Community Service – ‘Good Turn’ at Graymoor Turns Grand

One of Troop 353’s more important Community Service projects throughout the year is the annual pilgrimage up to the Graymoor Monastery in Garrison, NY to help beautify the grounds.  This year’s effort was the grandest of all with the completion of a substantial improvement and beautification of the St. Jude’s Pond and Prayer Garden area.   Brother Ted Novack was extremely grateful and highly complimentary of our historic efforts and reminded the boys of the importance of their contribution again during our Sunday morning Interfaith Prayer Service.   The troop’s herculean efforts drew the attention of the local Garrison Garden Club, which arrived en masse (6 carloads!) & unannounced to inspect our handiwork about 30 minutes after our completion late Saturday afternoon.  Everyone was in awe of our troop’s handiwork!

This past week, the Graymoor Monastery communication department asked for our permission to use our photographs in the following Graymoor Publications:  a monthly newsletter, a quarterly bulletin and additions to their website.  In all, it is estimated that the troop was able to devote over an estimated 165 man hours to improving the prayer garden, a holy place and one of great solitude, frequented by thousands of people of all faiths every year.  This is particularly true around Sept. 11th of every year when literally hundreds of people arrive to pay their respects.  Here is a link to the monthly newsletter http://www.atonementfriars.org/enews/enews_april_09_web.html

On Sunday morning at the Graymoor outing, all 3 patrols participated in the Iron Chef Cookoff with Brother Ted performing the role of chief guinea pig and tasting judge!  The Eagle Patrol, led by the careful guidance of Troop Guide Tim DeMichiel, easily won first place with a warm and tasty special raisin & lime pancake, garnished with apples that included all of the required special ingredients!  A special award was presented to the Eagle Patrol that Sunday night.  The Tiny Insects and Mustang Patrols came in 2nd & 3rd, respectively, owing to their less than ambitious offer of lukewarm oatmeal.  The previous night, the Scoutmaster attempted his hand at preparing a special apple & raisin dumpling dessert in 2 large dutch ovens, topped with whip cream–though the bottom crust was overcooked, scouts were asking for a second helping! For some great photos from the trip, click here.

 

High Adventure High in the Adirondacks

After waiting for two years for the opportunity to participate in our Council’s popular Ice Climbing event near Lake Placid in upstate New York, our older scouts (minimum age 14) finally got the opportunity to discover why this outing remains in such high demand.  First of all, there are only a few weekends per year that this unique high-adventure  trip is available.  And relative to the size of Westchester-Putnam Council’s scout base, all ice climbing weekends typically “sell out” within a few weeks of becoming available in May the preceeding year.  As well, the Summit Base crew does a terrific job to ensure scouts have an exciting, fun and safe weekend.  For the scouts, whom are used to camping, staying in a warm Hostel with bathrooms and home-cooked meals is a bit like being on vacation!  Finally, the ice climbing in the Keene Valley itself is spectacular!  It is very challenging (much harder than it looks), the weather elements can be harsh, but the scenery is simply spectacular.   Staying in Lake Placid, site of the 1932 & 1980 Olympic Games, had the added benefit of other important sporting events occurring, namely the Empire State Games with athletes from all over the world present.  And if one still had any energy left from learning to work ice picks and spiked crampons in tandem on a magnificent vertical ice cliff all day, then one could play on the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute at night as long as one wanted.  This new winter event for the troop, in all likelihood, will prove to be enormously popular.  Words simply cannot adequately describe the exhilaration of ice climbing in the beautiful surroundings of Keene Valley.   Simply spectacular photographs of this event can be seen here.

 

Ten Mile River – A Memorable Outing in a Winter Wonderland!

One of the troop’s long-standing traditions is to travel up to Ten Mile River Scout Reservation in the middle of the winter and enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational activities. In addition, the Old Goat patrol historically prepares a large Thanksgiving-type dinner for everyone on Saturday night. This year, the turnout was exceptionally strong, especially among the Old Goats, and all bunks were filled in both Hearst cabins. Given that it was Super Bowl weekend, the event organizers were particularly pleased at the maximum capacity crowd!

