Summer Fun at Camp Keowa in the Catskills!

Troop 353 enjoyed a week of fun and sun (mostly) at Ten Mile River Camp Keowa this past summer.   The 20 scouts who attended achieved a record 78 number of merit badges, and several advanced in rank as well!

As this was the first summer camp experience for many of the scouts, we relied heavily on the older scouts to provide leadership.  Specifically, SPL Jack F and acting ASPL Chris S kept the troop on task and represented us well at Camp dining hall roll calls. The boys were split into two patrols which were lead by James T and Andy M.

When the boys performed the traditional rose(their favorite part of the trip), rosebud(what they look forward to), thorn(their least favorite part of the trip) at the end of the trip, a majority of the boys stated that their thorn of the trip was the rain! Everyone loved the activities that the troop did which included but were certainly not limited to:

• An archery shoot (Tuesday evening)
• A rifle shoot (Wednesday evening)
• Wayne County Fair located in Honesdale, PA (Thursday evening)
• High and low COPE course (Friday evening)

At the archery shoot the boys were able to freely shoot a bow and arrow along with the adults! Some scouts even challenged the adults to a competition to see who could get more points!

  

The boys also had an awesome time at the rifle shoot, where they were able to shoot on the rifle range for a whole hour! 

Scouts from all troops across the camp were able to participate in a rifle shooting competition to see who could get the most amount of points in order to win a trophy! Out of the 15 winners throughout the camp, 2 of the winners, Jimmy F and Noah O came from Troop 353!  Great job guys!

On Thursday evening the scouts went to the Wayne County Fair located in Honesdale, PA and had a blast on all the rides and were able to buy various knick knacks from several vendors throughout the fair!

Scouts were sad when the week came towards an end on Friday evening, but were able to be cheered up by the exhilarating High and Low Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience (COPE) courses! Some scouts and adult leaders were even able to go zip lining!

A few brave boys, including scouts Andy M, Jake B, James T, Dillon P and David E, were willing to wake up at 6:00 AM to participate in the Polar Bear Swim, where they had to stay in the icy waterfront for a whole 15 minutes!  Excellent job scouts!

 

 When the boys had some down time, scout Jack M entertained them with his outstanding guitar playing!  Very cool Jack!

 Part of being a scout is becoming acquainted with the outdoors and being able to respect nature. Scouts were able to view and appreciate beautiful sunsets on the lakefront that the campsite was situated on!

 The boys had an absolute blast at Camp Keowa Summer Camp 2012, and cannot wait for the amazing trip ahead of them for next year!

 A very special thanks to acting ScoutMaster Dave Flannery who ensured that we all had fun, Assistant Scout Master Julio Urbina for taking the lead with respect to planning the trip and to all the adult volunteers who drove the boys up to the site, including Uli Mrose, John Murtha, Ed Poletti, Joey Panico and Jeff Schaeffer!  This trip, as well as all of the others, would not have been possible without all of the outstanding effort put into it by our adult leaders!   For more pictures, click here!

 

Eagle Scout Beautifies High Traffic Twin Lakes Park Entrance

Troop 353 Eastchester is blessed to have a wide array of talented young men with diverse interests. And this is best reflected in the breadth of Eagle Scout Leadership Projects our scouts pursue. Many Eagle Scout Leadership Projects entail either a repair job or a form of conversation work. Few Eagle Scout projects, however, have been more visible to the public or more badly needed than the one chosen by Matthew S. Over the years our troop has had a few various Eagle Scout projects within the Twin Lakes County Park, including the removal of invasive vines, the clearing of hiking trails and even the establishment of trail markers.

