Court of honor, annual Christmas party put a bow on an ‘unprecedented’ 2020

Troop 50’s December court of honor and annual Christmas party put the proverbial bow on a year during which the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted weekly troop meetings and monthly campouts. Despite those interruptions, Scouts persevered as evidenced by the number of merit badges and new ranks presented during the troop’s Sunday, Dec. 13 court of honor. The event also included the troop’s annual Christmas celebration, “Dirty Santa” gift exchange, and toy collection for the City of Auburn Department of Public Safety’s toy drive. 

Trey and Luke (left) congratulate the troop's newest Life Scouts: (left to right) Will, Olen and Tyson

Senior Patrol Leader Trey and Lead Troop Guide Luke opened the court of honor with the traditional Pledge of Allegiance, Scout Oath and Scout Law — followed by an opening prayer by Chaplain’s Aide Rhett. They then presented Scouts with 63 merit badges and 18 ranks (along with the now-common pandemic fist-bump) — the results of several advancement-focused outings like October’s wilderness survival campout and November’s advancement campout, and the postponement of the troop’s traditional June court of honor. 

Troop Chaplain Michael Tullier (left) and Troop Committee Chair Rob Stanford (right)
congratulate Creighton Williams on earning the God and Life religious award.

In his role as the troop’s chaplain, Chartered Organization Representative Michael Tullier presented Junior Assistant Scoutmaster Creighton Williams with the God and Life religious emblem award. He explained to Scouts and parents that the religious awards program provides Scouts with a way of living out their “duty to God” commitment. The awards opportunities can be pursued in troop-based group settings, individually with Scouts’ families, or under the guidance of a religious leader. Troop Committee Chair Rob Stanford, who has also served as Creighton’s Auburn United Methodist Church D-Group leaders since the seventh grade, assisted with the presentation. [Update, Dec. 31, 2020, Programs for Religious Activities with Youth (P.R.A.Y.) featured Creighton's achievement on its website.]

The troop's elected and appointed youth leadership for the first half of 2021
take the official oath of office.

The December court of honor also marked the transition of youth leadership. As is the troop’s tradition, Scoutmaster Andrew Baird introduced Scouts elected during the Dec. 7 troop elections, along with Scouts selected for other troop and patrol positions. Those serving in new leadership positions for the first half of 2021 include (front row, left to right) Tyson, senior patrol leader; Will, assistant senior patrol leader, and Rusty, junior assistant scoutmaster; (second row), Conner, lead troop guide; Jake, lead troop instructor; Olen, troop quartermaster; (third row), Rhett, Gladiators patrol leader; Harrison, Gladiators assistant patrol leader; Beck, Wizard Lizards patrol leader; and James, Wizard Lizards assistant patrol leader. Not pictured is Jason, promoted to junior assistant scoutmaster in anticipation of earning his Eagle Scout rank in the spring. 

Scoutmaster Andrew Baird (right) officially welcomes Chris Baker as one of the troop's
newest assistant scoutmasters for 2020.

Scoutmaster Baird also recognized the troop’s newest assistant scoutmaster: Chris Baker, who has been serving in the role since the spring, and Creighton Williams, who earned his Eagle Scout in 2018 and moves into an adult volunteer role having turned 18. 

Outgoing SPL Trey and Scoutmaster Baird

A closeup of Trey's pandemic-era
SPL neckerchief slide

Scoutmaster Baird also honored the extended service outgoing Senior Patrol Leader Trey provided the troop for 2020. While youth leaders’ tenure in an elected position is usually limited to six-month terms, Trey served in his elected capacity for all of 2020 due to the pandemic. In presenting Trey with the traditional handmade neckerchief slide denoting past senior patrol leaders (with the addition of 2020’s ubiquitous face mask), Scoutmaster Baird noted that Trey makes serving as SPL a family affair — his brother Andrew, one of the troop’s founding members, served twice as SPL during the latter half of 2013 and the first half of 2015.

To conclude the court of honor, Scoutmaster Baird noted that, despite the cancellation of many of the troop’s spring events due to the pandemic, as well as having to adapt many summer and fall outings, the troop had much to celebrate in terms of advancement and accomplishments. Together, Scouts collectively logged 159 camping nights, 257 service hours and 354 hiking miles. 2020 also included one new Eagle Scout and the start of several new Eagle Scout leadership service projects now in various stages of planning and execution. At least three Scouts are poised to earn their Eagles in 2021.

$5 and two boxes of Pop-Tarts ... what else
could a Scout want for Christmas, right, James?