Nearly half the troop arrived late Friday night. And those that did, were able to put together a solid 1-mile orienteering course the next morning in the brutally cold surroundings. The rest of the troop arrived mid-morning on Saturday and promptly prepared an early lunch in anticipation of spending the early afternoon ice fishing with long-time associate & local resident Mr. Ray Evans. Mr. Evans has taught our scouts to ice fish over the years and generously brings lots of fishing gear, bait and, of course, a large augor to punch a hole in the ice atop of the frozen lake near the Hearst cabins. This year, perhaps due to all the foot traffic on the surface, the fish appeared a bit more spooked and nobody landed any fish, or to my knowledge, even received a nibble! Still, it was a very neat experience and the scouts enjoyed immensely the fishing challenge as well as uniqueness of the frozen lake surface!

About 3 hours before sunset, the troop returned to shore and grabbed their shovels and began building quinzees, or snow huts. This entails shoveling a giant mound of snow about 6 feet high and 10 feet across. After the snow settles for an hour or two, the hollowing out process begins. Building a quinzee is a valuable skill to learn about wilderness survival. This last step takes quite a while and one gets very wet, unless properly protected with waterproof clothing. By dinner time, 3 large quinzees were built and ready for use. After consuming an estimated 60 lbs of turkey, which was deliciously prepared in large fryers, cleaning up and enjoying a short skit night, nearly everyone was ready for bed by 10pm. Five adventurous campers decided to leave the warm confines of the cabin and venture back outside to the sub-freezing night time temps in order to sleep in the quinzees. Inside the dense snow huts, it was a balmy 32–33 degrees, while outside the frigid arctic air was closer to 8–10 degrees. Everyone in the snow huts remained comparatively warm all night and enjoyed a more “peaceful” night of sleep than the 40 cots of exhausted scouts and scouter dads that were sawing seriously logs all night long! After a delicious traditional Irish breakfast and Interfaith Prayer Service the next morning, the boys packed up and were home well in advance of the Super Bowl pre-game show. In many ways, it was a truly unforgettable weekend for all! Check out the many great pictures from an unusually memorable winter campout here!

 

Community Service – Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King with ECAP

The scouts in Troop 353 have a wonderful way to contribute to their community each year in January by performing the opening flag ceremony at the always well-attended celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast (sponsored by Eastchester Community Action Program – ECAP). In addition to earning valuable community service hours, the scouts are entitled to a complete breakfast for free! Ths hugely popular event draws large participation from schools and churches throughout the tri-community area. Additionally, several important dignitaries are always in attendance along with members of the press. This wonderful annual tradition is celebrated several hundred people. This year’s event took on special relevance as everyone present realized Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech was finally coming to fruition with the inauguration of the first African American President, Barack Obama that same week. (Photos here).

 

Hiking with Eagles

During the yearend holidays our troop attempts to reunite many of our Eagle Scouts that are typically home for the holidays. One of the better ways to create a sense of belonging, while cultivating an effective environment for the younger scouts to learn from the older scouts, is to go on a hike! Our area is blessed with many great hiking areas within a 45 minute drive. A favorite hike of many locals is Anthony’s Nose. Led by Eagle Scouts, Dan A. & Evan W., our cadre of 25 hikers, including 5 Eagle Scouts, enjoyed a beautiful day of January sunshine. It has been about 3 years since our troop last tackled Anthony’s Nose. And with some snow & ice present, the trek was a bit more arduous and slow-gowing than anticipated. After the hike, it was estimated that the Camp Smith trail to Anthony’s Nose criss-crossed 3 peaks, resulting in a cumulative elevation climb of well over 2000 feet–which explains why so many were so tired and slept well that night! Hiker pics are here!

 

The Needle Points North — to Ward’s Pound Ridge!

Pass the Hot Chocolate please!

One of the basic skills that a Scout learns is how to use a map & compass–something that comes in handy in these hi-tech days when people rely blindly on GPS units. The dictionary defines orienteering as a “competitive sport, originating in Sweden, that tests the skills of map reading and cross-country running, in which competitors race through an unknown area to find various checkpoints by using only a compass and topographical map, the winner being the finisher with the lowest elapsed time.” On this clear Saturday, the scouts of troop 353 gathered at nearby Ward Pound Ridge (a long-time camping destination for many local scout troops) and took a different approach to orienteering. They did not run competitively through the woods, but there was a contest. In addition to following a set orienteering course with pre-marked topographical maps, patrols were awarded points for finding additional markers. Likewise, the senior scouts planned three different advancement stations along the 3-mile orienteering course: fire building, lashing / knots and first aid. Each station had fires for boys to warm their hands or brew some quick hot chocolate as the temps were in the 30s that day! For some great photos on this hugely popular event, click here!!

 

Community Service – Troop 353 Contributes +200 Grocery Bags to Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive!