 The entrance to Twin Lakes park at the corner of California Rd and Highland Ave is an exceptionally busy one, with hikers, trail runners, dog walkers, cyclists, and even horse back riders.  For many years, the entrance was heavily  overgrown with weeds, invasive vines, and littered with trash, as seen in these pictures.  And the area frequently flooded during heavy rains, due to the clogged runoff drains nearby.  After extensive conversations with the County and local Eastchester authorities, Matthew finally was able to start work in late July (above photo, before) & finished by October (below photo, after).  Bug spray during the warm months was imperative as were several outdoor tools and yard gloves.  The group of hard-working scouts at this visible intersection did not go un-noticed–indeed at one point a gentleman (a total stranger) stopped by our worksite to drop off a case of bottled water.  We quickly learned that the man was a scout when he was younger and, importantly, that the scout’s good deeds were not going unrecognized in the community.

  Matthew went above and beyond the call of duty in that he met with Eastchester Town Supervisor Tony Colavita whom arranged to have the nearby drains cleared out and to have a truck load of gravel dropped at the site; he also met with the owner of the local nursery Nature’s Cradle and arranged to secure several free plants and perennials; and he visited with the general manager of the nearby country club to see if there was an old large tree trunks available that could be made into a park bench (as seen at the right).

The planting of the donated plants was done with a great degree of purpose and selection as raised garden beds were created with reinforced sidings and a wooden rail with deep posts was erected in the new garden, parallel to California Rd.  These extra efforts required power tools, a generator, the availability of several adults and lots of patience. With a black magic marker, we wrote on the wooden fence: “an Eagle Project by Troop 353 Eastchester”.  The troop is hopeful that other scouts from other local troops will carry on a tradition of keeping this popular entrance to Twin Lakes Park well-groomed while maintaining the selected plants and bushes. In the end, Matt’s Eagle Scout project received rave reviews by the many park visitors and an excellent overview in the local press.  Eastchester Scouts Complete Twin Lakes Eagle Scout Project, P.6.   Other great pictures of his Eagle Project work days can be found here!

Six months later, Matthew S. experienced the highest award ceremony of all, the Eagle Court of Honor, the 23rd Eagle Scout for Troop 353 Eastchester.   Not surprisingly, Mr. Colavita was a keynote speaker and reflected on Matthew’s can-do work ethic that was obvious even at a very young age when he coached Matt in Little League baseball.  Several other dignitaries were present:  Sheila Marcotte (Westchester County Legislator), Luigi Marcoccia (Eastchester Councilman), Stephen Quigley (Tuckahoe Village trustee & T353 committee member–Steve’s son David was Eagle Scout #21), Bob Foster (VFW), Michael Fix (American Legion).  

 A very special gift was offered by Assistant ScoutMaster & SGM Michael I, on active duty in Afghanistan at that time.  He ensured Matthew was presented with a special American flag that had flown on a predator drone on reconnaissance the day Matthew completed his Eagle Board of Review.  Similarly, through the office of Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Matthew was presented with a second American flag that had flown over the Capitol building on the day of his Eagle Board of Review.  Finally, several Eagle Scouts were in attendance, as could be expected, and each repeated their Eagle Scout Promise with Matthew during his ceremony. 

Like all Eagle Scouts before him, Matt has become a very accomplished scouting leader, has held every major youth leadership position, was elected to the Order of the Arrow and attended three high-adventure trips.  Troop 353 is blessed to have averaged one Eagle Scout per year since its inception 20 years ago.  However, Matt is one of the first Eagle scouts to have completed all requirements at least 6 months before he went off to college SUNY in Cortland, NY.  Accordingly, his presence at various scouting events as an Eagle Scout has been very beneficial for the younger scouts in our troop.

Even though less than 4% of all scouts ever attain the rank of Eagle Scout or Life Scout, it is clearly not the ONLY yardstick of success in our troop.  Importantly, what the adult leaders of troop 353 are striving to create is a rich and varied program that provides ample opportunities for ALL scouts to learn about the world around them, how to lead others, how to make strong moral and ethical decisions, to serve their community and fellow scouts cheerfully and to lead a healthy life style.  Advancement per se is not a goal of the Scouting program.  It is along the unique scouting trail, that many, many experiences of a lifetime are created for our boys and I am very sure that Matthew would vouch for the truthfulness of this statement as he reflects back on the richness of his special experience in Scouting!  Congratulations to Matthew S., Eagle Scout!

