Home.28 November 1999
Greetings to All. I hope your Thanksgiving was a great one!
Three Scouts moved up the ranks at the November Board of Review: Kenny E. jumped to Star, Brad J. made Life, and Danny S. earned Tenderfoot.
On the Merit Badge Front, John P. finished Cycling, Sam F. completed Stamp Collecting, Brad J. earned Communications, John P., Michael R., Dan T., and Nick T. all completed Camping, and Jay P. and Michael R. both earned Citizenship in the Community.
Congratulations to all of the above Scouts!
This coming Saturday, December 4th, Rich S. and George L. will be attempting to finish the Orienteering Merit Badge outdoor requirements, at Potomac Overlook Park from 11am til 3pm; Orienteering MB Scouts take heed! This coming weekend also marks the Troop's 15th Annual Poinsettia Sale (yes, it even pre-dates me!), at the Parish Center after all Masses on Saturday and Sunday, December 4th and 5th. Note that we have a sixth Mass to staff this year, since St. Agnes now holds a Vigil Mass on Sunday afternoons. Please be attentive to the volunteer schedule being arranged by Heidi B. and Betty B. On Saturday, December 11th, we have 10 tickets to see a George Washington University Basketball Game (first come/first serve.) [Editors note: Go Colonials!] As previously noted, we may try for a Troop movie night on Monday, December 20th, TBA. The beginner skier/boarder orientation meeting will be Monday, December 27th, with the trip scheduled (weather dependent!) to Whitetail on Wednesday, December 29th. Yes, we will be teaching beginner snowboarders on this trip!
A) Philmont 2000 - Payment #2 ($250) is due December 1st.
B) Eagle Scout Projects
Chris W. - Father Gould has approved Chris' proposed seam-sealing and parking line renovation of the upper St. Agnes Parking Lot. Of course, the weather is very chancy at this point (especially this week, when our first blast of true arctic air will be arriving), so completion is problematic. If you have free time available over the next 4 weeks, and the weather cooperates, please answer the call.
John C. - is attempting to do a shelving project for Sister Mary-Margaret Ann, in the upstairs "Coat Room" closet. John will also be repairing all the door-stops around the Parish Center (most have torn out, or are presently tearing out, of the hollow doors.) This is all inside work, so pretty much immune to the weather, but restricted by all the Masses downstairs, the Pre-K program upstairs, and all the other activities going on around the Parish Center. Sister has approved the project.
Brendan M. - is completing a project at Upton Hills Park. Brendan is rapidly approaching his 18th birthday, so there's some urgency in completing the work before the weather gets too cold to function outdoors. Some aspects (not much) of Brendan's project may qualify as trail service, for those Scouts still needing some hours to complete 50-Miler Award requirements (see below).
Adam S. - It is my understanding that Adam has completed the work requirements for his project, and is now at the paperwork stage.
C) Trail Service As Of 11/9/99
(Includes Eagle Projects of Jamie Smith, Tim Hupalo, Nathan Kennedy, Matt Stainback, and Michael Strasburg, plus Philmont 1998. Does *not* include Adam S.'s Eagle Project!)