As everyone enjoyed holiday treats and sweets, Scouts and leaders gathered around wrapped gifts for the troop’s customary “Dirty Santa” gift exchange. As with past years, gifts included numerous camping tools and gadgets like flashlights, pocket knives, and first-aid kits. Perhaps the most clever gift, in keeping with the theme of gifts useful for campouts, was the two boxes of Pop-Tarts (accompanied by a five-dollar bill). And the award for most frequently stolen gifts went to Jackson, who had at least three gifts stolen during the course of the gift exchange.

Giving gifts to one another wasn’t Scouts’ only focus. In honor of the Christmas season, and in keeping with the troop’s practice since its first Christmas court of honor in 2012, troop families donated toys that will be gifted to Auburn’s Department of Public Safety as part of its annual toy drive. Gifts included sports equipment, games and other outdoor recreational items. 

The court of honor and Christmas gathering represent the troop’s final events for 2020. The troop’s Patrol Leaders Council will hold its first meeting of the new year on Monday, Jan. 4, and the entire troop will meet on Monday, Jan. 11. The locations for both meetings will be announced.

For more photos from the court of honor and party, visit the troop’s online photo album.

Summer efforts pay off for Scouts’ progress toward earning new merit badges, ranks

Troop 50 Scouts demonstrated at its post-summer court of honor on Sunday, Sept. 8 that attending summer camp and the troop’s monthly outings can pay off big. The court of honor, held at Auburn United Methodist Church, included 94 merit badges and 11 ranks Scouts earned since the troop’s last awards program court of honor in June — and an awesome ice cream bar with all the fixings provided by troop families.

James (right) receives six merit badges from Everett (right) as a result of his
summertime efforts, including Astronomy, Kayaking, Metalwork, Robotics,
Space Exploration and Wood Carving.

Senior Patrol Leader Everett and Assistant Patrol Leader Luke presided over the ceremony, along with Scoutmaster Andrew Baird. In addition to awarding new merit badges and ranks, the troop installed additional troop leaders appointed since the June court of honor, and officially presented its James J. Baird Jr. Honor Scout Award.

Many of the merit badges Scouts earned included popular summertime topics like swimming, fishing, canoeing and lifesaving, as well as Eagle-required merit badges like the Citizenship series and Environment Science. However, this round of awards also included specialized-topic merit badges like Engineering, Metalwork, Chess, Energy, Theater, and Salesmanship — just to name a few.

Likewise, summer camp participation also helped a number of the troop’s newest Scouts progress in rank to Tenderfoot. The group also included a few Star and Life ranks, as well as an additional Eagle Scout palm.

Scoutmaster Baird administers the oath of office to (left to right) Joe, Camp, George and Rhett.

Following the presentation of advancement awards, Scoutmaster Baird recognized a few additional youth leaders who were appointed to positions since June. Those included the addition of two new junior assistant scoutmasters — Joe and Camp — who were scheduled for their Eagle Scout Boards of Review in September. The installation ceremony and oath of office also included the appointment of George and Rhett to Instructor in addition to Rhett’s continuing duties as the troop’s chaplain’s aide. Olen was later installed as the new troop Historian.

Camp shows off his James J. Baird Jr. Honor Scout Award.

The final item on the court of honor’s agenda was officially recognizing Camp on his selection as the troop’s 2019 recipient of the James J. Baird Honor Scout Award. Camp was selected for the award in May, but due to a personal conflict, was unable to be presented with the honor at the troop’s June court of honor. Likewise, Scoutmaster Baird also presented him with a handmade neckerchief slide that has become the symbol of those who have served as senior patrol leaders. Camp served in the spring and his tenure concluded along with the June court of honor.

For more photos from the September court of honor, visit the troop’s online photo album.

A beary interesting day (CDB Day 6)

Will and Jake tending our troop flag

Friday started out just like the others with an early morning and the troop heading to breakfast at 7:15.  We noticed on the way to breakfast that there was trash out of trash cans and a big mess in certain places.  Our suspicions that a bear had been in camp making the mess were quickly confirmed by some staff members.  Bears had apparently roamed through the main part of camp where programs occur all throughout the night and enjoyed getting whatever they could get their paws on.  I guess we're getting used to all of it, because we just shrugged our shoulders and moved on.

