depths.

Entering the door to the underworld. 

     Cumberland Caverns is one of many caves that abound in this region of Tennessee and Kentucky. The cave was ostensibly discovered in 1810 by surveyor Aaron Higgenbotham who explored the cave by torchlight before losing the torch and spending three days trapped in complete darkness before he was rescued. It is said that his hair turned completely white during those three days in the cave (something we hoped to avoid). The current cave configuration was originally believed to be two separate caves, which were named Henshaw and Higgenbotham caves. A connection between the caves was discovered in 1953 and it was renamed Cumberland Caverns when it opened to public tours in 1955. Today, over 32 miles of the cave are part of various tours and adventure programs. These activities include daily walking tours for the general public, overnight stays in the cave, spelunking trips through unimproved sections, and music festivals such as their popular Bluegrass Underground venue. They even hold weddings in there. 

     After we dropped off our gear in the 10-acre room where we would spend the night, it was off on the daily walking tour. We visited a moonshine still and a saltpeter mining operation in the original Henshaw part of the cave, passed through the Volcano Room with its crystal chandelier (rescued from a NYC opera house), had our photo taken in the Boneyard, and climbed the 354 stairs across the Hall of the Mountain King. The last stop on the tour was the light show that highlights Aaron Higgenbotham's discovery of the cave and his three days of seclusion.

Checking out the water feature in front of a formation known
as Moby Dick (due to its resemblance to a whale, or so they say).

     Once we were finished with the walking tour it was time for the crawling tour. We geared up with helmets (aka brain buckets) and headlamps before making a test crawl through a 19x33 inch box. This insured that each of us would be able to fit through the tightest portions of the route without getting stuck. It was a tight fit for some but all managed to qualify.

Camp, Rusty, Jacob, and Miles model the latest in protective headwear and illumination.

Boone and Miles calculate their chances of making it through the box. 

Connor negotiates a ladder at the start of the tour. 

     After a short walk to the end of the 10-acre room, we found ourselves beyond the protective glow of electric lighting. From that point forward we were dependent on the narrow beams of light from our helmet mounted flashlights. With a quick warning to avoid getting kicked in the face by the person preceding you, we were off on a two hour slither through the un-improved section of the cave. Some of the route involved climbing ladders while other points found us flat on our bellies squeezing through the afore-referenced 19x33 inch spaces. Some points widened enough for us to stand or to gather as a group. Our guide took these opportunities to tell us about previous explorers who had met with misfortune in the cave. The further we got along the way, the wetter and muddier it became, and the wetter and muddier we became. While dirt and mud has rarely impeded our scout's ability to have fun, they were glad when the tour ended at a set of sinks where they could wash up.   

Jacob follows Rusty through a tight spot
while trying to avoid getting kicked. 

Boone seems happy to take a rest stop in the mud.  

Michael, Joe, and Samuel revel in the chance to wash the mud from their hands. 

     The exertions of the evening had differing effects on the scouts. Some headed to the cave's snack bar to renew their energy with a good dose of nachos while others wanted little more than to crawl deep into their sleeping bags for the chance to dream about the comforts of home. However, by midnight, all were safely ensconced in the realm of Morpheus (that is, they were asleep).

The troop's designated camping area among the rocks. 

      Dawn (the lights being turned on) came at 7:00 AM and we were soon packed up and ready for breakfast in the Volcano Room. The menu consisted of two pancakes and two strips of bacon sliced so thin as to be almost translucent. However, any form of sustenance was welcome at that point. By 8:00 we were on our way into the sunshine of a beautiful Tennessee mountain morning and by 9:00 the cave was but a fast shrinking spot in the rearview mirror of the bus.

     Monday's PLC meeting gave the troop's youth leadership the chance to reflect upon the positives and negatives of the trip. All agreed that the chance to try something different from our regular campout venues was good. They also praised our cave guide and the adventure tour. The food got high marks, although it was generally agreed that more food at breakfast would have been better. While the trip was multifaceted, the scoutmaster's wife put the best description on it by saying, "You went to a hole in the ground and you had fun. What more can you say than that?"

     Be sure to check out the other photos in the online photo album.