Colin A. 0.0 John A. 85.0 Chris B. 4.5 Richard B. 12.5 Christopher B. 7.0 Luke B. 11.5 Greg B. 62.5 Charles B. 8.0 John B. 0.0 Matt C. 25.0 Jeffrey C. 0.0 Matthew C. 0.0 Scott C. 0.0 (+ ? from Troop 13) John C. 14.5 Drew D. 0.0 Ray D. 0.0 Max D. 0.0 Kenny E. 2.0 Sam F. 0.0 David G. 0.0 Todd G. 9.5 Matt G. 20.0 Ian H. 0.0 Daniel H. 28.5 Dan H. 26.5 Brad J. 29.0(+ ? from Troop 149) Will K. 4.5 Neal K. 36.5 William L. 11.5 Brendan M. 48.5 Daniel M. 0.0 Shane M. 0.0 Nicholas M. 4.5 Matt M. 0.0 Stefan N. 15.0 Jack O. 0.0 Jay P. 21.5 Patrick P. 0.0 John P. 8.0 Dale R. 0.0 J.T. R. 0.0 Michael R. 4.0 Thomas S. 0.0 Charlie S. 0.0 Casey S. 0.0 Daniel S. 0.0 Carl S. 9.5 Adam S. 30.5 Matthew S. 105.5 Neil S. 14.0 Michael S. 31.5 Steven S. 62.0 Dan T. 11.5 Nick T. 11.5 JJ T. 0.0 Chris T. 15.0 Mark T. 0.0 Tom W. 4.5 Chris W. 52.0 Eric W. 16.5 Christopher Y. 4.5
On Friday, November 5th, the Troop headed back to Camp Mahonegon (west of Elkins, WV) for our annual caving trip. We first stayed at Mahonegon last year, as our staging point for Bowden Cave. As with virtually all our caving trips, a long, long drive - including dinner, six and a half hours to the camp. Another Scout Troop was already in residence at the camp's Dining Hall when we arrived, and were outside playing an unusual version of "manhunter" when we pulled in (they were hunting down all their Scoutmasters!) A night sky full of brilliant stars served as a backdrop to our unloading. Cold too, but not overly so. After a quick caving equipment orientation, we let the Scouts enjoy a couple of (brief!) games of Logan's Run, and then bedtime.
Saturday dawned cloudy and dreary - so much for our promised great weather! - although we were hoping it would burn off. Off for a bouncy 2 hours to the caves, arriving around 11:30 in a bitter wind and clouded over. A bit of a disappointment, but there's not a lot of weather underground, so who cares, right? After getting everyone rigged up, we went ahead and entered Stillhouse Cave, a fairly small cave (less than 1000 feet of total passageways), but with several large rooms and some interesting stalactite and rime dam formations. The entrance leads into a medium sized room (good for acclimating eyes to the darkness), which in turn leads to about a 50 - 75 feet long crawl to get into the first large room. In contrast to the last time the Troop did this cave (1993), there were a significant number of bats hanging from the walls and ceilings - this is an excellent sign, indicating that they're making a significant comeback in the area after years of decline. The cave also had a small stream running through it, fed by a medium sized beaver dam outside the lower entrance. This was also new, and explained why some of the rooms were larger than we remembered from 1993. Rich led various exploratory forays down various passageways for about an hour, enjoyed by one and all. After about and hour and a half, we went ahead and started feeding small groups out the back entrance, another 50 feet long crawl which expanded into a tall but narrow passageway, and eventually leading to a narrow chimney up to a grazing field for the local farmer's cattle and sheep herds. Each Scout had to wedge themselves into the chimney and slowly work up to the top. A bit trickier than it looked! - and it took us a good hour to get the whole Troop out, with Al M., Rick W. and I being the tail-end Charlies. Unfortunately, the weather was, if anything, worse than when we arrived - totally socked in with clouds, temps in the 40's, and a howling wind. (By contrast, Arlington was enjoying a 78 degree day!) No big surprise that the area had received 6 - 8 inches of snow the previous Wednesday night! And quite a contrast to the previous weekend, when Hugh, Rich and I enjoyed a balmy 70 degrees and brilliant sunshine.
After some snacks back at the vans, we geared up for the Sinks of Gandy cave. This is a truly unique cave for the eastern United States, as Gandy Creek goes underground for 2/3rd's of a mile. Although a bit apprehensive, virtually all the Scouts decided to go for it, and we headed down over the hill to the entrance - an awe inspiring cleft in the open pastureland with the creek gently meandering into the darkness. After setting up formal buddy pairs, and reading everyone the riot act on taking care of each other, we headed in. The first 50 feet were the toughest, as everyone "enjoyed" the thrill of 45 degree water creeping over their waists! - well, snowmelt IS a bit cold, and that's a fact! Half the Senior Scouts wanted to give it up right there, but the Juniors pressed on unabashed, and in we went, wading about 3 feet deep through the first pool. After that, things got a little easier, with some less deep wading and plenty of stretches of dry passageway where the creek ran through an alternate passage to the left. Plus the water temperature raised to the cave standard of 54 degrees, which was a blessing for everyone. However, at one point, we had to stop to get our bearings, since the rains and snows of the previous week had raised the creek level about 8 inches, making a previously dry section (for Hugh, Rich and I) an unfamiliar pool on our second run-through - and you don't like nasty surprises like this when you're underground.