One of Eastchester Troop 353’s proudest and longest-standing traditions, and one that clearly distinguishes our troop from others in our area, is contributing substantially to the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive for Eastchester Community Action Program (ECAP)! In the opinion of the Scoutmaster, our troop takes its community service mandate to a higher level than the overall Council-wide food drive that occurs in fall, as our scout’s collective efforts have a very substantial and direct impact on ECAP. ECAP is the local office of the Westchester Community Opportunity Program (WestCOP)–one of 16 offices in the Westchester & Putnam County. According to the WestCOP website, it is “a private not-for-profit, multipurpose social service agency operating community programs to combat poverty and its adverse effects in Westchester and Putnam counties.

“Chartered in 1965, the organization each year receives more than 60 grants from corporations, government, foundations and individuals to sponsor numerous programs essential to the well being of the community’s residents. These programs include 30 Day Care / Head Start centers, 12 Community Action Programs (CAPs), Substance abuse, Family living program, Homeless prevention and Assistance programs, Emergency food pantries, Surplus food distribution, Energy conservation and Weatherization programs and numerous employment and training programs. WestCOP services include a variety of special projects, such as the Foster Grandparents Programs, an Emergency Homeless Men’s Shelter, Seniors in Community Services, Victims Assistance Services, Rape Crisis Services, a Rape Hotline, Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Community Services to the Elderly.

“The nucleus of the agency’s operations is its neighborhood services centers (CAPs) which act as advocates for the poor and minorities by helping their constituencies to organize for the purpose of exerting influence on the larger community’s allocation of resources and keeping their interests before local governments, and public and private agencies.
“The CAPs help the poor and the minorities to meet the needs, which they themselves identify, provide resources to neighborhood and community groups to secure professional and technical assistance and provide direct services to individuals who have no where else to turn. “

Troop 353 is particularly proud of its 17 year tradition of contributing directly to its local community. Our troop’s efforts to collect well over 200 grocery bags throughout our neighborhood, along with other corporate donors, has a truly long-lasting impact, as ECAP is one of the few WestCOP offices to supply both its local and surrounding communities with a well-stock food bank. The food contributed during the Thanksgiving food drive, according to Charlene Lambrecht, the ECAP program director, was enough to last through the yearend holidays.

A scout is Helpful!

 

Winter Backpacking Along the Appalachian Trail

November can be a tricky month to plan an outing. The two weekends around Thanksgiving are likely “forbidden”; hunting season begins in our neck of the woods and the temperature fluctuation can be substantial. Following last year’s successful hike through Fahnestock State Park along the Appalachian Trail (AT) to the highly-sought site #40 at Durland Scout Reservation, our scouts wanted to repeat the mini-trek, but take a different trail into scout camp. This year, the hike plan called for a slightly shorter journey, departing the AT after only a mile or so. Instead of heading Southeast at the trail head to Hidden Lake and the Old Mine Railroad path, our scouts headed Southwest and followed the White Trail up across the top of Bushy Ridge (about 1200 feet above sea level) where one could witness beautiful, sweeping vistas both to the East and to the West. As the White Trail descends a few hundred feet and intersects the Blue Trail, we came across the clearly visible foundations and stone walls of the historic mining town of Odletown. A short distance later and the troop had arrived mid-afternoon at our destination: site #37 at Durland Scout Reservation.

The weather outlook for that weekend was for clear skies–unlike the prior weekend (our originally scheduled camping date) which witnessed a torrential downpour all day and night. The only weather element to battle was the chilly fall air. Instead of a typical range of 30–45 degrees, we had 15–25 degrees, with 10 mph winds and gusts up to 30 mph! It was more than just “crisp”–it was really cold!! The boys were prepared and had lots of winter clothing and extra blankets and sleeping bags to keep them warm. Besides, the scouts were so busy running around trying to build bigger & bigger fires that very few suggested they were cold. There were a few scouts and scouters that opted to depart for a warmer environment after a tasty dinner and entertainment around the bonfire in the Old Goat Patrol’s campsite. After a crystal clear night, perfect for star gazing, the boys awoke to their frozen world–literally. It was so cold, that food items left in food boxes outdoors had frozen solid as had dishwashing tubs from the night before. Likewise, the propane stoves did not all function properly. So scouts learned a valuable lesson about winter camping: keep ample firewood about as cooking and cleaning definitely take longer. Perhaps bringing prepared meals that only need warming would have been the best solution of all! Following a brief Interfaith Prayer service and prior to departing Sunday morning, a crew of hearty campers eagerly embraced the opportunity to complete one hour of service project work near the Campmaster’s cabin, entitling the scouts to earn the special “Outdoorsman” patch. For look at some truly memorable photos, click here.

