Greetings to All. I hope your Thanksgiving was joyous and politics-free.

Did you know that the Troop once had an associated Explorer Post? And one of the top Explorer Posts in the Country, at that? It's true! Post 111 was in operation for almost 20 years, from the mid-50's through the early 70's. Explorer Scouts joined up from both Troop 111 and neighboring Units. The Post's major emphasis was rifle shooting, and at times the Scouts made up the bulk of both the Washington and Lee HS and Yorktown HS Rifle teams. Post 111 was (allegedly) the first integrated and first co-ed Explorer Post in the country (remember, we're talking the 1950's here!), and was also one of the first 4-Star Explorer Posts (the top rating for Exploring Units). At times, the membership in the Post exceeded that in the Troop, and the combined Troop and Post had over 120 Scouts on the rolls. As best as I can determine, there were five Explorer "Advisors" (the equivalent of Scoutmasters) during the life of the Post. Thomas Bamford, the son of the last Advisor (Andy Bamford), was the only Post 111 Scout to reach Eagle - quite an achievement, since advancement was not emphasized in Explorers. He's #27 on 111's Eagle Roll - a unique distinction!

On the plus side these past 2 months, joining the Troop were Michael D. (a Star Scout from Troop 113 in Alexandria), Marshall Koch (an Eagle Scout from Charlotte, North Carolina), Dan McF. (a former First Class Scout from Troop 162, Westover Baptist), and D. R. (a Life Scout from Las Vegas, Nevada). Welcome to All!

On the down side, however, we bid farewell to ASM Todd Rogers, OBL ("Overtaken By Life.")

Once again, we will be "tweaking" our Patrol system to address the many changes that have occurred over the past few months. Of note, we will be dividing the world-famous "Scooters" Patrol (which is now huge), and probably consolidating two of the smaller Patrols into a new Patrol, TBA.

It has been an unbelievable stretch for advancement, with dozens of merit Badges (including completion of many summer camp partials) and Rank advancements. [Scouts and Parents - Please check the following lists carefully!]:

Moving up the Rank Advancement Ladder were:

Chris B. - 1st Class
Luke B. - Star
Max D. - First Class
Sam F. - First Class
Ian H. - Second Class
Will K. - 1st Class
William L. - 1st Class
Jack O. - Tenderfoot
Patrick P. - 2nd Class
John P. - Life
Dale R. - Tenderfoot
Paolo R. - First Class/Reconfirmed
Thomas S. - Star
Neil S. - Star

Congratulations to All of the above Scouts!

Thanksgiving traditionally represents a time of rest, and so it is with Troop activities. After the nearly frantic pace of September, October and most of November, late November and most of December are much less scheduled, for recovery (and also for the Scouts, semester final exams). Our next activity will be Annual Poinsettia Sale, this coming weekend (December 1st - 3rd). Refer to the mass email from Heidi B. and the 11/30/00 Weekly Notes for details concerning signups.

The December Board of Review is scheduled for Sunday, December 17th.

The Beginner Ski/Beginner Snowboarding trip will be held on (weather permitting) Wednesday, December 27th, probably to Whitetail again this year. We MAY make this a Senior Scout day trip also, if there is sufficient interest. Beginner skiers or snowboarders MUST attend the orientation meeting on Monday night, December 18th - this is where we teach most of the basics on equipment and theory, a lot easier in a warm Scout Hall versus a snowy, wind-swept slope.

This feature has been discontinued, since the vast majority of items that were traditionally reported here are now being reported in the Troop's Weekly Notes... ...and I'm sure no-one will mind (slightly) shorter Scoutmasters' Minutes!