 

Rocky Mountain High Adventure – Pt 2

Day Five:  After two nights each at beautiful Camp Dick & Horseshoe Campgrounds, we would be camping at the even more picturesque Lake Turquoise,   5 miles west of historic Leadville for the last four nights.  Leadville has the distinction of being North America’s highest incorporated city at 10,430 feet and is a legendary gold and silver mining town where many Coloradoans made their fortunes in the 1800s.  Along with many nearby ghost mining towns, Leadville is where the infamous Doc Holliday (notorious gunfighter and gambler) was finally arrested and is the home of Colorado’s most famous couple, Horace and Baby Doe Tabor.  Lake Turquoise is also home to several bike races, 10ks, 5ks and various gun shooting events.

 Although Leadville is less than 25 miles due west of Fairplay, it is separated by the Mosquito Mountain Range and the massive Buffalo Peak  Wilderness–there is no direct route between.  Before we would make it to Leadville, however, we had to travel 130 miles south.  So Sunday was our longest day, as the group traveled to the Great Sand Dunes National Park—home to the largest sand dunes in our country and nestled against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  The enormous sand deposits cover an area equal to an astonishing 330 square miles!  The mountains of sand are as tall as many ski slopes on the East Coast and temps can reach upwards of 140 degrees during the day, so we needed to arrive by 9am (when the park opened), rent special sandboards and be finished around 1—2pm optimally.

 Four-wheel drive and deflated tires allowed us to drive up the sandy road to the beautifully remote Canyon Creek wilderness area to attempt sandboarding.  The scouts were surprisingly challenged in climbing the unusually tall mountains of soft sand and all needed rest prior to their semi-speedy, and often ungraceful, descent.  Everyone crashed repeatedly and was covered in sand, but everyone unquestionably was having a blast! 

After about two and half hours of sandboarding, our group decided to call it quits and headed to an  oasis–the coveted Sand Dunes Swimming Pool (hot springs fed) for lunch, swimming and volleyball!  We finally arrived at our reserved Baby Doe Campground sites that night about 10pm.  Despite the long trip to this commercially-untouched area of South Central Colorado, many of the scouts cited the unique sandboarding opportunity as one of the highlights of the trip!

*****

 Day Six:  After our late night arrival at Baby Doe Campground (elevation 11,600), the scouts once again had to rise before 6am in order to arrive on time at the ATV rental in Salida 60 miles away. With the recent limited approval of driving ATVs by the BSA, combined with considerable experience of most of the people in our group along with the ultra-cautious training and guidance provided by the ATV operator, our excited scouts confidently headed up a gentle, dirt road for the Continental Divide about 10:15am. 

Fifteen minutes later, disaster struck.  One of our scouts lost control of his ATV and crashed into a ditch.  He was a bit shaken and holding his arm.  We quickly concluded that his head & neck were ok, but that he may have separated his right shoulder.  Two of our scouts quickly created a stabilizing arm sling with spare clothes.  Back in the parking lot 20 minutes later, the injured scout was joking around with everyone else relishing his hard-earned celebrity status.  Still, a quick trip to the local medical center revealed a cracked bone in his upper arm. 

 In retrospect, the scout was lucky that this was the extent of his injury, as there were warnings  by the ATV operator of an irresponsible rider needing to be air-lifted out a few weeks prior.  Fortunately, our group was more controlled and organized, and our injured scout was responsibly driving.  Still, he did manage to lose control on a smooth part of the road—this serious incident was a huge reality check for the remainder of the group that stayed behind to finish their four-hour exploratory ride to the Continental Divide.

  After arriving back at Camp Baby Doe later that afternoon, it was decided that the injured scout would fly home the next day, given his inability to participate in any of the remaining activities.  He was pleased that he had been able to experience so many new activities, but still disappointed that his trip was ending two days early.  Even a steady rain did not spoil the special pasta dinner and high spirits of the evening, as we all reflected on fun events of the past week and as we wished our fellow departing scout a speedy recovery!

