Instead of camping someplace cold and snowy in January, the troop camped in a very unusual spot – a retired aircraft carrier. The USS Midway was the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned just a few days after the end of World War II. Active in the Vietnam War and in Operation Desert Storm, she is currently a museum ship at the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum, in San Diego, California.

The first part of a rainy Saturday was spent exploring the ships of the San Diego Maritime Museum. The scouts probably enjoyed the two submarines (Soviet and US) the most and a few boys went through them several times. Saturday afternoon was even more exciting as we mustered for the Midway. Our tour guides were all former sailors on the Midway and really knew and loved the ship. They showed us all over the ship including many places off-limits to the general public. The scouts enjoyed eating Navy grub in the mess hall, and bunking in the same berths the sailors used (these were NOT the officers’ quarters!). Sunday morning wake-up call was at 6 am and we again toured the ship with our guides before the general public arrived.

We had a great turnout for this outing not just of our scouts but also of dads and a few moms and webelos. We last visited the Midway more than 5 years ago but we won’t wait that long to return.

A service project is a key step on the long road to achieving the rank of Eagle. The service project involves many hours of work from the prospective Eagle Scout. Eagle projects must demonstrate the scout’s leadership ability and be of significant benefit to the community (as opposed to helping scouting or an individual). Earning the Eagle rank is a rare achievement; roughly 5% of scouts across the nation, historically, have achieved this highest rank. Troop 147 has averaged about one Eagle Scout per year over the last 20 years, but this year we were fortunate to have four boys earn this honor.

The projects of these four Eagles were:

1. Sprucing up Huntington Hospital, Pasadena. One Eagle scout organized a day of work painting equipment around the Huntington campus, including arranging all the supplies needed, feeding his team, and directing the project.

2. Restoration of three meeting rooms at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Arcadia. One scout organized a major effort to restore meeting rooms that were unusable because of clutter and damage. These rooms were extensively redone by scouts working over their summer vacation. Many hours over many days were spent by teams of scouts cleaning, sanding and painting walls and ceilings to restore these rooms.

3. Fundraising and purchase of an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) for Monrovia High School. This project required a substantial fundraising effort involving a car wash (thanks to Pep Boys for the use of their parking lot), much letter-writing to local businesses, and extensive research to choose an appropriate life-saving AED. This project also involved more than the usual research and paperwork, such as obtaining the proper physician’s prescription along with school board and high school approval for installation of the AED.

4. Installing park benches at Plymouth Elementary School, Monrovia. This Eagle scout organized a day of installing four heavy-duty concrete benches on the grounds of his local elementary school. This effort required raising funds for materials, digging and pouring foundations, and installing very heavy benches that will last as long as the school will, probably.

Thanks go out not only to these Eagle scouts, but to the entire troop for putting in many hours of hard labor on these worthy projects.

And congratulations to our four newest Eagle Scouts on their accomplishment – achieving this rank is something that they can be proud of for the rest of their lives. These young men are a credit to their parents, their troop, and their community.

Stay tuned for some photos of the above service projects…

This weekend was a repeat visit to Spruce Grove Trail Camp in the San Gabriel Mountains, last hiked back in 2008. This is a beautiful local backpacking trip, starting at Chantry Flat and hiking first down and then up through Santa Anita Canyon above Sturtevant Falls. Scouts hiked about 10 miles over two days. All our scouts did a great job, including some new boys on their first backpacking trip.

Troop 147 scouts escaped the Los Angeles “Carmageddon Weekend” by heading down to San Diego to camp at Palomar Mountain State Park. Our senior scouts worked with younger scouts on their rank requirements through first class, and scouts still had time for a 3.5 mile hike to a lookout tower on a nearby mountain, followed by some fishing in Douane Pond (no luck). The weekend was capped off by a fascinating tour of the Palomar Observatory with its mighty 200 inch Hale telescope. Many thanks to a new scout parent who brought his telescope for some moon-gazing on Saturday; unfortunately, scouts were so exhausted from the day’s adventures that no one could stay up until moonrise!

The troop planned for a high-altitude Sierra backpacking trip in June, but the deep snowpack this year meant that our intended route was still buried in the white stuff. So instead, we headed a bit lower in elevation to the beautiful Golden Trout Wilderness in the southern Sierras.

We had a light turnout (too many boys burned out from the end of the school year?), but our intrepid scouts had a great time camping under the stars next to a roaring river in the Sierra Nevada wilderness. After base camping on Friday night, bright and early Saturday, boys hiked about 5 miles from the Jerkey Meadows trailhead down to the horse bridge over the Little Kern River. The scenery was exceptionally beautiful, though the river was too swift for successful fishing (maybe next time). On Sunday, boys tackled a long day hike deeper into the wilderness until they reached the Trout Meadow area for a lunch stop, before returning to break their first camp and move on to the next one at Jug Springs. Monday’s hike out featured even more fabulous scenery and solitude. This was the first of four backpacking treks required for the backpacking merit badge. All scouts are encouraged to join us for the next one in September, a trek in our own backyard into the San Gabriel Mountains.