Heading into October, we started off with our traditional Guns and Arrows campout at BSA Camp Potomac in Oldtown, Maryland (about 15 miles south of Cumberland). This has always been one of our more popular events, and this year was no exception. The "Guns" part includes .22 rifle and (for the Senior Scouts only) 12 gauge shotgun shooting, while the "Arrows" part is bow and arrow shooting with 10, 20, 25, and/or 30 pounds recurve bows from 30 feet. In addition, we hiked the Paw-Paw tunnel, held hours-long sessions of "Logan's Run" both Friday and Saturday nights, and held a "closing campfire." The weather was excellent the entire weekend long - mostly sunny and clear, albeit a bit nippy each morning. As usual, many a Scout earned $5 bills for prowess on the archery and rifle ranges, with a few Scouts getting up at or near $20 each! Friday night dinner was excellent, with all three combined Patrols generating some fine eats. Sunday morning marked an early reveille and a quick departure for Winchester, where we visited Sacred Heart for Mass (missing, however, the Boy Scout/Cub Scout pancake breakfast downstairs - I wish we had known about this ahead of time!) Back in Arlington in time for the Redskins game.

Participants included: Christopher B., Chris B., Luke B., Charles B., Tom C., Matthew C., Michael C., John C., Drew DeL., Ray D., David G., Todd G., Matt G., Brad G., Dan Hu., Will K., Ryan K., Anthony M., Jack O., Patrick P., Nathan P., John P., Dale R., Thomas S., Charlie S., Carl S., Jimmy S., Neil S., Dan and Nick T., JJ T., and Mark T., plus Adults Matt B., Duke B., Doug C., Ray D., Keith G., Al M., Frank P., Dale R. Sr., Hugh S., and Rich S. (and ASM Harold E. from Connecticut). Congratulations to John P., who finished his Life Practical Exam with this trip.

On Saturday, October 21st, the Troop participated in its second straight Baltimore Area Council Orienteering Meet, this year held at Patuxent Park, Maryland. ASM Rich S. will be providing a detailed writeup for the next "Minute." However, we did finish 5th out of 37 participating Troops; Yahoo! Troop 167, our neighbors at Mt. Olivet UMC, finished 8th, so a good showing for Arlington.

Participants included: Christopher B., Tom C., Ray D., Brad G., Ryan K., William L., Anthony M., Patrick P., Dale R., Thomas S., Charlie S., Steven S., Mark T., and Eric W., plus Adults Roxanne K., George L., Hugh S., and Rich S. (I think that's everyone!)

The next day (Sunday, October 22nd), 39 members of the Troop joined 22 members of Troop 149 for the 25th Annual Marine Corps Marathon. This was our 13th straight year of participation, all but one at the Georgetown Water Point (just across Key Bridge). We assembled at 6am, and headed out by 6:15 in order to beat the closing of Key Bridge. We were on-site by 6:30, still dark, and got right into setting up with the Marines. This year, they gave us the entire water stretch, nearly 30 of the 45 tables. The Marines handled the first 14 tables, serving "Ultima" (generic Gatorade), and also put a small contingent at the very end, like us handling water. After helping to set up about 14,000 cups (some of them on the 3 illegally parked cars in the middle of our stretch!), most of the Scouts headed into Georgetown for the traditional bagel and muffin massacre. We also took advantage of the hiatus to run a couple of Scoutmaster's Conferences. By 8:30, we were all back on the line, impatiently awaiting the first runners. By 9:10, a few wheelchair racers (who start early) came tearing through, most declining anything to drink (they carry their own). At about 9:15, we had an unusual sight - about 15 runners all grouped together as pacesetters. Normally, the front runners have already broken away by Key Bridge (the 8 mile marker), but not this year. Then the slowly building swarm began - first a trickle, then a steady stream, then finally wall-to-wall pandemonium, filling 3 full lanes of M Street. Very pleasantly this year, we got FAR more yelled out compliments for the Scouts than usual - grass-roots support against the anti-Scout attacks of the past year. Good to see (and hear).

Anyway, we were all plenty busy for well over an hour; because the Marines staggered the start this year (2 or 3 groups, I think) the peak crowd wasn't quite as intense, but the overall crowd was more sustained. After the initial rush, however, the number of people asking for water dropped off surprisingly quickly - later, we found out that the Marines ran out of "Ultima" in 20 minutes, so they were also handing out water. Well, we still handed out at least 10,000 cups ourselves. All in all, about 25,000 Official and Unofficial runners came through in less than an hour and a half. When it finally started to fade out, we spent another half hour dumping thousands of cups and cleaning up. To put it mildly, the Marines were highly impressed with our organization and work ethic, and took pains to so state. Back to Arlington by 11:00; another great day. As usual, everyone got a T-Shirt and patch.