 *****

Day Seven:  The rain had cleared overnight and our group was up early again.  Most of us were preparing for the second more challenging “14er” hike—attempting to peak Mt. Elbert (14,433 feet), the tallest peak in Colorado and the second tallest in the lower 48 states!  A 7am departure put us at the trailhead (10,000 feet), up beautiful Halfmoon Creek, by 7:45am.  It was another bright and beautiful day in the mountainous Sawatch Range—home to more 14ers than any other range in the state!

  To put the climb up Mt.Elbert in perspective, the hike up to Mt. Cameron on Day Four involved roughly 4.5 miles round trip and 2,200 feet of steep, rocky elevation gain.  To peak Mt. Elbert would involve 9 miles of hiking and climbing as well as 4,700 feet of elevation gain.  (The climb up the “Brothers” mountains at Camp Read in the Adirondacks is only 1000 feet of elevation gain…and much closer to sea level.)  Mt. Elbert involved a long hike through the forest to the tree line and then an equally steep but moderately longer climb up rocky terrain like Mt. Cameron.  Both peaks are considered to be Class 2 in terms of degree of difficulty (requiring some off trail hiking, occasional use of hands for balance and hiking on talus/scree). 

It took us 5 solid hours to reach the summit, as the altitude allowed only gradual progress    before needing to rest again.  The higher we climbed, the slower the progress.  Often one could only hike 20-25 steps, literally, before stopping to catch your breath and to calm one’s pounding heart.  Between 13,500 – 13,900 feet is the most strenuous part of the hike as there is a steep, rock-strewn face that literally requires Class 3 scrambling as the trail mysteriously disappears off to the side (but we found it on the way down thankfully).  On the way up this long climb, the uninformed hiker is duped into thinking the summit is (finally) near. 

Quickly, one must overcome the disappointment of the “false” peak at 13,900, as there is still another 500 feet of elevation to go!  Fortunately, this last   part of the incline is “mild” in comparison.  By the time we reached the top, our legs were like rubber, and all were thankful they actually made the summit, and everyone took a seat to rest their weary legs.  A few of us had developed serious doubts as to whether or not we would actually reach the summit by 1pm—our targeted turnaround time.  During this time of year, thunderstorms often appear quickly around 2–3pm and Colorado’s legendary lightning can easily travel up to 25 miles for a ground strike.  Colorado is home to the second most deaths by lightning and one is particularly vulnerable above the tree line.  So, our game plan was to monitor the clouds vigilantly and start heading down around 1pm, no matter how far we had progressed!

                       

 

As the stunning pictures attest, the views on the way up were magnificent and the 360 degree panoramic view from atop Mt. Elbert was every bit as awe-inspiring as the view from Mt.Cameron.  The hike to the top was well worth it to capture this unparalleled view!  We could easily see Lake Turquoise and Leadville nearly 20 miles away.  After a few family-related phone calls (ample cell phone coverage!) from the top and several photographs, the scouts, with one eye on the incoming clouds, knew we needed to make a relatively speedy retreat down the mountain. 

 Hiking down is no cake walk either, as the surface is covered in loose rocks and gravel and the exercise is equally tough on the legs.  A curious marmot, along with a brief sleet shower, combined with spotty sunshine, added a special element to our hike down the famous mountain.  We passed very few people hiking up the mountain—meaning we were one of the last ones to leave the summit.  At the tree line (11,900 feet), we stopped for a much needed rest and got involved with feeding nuts and raisins out of our hands to birds and chipmunks.  By 5pm, we made it to the parking lot and rewarded ourselves with chocolate chocolate-chip cookies on the 45-minute drive back to camp. 

Back at Baby Doe camp, a delicious Mexican dinner feast awaited us, as the group that took our injured scout to the Denver International Airport 140  miles away, had time to start dinner prior to our arrival back.  And with only Cliff Bars and energy drinks for lunch, the hikers were starving!  For once,  nobody complained about cleaning dishes, despite being physically exhausted from the long hike.  Several spent time at the lake after dinner where the star-lit night sky was equally as breathtaking as the unequaled mountain top experience earlier that day.

