Preparation for the troop’s biennial paddle down the Allagash River in Maine has been in full gear all spring. The scouts have been spending time at weekly meetings learning about canoe safety and paddling techniques. On any given Tuesday evening at Sunrise Park this spring, you will likely have seen our crews practicing paddling around the lake and learning how to right a capsized canoe. Side note: the scouts love ‘tipping’ their friends out of their canoes to execute this practice!
Scouts Robbie Snyder, Isaac Lavoie and Daniel Craig smile as they paddle down the Connecticut River.
The scouts canoed a 15-mile section of the Connecticut River in May as final preparation for their Allagash adventure. The scouts paddled from the Kings Island boat launch to the Riverfront Boat launch in Hartford. They learned the importance of gear placement in the canoes to maintain balance and were able to practice their bow and stern positions. They overnighted on the river and were surprised to hear the beavers busy at night nibbling trees and playing in the water.
What does an Allagash adventure look like, you ask? Well, it starts with a very long car ride to the North Maine woods. Seriously, the scouts can practically touch Canada from here. The scouts will canoe 63 miles of the 92.5-mile Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Their adventure will start with a little whitewater, at Chase Rapids, a class II stretch of the river just downstream of Churchill Dam. Scouts will paddle an average of 12 miles a day and set-up camp at designated sites each night. The scouts may be in the back country but check out this sample of their menu: grilled BBQ chicken, French toast, chicken salad, pork loin and mashed potatoes, eggs and bacon and of course the culinary delight of SPAM. Troop 260 has organized and participated in this high adventure trek for more than four decades. This year will be the first time for Troop 262.
The fun won’t end after the scouts are back on land from their paddling adventure. In July you will find them living their best lives at a week-long summer camp. The line-up of activities for the remainder of the year includes caving, hiking the Appalachian Trail, urban navigation in NYC and so much more. Anytime is a great time to join the troop, but scouts who join this year get to look forward to an epic trip to Iceland for the summer of 2025. Troops 260 and 262 offer fun, high adventure activities all year long while teaching important life skills and responsibility.