2011-Day3-Narrative

Ahoy land lubbers this is Hank writing about our adventures on the high seas of Lake Michigan

After a night of sawing logs, we woke up to the sound of rain. After eating a big meal made by Luke, Hunter and Colin, we set out for the day. At the Holiday Inn we set sail on the nauti-cat, but don’t worry it’s clean. As we were on board the ladies man (Will) was hitting on the other sailors. But like all the men in his family he failed miserably. After all that we did on the sea, we decided to stop to eat lunch and when we were eating Mr. C stuck over to the store and got some cherries. Some human targets were selected at random (Me) to be pelted by cherry seeds. When we were at the park next to our lunch site, we were playing around (or inducing vomit) on the merry-go-round. Next, we are going to snorkel at some shipwrecks. Fun, fun!!!

Hey, hey, hey, it’s your Homie MC here, Wiley. After our little adventure at the merry-go- round, we decided to pack up, and set sail to our snorkeling destination. We came to a lake. But first, we had to hike up a hill. Nobody liked that (especially after the dunes). After the little hike, we came to a spot, dropped our stuff, and headed out for the water. Brennan headed out first with his snorkel. Soon after, everyone was in the water. Someone (me) had some trouble trying to figure out how to snorkel properly, so Brennan helped me figure some stuff out. Soon after, we were snorkeling with the rest of the crew. Will, Parker, and I were tagging each other, when the adults and the others started to toss the football, while Mr. S and Brennan went to find the spot where a ship wreaked. It was adults versus scouts. The scouts had no chance what so ever. All of a sudden, Colin (our star football player), left to see something in the water. Some of us went to see what it was. It was a big catfish. Emphasis on big. Colin and I pulled it to shore. It was very slimy and heavy. But eventually, we pulled it to shore. We stayed there a little longer when Mr. S and Brennan came back. They said it was too far so we packed up and went to a different spot a mile away. We snorkeled to a wrecked ship around 300 yards away. It was completely destroyed. There was three parts to the ship. After that Big Blue and Little Blue went to a gas station to get fueled up. When we were ready to go, Will found a leech on his foot. Mr. R identified and confirmed that it was a leech. He asked Will if he wanted to pull it off. Will was hesitating, so Mr. R pulled it off anyway. We put a bandage on and were on our way to the campsite. When we got to the campsite, we had a prayer service, and ate. We had spaghetti with meat sauce and salad. We packed our bags for the next day. Now we are going to meet a different scout troop. IT’S GOING TO BE FUN!!

2011-Day3-Lunchtime

After we left the high-stress boating trip, what else would Scouts do but EAT!
Mr C ran across the street and got some fresh black and late sweet cherries to have with our lunch (we are in the cherry capital at this point, so we really had no choice).
Well, one thing led to another, and next thing you know a vicious cherry pit spitting contest broke out. What can I say, we try to give our scouts a well rounded education...
Now, off to snorkeling!

2011-Day3-Yep, really roughing it....

2011-Day3-Roughing it again!

A brief rain shower greeted us this morning when we awoke, but it passed by quickly.
After a quick breakfast and camp cleanup, we headed into Traverse City to do a few hours on a catamaran!

We have a full day ahead, as we will be snorkeling afterward, then meeting a local troop for campfire tonight.

Keep an eye on yesterdays blog, I am posting so many pics, my computer is plugged into the bus and will continue uploading while we sail - 48 in all, I think!
Moms, everyone is having a great time, healthy, and definitely well fed thanks to Mr G!

2011-Day2-Hikin the Dunes

Hello all! Colin and Hunter here, delivering to you info on day two of our sleeping bear dunes trip.

In the morning, Mr. Kelly, Dr. C, Brennan, and Mr. Graff Sr. went to a Sunday mass in town, while the rest of us had a five minute prayer service before we chowed down on biscuits and gravy, sausage and watermelon. Then we drove to the dunes and prepared ourselves for the then mile trip that could very well be one of the most tiring things I’ve ever done. We started the hike out with a huge hill, followed be many other smaller hills, leading into a large basin with sand, going up to a very large peak with sand, and leading into a forest down a huge hill of- you guessed it- more sand! Eventually we made it out of the sand and walked down the road to the Maritime Museum.  But before we went there, we stopped and had a bite to eat. For lunch today we had hot dogs and leftover chicken with watermelon, carrots, and celery. Then we packed ahead for dinner, which was sandwiches, chips, and granola bars. After that we headed on over to the museum. There we saw how the U.S. life saving services saved ships sinking into the lake. Parker and Wiley helped demonstrate that.