Participants included: Christopher B., Luke B., Matthew C., John C., Patrick D., Drew DeL., Todd G., Matt G., Brad G., Dan Hu., Ryan K., Anthony M., Brendan McE., Patrick P., Dale R., Paolo R., Michael R., Thomas S., Carl S., Neil S., Steven S., JJ T., and Chris, Eric and Sarah W., plus Adults Rob B., Regina C., Doug C., Joy G., Roxanne K., Mark M., Hank McE., Glenn McGregor, Dale R. Sr., Demmo Rose, Hugh S., Fred S., Mark S., Kathleen S., John and Therese T., Rick W., and yours truly.

On Saturday, October 28, six Scouts (Tom C., Matt C., Matt G., Anthony M., Dale R., and Carl S.), and five adults (Ted G., Mark and Lourdes M., Fred S., and Adam Sh.) took to the local bike paths for a 50 mile ride. The final requirement for the Cycling Merit Badge is to do a 50 mile ride in eight hours or less, and this ride was a chance for some more of the Scouts working on the Cycling Merit Badge to knock off this tough requirement.

The weather promised to be excellent, with lots of sun and cooling temperatures as a cold front moved through the area. We met at St. Agnes at 8:30am and, after handing out copies of the route, doing the ABC Quick Check, and some stretching, headed for the Custis Trail. The weather was clear and pleasant, and it wasn't long before the jackets came off! The route was chosen to use as many of the local bike paths as possible and also to keep us fairly close to Arlington in case of trouble or bad weather (no chase vehicle would be there to bail us out!). Fortunately, neither developed!

We headed out to the W&OD Trail, then down the Four Mile Run trail through Arlington to National Airport, up the Mount Vernon Trail to the 14th Street bridge, across the bridge and up to Thompson Boat House (scene of some jubilation on August 9 when the C&O Trekkers finished their five-day, 185 mile ride at the 0 mile marker next to the boat house!). At that point Matt C. and Dale R. headed home courtesy of Mike C.--Matt had already done the 50 mile ride in the heat and humidity of July, but wanted to pick up a 15 miler towards the badge. The M.s (Anthony with parents Mark and Lourdes) also peeled off, opting to stick closer to town and complete a 25 mile ride.

The rest of the crew headed up the Rock Creek Trail under suddenly glowering clouds and gusty winds. The front moved through around 11am, bringing with it the threat of rain. If it had rained, we would have faced very treacherous conditions given the large number of leaves on the trail! But by the time we passed Military Road, the clouds gave way again to brilliant sunshine, and the temperature drop was modest. The scenery through Rock Creek was stunning--wind blowing leaves through the woods under bright sun. Beach Drive is closed for several miles on weekends, allowing hikers and bikers safer use of the road. The riding was perfect!

We took our lunch stop at Candy Cane City, a big playground and field complex near the Meadowbrook Stables. Then it was off to cross over to the Georgetown Branch Trail to Bethesda. The trail passes through a tunnel under the "Air Rights" building--a large building erected using the air rights over the railroad right of way--a unique spot. After a rejuvenating stop at the Barnes and Noble in Bethesda, we enjoyed a long downhill run on the Capital Crescent Trail to Fletcher's Boat House, where we switched to the C&O Canal into Georgetown, over Key Bridge, and back to the Mount Vernon Trail in Arlington. We didn't have any accidents or falls, although Adam Sh. had a spectacular "running dismount" when he skidded in some gravel at Fletchers!

The length of the ride began to tell on some riders as we swung past National Airport and headed back up the Four Mile Run and W&OD Trails-a long, gradual uphill to Bluemont Park. Then it was over the Bluemont Junction Trail to Ballston, and back to St. Agnes. Official total distance was 51.4 miles, finished by Tom C. (who looked like he was ready for another 50!), Matt G., Carl S., a very sore-bottomed Adam Sh., Fred S., and Ted G..