  *****

Day Eight:  We slept late today…6:30am!  We only had to be 30 miles away by 9:15am.  The chilly upper 30 degree morning was not conducive to enhancing the appeal of white water rafting.  By the time we rolled into Buffalo Joe’s in Buena Vista, the temps were rising and the scouts eagerly scrambled to change clothes and secure PFDs and helmets before jumping into   the group van to the launch site on the Arkansas River, twenty minutes away.  At the put-in site for “The Numbers” (named for 7 different sections of the river), the typical river safety briefing ensued.  Within minutes we were happily paddling down the chilly Arkansas river! 

  The nationwide drought has hit Colorado fairly hard.  First, the snowpack during the winter was lighter than normal, resulting in lowered water flows in the rivers.  Second, the state had experienced many wildfires during May & June, but not as badly in South Central Colorado where we were camping (and the seasonal daily afternoon rains had begun during July). 

The  lower river levels also negatively impacted the fishing, as water temps were  warmer than normal (but still brisk!).    Today, however, the low water level meant a more technical river traverse than the fast & furious pace of a “high water” year.  Class 3 & 4 rapids, however, were still very challenging but fun.

  Mastering sharp turns, backward spins and narrow shoots became easier by the time we stopped for the customary steak lunch.  There was ample time for swimming in the cold river and we stopped in a location to jump through a special rock with a large hole and side vent that passed into the river.  And we even saw people panning for gold! 

Back at the Baby Doe Campground that afternoon, we relaxed playing a game of “spoons” and getting organized for the trip home.  A celebratory pizza was enjoyed along with left over pasta.  Afterwards, one last trip down to the beach at Lake Turquoise to see the bright lights of Mother Nature made one realize that Colorado is indeed an unusual place of breath-taking beauty and a seemingly endless list of potential outdoor adventures around every corner!  Despite the ATV incident, all agreed the trip had been an extraordinary success and vowed to return to Colorado again some day!  Clich here for more truly spectacular and memorable photos!

 

Rocky Mountain High Adventure – Pt 1

For the past three years, our senior scouts have chosen to pursue water-related venues for their summer high-adventure trip.  2012 proved to be a different year in that the scouts wanted to pursue a mountainous adventure that included more than the typical 10-day backpacking trek offered by Philmont, the ageless national high-adventure camp located near Cimarron, NM. 

The core planning group of senior scouts looked at BSA properties from Montana to Maine, ultimately wanting to choose Longs Peak Council’s high adventure package in northern Colorado.  Unfortunately, the school year begins earlier in Colorado than it does in New York, so our group was forced to plan an independent high-adventure trip to Colorado for early August—a far more complex planning endeavor than attending a typical BSA high-adventure venue. 

Fortunately, scouting & family contacts in Boulder, CO were more than eager to assist & provided considerable guidance.  The scouts needed to prepare for challenges many had never faced before:  getting in physical shape for rigorous physical activities at high-altitudes, planning all meals (cooking gear, food prep, storage, purchase points, etc.), understanding statewide freshwater fishing rules and risk management (wildlife, weather, and first aid).  Planning a successful car-wash fundraiser was also critical to financing our trip and in determining the scope of our affordable daily activities.   And the targeted daily activities were both fun and challenging:  rock climbing, hiking/climbing 14ers (peaks higher than 14,000 feet), ATV (all-terrain vehicles) exploration, gold medal fresh-water fishing, white water rafting and a visit to the famous Great Sand Dunes National Park to attempt sandboarding.  Finally, coordinating a schedule of activities with campsites that met our criteria was also a logistical challenge.