After that we hiked on over to an entrance to the lake about five minutes down the road. There we swam and attempted to get our socks and boots on without getting them wet and sandy. Then the hard part began. Most of us started the next part of the hike with boots on by the lake. Then we got farther and the lake got closer to land and a branch was on the shore that we had to go around, and the sand sloped down to the water at a 100o angle! So we all stopped and either went bare footed or in sandals/water shoes. We walked a lot further great with no worries about water. We saw a small ship wreck and a huge flock of birds which Brennan scared away! We took a small rest on the last part, then that was all will see of Lake Michigan on this trip for that day. We hiked up, down, up, down, farther up, slightly down, far up, flat, up, down, up, and then down. We made it with a 100% no injury or lost person. We had fun.

When we went down the last dune we were listening to the music from the concert and ate dinner which was a lunch meat sandwich, chips, candy bar, cheese stick, and a bit more. Then we went to get a dip in Lake Glen because we were a group of sandmen! But then we felt 10 times better. By: Colin C. and Gingy K.

2011-Day2-Home Stretch

Well, it has been a really long hike, but we are finally on the home stretch. We thought we would never get to this last ridge where we could see Lake Glen!

2011-Day2-Breakfast

Another morning of roughing it...

2011-Day1-Driving

Here is a wrap up of today's pics as we sit around the campfire, swatting mosquitos and preparing for the evening invasion of Raccoons we have been warned about. We are on the edge of the dunes, with a great breeze coming down the hill.

Thanks for tuning in today, and g'night Scouts!

2011-Day1-Campsite Arrival

We have arrived! The canopy and tents are set up, Mr G is hard at work cooking chicken, home fries, watermelon, and juice. We will fill you in with more pics later tonight.

2011-Day1-Lunchtime

Suprisingly, we made it all the way to Michigan and Cabelas without a single stop.  Way to go Jake, that is the furtherst I have ever seen you riide wihtout a break!

The boys got 45 minutes to romp around and try to buy every package of Jerky they could find, then we had lunch in the parking lot.  The last buddy team that got back to the Bus had to clean up, so Brennan and Colin got the honor of serving us.  Our first meal of the trip was a wonderful mix of cold cuts, chips, fruit and juice, then it was time to hit the road.

Mr S. jumped cars to continue his fasinatinc snorkeling award lessons, but everyone stayed in their assigned vehicle.  Big Blue seemes to be watching the Bear Attack video, while the Bus has a mean game of "Rich man, Poor man" going.  In Mr. C's car, you can only hear the runing of pages in the books, and the classic rock playing.  Unfortunatley, we are all stuck in traffic just north of the Zilwaukee bridge.

Next stop, the campground!

2011-Day1-Off We Go!

Once again, the scouts are off to a great start – just not at the planned 7:30 AM SHARP we were shooting for!  Mrs. H was the most popular arrival, as she showed up with donuts and coffee.  Mr. G gets the late arrival award, but at least he was legitimately pulling the trailer and icing down the coolers.  Mr. C showed up with our freshly made and laundered t-shirts.  Gingy showed up with a huge box of cookies.  

Pastor was on hand for our prayer and blessing, and then we formed a human line of scouts carrying the food boxes and gear into the trailer.  If you have ever seen ants carting off an entire picnic to their hive, you would know what that might look like – only ours was admittedly less organized.

Unfortunately, both people who were to bring propane tanks forgot them, so Mr. C split off from the caravan only 1 mile into the journey to rectify that and catch up with us on the highway.

2011-Day0-Preparations & Agenda

Welcome back to the Troop 820 Summer Trip Blog!

We have a full agenda for this trip - hiking, camping, sailing, snorkeling, ferry ride to/from the island, shooting, and fun! Below is our daily schedule, and we hope that you can follow our progress every day through our words and pictures.

Visit our site, send us your comments (we receive them right away via Mr. S's phone) and check out our advertisers (no purchase necessary) to help us pay for the trip! Of course, feel free to forward the blog link on to any of your friends or family that might be interested in Scouts.

Off we go!


Here is this years Summer Trip tee, thanks once again to the fantasic efforts and donation of time and talent from Mr. Chuck Rekow at http://www.chuckrekow.com/

THANK YOU and another year well done!

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events: (last updated 07-05-11)

• Summer Trip 2012 - Pacific Northwest!!!

