Report - Woodcut Campout

This month we went up to the Mt. Hood area again to participate in the woodcut, giving us the ability to stay at the Nanich Lodge in the spring. Most of our youth had conflicting schedules, and so we only had 3 scouts and 2 older varsity scouts.

We stayed at Tollgate campground, which was only a few miles from where we had the woodcut. The campsite was right by the river, and very secluded. The boys did a great job of starting a fire with just a small sheet of paper and a lot of wood. They also worked on some wood-cutting skills getting more firewood than we could burn.

Once it got dark, we found out that there were daddy-long-legs all over our campground. A few boys even had to kill a few dozen that snuck into their open tent.

Everyone got lots of sleep and we got to the woodcut just in time in the morning. There was a lot of wood being cut by the adult leaders, and the boys formed long lines to carry and stack the wood. We stacked for about 4 hours, and then got to register for the weekend that we'll stay at the lodge next spring (March 12-13th, 2010).

We had planned to stop and ride the Alpine Slide at Ski Bowl on the way home, but it sprinkled most of the morning, and it was closed fro being wet, so we'll have to postpone that until next year's woodcut.

September Camping Trip – Woodcut @ Nanitch

Fri, Sept 18 – Sat, Sept 19

Friday, Sept 18

Meet at the church @ 5:00p for pack review and car assignment. Wear your full scout uniform: shirt and green pants/shorts. SPL and PL will perform the pack review, while the QM will check troop gear.

Leave Sherwood at 5:30pm. We will drive to Still Creek Camp, just past Government Camp on the south side of Mt. Hood. We’ll have to backpack in about a quarter-mile. Plan to carry all your gear and food on your back. (multiple trips will be OK) We will camp in the forest, come rain or shine, as opposed to using established camp sites which are closed here this time of year. It will likely be cool and dry, with average temperatures in the mid-60’s during the day, and dropping down to low-50’s at night. It is possible that we’ll have rain (10%), but we’ll be more sure as the date draws nearer. Bring a jacket for the cold, preferably one that will keep you dry if it does rain a bit. (As always, synthetic materials are recommended; and cotton, like jeans and hoodies, should be avoided.) Tents and stoves will be provided. Other items are available from the troop Quartermaster (Ryan Simmons).

The boys will have been divided into eating groups, and will be expected to have brought food that they can prepare in their groups, with only minimal supervision from the leaders. They will receive a stove and fuel at the church before we leave which they will also carry. They will not have any food provided by the leaders.

We expect to arrive at Still Creek around 7pm. The boys will set up the provided tents and cook their own dinner. Sunset is at 7:30pm, so the boys will need to bring a light they can use to cook by, or while setting up tents and getting around camp. Headlamps are recommended if the boys have them, but flashlights are also acceptable.

Saturday, Sept 19

Breakfast cooked by the boys in their cooking groups. No leader involvement or food provided.

We will spend the bulk of the morning at the BSA-owned Nanitch Lodge, just north of Gov’t Camp. The leaders will be splitting wood, and the youth will be carrying the wood to large stacks where it is stored and used during the winter to heat the lodge. Work gloves are STRONGLY recommended. The boys should also bring a water bottle that they can use to stay hydrated during the morning’s work.

Participating in this woodcut gives us the right to attend the lodge in the late winter where the boys can sleep indoors and enjoy the tubing on the hill.

We will finish about 1pm, and eat lunch after that. Boys will need to provide their own sack lunch that they can eat after we finish working. A large cooler with ice will be provided where boys can store anything that needs to stay cold (Ie: sandwiches, drinks)

We should be home around 3pm, and will call all the parents about an hour before we arrive at the church for pickup.