The ride also set a troop mark of some dubious distinction for using 9 (count' em, 9!) local trails! At one point or another, the ride used the Custis, W&OD, Four Mile Run, Mount Vernon, Rock Creek, Georgetown Branch, Capital Crescent, C&O, and Bluemont Junction Trails!

Heading into November, we started off with our annual caving trip, this time to Sinnitt Cave near Franklin, West Virginia. Heading out on Friday evening, we were amazed at the smoke inundating the Linden and Front Royal areas, like thick fog at some spots. This was from the huge fires in the Shenandoah National Park (at Old Rag Mountain and near The Pinnacles), which ended up consuming over 24,000 acres. Very sobering. Once past Front Royal, however, we were back in the clear all the way to our cabin camp. This was the third time in the past 13 years that we have explored Sinnitt, and the third time we have stayed at Thorn Springs Cabins - about 10 minutes south of Franklin. We actually had 2 cabins, and in a highly disappointing move by yours truly (yeah, right), we allowed the Senior Scouts to have their own cabin. Since the well-lit campground precluded Logan's Run, we enjoyed half of the first movie of the weekend - Hudson Hawk (starring Bruce Willis), a surprisingly funny if somewhat disjointed comedy about the search for Leonardo Da Vinci's secret jewel which changed lead to gold.

Saturday, we were up and at 'em at 7am, getting prepped for the cave. Our guide, Bob McIntyre, showed up around 9am, as did our "second wave": Glenn McG., Stefan N., and Chris W.. Once everyone was thoroughly indoctrinated, we headed off for the cave, about 20 minutes away. Unlike last year's caves (Stillhouse and Sinks of Gandy), Sinnitt is a very dry cave. The main passageway is often 4 - 6 feet wide, but well over 50 feet tall; some of the stretches involve ledge walking from 10 to 25 feet off the floor (sounds dangerous, but it's not particularly so). We had two goals for the day - the first was the so-called silo, a 50 foot chimney that leads into an enormous underground cavern (240 yards long, 30 - 50 yards wide, and over 25 feet high). The second was the so-called waterfall room, where a small underground stream falls into a circular cistern type room (similar to another like-named room in Bowden Cave). Like Stillhouse and Sinks of Gandy, however, it took longer for our large group to proceed than we expected, so in the interests of health and safety, we called it a day after visiting the silo room. Perhaps not so surprisingly, it took a lot less time to get out then it took to get in! Encouraged by all the bats, no doubt. All in all, just over 5 hours underground - and reasonably clean clothes, too! After a quick change, we returned to the cabins for a "stuff dump," then headed off to Fat Boy's Pork Palace (No, I'm NOT Kidding!) in Brandywine for a cholesterol overdose. No-one left hungry, that's for sure! Back at the cabins, we finished the second half of "Hudson Hawk," then moved on to "Spaceballs," a Mel Brooks parody of Star Wars. The cabin got REAL quiet, REAL quick, once the movie ended and we turned the lights out. Per democratic vote (surprisingly one sided), we got up at 6am, and hit the road by 7am, arriving back at St. Agnes around 10:45. Another great caving trip!

Participants included: Luke B., David G., Todd G., Matt G., Dan Hu., Ryan K., Anthony M., Matt McE., Stefan N., Jack O., Nathan P., Dale R., Charlie S., Carl S., Neil S., and Chris W., plus Adults Mike K., Glenn McG., Adam Sh., and yours truly.

While a third of the Troop was off caving, many of the Scouts who stayed home took part in Week One of Scouting for Food. Like the Marine Corps Marathon, this was also our 13th straight year of participation. During Week One, we laid out about 1900 bags and flyers across our selected areas. Mid-Week, we inundated our areas with reminder signs, which past experience has shown is critical to a successful collection. On Saturday, November 11th, our "second wave" (including many of the caving Scouts) hit the area, collecting a huge haul of food. For the first time ever, we decided to not "track" the amounts collected, but it was at least 4,000 pounds, and probably closer to 5,000 pounds (which would be a new record for the Troop). Several vehicles had to make two trips! Overall, our District collected just over 40,000 pounds, so between the Troop and Pack, we collected at least 15 percent of the total take. Most of the food went to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) in South Arlington. AFAC redistributes food to numerous helping organizations, and also directly to hundreds of families; according to the coordinator, Scouting for Food is a vital element to their success - they stretch our contributions over 4 to 6 months.