• Week of July 11th - Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes SummerTrip

Past Events:

• June 18-19 - Taylor Farm Camping
• May 22 Sunday - Philsmont
• May 14th Saturday - Spaghetti Dinner
• March 19-20 - Two Lakes Loop

2010:

• Week of July 17th - Mammoth Cave/Green River Lake Trip

2009:

• Week of July 13th - West Virginia Trip
• May 23 & 24 - Philsmont!
• May 9 Saturday - 8:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M Devou Park West Hiking and Mountain Biking Trail Project
• May 8th, 9th, 10th - Camporee at camp Michael's
• May 8 Friday - Webelos cross over from 711
• April 25 Saturday - Cumberland Trip
• April 18 Saturday - Spaghetti Dinner
  

• April 12th Sunday - Scouts needed at coffee hour to offer dinner tickets 11:45 - 12:30ish
• April 11th Saturday - Fire Safety Tour 1:00 ?
• April 5th Sunday - Fire Safety Tour 1:00 ?
• April 4 Saturday - Church work day - service hours available.
• March 28 Saturday – Trip To CVG Fire House
• March 14 Saturday – Loveland Bike Trail (20 mile trip)
• February 22 Sunday - Ski Trip to Perfect North Slopes

2008:
June - Yellowstone Trip

Trip Destinations

Places we've been/would like to go to!

Alphabetical listing (click on link to go to entries):

• Mammoth Cave
• Pacific Northwest
• Red River Gorge
• Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
• Two Lakes Loop, IN (also called Twin Lakes Loop by some)
• West Virginia
• Yellowstone National Park, WY

Two Lakes Loop, Indiana:
Trail Map , Google Map
Last Visited: Spring/2011, Summer/2007 (?)

Day 7-Final Campfire

Our final blog comes to you from Louie Hehman.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been an entire year since I served my tenure as blogmaster for Troop 820 on our weeklong expedition to West Virginia. But what a year it has been! During that time, I’ve managed to survive Senior Year – best year of my life – of high school, prepared for college, completed my Eagle Scout Project, and prepared for my upcoming Eagle Board of Review (next Tuesday, July 27). Hopefully all will go well, and in a very short time I will be officially an Eagle Scout. But those events will unfold with time. For now, I focus upon my present situation and our current trip.

I am currently riding back towards home in Mr. Graff’s van (a.k.a. The Bus), and have been specifically asked to handle last night’s events. As is traditional with Boy Scout Troop 820, our final night on the Summer Trip begins with the annual Burrito Pigout. Burritos prepared by Dr. Cummings were seemingly swallowed up by ravenous Scouts and leaders. Josh managed to down five on his own. Now there’s a real man.

After the scrumptious burritos, it was time to begin the famous Naming Ceremony. The nicknames for this year were chosen by yours truly, in conjunction with my fellow Senior Scouts, Matthew Stark and Josh Graff. We first introduced ourselves and our nicknames:

Louie: Trailmix
Matthew: Carebear
Josh: Stick

We then introduced the Scouts to their new nicknames:

Hank: Guppy
Colin: Pretty Boy
Jake: Grace
Hunter: Robin
Luke: Bugbite
Matt: Lumberjack
Will: Mini-Me
Ethan: Rabbit
Travis: Sleeping Beauty
Geoffrey: Gameboy

After a good laugh was had by all, the real fun began as we acquainted the adults with their new nicknames:

Mr. Stark: Gator
Mr. Zimmerman: Mr. Clean
Mr. Hehman: Nurse
Mr. Miles: Robo-Cop
Mr. Rolfson: Chuckles
Mr. Graff and Mr. Seibt: Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum (we let them decide who was who)
Dr. Cummings: Fluffy

And with that, we began the long-standing tradition which has stood as the culmination of every summer trip since before I joined the troop: skit night. Beginning with Will and company in “The Soup Sketch,” everyone had something to contribute to what is possibly the most successful skit night we’ve had since Land Between the Lakes in 2007. Josh brought us through the much-celebrated “Ugliest Man in the World” (joke’s on you, Chuckles!), a skit which we have performed in such exotic locations as Alaska and Canada. Dr. C then performed an extremely memorable rendition of the infamous Wally Starciak Magic Show, featuring his own circus music, disappearing limbs, and a mustache that put Mr. Stark and Mr. Miles to shame.