Also, on the way to breakfast the troop marched from the campsite to the dining hall to a cadence called by summer camp SPL Jason.  It had something to do with overweight, old Scoutmasters...  No comment!  The cadence was to show scout spirit to others at camp and is part of the Long Rifle Award the troop was working to earn.  For breakfast, we enjoyed biscuits, folded eggs, and bacon finally made it's appearance!  Scouts also enjoyed the cereal bar as they have every morning.

Only four buddy tags for the troop this week

If it hasn't been mentioned before, Lake Allen at camp is frigid (temps of high 50s to mid 60s).  We were not able to get our swim tests when we arrived because of the inefficient check-in process and the fact that we ran out of time.  So, scouts and leaders had to make a special effort to pass the swim test.  At the end of the week, we only had 4 from our troop take and pass the swim test.  Congrats to Jason, Harrison, Gideon, and Mr. Chism for doing so.  Of course our guys enjoying the high adventure this week had to take the test upon arrival and they all passed as well.

George chugging root beer for Mountain Man

After breakfast, scouts participated in their normal activities before morning merit badge classes, such as ga-ga and the trading post and then the headed to their last few hours of class.  Some scouts were not in class this morning because they had already fulfilled requirements for their merit badges and enjoyed the free time with a slushie.  It hasn't been mentioned in this blog yet that for $7 or $10 you can purchase a cup (different styles) that allows you to have unlimited free slushies for the week.  We don't think that camp made money on this deal.

Gideon and Jake folding flag for Mountain Man

Once the morning classes were complete, everyone headed to lunch which included an individual sized pizza and chips.  The boys were very happy that pizza finally arrived at camp.  Bacon and pizza in the same day!  It also hasn't been mentioned in the blog that scouts were assigned slots on a duty roster for KP (kitchen patrol).  All scouts had several turns at cleaning up the dishes and tables after the meals and today's lunch was no exception.

After lunch there was a bit of free time before the Mountain Man Relay Challenge.  This is a competition between troops at the majority of the program areas around camp.  The troop was represented by one to five scouts at each station depending upon the station.  The competition would last four hours and involve competition at leadership (trivia), Goin' Great (running and flag folding), Handicraft (drawing), Ecology (trivia), Climbing (bouldering), Archery, Shotgun, Scoutcraft (scout skills), STEM (trivia), and Boonesboro (root beer chug & black powder rifle shooting).  The troop traveled around camp to all of these competitions to root on the participants.  Great teamwork was displayed.

Jason hits an apple in archery for Mountain Man

After the Mountain Man Challenge, all the first year scouts attended the Goin' Great graduation where they received their patches and posed for a group picture.  We are very proud of these first year scouts for sleeping with the bears and enduring their first year of camp so well.  They did amazing and dare we say they did the best of any first year group!  After the graduation, the troop headed to dinner in the dining hall for the last time.

For dinner we enjoyed grilled chicken, potato casserole, mixed veggies (carrots, peas, green beans), and a type of cherry cobbler.  After dinner, we attended the final flag ceremony and then headed back to camp to start packing.  Since we will have an early start on Saturday to come home, we needed to pack as much as possible tonight.  At about 8:15 we headed from our campsite towards the  amphitheater for the closing campfire.  Then we heard a bunch of gunfire!

Goin' Great graduation picture

We were stopped on our way and told that there were bears in the ampitheater where we were heading!  They were shooting guns in order to scare the bears away from the area and away from camp.  For our own safety, we had to stay put until they were able to clear the bears out of that section of camp.  Once it was deemed safe, our troop (along with dozens of others) were able to travel together to the parade field where a headcount was done to ensure everyone was present.  Fortunately, everyone was present and there were no incidents.

Scouts watching closing campfire on parade grounds

So, instead of the closing campfire, the staff put on a make-shift campfire program on the parade grounds.  We enjoyed some skits by various troops and saw some awards presented.  We never heard the winner of the Mountain Man Challenge, but we're looking into it.  We did win the Long Rifle Award as an honor troop at camp.  After the program, we headed back to camp for showers and bed.  The camp staff asked us to be as quiet as possible so that the dogs they have in camp to run the bears away wouldn't be distracted by our noise.  We all settled in and had a good night sleep with no incident, but everyone's awareness was heightened and several were a bit nervous.

The weather today at camp was a bit warmer and we hadn't seen rain or overcast for several days.  It was very comfortable in the shade, but a bit hot in the sun.  For more photos and videos from Friday, check out our online album.

