Troop 147 repeated one of its favorite local biking campouts, to Glenn Trail Camp. Scouts cycled in on Saturday morning and set up camp before exploring the surrounding area, including a side hike (more of a bouldering scramble) up Glenn Canyon to an impressive series of waterfalls. After a hearty dinner and a roaring campfire (yes, with toasted marshmallows, Jiffy Pop, and Smores), it was getting chilly so an early bedtime was in order (December sunsets come early). Sunday morning we awoke to a heavy frost, ice in our water bottles, and a temperature of 25 degrees, but another campfire warmed everyone up. Scouts then cycled up to Cogswell Reservoir just for the extra exercise – quite a climb from camp. There was even a large patch of ice on the road up, which our SoCal troop is not accustomed to seeing. Turnout was a bit light for this trip due to lots of conflicting engagements in December, but everyone had a great time and some scouts even managed to get a few more rank requirements signed off in their handbooks.

The troop paid another visit to Red Rock Canyon State Park, 3 years to the month since our last visit. This time we welcomed some enthusiastic webelos scouts and families interesting in learning more about our troop. We arrived early due to the Veteran’s Day holiday and scouts had a great time exploring the cliffs before dark. After a relaxing campfire of jokes and ghost stories, a cold and windy rainstorm passed through while all were sleeping – but scouts had prepared for this by being extra careful in setting up their tents. We awoke to a brisk but sunny dawn with snow on the distant mountains. Scouts had a full Saturday complete with training in fire safety and fire building, a 4×4 adventure to some interesting desert ruins, and ending with a great campfire program cohosted by our friends from Troop 274 in Tulare.

The troop returned to Holcomb Valley Scout Camp in October for a weekend campout, after having visited for the traditional summer camp in August. The weekend was gratis, courtesy of San Gabriel Valley Council, as a reward for Troop 147 having the largest increase in scouts of any troop in the district.

Scouts had a great time riding mountain bikes around the hilly area. They also worked hard on rank advancement and outdoor skills including map & compass and orienteering.

It was nice to get away from the heatwave in Monrovia to spend time in the cool autumn weather up in Holcomb Valley, at 7,300 feet elevation in the San Bernardino Mountains.