The last weekend in April was a busy one for Troops 260 & 262. The Troops participated in the town-wide Trash Clean Up Day, welcomed new scouts into the Troop during a Crossover celebration and had their annual campout at Sunrise Park. The scouts were grateful the rain finally stayed at bay for this trip; their last few campouts had been quite soggy. The sun shined, and the scouts were able to enjoy a nice spring day.
Troops 260 & 262 gathered at the corner of Ebbs Corner to start their trash pick-up.
Let’s talk trash! The scouts proudly participated in the townwide clean-up, spending their Saturday morning patrolling Babbs Road and Mountain Road for nips, cigarette butts, car parts, cans, plastic and so much other trash. The scouts were dismayed again this year at the sheer volume of nip bottles they acquired in just a few hours – over 2000! Scouts live and abide by the rules of Leave No Trace; their wish is that more people did as well.
The scouts always look forward to this two-night camping trip at Sunrise Park. Sunrise Park offers a quiet and serene harbor in nature, making the scouts feel like they are miles away from home, despite this beautiful park being right in their backyard. This campout is an ideal way for first year scouts, who crossed over from Cubs, to get acclimated to the skills and high adventure of Scouts. Our seasoned scouts teach the new scouts how to pitch a tent, start a fire, cook on the campfire, clean up from meals, knife safety skills, nature identification, and so much more!
Do you know what the Patrol method is? A patrol is a small group of scouts, typically all the same age and rank. Within the patrol a leader and assistant leader are elected. Jobs and chores are divided amongst the patrol. On a typical camping trip these chores include shopping for food, cooking food, cleaning up (known as KP), collecting firewood, managing the fire, setting up tents and a dining fly and other jobs. Within the patrol and in addition to regular chores, each scout has a leadership position. They may be a historian, taking pictures of events, a secretary, taking notes at meetings, a quartermaster, responsible for the gear in and out of the trailer or many other jobs.
Troops 260 and 262 will spend the rest of the spring preparing for their epic canoe adventure down the Allagash Waterway in June. Scouts will refine their paddling skills and learn how to successfully plan and execute a multi-day canoe journey. In July, the scouts are off to Summer Camp to work on fun merit badge sessions and have a blast getting to know other scouts around the state.
Troops 260 & 262 offer year around adventure for boys and girls. If you or and your son/daughter is interested in joining the fun send us a note, suffieldscouts@gmail.com or check us out at www.suffieldscouts.com.