Rafting, ice cream, and guns

     Our final day of Zip and Splash put us on the French Broad River near Asheville, NC for our last day of rafting. Carbon dating has indicated that the French Broad is one of the oldest rivers in the world. Much like the Pigeon, the section we were rafting has Class III and IV rapids. We arrived at the NOC outpost for the French Broad just after 10:00 this morning and went through the obligatory signing of the waivers and standard safety briefing. We can now quote parts of the safety video and began to chant various passages in unison. After a snarky look from the lead guide, we were fitted with helmets and life jackets before loading aboard the bus for the river.

Trey, Joe, Nick, and Hunter are ready to raft.

     The four boys plotted among themselves when the raft assignments were being decided. They decided that Mr. Williams should ride with another group and only the scoutmaster would accompany them. This was obviously for nefarious purposes. No sooner were we on the water than the boys began to splash with their paddles in an attempt to get us as wet as possible.



One of the other rafts shoots the rapid known as the Maze.

We passed Turtle Rock heading into another rapid.

     When we got to a point in the river where we could swim, the scoutmaster wasted no time in pitching Hunter and Nick into the water before going in behind them. This happened with such haste that we lost one of the paddles, which Joe swam after and retrieved. After we returned to the boat, our efforts to splash one another caused us to hang up on a rock, which required some maneuvering in the raft to free ourselves. We put the guide to so much trouble that we wound up tipping her extra for the frustration.

Using the bottom of a raft as a dining table, we had a nice lunch. 

 

     As lunch time approached, the raft guides brought us up to a sandy area and fed us lunch. They pulled all sorts of sandwich fixings, crackers, salsa, pickles, cookies, and trail mix for us to eat. After we had eaten every scrap, it was back to the river for the last set of rapids.

 

The only house left in the town of Stackhouse.

 

     The take out point was at the former site of a town. In 1960, a flood inundated the town of Stackhouse and swept away most of the structures. A lone house still stands above the river. A sign on the porch, salvaged from the former train station, still reads Stackhouse. Following the ride back to the NOC outpost, we changed clothes and headed out in search of ice cream. A local citizen of the town of Marshall had told our camp staff leader that there was an ice cream bar at the local country store right in front of the gun store. We found that he meant this literally since the ice cream was served from a freezer in front of a wall of guns.

 

 

Mr. Williams awaits his order at the ice cream and gun store.

 

     As befits any good country store, there was a checker board set up ready to be used. This was deja vu for us since the ice cream store from the previous day has also contained a checker board. Joe challenged some of the other scouts in our crew to a game of checkers. Using the same analytical style that he uses for playing chess, Joe easily took out his opponents on both days. 

 

 

Game number one was played at Jack the Dipper.

Game two at the ice cream/gun store.

 

     Following our satisfying snack of gun store ice cream, we piled back in the van to head on to camp. We made one other stop along the west fork of the Little Pigeon to admire the view and dip our feet in the water. Some of the scouts wound up dipping more than their feet and had a wet ride the rest of the way to camp.

     As we get our campsite, and the van, cleaned up, we look forward to a good night's sleep before we return to Auburn on the morrow. It has been a good week of camp and a great adventure trip for both the boys and the leaders. More photos from the day are found at this link.

Floating like a pigeon

     The Zip and Splash crew traveled up I-40 to Tennessee this morning. We headed to the Pigeon River along the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, arriving at the NOC outpost for the Pigeon just after 10:00 am and were on the river by 11:00. Happily, we were rejoined by Jordan, the scout who was injured on Tuesday. His ankle had healed enough to allow him to accompany us for the rafting.

Joe, Hunter, and Trey prepare to load up on the bus to the put in point.

     The Pigeon River is much warmer than the Nantahala and the air was warmer today too. We had sun all day, which has not been the case for the last few days. Due to this, most of the crew chose to wear swimsuits rather than bundling up in splash jackets. We put into the river at the Duke Energy power station in North Carolina but were quickly back in Tennessee for the rest of the trip. The Upper Pigeon has Class III and IV rapids with names such as Powerhouse, Lost Guide, Snap Dragon, Veg-o-matic, and Accelerator. This is in contrast to the Nantahala which has one Class III rapid.

The crew waits on the ramp to launch the raft. 

Heading into Accelerator, a Class IV rapid. 

     We also had the opportunity to swim alongside the boat as we floated through the calmer parts of the river. All of the boys bailed out of the boat to swim, leaving the scoutmaster and Mr. Williams alone with the guide. Sooner than we expected, our five mile journey was at an end and we floated up to the back of the NOC outpost to pull the rafts from the water. After we cleaned up and changed into dry clothing, we were enjoying our sandwich lunches in the warm summer sun.