Following a sketch by Hank and Jake (acting together and President Obama), and another by Matt (searching for his “string,” which turned out to be Silly String), we began our movie quotes section. Every year, the members of Troop 820 have dazzled one another with their memorable recitations of their favorite lines from their favorite films. Even without Steve Mairose’s much-loved Caddyshack impression, this part was arguably the most successful of the night. Among the most memorable were: Mr. Seibt’s Darth Vader (“Luke, I am your father”), Mr. Hehman’s Blazing Saddles (“More beans?”), Geoffrey’s Lord of the Rings, Josh’s Forrest Gump, Luke and Will’s Willy Wonka (“Oompa Loompa…”), my own impression of Alan from The Hangover (“This isn’t the real Caesar’s palace, is it?”), and Travis’s wide array of various impersonations. With that, we closed the night with a recitation of Monty Python’s “Lumberjack Song.” Hilarious? Most definitely. Appropriate? Somewhat. Applicable? My lips are sealed.

We woke up this morning to the sound of coyotes howling (talk about a rude awakening) at around 6:30. Despite the howls, Matthew and I still had to wake up a few of the Scouts, or, rather, the majority of them. We pulled out of camp around 8:30 and have been on the road ever since. We’ll soon be home, but the memories we’ve made will remain. Thanks to all the family and friends back at home who have followed our adventures. Until next year!

Keep it real,
Louie

Day 7-More water, but not from the sky!

Today the older scouts went on a 5 mile canoe trip. It was hot and humid but at least we had a river right next to us to cool off in. The people who went on this trip were Josh, Louie, Mr. Stark, Matthew S, Mr. Seibt, Will, and Matthew E. Will, Mr. Seibt, and Matthew E. had a little trouble at first because we hadn’t gotten the hang of all the techniques of canoeing yet, but the others were down the river in no time. We had brought our fishing poles so the person who was doing the least amount of paddling could make an attempt to catch a few fish. The only person who caught a fish was Mr. Stark who landed a 14 inch bass. We had a lot of ups and downs on this ride because unlike the last canoe trip, we didn’t have a current to pull us along, so it required more work. In some places the current was so strong that we would get stuck on a rapid with a tree in front of us with the current pulling us into the tree. After a about an hour on the river Mr. Stark and Matthew S. went on shore with Louie and Josh to fish and swim while everyone else continued on. The only problem was that we paddled about another 45 minutes down river so we stopped and waited for the other two canoes. While we were waiting for them to catch up we went swimming (which felt like jumping into a pool of ice) and we went fishing. When everyone finally met up we continued down river to this waterfall that went into the river. When we continued on we found a few dead fish and a huge dead turtle. When we got to our destination Mr. Heheman was there to pick us up. We took the canoes back to camp to eat lunch and then headed out to the lake.

Luke’s Excellent Adventure
By Luke R.

While the Eagle scouts were on their canoeing trip, My Dad and I went to visit my Grandma at her country house in nearby Adair County. While we were there my Uncle Billy stopped by and gave me a really cool Indian arrow head he found in his farm field. Then we went to visit my uncle Tutty who also lives near by.

After the visit we picked up the Eagles down river in Big Blue (my dad’s van) and headed to the beach for a swim. My Dad and I went tubing together and my Dad bounced and flopped and fell off before I did. Tonight we are receiving our nicknames from the Eagle scouts.

Pics fixed

The Day 4-Jayson basin pics are now fixed. Please revisit the entry to see them.

Day 6- BOATING!

Today we went to Green River Lake to enjoy a full day of watersports. After a um, leisurely but expertly prepared breakfast of pancakes, we headed out for the water. Josh, Will and Mr. G and S left first with the task of launching the power boat, then going overwater to retrieve the rented pontoon boat. The skies were clear, the air cool (ish) as they left the dock. Even though we could see the other marina through a gap in the rock, we boated all the way around the scenic Goat Island to get to Emerald isle. We picked up our very well-maintained pontoon boat (Mrs. S would be proud; we had a $50 off internet coupon for it!). The boat had a second deck and slide on it that was sure to please.

While Mr. G gunned it for the original dock to pick up more sweaty and eager boys, Will and Dad made their slow way back to the group to pick up the rest of the crew, coolers, and gear. We had plenty of time to count the preservers and lay them out in the sun to dry, then pumped up all the floats for the day (by hand, btw).

We were nearly to the dock when Mr. G finally came away with a boatload of boys (a delay Mr. G described with a shake of the head and a shrug), and soon the tube was hitting the water along with the first Scout.

Back at the dock, the Chinese fire drill had begun, loading coolers, towels, bodies and gear into the boat. Hmm, what is missing off that list… oh yeah, sunscreen.

Don’t worry moms, we had some, I was just seeing if you were paying attention.

The Pontoon headed for the first cove of the day, and I think we would have to go to the instant replay to determine if it was the anchor or a scout down the slide that hit the water first! As you can see from the pictures, we had a ball on the lake today.

