Troop 66 started the trip to New York at a Kampgrounds of America (KOA) camp just a couple minutes away from our first stop. At the camp we had lots of meals and activities.
Even though there was lots of rain, we still made the best of our time. The camp was right next to a river called the West Canada Creek that was very fast.
Scouts get ready to visit Howe Caverns.
The Herkimer Diamond Mine is where we spent almost a whole day mining for “diamonds.” During the time that we were at the mine a lot of people came out empty handed, but a couple of people came out with some great finds. Scouts had to search all over for rocks that had “diamonds” buried in them. The diamonds were actually quartz and can only be found in that area.
After that day we packed up from the KOA camp and headed on our way to the Howe Caverns. Howe Caverns was an amazing experience where we got to go 200 feet into the ground. Once we were down there, we were guided around for an hour and thirty minutes. One of the main parts of the tour was an underground boat ride in one of the lakes in the cavern called the Lake of Venus. We walked through multiple impressive attractions in the cavern, including a part where we had to squeeze through 18-inch spaces. After that we headed back home from a trip that we won’t forget!
Note from Scout Troop 66: The Troop is headed to the 100th Anniversary of Workomen Scout Camp and then the Alaska Trip. Interested potential scout’s 5th grade and up are welcome to attend a meeting on Mondays at 7p.m. at the church hall at the West Suffield Congregational Church to learn more about camping, skills, leadership, and activities. Questions can be addressed to Troop Committee Chair Aaron Marcavitch (marcavitch@gmail.com).