Nick and Trey swim along beside the raft. 

     After we finished our lunch we loaded back into the van and returned to Waynesville to a local ice cream shop called Jack the Dipper. They had some fantastic ice cream served in freshly made waffle cones and bowls. We indulged ourselves with more ice cream than we should have but it was surely worth it.

Trey is ready to dive into a "small" cone of strawberry.

The weight of the ice cream put poor Trey to sleep on the van ride. 

     Following our ice cream stop, we next traveled into the Pisgah National Forest to the Cradle of Forestry in America museum. We walked along the Biltmore Campus Trail which wound through the campus of America's first forestry school. Founded by the German forester Carl Schenck in 1898, the school trained many foresters in science-based forest management. The school was sponsored by George Vanderbilt, who needed foresters to manage the lands around his Biltmore estate.

The Black Forest Lodge was one of the residences on the forestry campus. 

     After we closed down the Forestry exhibit, it was back into the van for a trip across the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way back to camp. We passed many spectacular vistas along the way but it was difficult to get the boys to look away from their phones (or book in Joe's case). We made a stop and herded everyone out of the van at one point. This was to enjoy the view as well as to air out the van. We arrived back in camp late but were just in time to catch dinner in the dinning hall. Not everyone ate their full share, however, as the ice cream still weighted heavy on our torsos.

The Devil's Courthouse is one of the great views from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

     Tomorrow, we will be heading to the French Broad River near Asheville. More photos from today are found here.

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

Flying high in the mountains

     The Zip and Splash crew headed back to the Nantahala Outdoor Center this morning for another round of "high" adventure. This time we were set to tackle the eight zip lines at the top of the mountain above the NOC. Our scheduled arrival time was at 8:30 AM, which meant that we had to leave Camp Daniel Boone by 7:00. Since this did not allow us the time to eat breakfast, we hit the road with a boxed breakfast consisting of a biscuit, egg (synthetic), chicken patty, and an apple fritter. This hit the spot and gave us the energy needed for the morning ahead. When we arrived at the NOC, we were met by the adventure program director and the training director. They had been in communication with the scout executive for the Daniel Boone Council about the accident from yesterday. They listened to our concerns and offered their assurances that they were working hard to ensure that such an accident could not occur again. They also wanted us to know that the zip line program we were about to do was safe and staffed by well-trained guides. This was certainly the case.  We had three, very good guides, one of whom was a trainee, who were well informed and provided us with an excellent experience.

Our group is geared up and ready to begin our training.

     We were outfitted with full body harnesses and helmets, along with the safety lines and pulleys needed for the zip line cables. After a short drive up a very steep road, we came to the start of the course. We began with a session that provided us with the instructions for how to zip and most importantly, how to brake as we came to the end of the line. After a demonstration by one of the guides for how to do all of this, we were hooked up to a low, short cable and allowed to slide down the line and brake. This let us see what it was like before we got to the real thing.

Hunter is hooked up to the first line by our guide Chewy.
His hairdo is the source of his nickname. 

Trey prepares for a landing at the end of the second line. 

     We climbed a stairwell up to a treehouse that was the starting point for the first line. Each of us was hooked to a safety line that ensured we were always hooked into something. One of the guides went down the line first to assist us as we came to the end of the line. The second and third guide maintained contact with him with a walkie-talkie. They then got us hooked up to the line and sent us each on our way. Each line had a specific characteristic depending on the angle. The first one ran hot, which meant it took more braking at the end to slow down. The second line ran cold since it didn't need much braking. The third line, as you can probably guess, was just right.

     Each of the lines began and ended on a platform in the trees or on top of telephone poles. The fifth line finally brought us back to good ole Mother Earth but we were not there for long. The sixth zip line was the longest, stretching for almost half a mile.

The guys climb the tower to the start of the half mile zip. 

Our group poses for a photo at the top of the tower. 

The zip line disappears into the distance.  

     The guides informed us that we would have quite a view as we traveled down this line. in addition to the mountains and Fontana Lake, the view downward was also spectacular. At one point we were 340 feet off the ground as the mountainside sloped downward to a ravine. The previous lines had only taken us about 15-20 seconds to cross. The traverse down half a mile took 45 seconds. We were also instructed to pull our legs up and our elbows in to reduce wind resistance as we zipped. This was intended to ensure that we maintained enough momentum to reach the platform at the end. Unfortunately, despite the fact that we were zipping at a speed of around 50 mph, none of us were able to reach the platform and had to pull ourselves hand over hand the last few feet. After the experience of the mega-zip, the last two zip lines seemed anticlimactic.  

