• Tent (find a friend, share a tent)
• Sleeping bag and pad
• Clothing in layers.  High temps in the 60’s, low temps in the 40’s.
• Food (we’re cooking in patrols, bring whatever you’ve been assigned to bring)
• Mess kit (bowl, plate, fork, spoon)
• Water bottle/canteen
• Flashlight
• Scout Book and pen

• Shotgun and shotgun ammo, if you have a shotgun and wish to use it.  All shotguns must be inspected by Fletcher Hutson and John Gammons upon arrival at Rowan Hall.  If they determine the gun can come on the trip, John Gammons will transport it to Camp Grimes, along with the ammo.  Shotgun ammo will not be provided as part of the cost of this trip, so if you want to shoot your shotgun, bring your own ammo.  Please do not pack the ammo in your pack/bags.
• Hearing protection—Camp Grimes has hearing and eye protection for shooters.  If you have your own and prefer to use it, bring it along.  Our Range Safety Officers may ask you to use the Camp’s equipment instead, if yours is not sufficient.
• Bicycle helmet—There should be sufficient helmets at Grimes for their bikes, however, if you have a bike helmet of your own, you may be more comfortable (and safer) to use your helmet.  Be sure to put your name on your helmet before the trip.  It can be inconspicuous (inside or low on the back), but if your name isn’t on your helmet, it may be left at camp.
• Considering our three events, you may also bring along anything that may help you to complete the events quickly and safely.  The adult volunteers will require that safety equipment meet certain standards, but other aids may give you an advantage (be creative).

• Do not bring electronic devices, such as handheld gaming systems, cell phones, mp3 players, etc.  The adults will have cell phones for emergencies.
• Do not bring any rifles or pistols.  We will only be using the .22 bolt-action rifles owned by Camp Grimes.
• Consult the troop manual on the website (http://troop.cooks51.com) for other restrictions.

• Meet at Rowan Hall no later than 6 pm, Friday, March 26.  Patrol Leaders may want to get there a few minutes earlier to ensure their chuck boxes are ready and other equipment is gathered (lanterns, stoves, etc).
• Eat before you arrive.  NO FOOD WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE BUS!
• We depart promptly at 6:15 pm.  If you miss the bus, you can join us at 383 Vein Mountain Rd, Nebo, NC 28761.  Call me or one of the other adults to let us know you are on your way and we’ll let you know where to meet us.
• We will return to Cook’s at 11 am, Sunday.  We are not stopping to eat on the way home.  The bus will park near the Webelos/Cub Scout building across the field from Rowan Hall to limit the impact to the church members.

• Food—Eat before you arrive Friday.  Patrols will cook breakfast and supper on Saturday.  Bring a bag lunch and a way to carry it for Saturday (you will be on the move and likely away from the campsite at lunch time).  Sunday breakfast should be non-cooking food, such as doughnuts, pop-tarts, cereal/milk, fruit, etc.  We need to break camp and load up, so a simple meal is in order.
• Uniforms—We are expected to travel in our class A uniforms (without neckerchief and slide), so come dressed for the trip.  Wear a comfortable shirt under your uniform shirt if you prefer to ride on the bus without the uniform shirt.
• Money—The expected cost of the trip is $20 per Scout, which includes $5 for bus gas, $5 for ammo, $5 for patrol food, and $5 for patch/miscellaneous expenses.  We will collect the money as each Scout boards the bus.

The weather was outstanding this year, cool but not frigid.  The sky was clear and the sun warmed us during the day.  Our troop hosted the knots station at the waterfront once again, but we also provided a ferry service for all competitors to cross Lake Calhoun.  This was an interesting addition to the event, but with the damp ground, the boats were fairly muddied by the end of the day.  Thanks to our Scoutmaster, Lee Stilwell, for getting the boats to camp and providing the safety equipment necessary to operate them.

We had two patrols compete this year (pictures available in the Pictures area).  Both patrols did very well.  We brought home top awards from multiple stations and one patrol placed second overall!  Well done, Scouts!

The Dan River Canoe Expedition was great!  On Saturday we paddled a 9.1 mile stretch of the Dan River from Moratock Park in Danbury to Power Dam Road.  After loading up we drove a short distance to Hanging Rock State Park where we stayed in group sites 3-5.  After cooking supper and telling some puzzles/stories around the campfire, we retired for the evening.  It rained briefly during the night.  Sunday morning we packed up the camp and split into two groups.  One group took the canoes and paddled the 5.1 mile section from Hanging Rock Park to Meritock Park (where we put in on Saturday).  The other group hiked the trail to Hanging Rock.  Some pictures can be found on this site, but if you have some of your own and would like to upload them, contact eric@belongia.com for the password.

We had a great time, although originally planned to take this trip: Dan River from access point #4 - Hwy 704 Hart Access to Hanging rock Access on Flinchum Road.

We travelled to Linville Caverns on Saturday morning, directly from Rowan Hall.  We toured the caverns and learned about the history of the site.  The heavy rain that had been falling caused the caverns to be wetter than usual.  At times it felt like it was raining inside.

We got back in the bus and drove over to the Linville Falls welcome center (which was closed because it was still early in the season).  We hiked in the rain to the overlooks on the west/south side of the river/falls.  Most of us made the entire trip (only a few miles), but the Falls were impressive to see, as usual.

We drove to nearby Camp Grimes to prepare dinner and use the indoor climbing wall.  More than half the group took a turn climbing one of the four "lines" along the wall.  We had a number of "first timers" who really seemed to enjoy the experience.

Our Klondike patrols did very, very well this year.  We brought back a number of awards this time and everyone who competed was bubbling with pride upon their return.  The weather was wonderful for a Klondike.  Clear skies and not too cold, at least not during the daytime.  It was a bit chilly at night, as usual.