We held in place here for over 20 minutes, while Rich and I back-traced our passage, making sure we hadn't somehow made a mistake (pretty difficult to do in this cave, but better safe than sorry.) Well, we were right, but an extra deep pool we didn't need! This ended up being the only spot where I ferried some of the Scouts, since it was up to my chest. Amazing how such a minor creek rise can change the whole complexion of a cave. Another fairly steep rock-climbing stretch soon afterwards also proved to be much more difficult than we had expected, because the water draining off 25 of us made it quite slick (again, not a problem with only 3 Adult cavers the previous week!) At this point, we had been underground for over 2 hours (30 minutes longer than we had expected the whole Troop to finish), and some of the thinner Scouts were starting to get hypothermic. Not a problem, of course, for Bob the Great White Whale! A few extra layers of clothes (and some of Stefan and Steven's heat pads) helped on that score, and we continued on to the last tricky section - a set a parallel ledges on either side of the creek, again quite slick with water draining off everyone as we crawled along. Near the end of the first ledge, you have to make a short jump to the opposite ledge, which everyone but Dale R., Matt G. and I negotiated with Rich's able assistance. I managed to jump and slip on the wet mud simultaneously, and cracked 5 ribs on the opposite rock shelf, plus give myself a final dunking in Gandy Creek, Thank You Very Much! Hurt some, but not a big deal - especially since this marked the last difficult spot in the cave.
After this, we made short work of the last 500 feet, with one last minor wade, followed by a low crabwalk into a final large (dry) room, which in turn led to a dry exit out the back end. Two and a half hours total in the Sinks, much longer than we had planned - but everyone bore up magnificently. I think we grew some more Boy Scouts, folks! After exiting, everyone spent a few minutes washing off the worst of the mud in the creek outside, and we headed back to the vans for a quick (and complete) change into dry clothes. What can you say? - that felt wonderful! The weather had not improved while we were transiting the Sinks, so we passed on trying to go to Spruce Knob - it was too late, and likely completely socked in with clouds anyway. So it was back to Elkins, and an excellent dinner at Duke's Steakhouse ("best chicken in town!"); they fed us to death. We spent nearly 2 hours there, working the last of the chill out of our bones, then headed back to camp. Stefan and Steven organized a massive Logan's Run Game with the two other Troops in residence (a third Troop arrived Saturday morning), plus we held a nice campfire program in the Dining Hall, with all three Troops joining in on songs and skits. I guess we impressed the two local Troops - they both want to link up with us again next year! Well, OK - but next time we do a dry cave - I promise! Participants included: Colin A., Chris B., Luke B., Todd G., Matt G., Daniel H., Dan H., Neal K., William L., Matt M., Stefan N., Jack O., Dale R., Thomas S., Carl S., Neil S., Steven S., JJ T., Mark T., Tom W., and Eric W. Congratulations to Eric W., who completed his Life Practical with this trip. Thanks also to John K., Al M., Hugh S., Rich S. and Rick W.; we couldn't have done it without you!
On Friday, November 12th, we sent a small contingent of Adults to the 1999 Citizen of the Year Dinner, at the Four Seasons Restaurant in Georgetown. This year's honoree was Jonathan Ledecky, co-owner of the Washington Capitals and Chairman and CEO of Building One Services Corporation. Troop 111 had a table all to ourselves, courtesy of Hovey K. and the Hogan and Hartson Law Firm. I won't terrify you with how much that cost! Of note, we were able to spend a few minutes with Melanie Heavnor, a former Patawomeck District Executive and far and away the best professional District-level Scouter I have ever met; after several years in Delaware, she has returned to the area and taken a higher level Council position. There's hope for the BSA yet! The only down notes for the evening were the lack of Scouts (apparently, Scout Troops are no longer invited to do the opening flag ceremony, a privilege that Troop 111 had handled twice in the past), and the only uniformed Scout present - an Eagle Scout who recently received a BSA heroism award for saving a life this past summer - was not recognized. Other than that, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable evening - even if I had to wear a tuxedo to get in! Thanks to Hovey and Mary-Ellen K. for the invite. Joining the K.'s were Rich S., Jim and Kim S., Mark and Jane S., and myself. I hope they'll invite me next year!