The troop came out in force for this exciting day of whitewater rafting on the Kern River. The river was raging and freezing cold, due to a record snow melt this year. Scouts ran Class II and Class III rapids, then got right back on the bus and did it over again, all day. Based on the nonstop cheering, it was clear that they were having a great time. Our Eagle Rafting guides for our four six-person boats were excellent, and the day on the water was a good lesson in working as a team to get through tough situations. And unlike other rafts on the river, Troop 147 escaped with no men overboard (aka “swimmers”) and piloted through every rapid smoothly.

On Sunday, scouts enjoyed a quieter day of side trips of fishing, a visit to a local ghost town, and a drive up to the cold and snowy Sierras to hike through a grove of sequoias in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. In recognition of Memorial Day, the scouts also preformed a solemn flag retirement ceremony at the campfire on Sunday evening.

The weekend was capped off by training of the new scouts by the senior scouts. Three new scouts earned their “Tot’n Chip” card, which grants them the privilege of carrying a pocketknife and using the saw, hatchet, & axe. They also earned their “Fireman Chit” which provides the rights (along with the responsibilities) of using fire-starting materials, building fires, and working with camp stoves. Well done!

Troop 147 last attempted Mt. San Antonio (aka Mt. Baldy) back in 2006 so a repeat of this major hike in our own backyard was long overdue. Everyone gathered bright and early on Saturday for a gear check and then we were off. We cheated just a bit by taking the Mt. Baldy chairlift (6,500 feet) to Baldy Saddle (7,800 feet), but then climbed steadily via the Devil’s Backbone route. Our trek to the summit at 3,068 meters (10,064 feet) was literally breathtaking at that altitude. The last push to the top involved hiking through a snowfield, and then we were greeted by outstanding 360 degree views of the San Gabriel Valley and the Mojave Desert. Our side of the mountain was a sea of clouds far below, but we could easily see Mt. Wilson (looking very small), the salt flats of Edwards AFB to the north, snow-capped San Gorgonio, and even further to San Jacinto, 66 miles away!

At the cold and windy summit, scouts had a quick snack of tea and miso soup using a backpacking stove to melt snow, and then headed home the long hard way via the Ski Hut trail, across some challenging steep and snowy areas. The Sierra Club hut gave us a chance to fill our canteens from a spring before the last long downhill hike to Manker Flats in the late afternoon sunshine.

This was a tough challenge for the boys but they were prepared for it and should be proud of this accomplishment. Now that we’ve done Baldy and San Jacinto (10,834 feet), the remaining local challenge for the troop is the highest of the three local “saints”, San Gorgonio (11,499 feet).

Great job by all participating scouts!

After a hiatus in 2011 to attend the Centennial Jamboree, Troop 147 eagerly returned to our local Lucky Baldwin Camporee, held at Firestone Scout Reservation in Brea. Camporee is our annual opportunity for patrols to show off their team skills in a friendly atmosphere of competition and camaraderie. Boys were tested on first aid, firebuilding, orienteering, knots & lashings, hiking, cooking, camping, archery, and other outdoor and teambuilding skills. Scouts competed as individual patrols against other troops from Monrovia and surrounding cities. This year, our adult leaders ran the orienteering event for over 47 patrols from across our district.

Both the Eagle and combined Mystery/Spicy Taco patrols of Troop 147 earned high honors this year. The Eagles, who were several scouts and a Patrol Leader short due to illness, earned a first place ribbon. Our Mystery/Spicy Tacos earned the top award, a presidential ribbon. Congratulations to all our scouts for a job well done!

Troop 147 spent some time on the SoCal freeways this weekend on the way to its first campout at Kelso Dunes, deep in the Mojave National Preserve. Scouts had a great time climbing up and sledding down the dunes. In between the fun they worked on their skills for next month’s Lucky Baldwin Camporee. Skills taught by the senior scouts and adult leaders included fire building, orienteering, knots and lashings, and camp gadget construction. The younger scouts also participated in an excellent nature hike led by Park Ranger Mati Jatovsky. Of course, scouts and scouters alike ate well and enjoyed great campfires, with the added bonus of the extra-bright “Super Moon” rising over the desert mountains on Saturday evening. Kelso Dunes is worth a repeat visit!

Troop 147′s scouts went on a challenging training hike on a chilly Saturday with very unsettled weather. After a major rainstorm the day before almost cancelled the hike, the day dawned sunny and cold, and the hike was on! The normally overflowing Chantry Flat parking area was nearly deserted and we had the trails almost to ourselves. The boys voted to take the longer and more challenging First Water Trail down to Santa Anita Creek, which resulted in many crossings over the stream and a few wet boots. The weather kept the turnout on the light side, but two of the troop’s newest scouts came well prepared to hike with the older boys. Scouts worked on hike safety, ten essentials, map & compass, lighting stoves & cooking lunch, purifying water, and generally having fun. There was a giant treefall at Hoegee’s Camp that happened just a few hours before our arrival – good thing we weren’t camping there overnight! The best part of the trip was when a cold front moved in after lunch and we hiked home in a heavy snow shower. The only downer was that the Chantry Flat Pack Station was closed due to the weather, though they were kind enough to leave a warm fire burning for us outside.