     Following a drive back down the steep road, we turned in our gear and enjoyed another leisurely lunch beside the river. We are now headed back to Camp Daniel Boone where we can visit with the rest of the troop and engage in some afternoon programs at the camp. However, my first act upon arrival is to convince some of these scouts to take a shower and put on clean clothes. Some of them appear to have foresworn bathing for the week. Wish me luck.
     The photos for today are found here.

A hop, zip, and a jump

     My apologies for the late post. As you will see, events conspired against me in trying to get this post out. Our second day of program turned out to be quite an adventure. After breakfast we loaded aboard the van and returned to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Soon we found ourselves standing next to a mosquito-infested marsh as we geared up in full body harnesses and helmets to attack a variety of aerial obstacles.

Trey, Joe, and Nick brush away the mosquitoes as they wait for the helmets to be issued.

Wes is ready to go as well.

     The adventure course consisted of several elements connected to a 50 foot wooden tower. There were two sky walks where participants followed a path across a series of elements. We balanced on ropes, steps, and logs as we made our way across the course. In one place, a giant spider web made of ropes was shared across the upper and lower levels. Everyone made severals trips through both routes during the two hours of our scheduled time.

Joe crosses the lower side of the spider web.

     A zip line stretched across the road, starting up the hill next to the NOC tennis courts and ending at the top of the tower. We also made multiple runs down the line during our time on the course.

Nick takes flight at the beginning of the zip line.

     Three rock wall routes snaked up the side of the 50 foot tower. They were divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced routes. Nick, Joe, Trey, Hunter, and the scoutmaster worked their way up each of the walls and most made it to the top after some encouragement from the assembled masses.

Trey begins an ultimately successful climb to the top of the wall. 

     After a lunch break spent beside the river, during which Mr. Williams discovered a nice set of relaxing chairs, we were on to the next challenge. The afternoon was spent on the alpine tower next to the same mosquito marsh. The alpine tower was made of logs set as a giant tripod with another upside-down tripod attached at the top. It made the structure resemble a giant hourglass. There were three climbing routes to the top that ranked from easiest to hardest. Each route contained different handholds, rope ladders, and steps. The hardest route contained a giant's ladder consisting of 4x4 timbers set as the rungs about five feet apart. Several of the scouts and the scoutmaster successfully made it to the top on the easier routes but no one was able to conquer the giant's ladder on the hardest route.  
   

Joe pauses about halfway up the tower.

     The final element of the day was called the "swing by choice." This consisted of a cable hanging about twelve feet above the ground. A participant climbed a ladder and was hooked into the cable. A rope was then looped through the harness for the participant to hold in place. The end of the rope was then taken up by the rest of the crew and used to pull the participant upwards towards the side of the tower. The participant then had to release the loop of rope and allow himself to swing downward through about a 50 foot arc. The element combines the fearful sensation of falling with that of flying like Spiderman as you swing back and forth across the arc. Hunter, Joe, and the scoutmaster were the only Troop 50 scouts who were willing to give it a try but each of us did it multiple times.

Hunter is hooked into the cable and is ready to be pulled upward.

The other participants pull Hunter up.

Now he is ready to release his grip on the rope.

He swings through the air like Spiderman.

     Unfortunately, the event that put a damper on everyone's willingness to participate was an accident that occurred on the alpine tower. As one of the other Zip and Splash participants (from another troop) was being lowered off the tower, the NOC staff member who was belaying him lost control of the rope and the scout fell the last ten feet to the ground spraining his ankle. The NOC medical staff checked the scout on the scene but he was then taken to a local urgent care facility by the Camp Daniel Boone van, accompanied by the camp staff member and Mr. Williams. The scout was not seriously hurt but the accident has likely halted his participation in the program for the remainder of this week. The incident put us behind schedule for returning to camp and also necessitated the writing of incident reports by Mr. Williams and me as witnesses to the accident. We are heading back to the NOC this morning to do the mountaintop zip line course. While we understand that accidents can happen, we intend to keep a closer eye on the scouts and the staff while we are zipping through the mountains.

     The online photo gallery is now activated. All of the photos from the troop at Camp Daniel Boone and the Zip and Splash program are grouped by days. Sunday's photos are found at this link and Monday's are here. Photos from Tuesday are found at this link. Tweets are also rolling to the troop Facebook page.