   The first two nights the scouts called Camp Dick (elevation 8600 ft., 25 miles northwest of Boulder) their home.  Through National, State & local parks, as well as the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and official State Wildlife Campgrounds, Colorado is blessed with literally hundreds of available campsites & many take reservations.  All three campsites chosen for the trip were on US Forest Service properties and all were well-maintained, catering to both tent-campers and RVs alike (potable water and vault restrooms), and importantly, reservable.  In order to get acclimated, it was determined to camp at increasingly higher elevations during the week.

Day Two:  The first full day in Colorado was spent rock climbing in scenic Boulder Canyon with two certified guides from the well-regarded Colorado Mountain School.   There are literally dozens of places to climb along the highway in Boulder and other nearby canyons.  After warming up with several +60-foot ascents, the scouts tackled technically more difficult climbs involving virtually no natural hand or foot holds.  One scout actually climbed to the top blind-folded!  The adult scout leaders also participated in climbing and everyone assisted in belaying other climbers.  Our group celebrated that night at a “Welcome” BBQ at the Barber family residence in Boulder where we learned more about what to expect during our upcoming week.  

Day Three:  The next day entailed traveling 120 miles southwest to Horseshoe Campground (elevation 9600 ft.), just below Fairplay/ SouthPark.  After a casual morning, the group broke camp and drove down the scenic Peak-to-Peak highway.  Stocking up on groceries in Frisco and confirming the trailhead location outside the tiny town of Alma for the first planned attempted “14er” the next morning were required before arriving at camp and then squeezing in trout fishing at the nearby Gold Medal Waters of the South Platte River.  Gold Medal Waters are defined by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife as “any river or lake which is producing a standing stock of at least 60 pounds per acre, and at least 12 trout that are 14 inches or longer per acre on a sustained basis.”  A hardy dinner of Alamo Chicken provided the needed protein for the group’s first attempt at “peakbagging a 14er” early the next morning.

Day Four:  One cannot appreciate the popularity of climbing one of Colorado’s 53 famous +14,000 foot peaks until you arrive at the trailhead the first time.  Our group’s 8:00 am arrival at the Kite Lake trailhead (12,000 ft, above the tree line) was welcomed by so many cars that we had to park over ½ mile away from the parking lot!  Clearly, we were “late” arrivals.  Literally hundreds of people had turned out this glorious Saturday morning to attempt to climb (not hike) rocky Mts. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and /or Bross, all connected along a 13,500 ft ridge in a semi-circle of a few miles within the Mosquito Range of the Rockies.  As an aside, the website 14ers.com was also incredibly helpful in planning our two big hikes.

The high elevation quickly became apparent as each step was “up”, and the rocky trail added to the degree of difficulty.  People of all ages turned out that day and many brought their dogs  and/or their children.  Some labored up and down, while some actually ran.  Most proceeded up slowly, resting often to try and get more oxygen into their panting lungs.  The citing of a large, white mountain goat casually relaxing on the rocky hillside in the sun not far off the main trail helped to distract one’s thoughts about how challenging the hike was becoming.  Ultimately, our group reached the 13,500 ft “saddle” ridge before 11am (see first photo above).  The views were breathtaking and the photographs do not fully reflect the feeling of seemingly being on top of the world. 

 Attaining the saddle was particularly gratifying for one of our asthmatic participants, while the rest of the group trudged upward to top Mt. Cameron (14,238 ft) for the next hour, where the wind chill was clearly below freezing and with wind gusts up to +50 mph.  The very steep climb to this “unofficial” peak was exhausting for our group of “rookies”.  (Mt. Cameron is one of five unofficially designated +14,000 ft peaks).  We quickly learned the importance of staying hydrated & planning a high-protein breakfast & trail snacks, as hunger and altitude sickness gradually began to emerge.  A decision was made not to hike over to Mt. Lincoln over one mile away and instead, head back toward the base.