For the 12th straight year, the Troop participated in the Scouting for Food Collection Drive, and once again we did well in the District, with either 3,300 or 4,000+ pounds of food collected from about 1,600 houses in the 22207 area code (the 3,300 is our figure, while the District credited us with 4,000+; no idea where the discrepancy arose.) I like the 4,000+ figure, myself! Not quite as impressive as last year's 4,500 pounds, but our second or third all-time best total nonetheless. The District broke a record, donating about 41,500 pounds of food to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), just over 10,000 pounds more than last year. Of interest, many other Troops in the District used our methods this year (flyer inserts that looked real familiar, identical signs, etc.) The Troop also collected 3 American Flags for retirement at the next Projectoree, and about 40 new toys for the Marine Corps "Toys for Tots" campaign; the District matched those totals, but I don't know how many other Troops participated in that ancillary project. Thanks to one and all - especially Matt C.'s Clan - for a great effort!
Polishing off a busy weekend (Veteran's Day SFF Bag Distribution and Signs, plus the District Roundtable Thursday night, Citizen of the Year Dinner on Friday, SFF Collections and deliveries on Saturday, and setup of the new Scout Shed at my house on Saturday and Sunday, we held our Fall Court of Honor on Sunday afternoon, November 14th. Approximately 45 of the Troop's 62 Scouts were able to attend, and received the fruits of their labors since last May, including 14 Rank Advancement and nearly 200 merit badges, plus seven 50-Miler Awards. Most importantly, we inducted Eagle Scouts Nathan Kennedy, Matt Stainback, and Michael Strasburg as Troop 111's 63rd, 64th, and 65th Eagles. Other than a rather hurried post-CoH dinner (forced by a Cub Scout event taking place as soon as we left), it was an excellent (preliminary) wrapup to a superb advancement year. Thanks to one and all who assisted with setup and (panic-stricken) takedown (especially Jane T., our CoH Coordinator.) Our next Court will likely take place this coming May.
Polishing off November, we headed to Sugarloaf Mountain for our Annual Turkey Hike. Sugarloaf is the lone peak that sits just to the west of I-270 near Poolesville, about a 45 minute drive from the Parish Center; it's a pretty neat spot, run by a Nature Trust (Stronghold, Inc.), and virtually pristine and undeveloped. This is the first time the Troop has hiked it during my tenure, but I would suspect we've been there numerous times in the past. This year, we pushed our Turkey Hike to Saturday, since the weather was so horrid on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday. Good choice, as we enjoyed sunny skies and temps that eventually reached into the lower 60's. Ted Gerarden had laid out a 7.5 mile (alleged!) hike from the lowermost parking area that had the Scouts enjoying about a 20 minute rock scramble (off-trail) up the western side of the peak. Not as much of a challenge as Old Rag, but fun nonetheless (especially for the Adults!) Great views from the top, both east and west, although the early morning wind was still a bit more brisk than we would have preferred. Sugarloaf is not much more than a good sized hill at 1,282 feet elevation, but it nonetheless rises over 800 feet above the surrounding farmlands, so the vistas are still impressive. You can see bits of the Potomac River here and there, plus more distant views of the Catoctins. After a half-lunch on top, we departed the main peak for a lengthy loop trail to the north that hits all of the minor peaks along the way. A very pleasant walk in the woods (all the leaves were down, so lots of views), with increasing temps and brilliant sunshine. Plenty of evidence of Eagle Scout projects along the way, too (erosion bars). The Scouts, however, were all insistent that the hike was "much longer" than the stated 7.5 miles! - a view shared by several of the adults, I might add.... We'll be checking on that claim later. Anyway, we were all glad to see the vans, and headed back to Arlington in short order. I think we have another keeper, folks! Participants included: Matt G., Will K., Neal K., William L., Stefan N., Patrick P., and Thomas S. Thanks to Hovey and Mary-Ellen K., John K., George L., Frank P., Hugh S., and Fred S. for sharing the trail....
- Bob
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