 

Special Court of Honor Night!

Our fall Court of Honor this past year was indeed a special event with a huge turnout! The combination of an annual family pot luck dinner and several invited guests for the Wood Badge beading ceremony of Scoutmaster Tom McCandless resulted in the need for a new larger, locale for this venue: our local Cottle Elementary School. This Court of Honor witnessed the impressive recognition of 14 rank advances, a stunning 88 merit badges, and one special BSA award, the 1-mile Swim! This dramatic uptick in advancement completion reflected an equally impressive 50% increase in summer camp attendees! There were a record number of proud parental smiles in the audience.

Scout of the Year - 2008

The other main highlight of the evening was the announcement of the troop’s inaugural Scout of the Year award. According to the senior committee members that determined this year’s winner, the once-in-a-lifetime winner, ASPL Brad M., was honored for his high level of participation in all troop activities (including campouts), above-normal advancement (including completion of several Eagle-required merit badges), consistent leadership role and positive Scout spirit! Several adults were involved in the process and the committee had several outstanding candidates. The Scout of the Year committee expects another outstanding group of high-performing scouts during the 2009 scouting year. This “best practices” recognition award was “borrowed” from Troop 240 Riverdale and will be a great new tradition for our troop! On the walls of the Tuckahoe Community Center will be a second plaque, to match the Eagle Scout plaque, honoring all future Scout of the Year recipients. Congratulations Brad!

Scoutmaster receives his Wood Badge Beads

Finally, after two years of hard work, Scoutmaster Tom completed the most advanced level of training available to adult Boy Scout Leaders, the completion of the Wood Badge (WB) course. Members of the Scoutmaster’s WB course & Bear Patrol were present to participate in the symbolic “beading” ceremony, which was led by mentor and Scoutmaster Joe Acquafredda of Riverdale T-240 of the Greater NY Council. Troop 240 is believed to have the largest number of Wood Badgers in the area, with about a dozen and several regarded as “3 Beaders” (WB course instructors). Mr. McCandless is only the third recipient of the Wood Badge award in Troop 353’s history, following in the footsteps of sr. Committee member Richard Schraudner and founding Scoutmaster John Callahan. For a look at a very memorable night for Troop 353, check out these photos!

 

Citizenship Weekend

With the Presidential election only weeks away and “Citizenship” as the monthly advancement theme for the month of October, Troop 353 scouts decided to explore the fertile Hudson Valley further. We are blessed to live in an area that has so many areas of historic importance within a short drive. So, American Heritage merit badge counselor and Troop 353 Webmaster Tom Watson organized our logical destination: the scenic Hyde Park area of NY and the historic home site of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). The timing was excellent as the peak in fall foliage was about a week or two away. The troop camped at the beautiful Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park (MLN-SP), ranked as one of the top campgrounds in the country and less than 5 miles from FDR’s historic estate. Prior to departing for a complete tour of the FDR estate & Presidential Library, Troop 353 scouts performed an hour of service project work around the marina inside the MLN-SP. The area was a geographical playground for our scouts with its diverse rock formations and cliffs overlooking the scenic Hudson River. I have never seen our boys have so much fun picking up garbage (and yes we did gather a fair amount of trash)!

Many of the Troop 353 members had never visited the estate of FDR, which is part of our National heritage (http://www.nps.gov/hofr). Everyone was amazed at the breadth of activities, the impressive scope of the FDR Presidential Library & Museum and the actual size of the FDR estate! It was easy to lose track of time and equally easy to see why so many people were visiting this treasured National historic site! Upon returning to our private campsite in MLN-SP, the scouts prepared dinner and then participated in a fun-filled evening of entertainment around the main bonfire under a star-lit night sky! The next day, after breakfast and an Interfaith Prayer Service, our departure was delayed by a much-deserved break to allow the boys some time to play on a steep embankment of dirt that turned into the ultimate playground! It was rumored after that weekend that many of the boys were so filthy that their clothes were beyond cleaning and had to be destroyed!! All in all, it was an awesome weekend and everyone involved got a fresh appreciation of the importance of being good stewards of Citizenship! As proof, just check out these great photos here!!