Participants included: Colin A., Chris B., Burton B., Luke B., Charles B., John B., Tom C., Matthew C., Michael C. (twice), John C., Patrick D., Drew DeL., Ray D., Michael D., Ross D., Max D., Kenny E., Andrew F., Sam F., David G., Todd G., Matt G., Brad G., Ian H., Dan Hu., Will K., Ryan K., William L., Daniel M., Anthony M., Matt McE., Stefan N. (twice), Jack O., Jay P., Patrick P., John P., Dale R., Paolo R., Michael R., Thomas S., Charlie S., Casey S., Carl S. (twice), Jimmy S., Neil S. (twice), Steven S., Dan and Nick T., JJ T., Mark T., and Eric W.. Assisting Adults included: Suzi B., Duke B., Doug C., Merle F., Sherry F., Keith G., Joy G., Sean H., Pat Hu., Mary Ellen K., Mike K., Kevin M., Mark M., Hank McE., Bill and Pat N. (both twice), Gordon P., Frank P., Rita R., Hugh S., Noel S., Fred S. (twice), Vicki S-D., Mark S. (twice), Tom T., Rick W., and yours truly. If I missed you, please let me know (so you can receive community service credit).

Special thanks to all those who did double duty. Also to Burton B., who spent over 3 hours sorting food at Westover Baptist, and especially to Steven S., who was a maniac emptying two full trucks at AFAC (for 5 hours!) Congratulations to Bill and Pat N., who coordinated this year's SFF Campaign, filling the very large shoes left by David, Heidi and Matt C.

"And now for something completely different." On Friday, November 10th, 26 members of the Troop (including friends) headed off to George Mason University for an evening with Les Tambours Du Bronx (LTDB), a French percussion band similar to the better known U.S. group "Stomp!" We received the tickets free, care of McEnearney Associates, Inc., Realtors, in thanks for our community service in 1999.

LTDB has 16 members pounding out extended rhythyms on no less than 19 55-gallon drums, using 1 1/2 inch diameter dowels as drumsticks. The only other accoutrements were a deep base drum, plus another instrument which I will refer to as a monster cymbal. Think of an hour and a half of the drum solo from Iron Butterfly's "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida," broken up into about 20 different "songs," and you've got the idea. They handed out earplugs at the door, and we used (and needed!) them. Some of the stylized hand motions from the individual drummers (synchromized) were quite interesting, as was the associated laser/light effects. One thing was amazing - all these guys (save one) were absolutely ripped - thin as rails and muscled like Bruce Lee. Clearly, beating on 55-gallon drums every day for a 3 month tour is one heck of an exercise plan! The finale featured the one oversized member of the band up front and center, pounding the side of a drum for all he was worth, like a parody of the opening vignette of "2001 - A Space Odyssey." Sounds crazy, but it was hilarious to watch.

After the show was over, the band gave away the 19 drums and all their sticks. Troop 111's Scouts swarmed downstairs, and managed to collect about 10 sticks, plus Stefan N. triumphantly returned with a drum. [It is my understanding that Bill N. is now using this same drum as Stefan's morning alarm clock - Heeyuck!] Our departure was "noisy." We'll call the entire experience "different!"

Participants included: Luke and Will B., John C., John De. (non-Scout friend), Drew DeL., Michael D., Matt G., Stefan N., Jack O., Thomas S., Charlie S., Carl S., Matt Se. (Troop 149), Mark T., and Eric W., plus Adults Doug C., Jim D., Diane and Hugh S., Noel S., Fred and Phyllis S., Rich S. (and friend Katie), Rick W., and yours truly.