By 2pm, we were all enjoying a picnic lunch back at Kite Lake, drinking lots of fluids, and fighting off headaches from the altitude.  Unquestionably,   everyone had an incredible sense of pride and accomplishment at bagging their first “14er”.  After a short rest at camp a few of us took off again to try and snare some rainbow or brown trout in the bountiful South Platte River.  This  Gold Medal stretch of the river is known for its large aggressive trout.  This is catch-and-release territory unless you are fortunate enough to land a fish longer than 20 inches and no live bait is allowed either.  Most locals prefer fly-fishing, but our group was forced to use typical casting spinner lures.  After 2 hours and with only three small trout to their credit, the returning fishermen were rewarded with the citing of three elks crossing the dirt road near the beaver-pond ladened area close to Camp Horseshoe.

Needless to say, nobody had trouble falling asleep that night, especially after a day of extreme exercise and rewarding ourselves with a big, marinated steak dinner!  Thus far, our Rocky Mountain High Adventure trip had been near perfect!   Check out more incredible photos from the first four days!

 Next:  Deflated tires; the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat; & some unexpected sites on the river!

 

The Brotherhood of Scouting

There is no better example of the Brotherhood of Scouting than witnessing two active scout troops in two different Councils work together to create a tremendously successful event.  That is exactly what happened (again) at this year’s Wintoree Merit Badge Seminar, where Troop 240 Riverdale, in conjunction with Troop 353 Eastchester, created a challenging but effective and intense learning environment during a winter weekend at Durland Scout Reservation in early March!  Ten of our scouts completed 16 merit badges (including 9 Eagle Required) and numerous partially completed merit badges.  Other scouts made significant progress toward completing lower rank advancement.  A shared feast, skits and crackerbarrel capped another near perfect day of fellowship with our good friends at T-240.  Check out the photos here!

 

Eagle Scout Court of Honor — A Grand Celebration!

There are few Scouting events more impressive than the Eagle Scout Court of Honor (ECOH) and this was certainly the case on Feb 4th, when Troop 353 recognized its 22nd Eagle Scout, Brad M.   This special celebration of Scouting’s highest honor was held at The Reformed Church of Bronxville, where Brad has been an active member all of his life.  Indeed his devotion to his church choir mirrors that of his scouting career:  he has been an active member of both for 12 years!  It was perhaps fortuitous that his Eagle Court of Honor was held at this church, as he earned his very first Boy Scout Award (God and Church) during his first year of Boy Scouts in 2006 at this church from then assistant minister Rich Lichti.  For his Eagle Scout ceremony, the current senior minister Dr. Kenneth C. Ruge, conducted the Invocation and it was discovered only a few weeks prior to the event that reverend Ruge is an Eagle Scout!

Troop 353 was privileged to have several other special guests attend & participate in Brad’s ECOH:  Mr. Marc Andreo (Sr. Scout Executive, Westchester-Putnam Council, Eagle Scout), Mr. David A. Pope (CEO of The Generoso Pope Foundation),  Mr. Lowes Moore (Executive Director of The Boys & Girls Club of Mt. Vernon, ordained minister, former NBA player, and a scout) and Mrs. Charlene Lambrecht (Director of the Eastchester Community Action Program).  Also in attendance were several political leaders that have always taken a serious interest in Scouting and whom also offered special proclomations and letters of commendation:  Joe Mammana & Mike Fix (American Legion), Bob Foster (VFW), Sheila Marcotte (Westchester County Legislator), Joe Dooley (Eastchester Councilman), Steve Ecklond (Mayor of Tuckahoe) and Stephen Quigley (Tuckahoe Village Trustee & T353 committee member–Steve’s son David was Eagle Scout #21).  And this list excludes a long list of Eagle Scouts from various troops.

The official guidance in the BSA’s Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook clearly states that a leadership service project does NOT need to be original but Brad was determined to create a service project that would include a combination of health & fitness (initially it was baseball only–another 12 year commitment!) with that of benefitting those less fortunate economically in our community.  Ultimately, the idea of a “gently used” sports equipment drive to benefit the children of The Boys & Girls Club of Mt. Vernon and the Eastchester Community Action Program evolved.  A massive marketing campaign for the used sporting goods was implemented throughout the community for 6 weeks.  The gear drive would eventually culminate in a “Sports and Fitness Day in Tuckahoe” at Parkway Oval and over 75 children participated in organized sporting & fitness activities, which included basketball clinics led by the renowned varsity coaches of Mt. Vernon High School.

