Upcoming April Events include: (A) John Tuck's Eagle Project, tentatively scheduled for Sunday, April 6th. John is currently planning another "blitz campaign" of tree planting around the Shirlington Circle area (similar to Matt Berra's just completed Project. (B) The Third Annual North Arlington Projectoree, again at Camp Wilson at the Pohick Bay Regional Park. Troop 647 describes the Projectoree as "a huge game broken up with a few meals"; suffice it to say that it has been one of the Scouts favorite campouts the last 2 years. I am once again the primary organizer of this event - and will be looking for high Scout participation and lots of help from our Senior Scouts. (C) The 50 Miler Award Service Project for the Philmont trekkers, location TBA. (D) The 1997 "Accountant of the Year" Award and Dinner on Tuesday, April 29th - another opportunity for a great meal in exchange for a flag ceremony and a short Eagle Address. Another busy month....

With our just completed Board of Review, it's been a great month for Rank Advancement. Moving up in the World are Daniel Ho. and Adam S., both Star, Richard B., Charles B., Dan Hu., Stefan N., and Steven S., all Second Class, and John P. and Johnny R-W, both Tenderfoot. Meanwhile, Matt B. finished Citizenship in the World and Communications Merit Badges, plus his Eagle Project, and both he and Keith G. will be taking their Eagle Boards of Review in the next two weeks. Stay tuned.... Congratulations to all of the above Scouts!

We started off the month with a replacement activity for the canceled Tubing/Winter Campout trip (since some of our Webelos were getting a little agitated with our inability to get an event in) - a day hike to Mary's Rock in the Shenandoah National Park. Troop veterans are well familiar with this hike, which gives a spectacular vista of the central Shenandoah Valley as a reward for reaching the peak. The weather was, of course, absolutely fantastic - that is, if you're not planning on going snow tubing! About 60 degrees to start, with broken sunshine, dropping to around 40 after the front finally came through; probably the warmest I've ever been in the Park during Winter. A bit windy on top (from 20 to 40 mph), but otherwise quite pleasant. We spent a good half hour on top, then sat on the lee side for lunch. The cold front moved through just as we were finishing up, with only a few drops of rain, but a sharp temperature drop. That got us moving again, and we continued down to Byrd's Nest 3, an open-faced shelter a mile and a half further south on the Appalachian Trail. Then it was back down to Skyline Drive and off to Warrenton for some well deserved munchies. A good day!

Participants included: Chris Bks, Matthew G. and John Thy. Thanks to Duke Bks and John Thy, Sr., for sharing the trail.

Next up was the 25/10 hike - that is, 25 miles in 10 hours - on March 15th, "The Ides of March." This event was this year's version of 1996's 50/20 hike - we wanted to try something a little more rational, i.e., that the majority of participants could actually complete. In addition, it marked the kickoff of this year's Philmont crew's team-building and physical training. Well, we had 23 hikers this year, of whom 10 managed to finish the entire event - not bad.

We started off at Mt. Vernon and hiked on the bike trails up to the East Falls Church Metro Stop. It was almost a perfect hiking day - temperatures in the mid-to-upper 40's and bright sunshine, but with a very stiff breeze blowing out the northwest. Not too bad while hiking, but rapidly chilling when stopped for breaks (and tough on the folks manning the checkpoints, too.) We started off with 21 people at Mt. Vernon at 7:30am, with the Scouts immediately breaking into a "fast group" and a "smart group," and started out on the Mt. Vernon Bike Trail. Maybe it was the cold breeze (or the various "tack attacks" of the last 3 years), but there were very few cyclists out on the trail; in fact, we only had one maniac biker all day who was doing the "Mt. Vernon speed run" (a perpetual problem 3 - 5 years ago.) The warm weather of this past winter manifested itself in the greening of various trees and bushes along the trail - we're at least 2 weeks ahead of 1996, and I think it's going to be an early Spring. Our first casualties were self-inflicted; Tim Hu., Nathan K. and Michael S. had a particularly vigorous wind gust blow their hats into one of the swamps alongside the trail - so they went in after them, getting soaked to the knees in the process. Not good when you still have 18 miles or so to go, so no-one was surprised when they (and Daniel Ho.) bailed out at the 10 mile mark (Oronoco Park.) However, we picked up 2 more of our Philmont trekkers at that point (they had had a conflict `til 10am), so it was still a big group.

