November
13 - 15
Kings
Mountain State Park
Kings Mountain National Military Park
Blacksburg, SC
21
scouts and 7 ASMs departed Apex Crossing around 5 pm on Friday and
began the journey to South Carolina. The trip was uneventful and went
as planned. The first stop was at CiCi's Pizza in Kannapolis, NC about
2 hours into the trip. After about 45 minutes we were full and heading
south again for Kings Mountain. We arrived at Kings Mountain State Park
around 9 pm to set up camp for the night. The site had plenty of space
under the large oak trees. The cloud cover was gone and the sky was
bright with stars. This was a primitive campsite but still had a
central water source and a privey. Call to quarters was 11 pm with
11:30 lights out. Many scouts and leaders were heard talking late into
the night. It was refreshing to get away from it all and reconnect with
our friends.
Saturday morning wake up was at 7 pm but half the camp arose with the
sun. Cooking was allowed for breakfast since a long day and back
packing was the order of the day. Most patrols needed hot water for
breakfast so clean up was fast and easy. Breaking camp and repacking
our packs was another experience entirely. We were a bit late in
leaving for the Kings Mountain Military Park for our daytime activity.
Back Packing seemed slow at first with everyone getting used to their
packs and some of the
less experienced scouts needing a hand from the older scouts. The 2
mile hike to the military park took over an hour. Mr. Brawn
who had gone earlier in the morning to get us checked in and to stage a
car,
backtracked toward us to check on our condition.. Slow but sure we
pressed ahead and made it to the Military Park.
At the Military Park we were able to set our packs down for a few hours
and enjoy the history; a movie, a 1.5 mile history hike, and lunch! We
learned about the Battle of Kings Mountain that occurred October 7,
1780. This battle, won by patriot forces during the revolutionary war
is credited for turning the tide against the British which eventually
led to US Independence. What a great place this was to visit and enjoy!
Most of the scouts and leaders completed the requirements for the
Historical Military Patch.
After lunch we checked our packs, refilled our water and began our 4
mile hike into a more remote area of the Military Park. Again it was
slow going the first mile but after that the troop settled in, we began
to make good progress. We reached our remote camp site around 3:15.
Most of us were tired but we knew we were fighting daylight so we
pitched tents, had a quick snack and rested for a few minutes. At 4 pm
we went back to a stream we had crossed to filter water and to get
cooking water for dinner.
By 5 pm we were back at camp heating water for dinner. As the water was
cooking the scouts gathered some firewood. The older patrol enjoyed
Chicken Soup and Mashed Potatoes, the younger patrol enjoyed Chicken
and Rice, and the adults had a variety of backpack meals (just add
boiling water). The scouts were looking for a trash bag all evening
long so the central theme was "what you pack in, you pack out,
including your trash"! This was a great lesson learned by everyone
involved!
After dinner the scouts opted for tents over a campfire... many were in
for the night by 7 pm, a few of us sat around the unlit fire ring until
about 8 pm until we retired as well. The backpacking seemed to tire us
all out. So it was early to bed for all.. No one made the 9 pm call to
quarters.
Sunday morning we were up by 6 am. We ate breakfast and broke camp
quickly and of course repacking the packs was the biggest challenge..
We departed the site by 7:45 am and made the trek back to the visitors
center by 9:30 am. We made really good time on the return trip. The
leaders collected the vehicles and we were back on the road by 10:15. A
brief stop for lunch at Hardy's, boy are they hard to find, and we
arrived back at Apex Crossing at 2:10 pm.
Several scouts took turns leading, navigating and pacing the troop.
Many of the older scouts did a great job helping the less experienced
back packers, with general leadership, tying boots, helping with heavy
gear, tightening packs and general helpful instruction. The first
timers rose to the challenge, they persevered over wrenched knees and
ankles, ill-fitting packs, and many miles of hiking with 30+ on their
backs! When it came down to it the Troop banded together and
was
eager to help and encourage each other. What a great troop and a great
weekend!
The planned backpacking for the weekend was around 10 miles but we
covered
over 12 per the GPS. Not including the day program.
Yours in Scouting
Emerson Sox and John Hibbard
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