Troop 5 – Bronxville, NY

We just got back from Tamarack and I want to report back to you. (See the photos page on the web site for pictures.)

The scouts had the best time.

The Tamarack Preserve is a Sportman’s club which is very exclusive.
They sure gave us the royal treatment.

When we arrived, they had 5 instructors teaching ours boys the ropes of firearm handling.
They had those instructors with the boys from beginning to end each day.
We learned the proper use of 22’s, shotguns, and archery equipment. We even learned how to shoot sporting clays.

At lunch break, we had wonderful lunches awaiting us on fine white linen tablecloths
right at the clubhouse.

Next we hiked to our campsite or should I say Shangrala.

The Tamarack provided us with  two cabins.

The lake cabin was half covered and half uncovered right on the lake.
This is where our boys sat on Adirondack chairs and chatted and whittled.
At the other side of this cabin was a wood burning fireplace where the boys warmed up at night.

The other cabin was built for the club like something out of Field and Stream. It was gorgeous. It was a log cabin with overstuffed chairs and gas lighting. It was overlooking the dam and waterfall. It was here that the boys played cards (old maid I think) and shared their war stories of the day.

Young scouts and older scouts got along famously. They played all sorts of outdoor games and ran around the fields until the sun went down and then some. It was such a pleasure to watch and listen to.  You should all be so proud.

For dinner, the boys worked hard on earning their cooking requirements.They made burgers and stew and all sorts of goodies.  Some of the new scouts even warmed up fresh apple slices and covered them with caramel and graham crackers. I am please to say the cooking was delightful.  The bigger delight is that the scouts all shared what they had with each other.  It was like watching Little House on the Prairie.

Next it was bedtime and the scouts all retreated to their tents and sleeping bags.

The next morning we woke, had breakfast, and the shooting sports started all over again.

Yes, white linen table cloths for lunch again.

I look forward to doing his again next year.

For those scouts that couldn’t make it this year, we hope you join us next year.

Sincerely,

Steve Ircha Sr.

In addition to our normal camping trips, we have some unusually exciting trips planned:

• Our historic trip this year will be a 3-day hike from June 25 – 28 through the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire that will include a trek to the top of Mt. Washington.  Mount Washington is the only peak in the Northeastern United States which exceeds 6,000 feet in elevation.  We will be staying in the Appalachian Mountain Club huts, which means we will be able to pack light.  Full information for the trip is in this flyer

• We have won a slot for a Philmont Trek from July 15-27, 2011!  Philmont Ranch is the Boy Scout’s premier national high adventure base, a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico covering approximately 137,500 acres of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico. This is a rare opportunity for scouts to participate in a 12 day trek.  To participate, Scouts must be at least 14 by September 1, 2011, and cannot have turned 18 until after July 27, 2011.  We will be discussing the trek at upcoming Troop Meetings.  The official BSA site for Philmont is http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HighAdventure/Philmont.aspx and there is a good Wikipedia page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philmont_Scout_Ranch

Happy New Year!

Brennan Carley, Scoutmaster

This coming weekend (October 3-4) is our “Family Camping” Trip at Tiorati.  Attached is a revised flyer:  Tiorati 2009
A few important notes for the Tiorati camping trip:
– Parents are invited but not required.  Scouts can attend on their own.
– All scouts should tell their patrol leaders whether they are coming, and how many siblings/parents are coming.
– Patrol leaders are responsible for making sure they know who is coming from their patrols, including siblings and parents.
– Patrol leaders must tell the Senior Patrol Leader who is coming from their patrol.
– Patrol leaders must make sure that the scouts in their patrol who have cooking and related duties have enough food for all the scouts (and parents and siblings) coming for their patrol.

Please explore this site further to see all the new material that has been added!  We have pictures from recent events (including summer camp at Yawgoog) on the “Pictures” page, our historian Will T has written a complete troop history (on the “History” page), and Chris L has written a newsletter for the Gettysburg Trip (also on the “History” page).

Welcome back from summer! Troop 5 was busy, with 20 scouts at summer camp earning 46 merit badges, and 9 of those scouts completing “New Frontier” activities towards Tenderfoot, Second, and First Class ranks.  We also hiked Gettysburg and earned 9 scouts (plus 2 Webelos) earned the Historic Trails award.

Now our first Troop meeting of the year is coming up!  The first meeting will be held Monday, 6:30pm, at the Reformed Church, and will be a special Court of Honor to recognize the achievements that the scouts earned over the summer.  Please check the “Calendar” tab of this web site for our full meeting calendar.

Scouts who will be attending Yawgoog this summer (August 9-16) should bring a check for $350.  The merit badge schedule, merit badge workbooks and pre-requisites, and the Eagle Merit Badge Schedule & Permission slip are all available on the Yawgoog web site (see the troop 5 links page for links to Yawgoog.)  Medical forms also need to be completed; These are on the troop 5 documents page.)

Scouts who plan to attend the rock climbing trip in the Gunks, April 18-19, should bring in a check for $25.

Scouts who want a blue felt temporary patch holder should bring in  $3 for each patch holder.