At 15 miles (National Airport,) we had about half the Philmont trekkers hit the road (which we had planned on,) but everyone else bore down and resolved to go the full distance. We lost one Adult at the 20 mile mark (Arlington Gateway Park,) and another at about 22 miles (Glebe Rd.); everyone else finished it out.

The Honor Roll: 10 Miles: Daniel Ho., Tim Hu., Nathan K. and Michael S. (all 111); 15 Miles: K.C. Ba. (160), David De. (149), Cole Do. (160), Brad and Randy J. (149), Kevin and Pat Sh. (160); 20 Miles: Clay He. (104); 23 Miles: Dave Ta. (149); 25 Miles: Tim A. (111), Ted G. (111), Woody He. (104), Brendan and Tim Mac. (111), Stu and Travis Sh. (149), Chris and Rick W. (111), and (of course) yours truly. A good day for measuring yourself. Same time, 1998? Thanks to John K., who helped man a check point, and a special Thanks to our friends in Troop 647, who went ahead and ran the event for us (manning all the checkpoints) even after all their Scouts decided to drop out (above and beyond the call of Duty, to put it mildly!)

Next up was our Annual Webelos Bridge Crossing, welcoming six new Scouts into the Troop. A lot fewer than the 13 we had potentially entering as of two months ago, but these 6 are apparently the fanatics of Pack 111. Three interested Webelos from other packs joined other Troops, and four Pack 111 Webelos decided to hold off for now. Entering the Troop were: Jonathan De., Christopher Bks, Matthew G., Ian H., Danny Sc. and John Thy, Jr. All six Scouts earned the Arrow of Light before crossing. Welcoming the latest crop of recruits at the Bridging Ceremony were: Richard B., Charles B., Michael R. and Adam and Jamie S. Thanks to Jim S. for assisting with the duties while yours truly was off camping.

Said camping was the Virginia Beach/Deep Sea Fishing Campout. This was the number one request by the Scouts at last September's planning session. We hit the road on a beautiful Friday afternoon - sunny and quite warm - and headed south on the I-95 HOV lanes, saving us at least 2 hours of excruciating stop-and-go in the regular lanes. Every time I do this route, I am amazed that people subject themselves to this nonsense, twice a day, for years on end. A different breed than me, that's for sure... However, we did get a little white-knuckled driving in on I-64 East out of Richmond, which was bumper-to-bumper with the Richmond/Petersburg rush-hour and moving at speed. Amazing how many people live in the Richmond/Hampton/Sydney/Norfolk/VA Beach corridor; it's wall-to-wall. Anyway, we finally made it to our campground: "First Landing State Park," just short of Virginia Beach. Although the Scouts were all telling each other that now they knew why I include setting up tents in the dark in my T1 Module, the reality was that it wasn't even an issue - the moon was almost completely full, and was so bright as to cast distinct shadows. After a quick camp setup, we spent some time making Saturday's lunch (large sub-sandwiches), then walked on the beach for awhile; a beautiful, star-filled night - but regretably, no sign of Comet Hale-Bopp (still below the horizon as of midnight, or we just couldn't pick it out from the glow of Virginia Beach.)

We arose around 6am to a perfect sky, but chilly, with a stiff breeze. After dressing up like we were going Winter camping, we hit a fast food breakfast (including a tablet of Dramamine for all hands, since rough seas looked distinctly probable.) Then it was off for a day of Headboat fishing for Boston Mackerel, aboard the "Rainbow." We were lucky in our boat selection - the only other boat going out (the "Bobby Lee") had over 60 people on board, while we left with less than 30. After about an hour and a half long run to the shoals, we did our first drift of the day, jigging 60 feet down (just off the bottom) with triple-jig rigs on a 12-ounce lead weight. Tough work, with little to show for it - at first. The boat's pitch and roll proved to be far stronger than our Dramamine - and three of our Scouts rapidly lost breakfast, along with about ten other passengers. As for the rest of us, let's just say that only 3 of our carefully prepared 20 subs were actually eaten - no one else dared.