Back in the power boat (P.S. a shout out to Mr.G who let us beat up his boat today!), many Scouts experienced the joy and dousing that can only come from a vigorous tubing ride. Later in the day many also got initiated to skiing and that unique feeling you get in your swim trunks or up your nose when you almost (but not quite) get up on two skies!

After the third or fourth boat swap to give everyone a turn, things were winding down on both boats. There was discussion of heading to one more shaded cove or the swimming beach, when God cleared his throat behind us and we realized our daily storm was fast approaching. So we headed for the docks and gave a couple more boys Captain lessons on the way. We dropped all our gear on the dock, and the slow pontoon boat headed out for the long trek back to its home marina.

Little did Mr. G realize that Mr. S had figured out you could get through the rocks that gave us a glimpse of the marina on the other side of the lake. Good thing too, because even as Mr. G went full speed around the island, they both arrived at the marina at the same time due to the slowness of the pontoon. As soon as the boat was refueled and the bill paid, both dads took off in the power boat and headed again for the keyhole between the rocks to take the shortest path home.

It was like a scene from a movie. No sooner had we broken through the keyhole than a great white curtain of rain descended on us (see pic). We got absolutely drenched the last 10 minutes of the ride to the dock. As we approached the dock, we decided that Mr. S would sprint for the bus and trailer while Mr. G hovered and tried to stay out of the rain. We turned the corner to the dock and the angels in heaven broke into song as we saw Mr. Stark already had the bus backed up to the dock ready to drop the trailer in the water for us!

A quick but soaking load up followed, and we headed back to camp. So brief was the rain that it had cleared up completely by the time we arrived back there.

Back at camp, everyone broke off to swim, fish, rest, or wring out gear. Mr. C began his twice daily ritual of firing up the kitchen, as it was spaghetti night. We had invited a local Scout troop to join us, the same guy who connected us to Jayson. His name was “Frog” and he led a small 6 boy troop. Frog and his son Stephen (who made Eagle in November at the age of 16!!!) were the only ones who could come. Although they had already had dinner, Stephan got in an eating contest with a Scout from our troop, and I saw at least 3 plates of noodles pass by. I’m not sure how many were really consumed!

We ended the dinner with some homemade goodies from Mrs. S. and a rousing card game at the dinner table.

G’night scouts, and friends keep the blog comments coming!

Day 5-Post

The Dam Visit. The moment we all got up and running we made breakfast for today and then we went off to the dam! When we arrived we all looked at the overview then went hiking on a trail we found. While on the trail we came to a fork in the road. We went left not knowing what was to come. We walked the trail which changed to more and more rocks and clay, and then we saw the lake formed by the dam. We saw almost eight butterflies around some glob of food. It was cool. Then we continued on the trail and went right on the fork in the road. The day is continued below.

The Anderson and Jayson House. As we continued to go right on the trail we found the Anderson and Jayson house. This house once was a hospital during the civil war. Many injured people came to this place during the war. In the house we saw a hospital room with dried blood stains. We also saw some of the prices of the treatments of the injuries. There was a great diorama and display of the uniforms they wore. You could see the types of tools they use and a few other things. Then back to camp. The day is still continued below.

Water yay or water nay. When we were done with the Anderson and Jayson house we were deciding if we should go canoeing. While the year long decision was going on it began to rain. This decision was about will the storm pass or stay. If you ask me you are going canoeing you will get wet you should expect that so you are already wet. So we hitched the canoes and we go on with a happy spirit and go canoeing. So we got there and got one of the world’s best rowing photos (posted). When we arrive, people start picking what boat they need and the buddy they want. Every boat had to have an adult, but some did not get that. We all then got our buds and went off to row the boats. It was a strange first quarter mile. Some ran into rocks, trees and some did three-sixties. We got to land and we all made it back through the deadly river. The day is still continued below.

Who is here? Tonight we all were getting ready for dinner, and who shows up but Mr. Stark, Matthew S., Louie H., Mr. Graff, and Josh all in the Graff bus. We had dinner and all are doing great and are having a supercilufrigilrsticexpialidious time. All the continued blogs by Hunter the overachiever

(Editors Note: the aforementioned author has also been the most helpful scout all week – always asking what can I do to help, do you want me to do now…. Hope some of that rubs off on my kid this week! Well done, Mom K!)

Day 5-GRL Dam and Canoeing

Yes, once again we are behind in our write-ups. That is what happens when we don't have any car time + camp on a body of water. The water matters matters because these boys are in it whenever humanly possible. Here are some pictures that tell their own story of today until we can get some words to go with it!