 

Community Service – Running for a Good Cause

Scouts of Troop 353 were given a unique opportunity to earn community service hours – running in the 32nd Annual Tuckahoe Challenge Road Race! How do scouts earn community service hours for jogging? As you may imagine, this is a significant local event. And this year, the Eastchester Community Action Program (ECAP) was allowed to have sponsors run in the race. Qualified runners were asked to secure sponsorships to fund partially ECAP’s Project Restoration — monies needed for physical restoration of the ECAP’s local office building. The Road Race consisted of both a one-mile and a five-mile segment and the turnout included at least two hundred runners, including several family members of Troop 353.  As a result, our scouts were successful at raising meaningful sums of money for ECAP.

 

Adirondacks in August — Summer Camp Fun!

Summer camp is clearly the high point of the year for most scouts and this year was no different!  Our scouts began preparing for camp by sponsoring a car wash to raise money to spend on the planned extracurricular activities while at Curtis S. Read Scout Reservation in Lake Brant, NY, about 30 miles north of scenic Lake George.  This year there was nearly a 50% increase in the number of Scouts (to 21) attending summer camp along with a corresponding 50% increase in the number of merit badges earned (to 65)!

The drive up to Lake Brant proved to be fortuitous about the unpredictability of Mother Nature.  As we arrived into camp that Sunday afternoon, within a 250-mile radius there had been torrential downpours, lightning and what appeared to be a few small twisters in the low hanging clouds.  The rain let up considerably by early evening, and luckily it had not really dampened anyone’s excitement about being at camp!  As it turned out, throughout the week a few of our planned activities were either postponed or rescheduled due to rain…but not many!  Rain in the mountains, we learned, often occurs rapidly and unannounced and frequently ends just as quickly as it started!

Overall, the weather was the least of our concerns.  After all, as we’re fond of saying in Scouting, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate dress”!  The bigger concern was the outbreak of the Norwalk virus throughout youth camps across the mid-atlantic and northeast during July & August.  The “stomach bug” was NOT something anyone wanted to endure at summer camp, so we implemented procedures to ensure the boys practiced healthy personal hygiene habits while at camp.  And, for the most part, it worked well, with only Tim D. getting sick for about 18 hours–much less intense than what had been experienced by other campers that had caught the “stomach bug” previously.

The adult leaders helped the boys create workable advancement class schedules to accommodate for some time planned to be out of camp doing the fun planned extracurricular activities.  The game plan was to have something fun planned for every afternoon.  With Monday and Tuesday’s planned extracurricular events getting postponed due to rain, the horseback ride in Lake George on Wednesday and the all-you-can-eat BBQ & Rodeo in Lake Luzerne was greeted with much anticipation!  The food was terrific and the boys enjoyed the rodeo enormously, which included bareback broncos, barrel racing, calf roping, “half-time” entertainment and children’s games, & then the grand finale, bare back bull riding!  The boys really enjoyed watching one stubborn bull that refused to exit the arena after he had successfully tossed his cowboy!

On Thursday, with light rain, many boys opted to sign up for the zip line.  There was considerable energy put into creative water entries with Chris L., clearly mastering this skill!  Earlier in the day, troop 353 pursued a novel service project for the camp, and created and hung a terrific new “Woodsman” campsite sign for the entrance off the Siberian Trailway.  Many Scouter dads & scouts took advantage of the free time in the afternoon to shoot a few skeets at the shotgun range.  Many scouts in the Emergency Preparation merit badge class took part in a fun skit during retreat.  While after dinner, Troop 353 long-distance runners (Brad M., Mike P., Matthew S., & Sean W.) won 1st Place in the 3-mile relay.   Still, there was time for relaxing, chasing frogs, fishing and swimming.  Speaking of aquatics, Joshua G. successfully completed the BSA 1-mile Swim that night–only the second scout in the history of Troop 353 to complete this enormous challenge!

For Friday, the sun was out for the most eagerly anticipated extracurricular activity of all:  white water rafting!  Unquestionably, this is THE most fun event of the week.  Everyone spent as much time in the water as in the raft and all agreed that it was an “awesome” event!  After a tasty dinner of burger & fries, courtesy of the troop’s car washing proceeds, the troop hurried back to camp to squeeze in one of the more unique activities of the week, caving at Camp Waubeeka!  Though we could not leave the cave’s natural underwater exit (as water levels were too high due to rain), it was still a very memorable experience for all!

 

All in all, troop 353 had another great experience at Camp Read in 2008, reinforcing the fact that boys can still have a very special fun experience with considerable advancement completed irregardless of a little rain!  There are over 300 great summer camp photos to view, just click here!