The weekend of November 17th - 19th proved to be the busiest in Troop history, with no less than 7 formal activities - the November Steering Committee Meeting, Junior Scout JLT, Senior Scout JLT, Photo Sorting Session, Nick T.'s Eagle Project, Dan Hu.'s Eagle Project, and the Fall Court of Honor - whew! You'll be happy to hear that I'm not writing them ALL up!

Junior JLT was run at Gulf Branch Nature Center by Rob and Ann B., with assistance from John T. and Frank P., and included the following Scouts: Burton B., Matthew C., Michael C., Patrick D., Andrew F., Brad G., Ryan K., Anthony M., Patrick P., Dale R., Charlie S., Jimmy S., and JJ T. According to Rob, a very beneficial and enjoyable session.

Senior JLT was run at the Fairlington Community Center by Mark and Jane S., and included the following Senior Scouts: Luke B., Charles B., Michael D., Max D., Todd G., Sam F., Brad J., Will K., Paolo R., Thomas S., Carl S., and Neil S. According to Mark S., this was also an excellent session, with vigorous give-and-take during the practical exercises and plenty of outdoor skills-building exercises. The classroom discussions were also enhanced with group discussions of clips from movies that depicted leadership challenges and ethical dilemmas, which illustrated the points we were discussing.

On Sunday evening, we ended the weekend with our Fall Court of Honor, featuring Daniel Holland's Eagle Induction Ceremony. Not surprisingly, attendance was down about 25 Scouts (some were out of town, others were simply worn out!) Nonetheless, about 35 Scouts were honored for their respective shares of the past 6 month's worth of advancement - 163 merit badges, 25 rank advancements (including 3 Eagles), 16 50-Miler Awards, and 8 Senior Scout orange epaulets. Our new Pastor, Father Rushkamp, attended and gave the Invocation (in fact, he stayed through the entire ceremony). Scouts John C. and Michael D. were inducted into the Troop. For Daniel's Induction, Michael O'H. (Troop 638 Eagle) gave the Voice, Michael S. the Charge, and Brian P. the Induction. Daniel is the Troop's 68th Eagle Scout. A pleasant evening!

Finally, we closed out November with our annual "Turkey Hike," this year to Old Rag Mountain on Thanksgiving Friday (we hike Old Rag only on even numbered years now). Due to some late cancellations and no-shows, attendance was down a bit this year - 16 Scouts and Leaders - but hard-chargers all. In a change, we were able to park at the upper lot this year - in fact, we were only the second and third vehicles to show up, quite a change from two years ago. It was quite chilly, but sunny and with only a light breeze until we reached the actual peak. As most of you know, Old Rag suffered through a fairly extensive forest fire in early to mid-November, and virtually our entire hike, from the trailhead to the peak, and back around the circuit, went through areas that had been burned. Fortunately, however, the fire limited itself to fallen leaves and ground cover, and all the trees are expected to survive none the worse for the experience. Our trip up to and through the rock scramble was amazingly quick - 2 1/2 hours from the trailhead to the peak, caterpillaring most of the way.

The weather was surprisingly clear (just some high overcast) - so the views were truly spectacular, especially west into the Weakley Hollow area. Once we summitted, everyone grabbed lunch, then we spent another half-hour scrambling around the rocks on the crest. Great fun! Plenty of great photo-ops were taken full advantage of by yours truly. After 50 minutes, we called it a total view, and headed back to the parking lot via the backside trails, completing the 7 1/2-mile circuit hike in short order, arriving at 2:15. We were amazed, however, to see how many people were just *starting* their hikes as we were finishing ours (and also how ill-prepared many of those latecomers were; scary!) Well, not to be rude, but not our problem.... We headed off for a "well-earned" fast-food stop in Warrenton, then back to Arlington by 4:30; one of our fastest Old Rag hikes ever!

Participants included: Drew DeL., Matt G., William L., Anthony M., Stefan N., Nora P., Thomas S., Carl S., and Sarah W., plus Adults John Ke., George L., Mark M., Hugh S., Fred S., Rick W., and yours truly. We'll do it again in two years.

- Dr. Bob, Scoutmaster

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26 December 2000