"First fish" winners went to Dan and John C., who both hooked double-headers almost simultaneously. The mackerel were running between 10 and 24 inches, and were obviously tightly schooled up - when one person got one, usually a dozen more were hooked up within a minute. These are beautiful fish, with a sharp green mottling across their upper bodies similar to the gill section of a freshwater bass. They're supposed to be good eating, but we gave all ours away to other folks on the boat. The captain did his best to chase the schools around, but there were a fair number of slow stretches, followed by a few minutes of frenetic activity. I'm pretty sure everyone caught fish, with top honors among our crowd going to Stefan N., who caught around 25 or so. Other folks on the boat also caught about a half-dozen sand sharks - about 3 foot long each. By 1:30 or so, everyone had had enough, and we headed for the barn just as a long-awaited cold-front blasted through the area, with high winds and a 15 degree drop in temperature. No problem for such a big boat, but chilly for everyone not in the main cabin. Kenny E., Stefan N. and Eric W. all enjoyed spending a few minutes up in the bowsprit catching the spray from waves breaking over the top (well, that's one way to get a shower!) After almost 2 hours of this, we finally pulled into the dock. Turns out we had over 400 pounds of mackerel (which didn't include all the ones we pitched back in); not bad, and much better than the "Bobby Lee" - which had less than that for over twice as many people.

Returning to the State Park through Virginia Beach, I was struck at how much it already seemed like summer there - the trees were all in full bloom, and it seemed like half the town was out walking and roller-blading, with most wearing T-shirt type clothes - many going barefoot. Looked like Florida during Spring Break. Life sure looks a lot less hectic there. Unfortunately, things were not so hot at the State Park - our cold front had resulted in a virtual gale blowing right onshore at the park, and - even behind the dune-wall - we had a steady 25 mph wind, with gusts to 35 or so, blowing right across our campsite. So much for fires this night! Very fortunately (and anticipating this very situation), we had placed heavy items in each tent before leaving, else they'd have been in Norfolk by the time we got back. As it was, they were nearly tearing themselves apart, and we decided "on the spot" to hit the road for home. The fact that several Scouts were still feeling rather ill and that the temperature was supposed to plummet that night also helped push the matter. Well, we eventually won the wrestling match with our equipment (best 2 falls out of 3), and headed on back around 6pm or so. It didn't take long for me to be driving a van full of sleeping Scouts, that's for sure! Despite the drive, however, this looks to be a winner event - I'd like to try it again when the weather is a little more cooperative.

Participants included: John C., Kenny E., Daniel Ho., Stefan N., John Pr., Chris T. and Eric W. Thanks to Dan C. and Keith St. A., who both helped to drive - and administer to the sick!

1) Permission Slips - for the Arlington Projectoree is attached. Please note the due date of April 7th.

2) Awards - (A) The Marine Corps Marathon Shirts finally arrived, only 6 months late. Unfortunately, we didn't get quite enough. I am currently working to ensure that each attending Scout from Troops 111 and 149 will get their T-Shirt, and will then try to work with the remaining Adults who attended to see who can live without theirs.

(B) As promised, each Scout who completed the 25/10 Hike will receive an Award Certificate. Troop 111 Scouts so eligible will receive their certificates at the next Court of Honor.

3) Summer Camp 1997 - Attendance will not be as high as expected (or hoped) this year. The following Scouts are signed up to go to Camp Shenandoah: Chris Bks, Richard B., J.T. B., Charles B., Matt C., Andrew and Greg C., Kenny E., Matthew G., Nathan and Neal K., Jay P., Rusty P., John P., Michael R., Johnny R-W, Adam and Jamie S., Dan and Nicholas T., John Thy, Jr., and Eric W.

4) Upcoming Training Opportunities:

(A) Boy Scout Basic Leader Training (BSBLT) will be offered this Spring on the following dates: Wednesday, March 26th, Saturday, April 5th, and Saturday - Sunday, April 19th - 20th; this is the basic "how-to" training for ASM's and active Committee Members.

(B) Low-Impact Camping - The National Park Service and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) will be sponsoring a Low Impact/Leave No Trace Training Weekend this coming Friday, April 4th through Saturday, April 5th. This is a practical seminar in low impact/leave no trace camping skills (sadly missing in many Boy Scout Units), and is invaluable training for units who camp in our National Parks or in other sensitive wilderness environments. The cost is $20, but this will be reimbursed by the Troop.

5) Our Next Board of Review - is currently scheduled for Sunday, April 27th. As with the just concluded Boards of Review, eligible Scouts are expected to contact me for Scoutmaster's Conferences.

6) Recent Trip Costs - Mary's Rock Hike: N/C; Virginia Beach/Deep Sea Fishing: TBA

7) High Adventure 1998 - At present, we have 1 Scout signed up for Philmont, and 4 for the Florida Sea Base. Insufficient for both. The deadline remains March 31st. Note that if we get 6 Scouts for the Sea Base, we will need to immediately decide which program we want to do (there are 7!)

- Dr. Bob, Scoutmaster

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17 February 2001