The Generoso Pope Foundation generously donated customized performance t-shirts (created by Brad) as well as a DJ to add an element of festivity to the occasion.  Scouts were involved with the monitoring of the boxes used during the gear drive in 8 locations, the cleaning and organizing of +1700 sporting items, and the preparation of the park for the event as well as 100 lunches and the actual leadership of each organized sporting activity during the event.  At the end of the day, the children were surprised when Brad announced that all the assembled gear was to be given away.  Each kid took home at least 3 or 4 sporting items that day and the remaining gear was dispersed throughout the two beneficiary organizations.  To this day, the two organizations continue to utilize this sports gear in an effort to promote a healthier lifestyle for children.  This big sporting event was well-covered by the media and reflected exceptionally well on both Scouting and our troop.  There are many wonderful pictures of very happy & active kids during Brad’s Eagle Scout Leadership Project, which can be found by clicking here!

Like all Eagle Scouts before him, Brad has become a very accomplished scouting leader, has held every major youth leadership position, was elected to the Order of the Arrow and attended three high-adventure trips.  Troop 353 is blessed to have averaged one Eagle Scout per year since its inception 20 years ago.  However, Brad is the first “early” 17-year old Eagle scout in many years as the past several Eagle scouts have tended to be off to college as soon as they become Eagle scouts and thus the rest of the scouts do not benefit as much from having an Eagle Scout around for assistance.  Brad is currently involved in planning the troop’s upcoming high-adventure trip to Colorado in August and continues to participate in various community service events.  Scoutmaster Mike Occhicone noted in his speech during the ECOH how Brad always challenged himself and that his efforts hopefully would positively influence his fellow scouts to do the same.  Thus, the challenge has been made by Brad for all his fellow troop mates to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout before they turn 17 years old.  Though Brad will be heading off to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL in September, he has vowed to continue to try and live his life using Scouting principles.

Even though less than 4% of all scouts ever attain the rank of Eagle, it is clearly not the ONLY yardstick of success in our troop.  Importantly, what the adult leaders of troop 353 are striving to create is a rich and varied program that provides ample opportunities for ALL scouts to learn about the world around them, how to lead others, how to make strong moral and ethical decisions, to serve their community and fellow scouts cheerfully and to lead a healthy life style.  Advancement per se is not a goal of the Scouting program.  It is along the unique scouting trail, that many, many experiences of a lifetime are created for our boys and I am very sure that Brad would vouch for the truthfulness of this statement as he reflects back on the richness of his special experience in Scouting!  Congratulations to Brad M., Eagle Scout!  More great photos of Brad’s recent Eagle Court of Honor can be found here!

 

Ice Climbing in Catskills

Most of our scout’s ice climbing high-adventure activity has occurred far north of here in beautiful Keane Valley, near Lake Placid, NY.  Recently however, our troop opted for a similar bit of excitement but a trip that would be much shorter:  the Catskills!  Many probably are a little shocked to learn that ice climbing exists only 120 miles away near Hunter Mountain, but it does and the ice flows were every bit as spectacular as those in Keane Valley.  Although the winter has been unusually mild there were a few very large ice flows that have been largely protected by the sun.  The only negative was the fact that there was no devoted trail to the climb site and the rocky and steep ground only had light snow cover, making it very difficult to traverse.  Once our small group of thrill seekers found the targeted ice flow, it was an afternoon full of climbing up to heights of as high as an estimated 75′!  One must utilize different climbing techniques than those used for rock climbing.  Ice climbing is a very strenuous task and requires one to overcome any fear of heights.  The end result is a very exhiliarating experience that one will never forget, as these pictures, which do not fully reflect the scale of heights and sheer beauty of the ice flows, clearly attest!