09/27/2008
The goal of the Whitney Woods hike was to prepare scouts who had not yet hiked with a full camping gear pack for that type of experience. Unfortunately, there had been bad weather all week and especially that weekend, since we got about 3” of rain on Saturday and Sunday. Anyway, a brave and mighty band of 11 scouts and parents, led by Robbie Hillman and Tucker Oddleifson met at the Scout Locker at noon.
Robbie, Tucker, Mr. Hillman, Jack Thomae, Mr. Thomae, Evan A., Mr. Ackley, Brodie Jackisch, Alex Kent, Sasha Nakashima and Andrew Leighton
They started hiking at 1 PM at the Whitney Woods entrance off of Rte 3A. The scouts developed into two hiking groups, and each group was in charge of their own food, tents and anything else they would need to survive for the night. The rain was really intense, so the hikers did not go into Wompatuck State Forest. Instead, they decided to hike up Turkey Hill, where they took shelter under a structure that I later learned was built by Mr. Avery’s son for his Eagle project. At this location, the groups assessed their options and the decision (wisely) was made to not spend the night because of the heavy rain. Then, it seemed like a good time to eat, so the hikers lit their lightweight stoves and cooked the dinners that had been packed. Tucker O. said that he learned two very important things — “bring more food to eat, and freeze dried Beef Stroganoff with noodles is delicious!” Thankfully, all hikers had remembered the scout motto “be prepared.” Everyone had rain gear and waterproof covers for the backpacks. The leaders and senior scouts felt that the trip was a success since hikers need to be able to deal with the challenging and constantly changing New England weather when they are trying to survive in the wilderness.
Respectfully submitted,
Derek A. Benson, Troop 28 Historian